Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 26 September (HL1788), whether it is their assessment that the freedom of worship of British Christian and Jewish visitors to Turkey is unfettered and exists in all regions of the country.

It is our assessment that British Christians and Jewish visitors do have the freedom to worship there. The EU’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey (October 2014) stated that freedom of worship continued to be generally respected. It also highlighted that more work needed to be done on all fundamental freedoms to ensure that people can exercise these rights unhindered. The UK, together with its EU partners, will continue to encourage Turkey to make progress on these issues.