Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the letter to the Rt hon. Member for Braintree and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon of 7 June 2021 from Human Rights Watch, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) independence from the executive of Bahraini oversight bodies in tackling torture; what steps he is taking to improve those aspects of Bahraini oversight bodies; and if he will make a statement.

The UK Government unreservedly condemns the use of torture. The UK does not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture for any purpose.

We believe that consistent, positive steps are being made on security and justice reform in Bahrain. Continued progress is in the interest of Bahrain, the UK and the international community. While we recognise that challenges remain, we are clear that stepping back from our engagement would not help to achieve this. Working in cooperation with the UNDP in Bahrain, we plan to continue our support through the Gulf Strategy Fund to strengthen Bahrain's human rights oversight institutions.