§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the British plane spotters charged with espionage and associated charges have not received their bail money since they were acquitted in November 2002; what action the Foreign Office has taken to assist them in the return of this money; and what further action the Foreign Office plans to take. [101199]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe 12 British plane spotters have not yet received their bail money but Greek legal procedures can be lengthy. We advised the plane spotters to instruct a lawyer to apply for the return of the bail money on their behalf. Our ambassador in Athens wrote to the Minister of Justice on 28 January 2003, asking for this procedure to be expedited, and is actively pursuing this. We will continue to offer the plane spotters all the consular assistance we properly can.