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 effectiveness of the Steppe Inn at the British Embassy in Ulaanbaatar to promote UK soft power.

The Steppe Inne is a well-known institution at the British Embassy in Ulaanbaatar and has hosted Embassy contacts, Mongolian and British alike, for more than 30 years. With the forthcoming move to new Embassy premises, the Steppe Inne will close but plans are being developed to arrange Steppe Inne nights at an alternative venue in Ulaanbaatar. The Steppe Inne has played a role in UK soft power but is part of a much wider Embassy effort to promote British interests in Mongolia.