HC Deb 16 January 1998 vol 304 cc334-5W
Mr. Viggers

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of(a) ethics and (b) morality in his Department's foreign policy. [23130]

Mr. Tony Lloyd

[holding answer 15 January 1998]: As we made clear in the FCO Mission Statement last July, we are committed to work through international forums and bilateral relationships to spread the values of human rights, civil liberties and democracy which we demand for ourselves.

Mr. Wilshire

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government's ethical foreign policy extends to a concern about how men treat women in other countries. [23212]

Mr. Tony Lloyd

[holding answer 15 January 1998]: We are fully committed to the promotion of human rights for all. We support the efforts of the European Union and other regional groups of which we are a member to promote gender non-discrimination and women's rights. The United Kingdom is an active member of the United Nation's Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission for Human Rights, and is committed to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.