Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Thursday, 20 July 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 July 2006. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 July 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Lebanon

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what date the Foreign Office expects to evacuate all British citizens from Lebanon who wish to leave the country.

Answer: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff coordinated with the Ministry of Defence the evacuation of some 4,600 people from Lebanon. Around half of these were flown on to the UK at their request; others have gone on to other destinations. This evacuation was widely publicised in Lebanon at the time; the last scheduled UK departure was 22 July, because the British embassy in Beirut and all of those involved in evacuating British nationals judged that the numbers wishing to leave had shrunk almost to nothing.Those British passport holders in Lebanon who did not leave during the evacuation, but who now wish to do so, should contact the embassy in Beirut, or the FCO, for up-to-the-minute information. Full details are set out in the FCO Travel Advice for Lebanon, on the FCO website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage &c==Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountry Advice&aid=1013618386118.

Secondary information