Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Saudi Arabian authorities on the restrictions on women drivers in that country.

The UK welcomes the end of the ban on women obtaning driving licences in Saudi Arabia from 24 June. We have discussed this issue regularly with the Saudi authorities along with other women's rights issues, recognising that women's rights in Saudi Arabia fall short of international standards. Primarily, we focus on removing legal and cultural barriers like the guardianship system.