Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 October (HL1818), what were the outcomes of their conversations with the government of Saudi Arabia on human rights.

We regularly and robustly raise human rights cases with Saudi Arabia, including through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Human Rights Report in which Saudi Arabia is listed as a Human Rights Priority Country due to the death penalty, women's rights and the restrictions on freedom of expression and belief. We believe that, together with our international partners on human rights, we have been able to influence gradual but positive change in women's rights. We welcome recent developments such as the Royal Decree permitting women to obtain driving licenses from June 2018 and greater female participation in the workforce.