Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government exercised its formal oversight of US use of Diego Garcia between 2001 and 2008.
Answered by David Lidington
As my honourable friend is aware, use of the defence facility in Diego Garcia is governed by the Exchange of Notes between the UK and US, which places treaty obligations on both parties. These Notes provide that, as regards the use of the facility in normal circumstances, the US Commanding Officer and the Officer in Charge of the United Kingdom Service element shall inform each other of intended movements of ships and aircraft. In other circumstances, they provide that the use of the facility shall be a matter for the joint decision of the two Governments. Oversight of US activities between 2001 and 2008 was thus exercised: through the exchange both of routine information, via the Governments’ representatives in Diego Garcia; and, where non-routine matters were concerned, through regular dialogue between the two Governments, including by means of annual political-military discussions between senior officials.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 17 November 2008 to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, Official Report, columns 191-2W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, how many people were detained in the prison on Diego Garcia in each year from January 2002 to January 2009; and for what reasons and for how long each such person was detained.
Answered by Lord Swire
The main purpose of the UK detention facility on Diego Garcia, commonly known as the reception centre, is to hold illegal fishermen caught in the Territory's waters. It was opened in 2007. BIOT Administration records show that between the point of it opening and January 2009, only one person has been imprisoned there for a period of 10 days during 2008 for an offence of assault. In September, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office released information following a Freedom of Information Act request which showed that a number of Sri Lankans were also held during the period he asks about, for offences related to illegally fishing in BIOT waters. These were held in the police station which is located next to the reception centre.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 November 2008 to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, Official Report, column 748W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, how many people were detained in the US detention facility on Diego Garcia before 2007; and for what reason.
Answered by Lord Swire
The US have informed us that US military personnel are held in these holding cells in accordance the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. UK authorities do not maintain records of these detentions.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 November 2008 to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, Official Report, column 748W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, for how many years the US detention facility was open; and for what reasons the US detention facility was decommissioned.
Answered by Lord Swire
The US have informed us that holding cells were used to house US military personnel in accordance with the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. The US has confirmed that it built these in 1984 and decommissioned them in 2007. UK authorities do not hold information as to the reasons for the US decision to decommission their holding cells.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 748W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, how often and for what purpose UK officials visited the US detention facility on Diego Garcia when it was operational.
Answered by Lord Swire
It is entirely possible that UK military personnel visited the building in which the holding cells were located during the course of their normal duties, given the fact that Diego Garcia is a joint military facility, and the building was accessible to UK personnel. The US have told us that, when the holding cells were operational, they held US military personnel in accordance with the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. No records were kept of any possible UK visits to the cells.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the United States requested permission to use the UK detention facility on Diego Garcia between 2001 and 2009.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UK detention facility on Diego Garcia, commonly referred to as a reception centre, did not open until late 2007. There is no information to suggest that the US requested permission to use it during the period about which my honourable friend asks.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 172W, on Diego Garcia, where and on what dates the water damage to the records occurred.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) on 16 July.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what arrangements the Government has reached with the US administration about the holding of detainees on Diego Garcia.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Mr Robertson) on 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 91W
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 175W, on Diego Garcia, what other files were lost in the same incident.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) on 16 July. British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) immigration officials have reported that no other documents or files were lost or damaged.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons Question 198304, tabled by the hon. Member for Chichester on 9 May 2014 was not answered by his Department.
Answered by David Lidington
My hon. Friend tabled Question 198304 as a Named Day Question for answer on 19 June. This was after Prorogation so the Question fell and was unable to be answered.