§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of procedures used by British High Commission staff to obtain police reports on the deaths of British citizens in Nigeria. [101363]
§ Mr. HainI am satisfied that the British High Commission in Abuja and the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos do all they properly can to obtain police reports on the deaths of British citizens in Nigeria.
§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions when British High Commission staff have met representatives of the Nigerian Government to ask for a copy of the complete police report on the death of Mr. Mark Davey. [101362]
§ Mr. HainBritish High Commission staff met representatives of the Nigerian Government on the following occasions
15, 18 and 29 May 1998;4 August 1998;27 August 1998;27 October 1998;5 March 1999;8 April 1999;12 April 1999; and21 September 1999In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service raised the issue with the Permanent Secretary at the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 16 February 1999.
The British High Commission has reminded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on numerous occasions that a copy of the report has not been forthcoming. They have written to officials and Ministers on five occasions and sent Diplomatic notes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a further five occasions. I look for opportunities to raise this matter when I visit Nigeria early next year.
The British High Commission will continue to press the Nigerian authorities for a copy of the report.