Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2016 to Question 38785, what the content was of the three most recent representations the Government has made to the Saudi Arabian government relating to religious freedom.

We frequently raise religious freedom as part of our dialogue with the Saudi authorities on a wide range of human rights issues, including freedom of thought, conscience and religion. We pursue this dialogue though a variety of means, including diplomatic channels and Ministerial visits.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised human rights most recently during his visit to Saudi Arabia on 29 May. During my visit to Riyadh in January I discussed Human Rights with the National Society of Human Rights. Our Ambassador to Saudi Arabia continues to raise UK concerns on a regular basis.