Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the safety of Christians in those parts of Iraq currently controlled by ISIL.

We are concerned for the safety of Christians in parts of Iraq controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL have targeted Christians and many other groups in areas under their control.

I visited Iraq in late August and pressed the Prime Minister-designate Haider Al-Abadi to ensure his new government in Iraq would ensure the protection of all minorities, promote human rights and reassert the rule of law.