§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department is taking in relation to the case of Ms Sandra Gregory, convicted on a drugs charge in Thailand. [78225]
§ Mr. FatchettFollowing her conviction for drug offences in Thailand in 1993, Ms Gregory transferred to a British prison in 1997 under the terms of the UK/Thailand Prison Transfer Agreement. The Agreement does not allow sentences to be reviewed once a prisoner is repatriated, but does allow the prisoner to benefit from our parole system. Ms Gregory will be eligible for parole in 2003.
Ms Gregory has asked the Government to support her Royal Pardon Petition. We have declined to do so because our policy is to support Petitions only when a prisoner is terminally ill or when a relative is terminally ill and dependent relatives may be left with no-one to care for them. These circumstances are not present in Ms Gregory's case.