§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of United Kingdom citizens known to his Department held in foreign prisons; and what guidelines govern visits by his officials to such prisoners.
§ Mr. EggarAccording to the most recent survey there were, on 10 May 1988, to the best of our knowledge, 1,268 British nationals detained in foreign prisons.
Standing instructions for British consular officers overseas are that British nationals should be visited as soon as possible after their arrest or detention. Thereafter, they should be visited at reasonable intervals, whether awaiting trial or serving a sentence (unless it has been made clear by the prisoner that visits are not required). Frequency of visits depends on the circumstances of a case, local prison conditions and the situation of a particular prisoner.