Entertainment Budgets
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the entertainment budget for his Department was in each year from 1997 to date. [160101]
Mr. Wilson:
Total worldwide entertainment expenditure amounted to £10.3 million in 1997-98, £9.3 million in 1998-99 and £11.2 million in 1999-2000. Figures for 2000-01 are not yet available. Expenditure on entertainment covers a wide range of activities including promotional and trade events, receptions in honour of high-level visitors, and events to establish and cultivate contacts; all were undertaken in pursuit of FCO objectives, both at home and in our 224 Posts overseas.
In addition, the FCO-administered Government Hospitality Fund, drawn upon by all Government Departments when entertaining overseas visitors, spent £1.2 million in 1997-98, £1.8 million in 1998-99, and £1.3 million in 1999-2000.
Turkmenistan
Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 April 2001, Official Report, column 132W, on Turkmenistan, if he has received a formal response from the Turkmen authorities concerning the continuing incarceration of Shageldy Atakov; what representations he is making to the Turkmen authorities on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [160144]
Mr. Vaz:
The British Government, along with their EU Partners, have not yet received a formal response from the Turkmen Foreign Minister concerning the detention of Mr. Atakov. EU Embassies in Ashgabat have requested a further meeting with the Foreign Minister to remind him of our concern. We also raised Mr. Atakov's situation with the Deputy Foreign Minister in April.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement his
10 May 2001 : Column: 348W
Department has had in attempts to reach a settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno- Karabakh. [159852]
Mr. Vaz
[holding answer 2 May 2001]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not played a direct role in the international mediation that has taken place in an effort to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group, America, Russia and France are leading the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The UK has constantly encouraged both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Gibraltar
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been in complying with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the franchise for Gibraltarians for elections to the European Parliament; when the Court decision was made; and if he will make a statement. [160146]
Mr. Vaz:
The Matthews judgment, given on 18 February 1999, requires the UK to extend the European Parliamentary franchise to Gibraltar. The UK unequivocally accepts this obligation.
The UK has proposed an amendment to the 1976 EC Act on Direct Elections to extend the franchise to Gibraltar. This amendment remains on the agenda of the relevant Council working group. But HMG are considering other options in order to extend the franchise before the 2004 European Parliament elections.
Family Visit Visas
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will provide a breakdown, by entry clearance post, of the number of family visit visa refusals in relation to which (a) an appeal was received, (b) a refusal was overturned by an entry clearance manager after receipt of an appeal and (c) an appeal was despatched in April; [160463]
(2) if he will provide a breakdown, by entry clearance post, of the number of family visit visa applications (a) received, (b) determined, (c) allowed and (d) refused in April. [160461]
Mr. Vaz
[holding answer 8 May 2001]: Statistical information is received monthly only from the 100 largest posts. The remaining 64 posts submit information on an annual basis. To answer this question for all 164 posts we would have to ask the annual reporting posts to provide the information requested. This could only be done at disproportionate cost.
The monthly reporting posts are not required to submit statistical information on any given month until the middle of the following month. So information for April is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member when it becomes available.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many family visit visa applications were (a) received, (b) determined, (c) allowed and (d) refused by (i) the largest 100 entry clearance posts and (ii) all entry clearance posts in the first quarter of 2001. [160462]
10 May 2001 : Column: 349W
Mr. Vaz
[holding answer 8 May 2001]: (i) Our latest information from the 100 largest entry clearance posts which submit monthly statistical data is shown in the table.
10 May 2001 : Column: 350W
(ii) the remaining 64 posts submit information on an annual basis. To answer this question for all 164 posts we would have to ask the annual reporting posts to provide the information requested. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.
10 May 2001 : Column: 349W
Family visit visa applications 2001--top 100 posts
| Applications received | Applications determined
|
| January | February | March | January | February | March
|
1. Abidjan | 19 | 29 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 19
|
2. Abu Dhabi | 24 | 34 | 34 | 23 | 35 | 34
|
3. Abuja | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)--
|
4. Accra | 753 | 1,694 | 1,857 | 685 | 782 | 1,962
|
5. Addis Ababa | 31 | 12 | 15 | 39 | 11 | 15
|
6. Almaly | 36 | 13 | 20 | 37 | 13 | 20
|
7. Amman | 426 | 85 | 58 | 0 | 85 | 58
|
8. Amsterdam | 38 | 34 | 34 | 38 | 34 | 34
|
9. Ankara | 29 | 38 | 19 | 29 | 38 | 19
|
10. Bahrain | 16 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 2
|
11. Baku | 19 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 9 | 8
|
12. Bandar Seri Begawan | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)--
|
13. Bangkok | 80 | 173 | 361 | 73 | 154 | 277
|
14. Banjul | 38 | 34 | 49 | 40 | 31 | 32
|
15. Beirut | 92 | 62 | 82 | 89 | 62 | 78
|
16. Belgrade | 258 | 391 | 320 | 4 | 352 | 290
|
17. Bogota | 33 | 33 | 47 | 33 | 33 | 47
|
18. Bombay | 619 | 1,070 | 1,787 | 619 | 1,070 | 1,791
|
19. Bratislava | 50 | 122 | 184 | 50 | 118 | 171
|
20. Brussels | 14 | 10 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 22
|
21. Bucharest | 58 | 85 | 109 | 59 | 90 | 110
|
22. Budapest | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5
|
23. Cairo | 137 | 145 | 146 | 129 | 142 | 143
|
24. Calcutta | 94 | 118 | 222 | 97 | 120 | 225
|
25. Canberra | 7 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 15
|
26. Casablanca | 117 | 119 | 115 | 110 | 116 | 115
|
27. Chicago | 141 | 176 | 200 | 119 | 162 | 190
|
28. Colombo | 70 | 74 | 161 | 70 | 74 | 49
|
29. Copenhagen | 44 | 36 | 42 | 44 | 36 | 39
|
30. Damascus | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15
|
31. Dar Es Salaam | 107 | 104 | 191 | 107 | 104 | 191
|
32. Dhaka | 451 | 490 | 502 | 348 | 415 | 437
|
33. Doha | 49 | 31 | 24 | 49 | 31 | 24
|
34. Dubai | 71 | 79 | 75 | 75 | 81 | 51
|
35. Dublin | 36 | 21 | 20 | 36 | 18 | 18
|
36. Dusseldorf | 106 | 272 | 383 | 100 | 246 | 332
|
37. Ekaterinburg | 11 | 16 | 24 | 11 | 16 | 24
|
38. Geneva | 25 | 74 | 63 | 21 | 67 | 61
|
39. Georgetown | 33 | 74 | 63 | 33 | 25 | 61
|
40. Guangzhou | 121 | 143 | (33)-- | 90 | 91 | (33)--
|
41. Hanoi | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4
|
42. Harare | 0 | 1 | (33)-- | 0 | 1 | (33)--
|
43. Havana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0
|
44. Hong Kong | 32 | 34 | 40 | 32 | 37 | 5
|
45. Islamabad | 2,326 | 2,225 | 3,411 | 1,512 | 1,120 | 2,864
|
46. Istanbul | 430 | 453 | 227 | 485 | 522 | 231
|
47. Jakarta | 36 | 58 | 62 | 37 | 56 | 61
|
48. Jedda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
49. Jerusalem | 5 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 29 | 13
|
50. Kampala | 116 | 102 | 156 | 120 | 84 | 142
|
51. Karachi | 575 | 420 | 495 | 460 | 82 | 495
|
52. Kathmandu | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
53. Khartoum | 44 | 15 | 45 | 15 | 16 | 49
|
54. Kiev | 83 | (33)-- | (33)-- | 20 | (33)-- | (33)--
|
55. Kingston | 52 | 68 | 130 | 46 | 70 | 132
|
56. Kuala Lumpur | 14 | 12 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 20
|
57. Kuwait | 200 | 43 | 28 | 200 | 43 | 28
|
58. Lagos | 1,147 | 1,193 | 1,718 | 901 | 1,293 | 1,509
|
59. Lima | 12 | 27 | 29 | 12 | 30 | 29
|
60. Los Angeles | 0 | 216 | 320 | 0 | 216 | 320
|
61. Luanda | 8 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 3
|
62. Lusaka | 0 | 55 | 65 | 0 | 19 | 65
|
63. Madras | 217 | 229 | 490 | 233 | 226 | 544
|
64. Madrid | 26 | 37 | 26 | 26 | 37 | 26
|
65. Manila | 0 | 129 | (33)-- | 0 | 129 | (33)--
|
66. Minsk | 0 | 14 | 20 | 0 | 14 | 18
|
67. Moscow | 237 | 214 | 286 | 228 | 191 | 268
|
68. Muscat | 75 | 39 | 65 | 72 | 39 | 65
|
69. Nairobi | 156 | 164 | 203 | 156 | 164 | 203
|
70. New Delhi | 913 | 1,153 | 1,335 | 907 | 1,129 | 1,244
|
71. New York | 533 | 558 | 650 | 511 | 549 | 635
|
72. Nicosia | 0 | (33)-- | (33)-- | 0 | (33)-- | (33)--
|
73. Oslo | 30 | 44 | 92 | 27 | 42 | 89
|
74. Ottawa | 475 | 278 | 364 | 442 | 185 | 255
|
75. Paris | 286 | 253 | 296 | 0 | 248 | 328
|
76. Peking | 109 | 63 | 288 | 94 | 51 | 288
|
77. Port Louis | 80 | 136 | 275 | 80 | 136 | 275
|
78. Port of Spain | 5 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 20
|
79. Prague | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
80. Pretoria | 27 | 25 | 9 | 20 | 13 | 11
|
81. Quito | 24 | 14 | 17 | 24 | 14 | 16
|
82. Riga | 11 | 6 | (33)-- | 11 | 12 | (33)--
|
83. Riyadh | 8 | 15 | (33)-- | 12 | 20 | (33)--
|
84. Rome | 63 | 90 | 99 | 61 | 80 | 92
|
85. Sana'a | 20 | 13 | 12 | 20 | 10 | 11
|
86. Sarajevo | 61 | 119 | 159 | 61 | 119 | 159
|
87. Shanghai | 10 | 30 | 116 | 10 | 30 | 116
|
88. Singapore | 21 | 26 | 39 | 24 | 25 | 37
|
89. Sofia | 89 | 118 | 120 | 74 | 117 | 114
|
90. St. Petersburg | 0 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 65
|
91. Sto Domingo | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0
|
92. Stockholm | 89 | 103 | 105 | 129 | 123 | 116
|
93. Taipei | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
94. Tashkent | 13 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 13
|
95. Tbilisi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
96. Tehran | 0 | 0 | (33)-- | 0 | 0 | 0
|
97. Tirana | 21 | 21 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 15
|
98. Tokyo | 5 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 12
|
99. Tunis | 97 | 92 | 105 | 87 | 70 | 105
|
100. Valletta | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)-- | (33)--
|
|
Total | 13,053 | 14,862 | 19,376 | 10,555 | 12,164 | 18,094
|
(33) Information not yet received from posts
10 May 2001 : Column: 351W
10 May 2001 : Column: 351W
| Applications issued | Applications refused
|
| January | February | March | January | February | March
|
1. Abidjan | 19 | 21 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1
|
2. Abu Dhabi | 17 | 29 | 32 | 6 | 6 | 2
|
3. Abuja | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)--
|
4. Accra | 277 | 757 | 1,060 | 408 | 25 | 902
|
5. Addis Ababa | 14 | 6 | 10 | 25 | 5 | 5
|
6. Almaly | 37 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
7. Amman | 0 | 84 | 57 | 0 | 1 | 1
|
8. Amsterdam | 32 | 30 | 32 | 6 | 4 | 2
|
9. Ankara | 28 | 38 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2
|
10. Bahrain | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2
|
11. Baku | 18 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1
|
12. Bandar Seri Begawan | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)--
|
13. Bangkok | 45 | 131 | 253 | 28 | 23 | 24
|
14. Banjul | 32 | 20 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 12
|
15. Beirut | 87 | 61 | 77 | 2 | 1 | 1
|
16. Belgrade | 0 | 347 | 289 | 4 | 5 | 1
|
17. Bogota | 25 | 29 | 46 | 8 | 4 | 1
|
18. Bombay | 454 | 874 | 1,419 | 165 | 196 | 372
|
19. Bratislava | 47 | 115 | 171 | 3 | 3 | 0
|
20. Brussels | 3 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0
|
21. Bucharest | 48 | 82 | 102 | 11 | 8 | 8
|
22. Budapest | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1
|
23. Cairo | 113 | 124 | 132 | 16 | 18 | 11
|
24. Calcutta | 95 | 116 | 224 | 2 | 4 | 1
|
25. Canberra | 4 | 13 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0
|
26. Casablanca | 105 | 114 | 106 | 5 | 2 | 9
|
27. Chicago | 119 | 162 | 190 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
28. Colombo | 32 | 48 | 0 | 38 | 26 | 49
|
29. Copenhagen | 44 | 36 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
30. Damascus | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4
|
31. Dar Es Salaam | 93 | 83 | 172 | 14 | 21 | 19
|
32. Dhaka | 203 | 227 | 234 | 145 | 188 | 203
|
33. Doha | 46 | 31 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 3
|
34. Dubai | 47 | 47 | 33 | 28 | 34 | 18
|
35. Dublin | 34 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 1
|
36. Dusseldorf | 94 | 241 | 332 | 6 | 5 | 0
|
37. Ekaterinburg | 11 | 16 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
38. Geneva | 20 | 66 | 57 | 1 | 1 | 4
|
39. Georgetown | 28 | 20 | 57 | 5 | 5 | 4
|
40. Guangzhou | 84 | 85 | (34)-- | 6 | 6 | (34)--
|
41. Hanoi | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3
|
42. Harare | 0 | 0 | (34)-- | 0 | 1 | (34)--
|
43. Havana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
44. Hong Kong | 27 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2
|
45. Islamabad | 1,112 | 1,059 | 1,664 | 400 | 61 | 1,200
|
46. Istanbul | 424 | 451 | 207 | 61 | 71 | 24
|
47. Jakarta | 33 | 50 | 49 | 4 | 6 | 12
|
48. Jedda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
49. Jerusalem | 5 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 20 | 0
|
50. Kampala | 100 | 59 | 114 | 20 | 25 | 28
|
51. Karachi | 397 | 19 | 345 | 63 | 63 | 150
|
52. Kathmandu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
53. Khartoum | 5 | 6 | 45 | 10 | 10 | 4
|
54. Kiev | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | 20 | (34)-- | (34)--
|
55. Kingston | 35 | 59 | 118 | 11 | 11 | 14
|
56. Kuala Lumpur | 10 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 8
|
57. Kuwait | 196 | 39 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 5
|
58. Lagos | 688 | 1,143 | 1,316 | 213 | 150 | 193
|
59. Lima | 8 | 26 | 28 | 4 | 4 | 1
|
60. Los Angeles | 0 | 216 | 318 | 0 | 0 | 2
|
61. Luanda | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0
|
62. Lusaka | 0 | 7 | 58 | 0 | 12 | 7
|
63. Madras | 216 | 211 | 511 | 17 | 15 | 33
|
64. Madrid | 26 | 37 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
65. Manila | 0 | 59 | (34)-- | 0 | 70 | (34)--
|
66. Minsk | 0 | 13 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0
|
67. Moscow | 223 | 190 | 261 | 5 | 1 | 7
|
68. Muscat | 68 | 36 | 63 | 4 | 3 | 2
|
69. Nairobi | 132 | 141 | 167 | 24 | 23 | 36
|
70. New Delhi | 573 | 682 | 777 | 334 | 447 | 467
|
71. New York | 500 | 547 | 633 | 11 | 2 | 2
|
72. Nicosia | 0 | (34)-- | (34)-- | 0 | (34)-- | (34)--
|
73. Oslo | 27 | 41 | 89 | 0 | 1 | 0
|
74. Ottawa | 442 | 184 | 252 | 0 | 1 | 3
|
75. Paris | 0 | 246 | 325 | 0 | 2 | 3
|
76. Peking | 88 | 40 | 238 | 6 | 11 | 50
|
77. Port Louis | 73 | 126 | 263 | 7 | 10 | 12
|
78. Port of Spain | 5 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
79. Prague | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
80. Pretoria | 16 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4
|
81. Quito | 20 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0
|
82. Riga | 11 | 6 | (34)-- | 0 | 6 | (34)--
|
83. Riyadh | 9 | 9 | (34)-- | 3 | 11 | (34)--
|
84. Rome | 60 | 77 | 91 | 1 | 3 | 1
|
85. Sana'a | 8 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 5
|
86. Sarajevo | 61 | 117 | 158 | 0 | 2 | 1
|
87. Shanghai | 8 | 23 | 107 | 2 | 7 | 9
|
88. Singapore | 18 | 25 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0
|
89. Sofia | 71 | 113 | 114 | 3 | 4 | 0
|
90. St. Petersburg | 0 | 0 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 4
|
91. Sto Domingo | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
|
92. Stockholm | 128 | 121 | 116 | 1 | 2 | 0
|
93. Taipei | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
94. Tashkent | 12 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2
|
95. Tbilisi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
96. Tehran | 0 | 0 | (34)-- | 0 | 0 | (34)--
|
97. Tirana | 15 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0
|
98. Tokyo | 4 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1
|
99. Tunis | 60 | 70 | 84 | 27 | 21 | 21
|
100. Valletta | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)-- | (34)--
|
|
Total | 8,308 | 10,467 | 14,114 | 2,247 | 1,718 | 3,980
|
(34) Information not yet received from posts
10 May 2001 : Column: 353W
10 May 2001 : Column: 355W