HL Deb 29 October 1981 vol 424 cc1186-7WA
Lord Melchett

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many British citizens suspected, charged or convicted of criminal offences were being held in prison outside the United Kingdom by each foreign and Commonwealth country at 1st October 1981; and what is the range of the sentences being served by these British citizens in each country; and

How many British citizens suspected, charged or convicted of cannabis offences were being held in prison outside the United Kingdom by each foreign and Commonwealth country at 1st October 1981; and what is the range of sentences being served by these British citizens in each country; and How many British citizens suspected, charged or convicted of drug offences, excluding cannabis, were being held in prison outside the United Kingdom by each foreign and Commonwelath country at 1st October 1981; and what is the range of sentences being served by these British citizens in each country.

Lord Carrington

I shall answer the three questions together and give details of British subjects held prisoner for drugs and other offences in overseas gaols on 5th October, the most recent date on which statistics are available.

Figures for different types of drug offences, the drugs involved and the range of sentences in each country are not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The information is as follows: