Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the findings of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, published on 8 July 2019, what plans they have to conduct a review into persecution on the basis of religion or belief (1) globally, and (2) in the UK.

The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, which was commissioned by the then Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022.

Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a priority in the FCDO's multilateral work. It was a key strand of the UK's successful campaign to be re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council. As part of our longstanding and continuing work, we advocate for countries to appoint FoRB Envoys. The Government is currently considering how the recommendation on the scale of persecution can be implemented in a way that delivers and supports the work we are doing globally to address the challenges faced by religious minorities. We will commission an independent review into the recommendations in good time to take place at the completion of the three-year implementation period.