Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5166, on Mexico: missing persons, what response was provided by the Mexican authorities; if his Department will seek an update on actions taken since the subject was discussed; and if he will make a statement.

When Baroness Anelay raised the Ayotzinapa case with Mexican Government Ministers during her visit in December, they made clear that progress in the investigation was being made, including on victim support. Some progress has also been acknowledged by the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights' (IACHR) Follow-Up Mechanism following its visits to Mexico in December and April. However, the whereabouts of the missing students and the events leading to their disappearance remain unclear.

British Embassy officials have engaged with both the IACHR Mechanism and the families of those affected. We continue to call on the Mexican Government to bring the perpetrators to justice. We are also working through the Prosperity Fund to support the consolidation of Mexico's new adversarial justice system.