§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 9 May (WA 189), what is the position as regards the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (as distinct from the Geneva Convention). [HL4287]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos)The applicability of a particular provision of either the ICCPR, or alternatively of international humanitarian law, will depend on the status of the individual concerned and the circumstances of his detention.
The Government have raised the conditions of the British detainees at Guantanamo Bay on a number of occasions and officials have visited them twice. We are satisfied that conditions at the camp are satisfactory. We continue to monitor the welfare of the British detainees closely and are in regular contact with the US authorities about them.