§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the criteria he uses to measure human rights improvements in a country. [126658]
§ Mr. HainOur policy is to promote British interests and pursue British values by supporting democracy and human rights, wherever we can, however we can. That means responding to human rights challenges in the way most likely to help the people whose freedoms are being restricted. It would be irresponsible for any government to apply the same "one-size-fits-all" approach. We need to weigh factors such as relevant international standards, the policies of the government in the country concerned, and the extent to which our actions can have a real impact on the ground.