Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage other countries to abolish the death penalty as part of their judicial process.

Securing global abolition of the death penalty is part of the work of UK diplomatic representations in countries which continue to carry out executions. It is a goal that Ministers and officials actively pursue. Bilaterally, and with EU and other like-minded partners, we make representations in all countries which carry out executions, urging them to instate a moratorium; we encourage states to ratify the UN conventions and protocols which contain commitments to abolition, and we fund projects which encourage abolition or reform. This approach has played a part in driving the clear global progress towards abolition.