To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) prison conditions and (b) prisoners' rights for Cypriots held in the Sovereign Base Areas; and if he will make a statement. (163125)

Sovereign Base Area (SBA) prison conditions and prisoners' rights are governed by the SBA Prisons Ordinance 1971 and the associated Prison (General) Regulations 2005. In support of these regulations, the SBA Administration keeps all matters relating to the SBA prison under constant review.

In 2004, the SBA Administration commissioned HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to conduct a review of the SBA prison facility. Of the subsequent recommendations, the vast majority were accepted and have been implemented. For the small number that could not be implemented, primarily for reasons of practicality, the SBA Administration has introduced other measures to comply with the spirit of the recommendations.