Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on the UK's bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates as a result of the treatment of Matthew Hedges in that country.

As the Foreign Secretary said on 22 November, we have a close partnership with the United Arab Emirates. We have been clear that we do not agree with the charges but we are grateful to the UAE for the effort that put into resolving the situtation.