Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in China on sentencing of Drugdra, Lobsang Khedrub, Lobsang Gephel, Lodro, Ta're Kyi, Bonkho Kyi, Tsultrim (Trotsik Tsultrim), Tsultrim (Tsulte), Akyakya and Losang Sonam for their involvement in the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday celebrations.

We have concerns about human rights and freedoms in Tibet. We have not raised these specific cases with the Chinese Government. However, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), raised our concerns about human rights in Tibet with the Chinese Government at the UK-China Strategic Dialogue on 20 December. We also raised our concerns about Tibet and a number of individuals with the Chinese Government at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 27 October. I attended the opening of the dialogue. We have recently received information on the sentencing of these individuals, and are in touch with our Embassy in Beijing to obtain further details.