Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Departmental officials who work in countries with significant freedom of religion or belief violations are using his Department's freedom of religion or belief toolkit to help tackle that issue.

The FCDO has developed a workshop that helps our staff in overseas Posts to implement our toolkit on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The Freedom of Religion or Belief toolkit was developed with input from legal and academic experts, and is intended to support FCDO human rights officers as they promote and protect this human right, and respond to violations or abuses of it (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/561516/Freedom_of_Religion_or_Belief_Toolkit_-_2016.pdf). Colleagues in Posts are encouraged to report to the Department on FoRB issues in their host countries on a regular basis.