Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent reports of indigenous people in Brazil being poisoned by mercury due to gold mining; and whether she has made representations to her Brazilian counterpart on those reports.

We are aware of reports of indigenous people being poisoned by mercury linked to illegal gold mining in the Amazon. In September this year, the British Ambassador to Brazil discussed illegal gold mining with the local organisation Instituto Escolhas. We are also funding a three-year initiative, the Regional Action to Reduce Environmental Crime in the Amazon, to prevent and reduce environmental crime in the Amazon region, including in Brazil. The British Embassy in Brazil is committed to engaging widely with the Brazilian Government, civil society organisations, and other representatives to discuss issues related to indigenous rights, and will continue to monitor the situation.