§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 28 January 2002,Official Report, column 36W, on British expatriates in Spain, what figures are held by the (a) Foreign Office and (b) the British Embassy in Spain, as to the number of UK nationals living permanently in Spain. [33125]
768W
§ Peter Hain(a) None.
(b) For consular purposes, British nationals in Spain, whether visiting or permanently resident, may register their presence with the British embassy in Madrid, or the nearest British consulate. However, as registration is not compulsory, and few citizens choose to register, any figures derived from these registers would not be authoritative. Official Spanish figures therefore provide the best guide as to the number of British nationals resident in Spain.