Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of UK citizens that are imprisoned abroad.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides consular assistance to c.4100 British nationals who are arrested or detained each year, and is currently providing ongoing assistance to c.1,400 British nationals detained overseas. It is not mandatory for British nationals to report incidents to the FCDO or one of its diplomatic missions. Data held by the FCDO only includes incidents where we have offered consular assistance.