Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are specifically working in the area of freedom of religion or belief; how many working hours are committed to that task in an average week; and whether they have any plans to give that task greater priority and importance.

I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 18 August 2014 (HL 1693).

Given that a large number of different members of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spend time on this issue it is not possible to estimate an average number of hours devoted to it per week.
As one of only six thematic human rights priorities for the FCO, Freedom of Religion or Belief is treated with high importance, and this will continue to be the case.