Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that (1) torture, and (2) cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, has occurred in the Muharraq Security Complex in Bahrain; and whether they received any such reports (a) through the Torture and Mistreatment Reporting Guidance, published in March 2011, or (b) through public representations or records.

The British Government welcomes the clarification from the government of Bahrain and its commitment to continue to address concerns about its human rights record. When making assessments, published in our annual human rights report, we take note of a number of sources of information and continue to monitor closely developments on all matters that relate to human rights within the country. The Home Secretary's visit to the Muharraq police station allowed her to see their approach to community policing, an important area of development.