Oral Answers to Questions

Peter Bone Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hague]

This is an important consular case, which the Prime Minister has raised with the Prime Minister of India and which I have raised with the Indian Foreign Minister, and we intend to have discussions in the coming weeks with the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu state, which is where the men are being held. Consular officials have been providing assistance since the men were detained, and liaising with the Estonian and Ukrainian embassies, as nationals of those countries are also involved. We have visited the men four times to confirm their welfare, and we are pressing the company they work for to fulfil its obligations and to ensure that the men have good lawyers.

[Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con)]

What is the probability that the Foreign Secretary will vote to leave the European Union in 2017?

[Mr Hague]

The probability is that we will be working for all the objectives that I stated earlier so that, by achieving them, we will be able to recommend that Britain stay in the European Union—but we will have to achieve them.