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Iraqi Marshlands
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on evidence obtained by his Department from the Western European Union satellite centre about the effects of the construction of the Euphrates barrage in southern Iraq in 1993; what percentage of the Al Amarah and Hawr al Hammar marshes have been drained; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the draining those marshes on the population of that area. [3260]
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Mr. Hanley: Although we cannot estimate the precise extent to which the marshlands have been drained, satellite and other imagery of southern Iraq points to a severe reduction of the Amarah and Hammar marshes. This repressive policy has enabled Iraq to control the local population by driving them from the marshes, upon which they rely for their livelihood, into impoverished conditions in cities.
Visa Applications (Turkey)
Mrs. Ann Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average waiting time between the receipt of a decision to grant a visitor's visa to a visitor from Turkey and the visa being obtained by a visitor. [3694]
Mr. Hanley: In Istanbul, once a decision has been made to issue a visitor's visa the visa may be collected the same afternoon, provided the application was received before 11 am. Those received after 11 am may be collected the following working day.
In Ankara, once a decision has been made to issue a visitor's visa, the visa may be collected within 24 hours.
Mrs. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average waiting time for an interview for a visitor's visa for a visitor from Turkey. [3693]
Mr. Hanley:
The longest waiting time for an interview in Istanbul in 1994 was 20 working days and in Ankara in 1994 was two working days.
Records for average waiting times are not kept.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all independent states with a population of 3 million or less, ranked in order of population and indicating for the latest available date (a) population, (b) gross domestic product or gross national product per head in sterling and (c) area. [2068]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
No independent state of the former Soviet Union has a population of 3 million or less.
| Estonia | Latvia | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Population | 1.5 million | 2.56 million |
| (b) Per capita GDP | $1,100 | $1,600 |
| (b) Area | 45,200 km(18) | 64,600 km(18) |
United Nations
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a list of all countries that have been members of the United Nations since 1965 indicating, where appropriate, the date on which they gained independence. [2069]
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Sir Nicholas Bonsor: The list of states that have become members of the United Nations since 1965 can be found in the "United Nations Handbook 1995" edited by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This book is available in the House of Commons Library.
Turkey (Legionnaire's Disease)
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when notification was first received about an outbreak of legionnaire's disease in Kusadasi, Turkey. [3275]
Mr. Hanley: On 17 August 1995, when the Department of Health asked our consular officials to notify the Turkish authorities that there may be a link between visitors to Kusadasi and the reported cases of legionnaire's disease.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with Turkish officials about the safety of United Kingdom travellers to Kusadasi. [3276]
Mr. Hanley: Our consular officials alerted the provincial and local health authorities, the provincial governor's office, a local hospital, and the Hotel Imbat to the possibility of the hotel being linked to an outbreak of legionnaire's disease.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of United Kingdom nationals visiting (a) Kusadasi and (b) the Hotel Imbat between May and October 1995. [3277]
Mr. Hanley: Based on figures from the provincial tourist authority in Turkey and the Hotel Imbat, we estimate (a) some 21,000 British nationals visited Kusadasi, and (b) some 4,230 British nationals stayed at the Hotel Imbat between May and October 1995.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of United Kingdom nationals visiting (a) Kusadasi and (b) the Hotel Imbat since official notification of legionnaire's disease. [3278]
Mr. Hanley: Based on figures from the provincial tourist authority in Turkey and the Hotel Imbat, we estimate (a) some 8,750 British nationals visited Kusadasi, and (b) some 1,250 British nationals stayed at the Hotel Imbat after the possible link was made between the resort and the reported cases of legionnaire's disease.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice was issued to British persons located in (a) the Hotel Imbat and (b) Kusadasi when the outbreak of legionnaire's disease was formerly notified. [3358]
Mr. Hanley: In late September the Hotel Imbat told British tour companies and their clients that the hotel was a possible source of legionnaire's disease. British tourists were transferred to other hotels.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice was issued to British persons planning to travel to (a) the Hotel Imbat and (b) Kusadasi following formal notification of legionnaire's disease. [3359]
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Mr. Hanley: The Department of Health issued advice to public health doctors about the possibility of a link between the hotel and the reported cases of legionnaire's disease. It also wrote to the Federation of Tour Operators and to the Association of British Travel Agents advising them of the situation.
Budget
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the implications for his Department of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's financial statement. [3700]
Mr. Hanley: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will respond imaginatively to the challenge of maintaining the front-line effort through demanding efficiency targets, and use of the private finance initiative.
With 21 new posts opened since 1990, the United Kingdom has diplomatic relations with a record high number of countries. The effort to promote exports and investment has been considerably enhanced in recent years and remains a high priority. The British Council and BBC World Service will continue to make an outstanding contribution to the overall UK diplomatic effort.
The UK's aid programme will remain the fifth largest in the world. Its overriding priority will continue to be poverty reduction through sustainable development, focused on the poorest countries in Africa and Asia.
Mr. Berry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which councillors appointed by him to the Committee of the Regions are no longer elected members of local authorities; and what plans he has to request them to stand down from the committee. [3844]
Mr. David Davis:
Two of the full UK members appointed to the Committee of the Regions in 1993 and six of the alternate members are no longer elected members of local authorities. The full members are:
Since losing his seat in the 1994 local elections, Marcus Humphrey has gained a seat on the new Aberdeen council, representing the mid-Deeside ward, which will come into being in April 1996.
Dame Elizabeth Anson
Roy Cross (who has since resigned from the committee) The alternate members are:
Doreen Fleming OBE
Bill Hughes
Marcus Humphrey
Frazer Mitchell
Tony Prior
Hedley Salt.
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