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Friends of Europe

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his answer of 11 May 2000, Official Report, columns 452-53W, on Friends of Europe, if the Friends of Europe event charged for admission; and if he will make a statement on his policy towards the subsidising of fund raising events by such bodies. [123633]

Mr. Vaz: Admission to the Friends of Europe event referred to was free. This was not a fund-raising event but a joint event aimed at widening discussion on contemporary European policy.

European Commission DG Newsletters

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will deposit copies of European Commission DG newsletters in the Library in a readily accessible format. [123627]

Mr. Vaz: Those Commission newsletters intended for outside distribution are already readily accessible on the Commission's website (www.europa.eu.int).

Informer et Enseigner l'Europe et la

Democratie

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (a) activities and (b) public funding arrangements of Informer et Enseigner l'Europe et la Democratie, with particular reference to its role in the UK. [123620]

Mr. Vaz: We have no involvement with this organisation.

6 Jun 2000 : Column: 190W

European Federation of Retired and

Elderly Persons

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what EU funding is awarded to the European Federation of Retired and Elderly Persons. [123651]

Mr. Vaz: The Commission's funding of such grants is published annually in its "Report on Beneficiaries of Part A Commission Grants". This report is freely available on the Commission's website www.europa.eu.int.

India

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on India's gaining a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council; for what reasons this policy has changed; and if he will make a statement. [123727]

Mr. Hain: We are committed to early enlargement of both the permanent and the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, including the creation of a new permanent seat for the Asian regional group. We continue to maintain that it would be for the Asian group to decide who would occupy any permanent seat allocated to them. India would clearly be a strong contender. Our policy on this is unchanged.

Intergovernmental Conference

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 May 2000, Official Report, column 111W, on the Intergovernmental Conference, how many copies of Cm 4595 have been distributed free; and how many were available for sale. [123908]

Mr. Vaz: My Department has distributed numerous free copies to opinion formers. The Stationery Office Ltd., who publish Command Papers under a contract administered by HMSO, are responsible for fixing the total print run. Initially, they printed 800 copies for sale but have since reprinted a further 200 copies to meet demand.

Visit Visas

Ms Jenny Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for visit visas made in (a) India and (b) Pakistan were refused from 1 January to 30 April; and how many of the refused applications gave the reason for seeking entry as (i) attending a family funeral, (ii) attending a family wedding and (iii) visiting a seriously ill relative. [124462]

Mr. Vaz: The number of visit visa applications refused between 1 January and 30 April 2000 were as follows:

	Number
India
Bombay	1,820
Calcutta	32
Madras	449
New Delhi	3,251
Pakistan
Islamabad	2,224
Karachi	1,392

Detailed information on the nature of these applications is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

6 Jun 2000 : Column: 191W

Ethiopia and Eritrea

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last held discussions with representatives of the Governments of (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea about the war between these two countries; and if he will make a statement. [124499]

Mr. Hain [holding answer 5 June 2000]: As I told the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on 25 May 2000, Official Report, column 577W, I last spoke to the Ethiopian Ambassador on 23 May about the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, when I strongly criticised Ethiopia's resumption of fighting with Eritrea.

I will discuss the conflict with the recently arrived Eritrean Ambassador when he makes his introductory call on me on 8 June. I will reiterate our strong belief that only a negotiated settlement will bring a lasting peace to the region.

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about his arms policy towards (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea. [124501]

Mr. Hain [holding answer 5 June 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Mr. Roy) on 18 May 2000, Official Report, column 223W.

Grand Cayman

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about environmental degradation of the mangrove swamp in the central area of Grand Cayman. [123000]

Mr. Hain: I have received a copy of a recent report from the Cayman Islands National Trust to the Governor of the Cayman Islands. This expresses concern that the Environmental Protection Fees have not been used to purchase areas of the central mangrove wetlands. It also raises the issue of an area of mangrove recently removed as part of a hotel development project. I have asked the Governor to send me a report on both issues and will write to my hon. Friend when that report is received.

SCOTLAND

Green Transport

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the key buildings for which his Department (a) submitted and (b) did not submit green transport plans by March. [122609]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 18 May 2000]: Key buildings are those with more than 50 staff where the Department is the main occupier. My Department has no buildings in this category and has not submitted green transport plans. We shall however be considering transport arrangements for the buildings we occupy.

6 Jun 2000 : Column: 192W

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what reports he has received about the United States Government's proposals to ban the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether as a petrol additive within three years; and if he will make a statement; [123446]

(2) what recent discussions his Department has held with counterparts in the United States on methyl tertiary butyl ether; and if he will make a statement. [123447]

Mr. Hill: No reports have been received from the United States Government. However, officials are in regular contact with their US counterparts and discuss issues such as MTBE. We are aware of the issues surrounding its use in the United States.

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the EU's policy is on the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether. [123441]

Mr. Hill: There is no overall EU policy on MTBE use other than to restrict quantities of oxygenates that may be added to petrol. In particular EU directive 98/70/EU sets a limit of 15 per cent. on ethers containing five or more carbon atoms per molecule--which includes MTBE. Finland are carrying out a full life cycle risk assessment of MTBE under the European Communities Existing Substances Regulation (793/93/EEC) in order to decide whether any further measures are necessary to protect human health and/or the environment. The draft risk assessment is due to be discussed in depth for the first time by the EU technical experts in June this year.

Dagenham Ford Plant

Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has held with the Greater London Authority regarding the future of the Dagenham Ford plant. [123513]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 23 May 2000]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who has lead responsibility within Government concerning the Dagenham plant, announced on 12 May a 10-point plan for regeneration, based on high quality training, support for setting up small businesses, developing modern manufacturing and attracting inward investment. The Employment Service is working closely with Ford to support Dagenham workers and to ensure that the effects on the local economy are minimised.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry had earlier met the Mayor of London on 8 May. They agreed to work closely together to secure the best possible outcome for the workforce at Dagenham and for the wider community.

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