Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of human rights in Mexico.

The Government attaches great importance to the support of human rights around the world, in Mexico, as elsewhere. We share longstanding and serious concerns with the international community about reports of human rights violations and impunity in Mexico. We encourage efforts by the Mexican government to strengthen processes and mechanisms to prevent human rights violations and ensure that those responsible for violations are brought to justice. Indeed, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed human rights with President Peña Nieto during his State Visit to the UK in March this year. Through a programme of visits, meetings and discussions with representatives of the Mexican government, human rights defenders, non-governmental organisations and international partners, we hope these efforts will build respect for fundamental human rights and strengthen rule of law in Mexico. We continue to support human rights organisations on the ground and share UK experience of tackling the challenges Mexico faces. We are currently focusing on the treatment of torture and enforced disappearance by judges, and are in the process of selecting projects to address security and justice concerns which will complement this work.