Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times Government ministers (a) sought and (b) were granted authorisation under the Consolidated Guidance between 2015 and 2017.

The Government has made it clear that Ministers must be consulted whenever UK intelligence and security personnel involved in an operation believe that a detainee is at serious risk of mistreatment by a foreign state. The Consolidated Guidance sets out the principles, consistent with UK domestic law and international law obligations, which govern the interviewing of detainees overseas and the passing and receipt of intelligence relating to detainees. The guidance is used by and must be adhered to by officers of the UK’s intelligence and security agencies, members of the UK’s armed forces and employees of the Ministry of Defence. The Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Lord Justice Fulford, has oversight of compliance of the Consolidated Guidance.