§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what report he has received on the numbers and conditions of detention of UK citizens held by the United States(a) at the Guantanamo base in Cuba and (b) elsewhere. [29797]
§ Mr. BradshawBritish officials visited Guantanamo Bay from 17–20 January and saw three British detainees. None of the detainees complained of any ill treatment.
We continue to investigate reports of individuals detained in Afghanistan who might be British. We are currently aware of two such individuals detained in Kandahar by the US authorities.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the International Committee of the Red Cross and other NGOs on the treatment of prisoners held by the United States at the Guantanamo base and elsewhere. [29799]
§ Mr. BradshawNone. It is standard practice for the International Committee of the Red Cross to report confidentially to the detaining power only. The ICRC have established a presence at Guantanamo Bay and their officials have access to the detainees at any time. They also have access to detainees held by the US authorities in Afghanistan.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received from the United States Government concerning the treatment of prisoners captured in the conflict in Afghanistan. [29800]
§ Mr. BradshawThe US authorities have said that the detainees held by the US are being treated humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva conventions.