To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are detained in Iranian prisons.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We were made aware of one dual Iranian-British national detained in December 2009, who may still be detained. We are only able to provide consular assistance to dual nationals in the country of their other nationality if they request it and if the country of their other nationality agrees. In this case we have been asked by the next of kin not to provide consular assistance or to make representations on their behalf. We therefore cannot confirm if the individual remains in detention.