Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the conditions that Jimmy Lai is being held by Chinese authorities.

Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the Government. We continue to press for consular access, which the Hong Kong Prison Authorities have refused. The Government takes all allegations of mistreatment very seriously and will follow up with action appropriate to the circumstances of the case. The Government has consistently raised our concerns around Mr Lai's case with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities: for example, the Prime Minister raised his case with President Xi in November, and I raised Mr Lai's case in my meetings during my November visit to Hong Kong.