Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to provide consular assistance to British nationals who are detained overseas.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) consular staff endeavour to give appropriate and tailored support to British nationals overseas and their families in the UK 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They support the c.3000 British nationals who are arrested or detained each year and are currently providing consular assistance in over 1600 cases relating to arrest or detention. Consular staff are primarily concerned with the welfare of our detained British nationals, and tailor the consular assistance they provide depending on the specific circumstances of each case.