§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the numbers of UK citizens who(a) have been and (b) remain with al-Qaida and Taliban forces in Afghanistan. [58701]
§ Mr. Blunkett[holding answer 17 June 2002]: It is not possible for the Government to provide figures for the number of United Kingdom citizens who may be involved with terrorist or other groups in Afghanistan. British citizens are free to travel abroad and they are not obliged to inform United Kingdom authorities of their reasons for travelling.
The Government have put in place comprehensive measures to tackle terrorism whether committed in the United Kingdom or overseas. The police and the security services attach the highest priority to the investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences.