Davey and Baker quiz Miliband (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Davey and Baker quiz Miliband

April 5, 2009 5:12 PM

binyam • Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton, Liberal Democrat): Following the Attorney-General's decision to refer the allegations about British complicity in the torture of Binyam Mohamed to the police, will the Foreign Secretary confirm that the police will be provided with all the relevant papers that the UK's secret services have, even if their source was the intelligence services of another Government-be they American, Pakistani or Moroccan? … .

. .Will the police be able to interview any Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister, not just secret service agents?

David Miliband (Secretary of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; South Shields, Labour): Of course they will have access to all the necessary materials, as did the High Court in conducting its investigations. The intimation or underlying assumption in the hon. Gentleman's question that somehow the High Court inquiry did not have access to American or other papers is erroneous. We have had the debate precisely because the court had access to the American papers. I hope that the hon. Gentleman intended no slur on the work of the Attorney-General or the Metropolitan police. The work will take place under the precise terms that the Attorney-General set out, which are in line with this country's determination to abide by its national and international responsibilities.

. . • Norman Baker (Lewes, Liberal Democrat): Notwithstanding earlier statements made on different occasions, can the Foreign Secretary today give the House an absolute assurance that at no time since May 1997 has any person who has been subject to extraordinary rendition been detained and held on any British island territory?

David Miliband (Secretary of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office; South Shields, Labour): I am racking my brains back to the statement that I made last February on the issue. I can confirm that we were informed of two people who were rendited through Diego Garcia, but the hon. Gentleman will have to get a proper written answer from me to that question, because I certainly would not want to mislead anyone on the issue. I have nothing further to add to the statement that I made here last February.

Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats: