Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the right hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham of 16 November 2015, whether British consular officials in Nigeria have made a further visit to Nnamdi Kanu.
Answered by James Duddridge
Consular officials in Nigeria have visited Mr Kanu a number of times since his arrest, most recently on 3 February.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions representatives of the Government have had with Shaker Aamer (a) prior to and (b) following his release from Guantánamo Bay on the terms and conditions of his release.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Government has been in contact with Mr Aamer’s legal representatives throughout the process of securing his release and thereafter. It has been a long-standing policy of successive British Governments that we would seek the release and return of those UK nationals and former legal residents who have been held at Guantanamo Bay.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contacts (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with Shaker Aamer since his release from Guantánamo Bay; and what information he holds on whether Ministers or officials in other departments have had such contacts.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
There has been no FCO Ministerial contact with Mr Aamer. Representatives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Metropolitan police accompanied Mr Aamer on his way back to the UK. The Government has been in contact with Mr Aamer’s legal representatives throughout the process of securing his release and thereafter.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has (a) made and (b) plans to make any payment to Shaker Aamer (i) in return for an undertaking that he will not pursue legal action against the Government and (ii) for any other reason.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The settlement of the Guantanamo civil claims announced by Her Majesty's Government in November 2010 was subject to a legally binding confidentiality agreement. We will not comment further about the terms of the settlement or about who is party to it.Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on court hearings which have taken place in respect of Rebecca Prosser in Indonesia; and which such hearings have been attended by Consular officials.
Answered by Lord Swire
It is not our general policy to send consular officials, who are not legally trained, to attend court hearings. Consular officials have not therefore attended the court hearings. Consular staff remain in regular contact with Ms Prosser’s employer’s representatives, her legal team and her family.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Indonesian counterpart regarding the detention of Rebecca Prosser.
Answered by Lord Swire
In consultation with Ms Prosser’s legal team and advisors, the case has been raised at senior level on ten separate occasions. I personally raised it with the Indonesian Foreign Minister in September at the UN General Assembly and it was last raised on 9 October by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Director General Economic & Consular with the Indonesian Director General of Protocol and Consular Affairs. We plan to raise the case again on 29 October during a meeting in London with the representatives of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and with whom he last raised the issue of the detention of British journalist Rebecca Prosser by the Indonesian authorities.
Answered by Lord Swire
In consultation with Ms Prosser’s legal team and advisors, the case has been raised at senior level on ten separate occasions. I personally raised it with the Indonesian Foreign Minister in September at the UN General Assembly and it was last raised on 9 October by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Director General Economic & Consular with the Indonesian Director General of Protocol and Consular Affairs. We plan to raise the case again on 29 October during a meeting in London with the representatives of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department last had contact with Rebecca Prosser or her family; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
Members of the consular team in Jakarta have visited Rebecca Prosser twice. The first visit took place on 2 June, shortly after her arrest, and lasted 30 minutes. The second, which lasted over two hours, took place on 10 September when she was moved from house arrest into a detention facility. Normal practice is to visit detainees in Indonesia every three months.
Consular staff are in regular contact with Ms Prosser’s employer’s representatives, her legal team and her family. Since court proceedings began, we have provided a weekly written update to Ms Prosser, her family and their MPs. Our most recent contact with Ms Prosser’s family was on 21 October.
Asked by: Baroness Harman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on which occasions British consular officials in Indonesia have visited Rebecca Prosser since her detention on 28 May 2015; how long each such visit lasted; and when the next such visit will take place.
Answered by Lord Swire
Members of the consular team in Jakarta have visited Rebecca Prosser twice. The first visit took place on 2 June, shortly after her arrest, and lasted 30 minutes. The second, which lasted over two hours, took place on 10 September when she was moved from house arrest into a detention facility. Normal practice is to visit detainees in Indonesia every three months.
Consular staff are in regular contact with Ms Prosser’s employer’s representatives, her legal team and her family. Since court proceedings began, we have provided a weekly written update to Ms Prosser, her family and their MPs. Our most recent contact with Ms Prosser’s family was on 21 October.