Speeches

Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Cayman Islands on improving LGBT rights.

Sir Alan Duncan

The British Government works closely with the Overseas Territories (OTs) on LGBT rights to ensure that all OTs meet their international human rights obligations in this area. In September, the UK Solicitor General chaired a human rights session at the annual conference of OT Attorneys General, where LGBT equality was extensively discussed. The Solicitor General will co-chair a session in November with the Minister for the Overseas Territories, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns, on human rights at the Joint Ministerial Council. And earlier this month, Baroness Anelay addressed LGB&T issues when she spoke to the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly. We expect all OT Governments to comply with their evolving international obligations in the field of human rights. Legislating in this area is for OT Governments.