Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department officially recognises the Tibetan people as having a distinct (a) religious, (b) cultural, (c) linguistic and (d) historical identity.

This Government stands firm on human rights, including China's repression of the people of Tibet, and the erosion of Tibetan language, history and culture.

We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor, Energy Secretary and I all raised human rights recently with our Chinese counterparts. We also continue to work closely with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations. On July 2 the UK convened an event in the Human Rights Council to reaffirm the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief for all, including Tibetan Buddhists.