[holding answer 15 January 2007]: The following table provides a figure for the number of new detentions of British nationals overseas each year for the past 10 years which consular officials have dealt with. Details of those in detention who are subsequently convicted of an offence are held on individual case files but we do not maintain central statistics. As at 30 September 2006, we were aware of 2,421 British nationals in detention overseas, either on remand or serving a custodial sentence.
Number 1996 5,639 1997 6,039 1998 6,159 1999 6,501 2000 8,758 2001 7,861 2002 6,501 2003-04 6,744 2004-05 5,227 2005-06 4,814
We are able to provide a breakdown by country of those detainees contacted by consular staff for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Country 2004-05 2005-06 Afghanistan 9 3 Albania 1 0 Algeria 0 0 Angola 0 0 Antigua and Barbuda 17 11 Argentina 2 8 Armenia 0 0 Australia 39 41 Austria 8 9 Azerbaijan 3 1 Bahamas 10 2 Bahrain 0 0 Bangladesh 10 12 Barbados 3 15 Belarus 1 1 Belgium 61 35 Belize 4 1 Bolivia 3 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 2 Botswana 0 2 Brazil 13 7 Brunei 0 1 Bulgaria 4 15 Burma 0 0 Cambodia 17 5 Cameroon 0 1 Canada 29 60 Cayman Islands 0 3 Chile 0 0 China 86 42 Colombia 3 1 Congo (Democratic Republic) 0 0 Costa Rica 4 2 Croatia 15 6 Cuba 2 0 Cyprus 194 180 Czech Republic 42 22 Denmark 12 31 Djibouti 0 0 Dominican Republic 7 3 East Timor 0 0 Ecuador 11 2 Egypt 33 38 Eritrea 0 0 Estonia 0 4 Ethiopia 3 3 Fiji 0 0 Finland 6 3 France 118 103 Gambia 11 7 Georgia 0 0 Germany 156 188 Ghana 8 3 Greece 133 200 Grenada 6 6 Guatemala 0 1 Guinea 0 0 Guyana 3 1 Hungary 5 3 Iceland 1 1 India 25 24 Indonesia 9 14 Iran 0 0 Iraq 12 29 Ireland 26 46 Israel 10 5 Italy 20 23 Jamaica 132 117 Japan 71 79 Jerusalem 16 12 Jordan 7 9 Kazakhstan 0 0 Kenya 29 21 Kuwait 17 14 Laos 1 0 Latvia 3 4 Lebanon 7 11 Lesotho 0 0 Libya 1 2 Lithuania 5 1 Luxembourg 4 2 Macedonia 0 0 Madagascar 0 0 Malawi 1 0 Malaysia 9 10 Mali 0 0 Malta 1 3 Mauritius 3 6 Mexico 41 22 Moldova 0 1 Mongolia 0 0 Morocco 17 8 Mozambique 4 0 Namibia 1 0 Nepal 4 1 Netherlands 76 32 New Zealand 5 5 Nigeria 7 2 North Korea 0 0 Norway 21 9 Oman 22 24 Pakistan 15 22 Panama 8 2 Papua New Guinea 0 2 Paraguay 3 0 Peru 4 2 Philippines 15 22 Poland 15 31 Portugal 72 18 Qatar 21 26 Romania 1 2 Russia 4 1 Rwanda 0 0 Saudi Arabia 7 3 Senegal 2 1 Serbia 1 5 Seychelles 0 1 Sierra Leone 3 2 Singapore 44 27 Slovakia 5 3 Slovenia 0 3 Solomon Islands 0 0 South Africa 8 17 South Korea 10 9 Spain 1,647 1,293 Sri Lanka 1 5 St. Lucia 7 4 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1 1 Sudan 0 5 Swaziland 0 0 Sweden 36 32 Switzerland 4 20 Syria 0 0 Tajikistan 0 0 Tanzania 5 2 Thailand 87 98 Tonga 0 0 Trinidad and Tobago 16 10 Tunisia 3 2 Turkey 58 49 Turkmenistan 0 0 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 Uganda 0 1 Ukraine 0 1 United Arab Emirates 113 143 Uruguay 1 1 USA 1,272 1,305 Uzbekistan 0 4 Vanuatu 0 0 Venezuela 10 5 Vietnam 3 3 Yemen 3 1 Zambia 1 2 Zimbabwe 20 3 Total 5,227 4,814
From 2003-04, our information systems were brought in line with our financial systems based on the financial year, April to March. Until 2002, the calendar year was used.