Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of reports concerning ongoing forced organ harvesting of the Falun Gong in China; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure the cessation of unethical transplant practices.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given in the House of Lords to question HL8230 on 20 June, which has been reproduced below for ease of reference:

The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This Government stands firm on human rights, and we raise our concerns at the highest levels. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).

This Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora. We continue to closely monitor the situation for Falun Gong practitioners and maintain a dialogue with NGOs and international partners on the issue.