§ Mr. Alan DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those British citizens held in foreign jails for which consular support has been requested, by(a) name, (b) country of imprisonment and c date of imprisonment. [7827]
§ Mr. BradshawAs of 1 October we were aware of 3,605 British nationals in prison overseas. Around 40 per cent. of these prisoners were convicted on drugs related offences.
The 3,605 prisoners are serving their sentences in 126 different countries. The 10 countries with the most British nationals serving sentences are:
- USA: 674
- Spain: 421
- France: 382
- Germany: 220
- Australia: 152
- Thailand: 31
- Jamaica: 129
- Belgium: 113
- Ireland: 140
- Venezuela: 35.
To list the British citizens and offences for which each prisoner was convicted would incur disproportionate costs and breach consular confidentiality.
The welfare of British nationals in prison overseas is one of our key concerns. Although we cannot get prisoners released, we do whatever we can to ensure their human rights are protected. We work closely with NGOs and human rights organisations to ensure that their rights are respected.