Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for International Development and (b) the Government of Iran on support for people with disabilities in that country.

The Government remains committed to developing a constructive relationship with Iran, building on the reopening of our Embassy in Tehran and the upgrade of our diplomatic relationship. We are exploring discussions with Iran on a range of issues, including human rights, where we regularly raise concerns with the Government of Iran on the use of the death penalty and the lack of freedom of political or religious belief. In the future we hope to be in a position to discuss other issues, including support for people with disabilities in the country.

The Foreign Secretary regularly speaks to the International Development Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel) on a range of issues. The appointment of Joint Ministers of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of International Development further aligns these two departments, helping to facilitate discussions on a host of important subjects.