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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ireland

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the sale price of the Ambassador's residence in Sandycove, Dublin; what was the purchase price of the house in Rathfarnham, Dublin, which is to be used as the Ambassador's residence; and if he will make a statement. [119326]

Mr. Battle [holding answer 20 April 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my late right hon. Friend, Derek Fatchett, the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 14 January 1999, Official Report, column 254W, in respect of the Glencairn estate in Dublin. It is not our policy to reveal details of price and other terms agreed in such transactions.

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I will write to my hon. Friend shortly about this matter.

Entry Clearance (Lima)

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for (a) visitors' visas, (b) student entry clearance and (c) settlement have been made at the British Embassy in Lima in each of the last three years; and what proportion of each has been successful. [120744]

Mr. Vaz: The number of non-settlement visa applications for 1997, 1998 and 1999 were as follows:

Year	Received	Issued	Refused
1997	3,347	3,257	90
1998	3,839	3,680	159
1999	3,581	3,567	189

These figures include the following number of student applications:

Year	Received	Issued	Refused
Student
1997	235	213	22
1998	266	219	47
1999	299	248	48
	Settlement
1997	40	39	1
1998	45	43	2
1999	61	59	1

The 1997 and 1998 figures are available in the Library of the House in the publications "Entry Clearance Global Statistics". The 1999 figures will be placed in the Library soon.

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are employed at the British Embassy in Lima to deal with applications for entry clearance. [120743]

Mr. Vaz: The entry clearance section of the British Embassy in Peru is staffed by five officers of whom two are UK-based and three locally engaged. One officer is devoted full-time to entry clearance work; the remainder share entry clearance duties with other responsibilities.

British Overseas Territory Citizenship Bill

Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the British Overseas Territory Citizenship Bill in draft. [120731]

Mr. Battle [holding answer 2 May 2000]: Officials are continuing to work on the principles to be addressed in the Overseas Territories Bill, which will include the grant of British citizenship to British Dependent Territories citizens. We are considering the options for its publication. Our priority is to introduce the Bill into the House as soon as Parliamentary time becomes available.

Iraq

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet Hans von Sponeck to discuss the effect of sanctions on Iraq. [120861]

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Mr. Hain: No. Our priority is to improve the humanitarian situation by getting the best out of the "oil for food" programme while we work to get Iraq to move towards the suspension and eventual lifting of sanctions. To that end we maintain a close dialogue at all levels with the UN officials presently responsible for running the "oil for food" programme. I myself discussed the humanitarian situation and the "oil for food" programme with the Head of the Office of the Iraq programme (Mr. von Sponeck's former superior), Mr. Benon Sevan, in New York on 25 April. I see no need for a dialogue with Mr. von Sponeck, who has made his views quite clear and who is no longer involved in the practical efforts to improve the humanitarian situation.

Japan

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the visit of the Prime Minister of Japan to Britain on 3 May. [121066]

Mr. Battle: The Japanese Prime Minister visited the United Kingdom as part of a tour of G8 countries. He had useful discussions with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on priorities for this year's G8 Summit in Okinawa.

Iran

Ms Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will exert pressure on the Iranian Government to respect the human rights of Iranian Jews, Baha'is and Christians. [121193]

Mr. Hain: We and our EU partners have regularly raised with the Iranian authorities our concerns over a number of human rights issues, including treatment of religious minorities in Iran. While concerns remain we will continue to raise these issues.

Peru

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Peru regarding the persecution of Christians in that country; and if he will make a statement. [121008]

Mr. Battle: The Peruvian Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respect this. We have received no reports of religious persecution.

India

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what trade deals he was able to facilitate on his visit to India. [120552]

Mr. Caborn: I have been asked to reply.

During his visit to India in January, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry witnessed the signature of two partnership agreements with Indian companies involving two enterprising British firms, Gemini Dataloggers of Chichester and Antech International of Suffolk. These partnerships were fostered under Enterprise Initiative: India, a new British Trade International trade development scheme offering help and support to UK companies seeking business in key India

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States. He set a target of the creation of 200 such partnerships. He also supported several UK companies in their pursuit of project business, and set a target for a 20 per cent. increase in bilateral trade.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Calf Processing Aid Scheme

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the cost of extending the Calf Processing Aid scheme beyond 1 August 1999 to the latest possible date allowed under European Union rules. [120601]

Mr. Nick Brown: The estimated cost of continuing to run the scheme until 31 December 1999 would have been about £24 million.

Food Supplements

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the responses of European Union member states to the consultation exercise undertaken by the European Commission in connection with the forthcoming Directive on Food Supplements; and what assessment he has made of such responses in terms of their (a) consistency with and (b) opposition to United Kingdom policy and practice. [115796]

Ms Stuart: I have been asked to reply.

Member states' responses to the Commission's discussion paper on dietary supplements have not been published. Our view is that consumers should be allowed the greatest possible amount of choice consistent with adequate health protection, but there is limited support for this position from other member states. Most believe that controls on supplements should be based on the premise that the dose supplied should be restricted to a level close to that needed to ensure an adequate intake of nutrients.

The Food Standards Agency has recently circulated a preliminary draft text of the Directive on Food Supplements to interested parties for information. A formal consultation and parliamentary scrutiny will be initiated when a formal proposal has been adopted by the Commission.

Rural Developments Plan

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the explanatory booklet, pursuant to his Oral statement of 7 December 1999, Official Report, column 706, concerning the England Rural Development Plan has been published. [120639]

Mr. Nick Brown: Yes.

Council Tax (Uninhabitable Properties)

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the cost to farmers of the decision that uninhabitable properties will be liable for council tax. [120576]

Mr. Nick Brown: My Department is not in a position to estimate the cost to farmers of the decision to place a 12 month limit on the exemption from council tax where

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unoccupied dwellings need major repair works to render them habitable or are undergoing structural alteration. Local authorities are responsible for administering the council tax and only they could identify the owners of such homes in their areas.

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