Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will put the role of Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief on a statutory footing.

The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all around the world. However, we do not see additional value in making the role of envoy statutory. No special envoy roles in the UK are enshrined in legislation and legislation is not required in order to create, or make more effective, the role of special envoys. David Smith MP was appointed as the UK Special Envoy for FoRB in December 2024.