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Government Code and Cypher School

Mr. Allason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current location of the Government code and cypher school (a) original decrypts of German army and air force Enigma traffic and (b) SMA original decrypts in the Japanese military attache series. [23841]

Mr. Rifkind: The Government communication headquarters--GCHQ--released reports based on Government code and cypher school decrypts of wartime German army and air force messages to the Public Record Office in January 1996 under reference HW5. Reports based on decrypts of Japanese military attache messages were released in April 1995 under reference HW10. In many cases, the original decrypts were destroyed when the reports were issued, or soon after, and the Public Record Office has stated that it has no requirement for GCHQ to release the few original decrypts that still exist.

Mr. Allason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to release original Government code and cypher school Enigma decrypts to the Public Record Office. [23842]

Mr. Rifkind: GCHQ has already released to the Public Record Office--PRO--a considerable amount of Government code and cypher school signals intelligence and related documents, including the reports based on Enigma decrypts which were passed to Churchill from 1941 onwards. GCHQ is continuing to review its records from the second world war and earlier, with the aim of releasing as many as possible. The answer which I gave to the hon. Gentleman earlier explained that the few remaining decrypts are not required by the PRO.

Colombia

Mr. Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what is Her Majesty's Government's assessment of the human rights situation in Colombia; and if the UK will be raising the issue of human rights in Colombia at the 52nd UN Commission on Human Rights; [23823]

(2) what measures he intends to take to address the human rights situation in Colombia at the UN Commission on Human Rights. [23824]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: We take a close interest in the human rights situation in Colombia. The Colombian Government are making efforts to improve the situation, but the high level of violence, the guerrillas, narco-traffickers and unauthorised actions by the security

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forces cause problems. At the UN Commission on Human Rights, the presidency will deliver a statement on behalf of the European Union reviewing the human rights situation in several specific countries, including Colombia.

European Parliament

Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 25 March, Official Report, columns 409-10, on how many days the D2 building in Brussels was used for plenary sessions in (a) 1995 and (b) 1996. [24104]

Mr. David Davis: The European Parliament held plenary sessions in Brussels on 12 days on 1995 and will meet there on 16 days in 1996. The D2 building also contains offices and committee rooms and is in continuous use.

BBC World Service

Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to review the proposed reductions in the BBC World Service's grant for 1997-98; and what representations he has received in support of the proposed reductions. [23816]

Mr. Hanley: The amount to be made available as grant in aid for the BBC World Service in 1997-98 will be considered along with all the other Government expenditure, during the 1996 public expenditure round, later this year.

The Government receive many representations in support of reduced public expenditure generally, but are not aware of any specifically relating to the BBC World Service.

Regulations

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the 1,000 regulations identified for repeal or amendment by the Prime Minister are the responsibility of his Department; of those which (a) have been repealed or amended and (b) are planned to have been repealed or amended by the end of the 1995-96 parliamentary Session; and if he will list those whose repeal has saved business more than £1 million per annum. [23657]

Mr. Hanley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster today.

St. Helena

Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer on 19 March, Official Report, column 112, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidelines on broadcasting issued by the St. Helena Government. [23573]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: These guidelines are a confidential internal document drawn up by the Government of St. Helena for use in the Government broadcasting service. It would not, therefore, be

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appropriate to place them in the Libraries of the House. Media arrangements in St. Helena are under review by the St. Helena Government.

Cuba

Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions Her Majesty's Government have had with Governments in the Caribbean region about the United States Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act. [24108]

Sir Nicholas Bonsor: We have discussed the issue with the Mexican Government. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary expects to discuss it with Governments in the region when he visits later this month.

Travel Immunisation Service

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed privatisation of the travel immunisation service. [24182]

Mr. Hanley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Health today.

Government Communication Headquarters

Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if a meeting between the chair of the Government Communications Staff Federation and civil service unions is permitted under the conditions laid down in CCHQ general notice--GN100/84. [24395]

Mr. Rifkind: GCHQ general notice GN 100/84 was superseded on 20 December 1995 by another notice, PCN 12/95, which, in accordance with my written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr. Arnold) on that day, Official Report, columns 1191-92, relaxed the restrictions on trade union membership at GCHQ while still upholding the Government's concerns regarding the protection of national security. Like GN 100/84, PCN 12/95 places no constraints on a meeting between the chairman of the Government Communications Staff Federation and the civil service unions.

Commonwealth Co-ordination Division

Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are currently in post in the Commonwealth co-ordination department; and what are their grades. [24217]

Mr. Hanley: There are seven permanent staff in the FCO's Commonwealth co-ordination department. Their grades are as follows, with home civil service equivalents in brackets: diplomatic service grade 4 (HCS5), DS5 (HCS7), DS7 (HEO), DS9 (EO), DS10 (AO), S2 (personal secretary) and executive assistants (no equivalent). Prior to the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the Departments's staff increased by some 50 per cent. to handle the United Kingdom preparation for those meetings.

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Ms Louise Stack

Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now make representations to the Spanish Government about their failure to implement the terms of the treaty between the United Kingdom and that country on the transfer of convicted prisoners in the case of Ms Louise Stack.

Mr. Hanley: There is no bilateral treaty between Spain and the UK on the transfer of convicted prisoners. We are not aware of any failure by the Spanish authorities to observe the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons in the case of Ms Louise Stack.

Ms Stack was released from prison in Spain on conditional liberty on 26 March.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Zanzibar

Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British aid to Zanzibar. [24587]

Mr. Hanley: We have decided that, in present circumstances, we should not continue with our programme of development assistance to Zanzibar. This reflects our concern about the way in which the outcome of the Zanzibar Government elections in October 1995 was handled, and disturbing reports of post-election political polarisation and harassment of some sections of the community. We do not believe that the current environment is conducive to the effective implementation of a development programme. This decision does not preclude the resumption of further assistance to Zanzibar when circumstances have improved.

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