Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when was their last engagement with the Taliban, what was discussed and whether the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan was raised in those exchanges.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, both bilaterally and internationally. Officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan continue to press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Officials visit Kabul regularly, raising issues directly with senior members of the Taliban, including their unacceptable policies towards women and girls. Most recently, on 16 December, officials raised the ban on women accessing medical education and training in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to reverse the ban.