Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they are making in developing a database which tracks freedom of religion or belief violations and other data about religious or belief minorities.

It is important that we have the best possible information about the situation members of minorities face in asserting their right to Freedom of Religion or Belief. It is certainly something that I have been looking at very closely since my appointment last summer as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy. We currently use many sources of information to determine the level of discrimination of different communities around the world. In addition, we have strong partnerships with representatives and leaders of different communities around the world. We are looking at how we can verify and use the data provided by non-governmental organisations and others ​to inform our work and help us provide the right support.