Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed changes to the Personal Status Law on the rights of women and children in Iraq.

The UK continues to assess the implications for minorities', women's and children's rights following the amendment to Iraq's Personal Status Law was passed by Iraq's Parliament on 21 January. We have long emphasised the importance of any legislative change to be compatible with Iraq's international obligations.

We urge all our partners to uphold international norms, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).