Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the seizure of the British Archaeobotanical seed collection from the British Institute in Ankara; and if he will make a statement.

Our Ambassador in Ankara has raised our concerns about this issue with the relevant authorities in the Turkish Government. We will continue to encourage best practice when it comes to preserving the collection.