§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their view of the United States plan for the FBI to open an international police training academy in Budapest, and whether they have discussed this proposal with the Security Services.
§ Baroness BlatchWe welcome the initiatives taken jointly by the Hungarian and the United States Governments to establish an International Law Enforcement Training Academy (ILEA) in Budapest. The academy, which opened in April, is providing previously unavailable training opportunities to law enforcement officers from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
We, and our European Union partners, are in close contact with the United States to ensure that the ILEA complements the bilateral and multilateral police training assistance programmes the European Union Member States have with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
The security and intelligence agencies are aware of the ILEA initiative, which is primarily directed at police officers.