Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of human rights abuse in Bahrain.

The UK works closely with the Government of Bahrain to provide targeted and practical assistance in torture prevention, judicial reform, civil service capacity building and community policing. During my visit to Bahrain in June for the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group, I discussed the importance of human rights and political reform and UK assistance with the Bahraini authorities. We also continue to encourage all sides to engage constructively in political dialogue in order to reach an inclusive political settlement.