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Zimbabwe

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to call for the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth. [70577]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: We have no plans to call for Zimbabwe's expulsion from the Commonwealth. Such action is a matter for the Commonwealth as a whole.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the state of governance in Zimbabwe. [70582]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: We receive regular reports on developments in Zimbabwe. There is clearly cause for concern in a number of areas, chiefly the economy, Zimbabwe's involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and recent human rights abuses.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a British minister last met President Mugabe; and what was discussed. [70581]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: I met President Mugabe on 4 December 1998. We discussed the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, land redistribution in Zimbabwe and human rights. I also briefed him on the UK's position on Libya/Lockerbie.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to President Mugabe following his recent broadcast on state television on possible action against the judiciary and others. [70583]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: We had already made representations, here and in Harare, about recent human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, including the detention of Mr. Chavunduka and Mr. Choto, and the disturbing allegations that they were tortured while in army detention.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to President Mugabe about the detention of the journalists Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto. [70584]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: The Government are shocked by the detention and apparent torture of Mr. Chavunduka and Mr. Choto by the military authorities in Zimbabwe, and applauds the prompt action by the judiciary in

16 Feb 1999 : Column: 743

ordering Mr. Chavunduka's release. I have already sought assurances from the Zimbabwe Government that it will take swift action to investigate these serious allegations; and to bring the perpetrators to justice. We have also made representations on these lines with our European Union partners in Harare.

We await a formal response from the Government of Zimbabwe.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contingency plans his Department has to protect British citizens in Zimbabwe. [70585]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: All diplomatic missions overseas prepare contingency plans where there is a potential threat to the safety of the British community from civil unrest or a deterioration in the security situation. We currently hold such a plan for Zimbabwe.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Commonwealth Secretariat about civil rights abuses in Zimbabwe. [70586]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: None. I have made representations direct to the Government of Zimbabwe.

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last called in the Zimbabwean Ambassador to protest about civil rights abuses in Zimbabwe. [70587]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: On 22 January we summoned the Acting High Commissioner for Zimbabwe, to protest about the detention and apparent torture of Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto. We made it clear that we expect the Zimbabwe Government to uphold international human rights standards, and quickly to investigate allegations of abuse.

Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Zimbabwe about allegations of torture and harassment of journalists in Zimbabwe. [69726]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: The Government are shocked by the detention and apparent torture of Mr. Chavunduka and Mr. Choto by the military authorities in Zimbabwe, and applaud the prompt action by the judiciary in ordering Mr. Chavunduka's release. I have already sought assurances from the Zimbabwe Government that they will take swift action to investigate these serious allegations; and to bring perpetrators to justice. We have also made representations on these lines with our European Union partners in Harare.

We await a formal response from the Government of Zimbabwe.

King Leka

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the South African Government about the arrest and detention of former King Leka of Albania. [70576]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: We have made no such representations to the South African Government. This is a matter for the South African judicial system.

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Party Political Conferences

Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the treaty base which permits the Commission representation in the United Kingdom to participate at party political conferences. [70603]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: The Commission representation in the United Kingdom attends party political conferences as an international visitor, on the same basis as other international organisations and representatives of other countries. Invitations to attend these conferences are a matter for the political party concerned. No specific Treaty base is required.

Gibraltar (Border Delays)

Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) of 4 February 1999, Official Report, column 703, if he will make a statement on the border delays which have occurred at Gibraltar since the agreement between the Government of Gibraltar and Spanish fishermen. [70665]

Ms Quin: Since 3 February there have been delays at the border between Gibraltar and Spain which have, on occasion, reached up to five hours. Such delays are unjustifiable and unacceptable. The Embassy in Madrid has raised this issue on several occasions recently with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have made it clear to the Spanish authorities that we look to them to allow movement across the border in conformity with EU obligations.

Entry Clearance

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current waiting times in each queue for entry to the United Kingdom in (a) Bombay, (b) New Delhi, (c) Islamabad and (d) Dhaka. [70395]

Mr. Fatchett: The latest available figures show that in Bombay, New Delhi, Islamabad and Dhaka an average of 97 per cent. of applicants for non-settlement visas, whose applications are straightforward, receive their visas within 24 hours of applying.

The current (10 February) waiting times for an interview in connection with an application for settlement in the United Kingdom, in Bombay, New Delhi, Islamabad and Dhaka are as follows (figures are in weeks):

	Dependent relatives over 65; compassionate cases	Spouses children under 18	Fiance(e)s other settlement categories	Re-applied
Bombay	nil	8	8	8
New Delhi	nil	14	23	29
Islamabad	7	27	28	32
Dhaka	16	28	32	36

The current waiting times for an interview (Tier 3) in connection with a non-settlement application is as follows (in days):

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	Days
Bombay	nil
New Delhi	nil
Islamabad	(116)15
Dhaka	nil

(116) Wherever possible urgent compassionate cases are interviewed on day of application

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average length of time a person applying for entry clearance for settlement at each post in the Indian subcontinent and in (1) Manila, (2) Bangkok, (3) Lagos, (4) Abuja, (5) Accra, (6) St. Petersburg and (7) Moscow who was interviewed in (i) December 1997, (ii) June 1998 and (iii) December 1998 waited before interview, in each queue; and how long a person who applied in (A) June 1998, (B) September 1998, (C) December 1998 and (D) January 1999 can be expected to wait, at the same posts and in each queue. [70743]

Mr. Fatchett: The statistics that are collected centrally could not provide accurate figures to reply to the first part of my hon. Friend's question. A comprehensive reply could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The statistics requested in the second part of my hon. Friend's question are as follows.

Post average waiting time for settlement interview at the end of each month (in weeks)

	June 1998	September 1998	December 1998	January 1999
Islamabad
Q1	10	6	7	7
Q2	17	17	26	27
Q3	26	24	28	28
Q4	30	28	32	32
Karachi	17	16	11	6
Dhaka
Q1	14	15	16	16
Q2	16	18	22	28
Q3	14	14	14	n/a
Q4	20	22	32	36
Calcutta	5	1	0	n/a
New Delhi
Q1	0	0	0	0
Q2	15	17	12	12
Q3	23	25	25	24
Q4	30	32	32	20
Bombay
Q1	0	0	0	0
Q2	10	12	12	8
Q3	10	12	12	8
Q4	10	12	12	8
Madras	4	3	5	5
Colombo	4	7	4	2
Manila	8	6	6	n/a
Bangkok	8	7	3	7
Lagos	6	11	5	3
Abuja	3	12	7	5.5
Accra	20	17	3	7.2
St. Petersburg	5	1	2	n/a
Moscow	1.5	2	4	0

Notes:

Q1 = Dependent relatives over 65; special compassionate cases

Q2 = Spouses, children under 18

Q3 = Fiance(e)s; other settlement categories

Q4 = Reapplicants

n/a = Not applicable

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