Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) religious and (b) cultural holidays are observed by their Department.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) welcomes staff from all religions and beliefs and aims to ensure all staff are treated with dignity and respect. The FCDO's Faith Networks can nominate up to two religious holidays per religion (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism) to be observed each year. As a global workforce it is likely that British Embassies recognise additional religious and cultural holidays, which are celebrated in the country they reside in, as a mark of respect and to further understanding of the countries we operate in order to deliver better the outcomes for UK citizens.