Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Tuesday, 10 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 October 2006. It was answered by Ian McCartney (Labour) on Wednesday, 18 October 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Gay Rights

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts about promoting gay rights.

Answer: The promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights has not been raised recently at ministerial level with our European partners. However, the EU has been active on these issues in UN fora. The EU raised LGBT rights during the interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteurs on Violence Against Women and Contemporary Racism during the second session of the UN Human Rights Council (19 September-6 October 2006). At official level, the UK continues to work closely with EU partners to ensure that LGBT non-governmental organisations receive fair consideration when applying for consultative status with the UN. We continue to look out for suitable opportunities to raise concerns where we have them.

Secondary information