Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his counterpart in the Egyptian Government progress on apprehending the people responsible for the recent attacks on Coptic churches in Egypt.

We strongly condemn the recent attacks in Egypt against the Coptic Christian community, claimed by Daesh. The Government of Egypt has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the rights of minorities and to the need to promote religious tolerance. We welcome President Sisi's calls for peaceful co-existence and the Government of Egypt's expression of support for the rights of Christians and for religious tolerance.

Combating sectarian violence in Egypt is a shared strategic objective for the Egyptian and British governments. The Egyptian authorities have made several arrests following the attacks in Alexandria and Tanta, and continue to investigate the incident.