To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have been detained for interview by French immigration officials whilst travelling to the United Kingdom between January 1998 and February 1999. [79924]

We are unable to provide figures for the number of British nationals detained for interview by the French immigration police. Under the terms of the 1951 Consular Convention between the United Kingdom and France, the French authorities must inform British Consular services when a British national has been arrested or detained in custody in France. They are not required to inform consulates when British nationals are detained for interview by French immigration police.