Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Indian government on the continued imprisonment of six UK ex-servicemen who had been working on an anti-piracy ship; and if he will make a statement.

During my visit to India in October, I raised the case with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, and the Indian Foreign Secretary, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and requested a time-bound appeals process. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), also raised the case with Indian Prime Minister Modi during her visit to India earlier this month, making clear the importance of seeing progress. We continue to follow this case closely.

However, this is a 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. Our focus is the men's welfare and the support we can provide to their families.