§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department received requests from(a) the US Administration, (b) the Turkish Government and (c) staff working in the British Consulate in Istanbul for British staff to move buildings in light of an increased risk from terrorism in the period between April and November. [140867]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 4 December 2003]The FCO has not received any requests from the US Administration or the Turkish Government for the British Consulate General to move buildings.
The security managers at the Consulate-General at Istanbul regularly briefed all staff on security matters. Staff were kept aware of changes to the State of Vigilance and of any additional security measures put in place.
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department took to ensure the security of British citizens(a) on holiday and (b) living in Turkey following (i) the explosions outside branches of HSBC in Istanbul on 31 May, (ii) the explosion at the Visa Section of the British Consulate-General in Istanbul on 3 April and (iii) the explosion of three devices in Izmir on 8 April. [140832]
§ Mr. StrawAfter each incident the FCO changed its travel advice to reflect its best assessment of the situation at the time. Details of travel advice changes are passed through the warden network to the British community.
I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the answer I gave him today on details of changes to the travel advice for the three incidents.
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department received from representatives of the British Consulate in Istanbul regarding the level of security provided at the temporary accommodation in which staff worked during the period between 2001 and 2003. [140833]
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§ Mr. StrawStaff at the Consulate-General were in regular contact with this Department about security at the Post, including the security provided at the temporary accommodation. This accommodation was due to be vacated when the refurbishment of the main building was completed in early 2004.
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what travel advice was issued by his Department following(a) the explosions outside branches of HSBC in Istanbul on 31 May, (b) the explosion at the Visa Section of the British Consulate-General in Istanbul on 3 April and (c) the explosion of three devices in Izmir on 8 April. [140834]
§ Mr. StrawBefore the explosion outside the Visa Section of our Consulate-General in Istanbul on 3 April the headline message ("Summary") of the travel advice stated
The vast majority of visits to Turkey are trouble-free. Turkey is one of a number of countries where there is an increased risk from international terrorism. There is also a risk from domestic terrorism (one group in Turkey has, in the past, carried out attacks to mark anniversaries in April).Following the explosion the travel advice was amended to include the following reference to the attack:
On 3 April an explosion occurred at the Visa Section of the British Consulate-General, causing minor material damage, but no casualties.Following the attacks in Izmir the travel advice was amended again with the following reference added:
On the evening of 8 April, three small devices exploded in Izmir, one of which was near the British Consulate. There were no casualties and no significant damage.Before the attacks on HSBC on 31 May the Summary of the travel advice was amended to underline the need to be vigilant in Turkey:
The vast majority of visits to Turkey are trouble-free, but there is a continuing risk from domestic terrorism following a number of recent incidents (see below). Turkey is also one of a number of countries where there is an increased risk from international terrorism. We urge you to be vigilant in all parts of Turkey.After the attacks on HSBC, the travel advice was again changed with factual reference to the attack:
In the early hours of 31 May there were small explosions outside two separate branches of H.S.B.C. in IstanbulCopies of the travel advice referred to here will be placed in the Library of the House.
In the period 1 April to 20 November, the FCO updated its travel advice for Turkey 30 times.
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether discussions were held between his Department and(a) the US Administration. (b) the Turkish Government and (c) staff working in the British consulate in Istanbul regarding a need for British staff to move building in light of the increased risk from terrorism in the period between April and November; [140835]
(2) what discussions his Department had with US counterparts regarding the security threat in Istanbul in the period between April and November; whether the decision by the US Administration to move its staff during that period was discussed; whether the possibility 250W of the British Government taking a similar decision was discussed; and what the outcome was of the discussions. [140836]
§ Mr. StrawThe FCO and relevant agencies maintain regular contact with their US counterparts on security and threat-related issues. In addition consular officials speak daily to the State Department to exchange information on travel advice changes, which includes threats to UK and US citizens overseas.
Staff at the consulate-general had regular discussions of security-related issues with their US counterparts in Istanbul and with the Turkish Government during the period April to November. These discussions focussed on the security of the consulate-general building rather than on moving to another building.
Following the attack on the visa section at the consulate-general on 3 April 2003, the visa section remained closed for two days. Discussions were held with the Turkish authorities on increasing security for the visa section.
The security manager at the consulate-general Istanbul regularly briefed staff on security measures. Staff were also kept aware of changes in the state of vigilance. Staff were due to move back to Pera House (the main building) in February 2004.
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the British consulate in Istanbul regarding security following(a) the explosions outside branches of HSBC in Istanbul on 31 May, (b) the explosion at the visa section of the British consulate-general in Istanbul on 3 April and (c) the explosion of three devices in Izmir on 8 April. [140868]
§ Mr. StrawThere is continual dialogue between those in the FCO responsible for security and our overseas posts, including the consulate-general in Istanbul. This was naturally particularly intense following each of the explosions mentioned. Security measures were reviewed and additional Turkish police guards were deployed at Izmir and Istanbul.
Security managers at the consulate-general at Istanbul regularly briefed all staff on security measures and kept them aware of changes in the state of vigilance. Staff were briefed after the three terrorist incidents which occurred in April and May this year.