Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Egypt on Alaa Abd El-Fattah; and whether he is taking steps to secure consular access to him.

Ministers and officials have raised Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels in the Egyptian government, and will continue to do so. This includes consistent calls for consular access. The Prime Minister has raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on a number of occasions, most recently on 1 December. The former Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, including on 18 September. The Minister of State for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell raised the case with the Egyptian authorities on 15 November during his visit to Cairo. The Minister of State for the Middle East, also responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has also raised the case several times, most recently with Foreign Minister Shoukry during his visit to Cairo on 4 April, and on a number of occasions with the Egyptian Ambassador to London.