HL Deb 12 March 1996 vol 570 cc62-4WA
Lord Dubs

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many (a) British citizens and (b) citizens of territories for which the United Kingdom has responsibility, are held in foreign prisons, indicating the numbers of each country.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)

We have responsibility for 2,029 persons currently being held in prison overseas. 1,638 are British citizens, 170 have other forms of British nationality, two are British protected persons, 51 hold Hong Kong certificates of identity and 168 are citizens of unrepresented Commonwealth countries. The breakdown by countries is as follows:

Country Number held
Algeria 1 commonwealth citizen
Andorra 3 British citizens (BCs)
Antigua 2 BCs
Argentina 4 BCs and 2 commonwealth citizens
Aruba 1 BC
Australia 43 BCs, 4 British Dependent Territories citizens (BDTCs) and 3 Hong Kong certificate of identity holders (HKCOIs)
Austria 12 BCs and 10 BDTCs
Barbados 2 BDTCs
Bangladesh 1 BC and 2 BDTCs
Belgium 37 BCs, 2 BDTCs and 2 commonwealth citizens
Botswana 2 BCs
Brazil 21 BCs and 3 commonwealth citizens
Bulgaria 2 BCs
Cameroon 1 BC
Canada 21 BCs and 2 BDTCs
Chile 1 BC
China 3 BCs and 3 BDTCs
Colombia 2 BCs and 1 commonwealth citizen
Cuba 2 commonwealth citizens
Cyprus 9 BCs
Czech Republic 2 BCs
Denmark 17 BCs
Djibouti 1 BC
Dominican Republic 1 BC
Ecuador 3 BCs
Egypt 1 BC and 1 British overseas citizen (BOC)
Falkland Islands 1 commonwealth citizen
Finland 2 BCs

Country Number held
France 296 BCs, 1 BDTC, 1 BOC and 25 commonwealth citizens
French Guyana 1 BC
Gambia 1 BC
Germany 121 BCs, 3 BDTCs and 2 HKCOIs
Greece 11 BCs, 2 BDTCs and 18 commonwealth citizens
Guyana 1 BC
Hong Kong 7 BCs and 1 BOC
Iceland 1 BC
India 30 BCs and 1 British subject (BS)
Indonesia 1 commonwealth citizen
Ireland 12 BCs
Israel 8 BCs and 1 commonwealth citizen
Italy 10 BCs, 1 BDTC and 4 commonwealth citizens
Jamaica 6 BCs
Japan 17 BCs, 4 BDTCs, 1 HKCOI and
1 commonwealth citizen
Kenya 3 BCs
Korea 2 BCs and 7 BDTCs
Latvia 2 BCs
Lebanon 2 BCs
Libya 2 BCs
Luxembourg 1 BDTC
Macao 1 BC
Malaysia 1 BDTC
Malta 2 BCs
Mexico 1 BC, 2 BOCs and 1 commonwealth citizen
Morocco 35 BCs, 2 BDTCs and 6 commonwealth citizens
Mozambique 1 BC
Nepal 4 BCs
Netherlands 36 BCs, 2 BDTCs and 1 commonwealth citizen
Netherlands Antilles 2 commonwealth citizens
New Zealand 11 BCs
Nigeria 2 BCs
Norway 14 BCs and 4 HKCOIs
Oman 1 BC
Pakistan 4 BCs

Country Number held
Papua New Guinea 1 BC
Peru 3BCs
Philippines 5 BCs, 6 BDTCs, 2 British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O)s), 8 HKCOIs and 1 commonwealth citizen
Poland 1 BC
Portugal 14 BCs and 8 commonwealth citizens
Qatar 3 BCs
Romania 1 BC
Russia 1 BC
St. Kitts 1 BC
St. Lucia 1 BC
St. Vincent 2 BCs
Sao Tome 1 BC
Singapore 4 BCs, 5 BDTCs and 2 commonwealth citizens
South Africa 23 BCs
Spain 361 BCs, 9 BDTCs, 1 British Protected Person (BPP) and 33 commonwealth citizens
Sri Lanka 6 BCs
Sweden 17 BCs, 1 BDTC and 1 commonwealth citizen
Switzerland 23 BCs, 2 BDTCs and 1 BOC
Taiwan 5 BCs and 1 commonwealth citizen
Tanzania 1 BC and 1 BOC
Thailand 40 BCs, 67 BDTCs, 2 BN(O)s, 37 HKCOIs and 23 commonwealth citizens
Trinidad 1 BC
Tunisia 1 BC
Turkey 9 BCs and 5 commonwealth citizens
Turks and Caicos 1 BC
UAE 14 BCs and 2 commonwealth citizens
United States 250 BCs, 16 BDTCs, 4 HKCOIs and 7 commonwealth citizens
Venezuela 3 BCs
Vietnam 1 BDTC, 2 BN(O)s, 1 BPP and 4 HKCOIs
Yemen 1 commonwealth citizen
Yugoslavia 4 BCs
Zaire 1 BC
Zimbabwe 3 BCs