Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the decision by the Taliban to prohibit women and girls from undertaking midwifery and nursing courses in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

The UK is deeply concerned at reports of a ban on women accessing medical training in Afghanistan, including midwifery education. We have released a statement strongly condemning the decision and officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan have met with Taliban leaders to urge them to reverse this decision. We have made clear that this is yet another affront to girls' right to education and will threaten the lives of countless women and girls who will be denied critical medical care, as well as their children. Officials are working closely with partners to assess the mid to long-term effects. We continue to press the Taliban on all human rights abuses in Afghanistan.