Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) support the appeal and (b) secure the transfer from India to Scotland of Billy Irving of Neilston, East Renfrewshire.

I can reassure you that we are in close contact with the legal team for Mr Irving and the other five British nationals involved in this case, in India and in the UK. We also continue to raise the case with the Indian authorities at all levels, asking that they do all they can to bring the case to a speedy conclusion, bearing in mind the impact on the six men and their families.

This is an ongoing legal process and we cannot interfere in the Indian legal system, just as we would not allow another country to interfere in an ongoing court case in the United Kingdom.

We have a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with India but before arrangements can be made regarding Mr Irving's transfer to Scotland, all legal proceedings must be complete and all bail and appeal applications would need to be withdrawn. This is a matter for Mr Irving.

While we await a verdict in the judicial proceedings, our focus continues to be on the men's welfare and the support we can provide to their families.