HL Deb 05 April 2004 vol 659 c198WA
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove

Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many persons are now held at the United Kingdom's detention facility in Shaibah, Iraq; what are their nationalities; and how many of those held in Shaibah have been held there or elsewhere in Iraq for (a) at least three months, (b) at least six months and (c) at least nine months. [HL1879]

Lord Bach

As at 24 March 2004, the UK held 81 internees in the divisional temporary detention facility in Shaibah. The nationalities of these internees are: one Egyptian. one Sudanese, one Syrian, three Saudi Arabians and 75 Iraqis. Forty-eight have been interned for at least three months, 18 for at least six months, and two for at least nine months. Those internees who are interned by the UK prior to the opening of the divisional temporary detention facility on 15 December 2003, were held in an internment facility near Umm Qasr.

Whether any or these internees have been held previously anywhere else in Iraq by other authorities, is a matter for those authorities.