Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the reported forced eviction of 20,000 members of the Huwaitat tribe to make way for a new city, NEOM; and whether the Government will rescind its offer to help develop that project.

The NEOM City is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 programme for socio-economic reform. We are aware of the reports of evictions in the area. We welcome the Saudi announcement on 20 June to grant plots of land, housing, compensation and provide job opportunities to residents within the project area. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, and we regularly raise areas of concern with the Saudi authorities at all levels.