Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the cumulative impact on women and girls in Afghanistan of the Taliban's recent legislative measures, including the January 2026 Criminal Procedure Regulation and Decree No. 18; and what steps the Government is taking to support international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable for what United Nations experts have described as an institutionalised system of gender discrimination amounting to crimes against humanity.

This Government condemns the continuing restrictions imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban's new criminal procedure code, which legitimises domestic violence and targets women and minorities must be rescinded and the rights of all Afghans must be protected.

The UK continues to work closely with international partners to hold the Taliban to account, including through our chairmanship of the G7+ group of countries, and engagement through the United Nations and the Human Rights Council.