Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the Taliban regime to enable (a) women and girls to have a full education including university, (b) women to take up employment and (c) women and girls to (i) visit parks and (ii) engage in normal activities outside their homes.

The Government strongly condemns the restrictions the Taliban have imposed on Afghan women and girls. We are working with our mission in Doha and the international community, including through the G7 and UN, to press the Taliban to reverse their harmful policies.

Respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls are prerequisites for sustainable economic development in Afghanistan. We continue to support the delivery of education, including Community Based Education through our bilateral and multilateral contributions.

On 6 March, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, met UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, and the Director of UN Women, Sima Bahaus, after their visit to Afghanistan to discuss the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls.