§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal assistance was given by his Department to the five Britons arrested in relation to bombing incidents in Saudi Arabia in 2000 during their incarceration in that country; and what the cost of that assistance was. [178936]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 15 June 2004]: The men detained in Saudi Arabia, as in other consular cases, were put in contact with local lawyers who provided independent legal assistance. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not provide any legal assistance, nor did it provide funding for legal assistance, but we did provide the most extensive consular support.