Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Conclusion 8
Sixth Report - Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy
Published 4 Apr 2023
Paragraph 33
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee The FCDO’s approach to state level hostage situations All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Learning from previous cases needs to be central to the formulation of a coherent and flexible approach to securing the release of detainees. Given the high turnover of ministers and civil servants, we have seen insufficient evidence to indicate that any arrangements for institutional learning by the FCDO have been effective. This contributes to inconsistency of approach and increases the risks of missing opportunities, not least when dealing with autocratic states with greater ministerial security of tenure.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Sixth Report - Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy (HC 166), paragraph 33, 4 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 6 July 2023 (deadline 4 June 2023).