Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has with (a) international partners and (b) the UN on recent reports of cases of schoolgirls in Afghanistan being poisoned and hospitalised.

FCDO officials regularly press the Taliban on all human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls. Reports of poisonings of schoolgirls in Afghanistan are very worrying. We are working closely with our mission in Doha, international partners, NGOs and the UN to continue to monitor the reports. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, has made clear that it is essential that all girls can exercise their human right to education without fear.