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Overseas Territories (Reciprocal Rights)

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which overseas territories have agreed to offer reciprocal rights for UK citizens to work and reside in UK territories. [13915]

Mr. Bradshaw: None. The grant of British citizenship to British Dependent Territories citizens from qualifying Territories who do not already enjoy it, will be on a non-reciprocal basis.

Overseas Prisoner Repatriated

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals detained in overseas prisons have been repatriated to the UK in the last 12 months. [13928]

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Mr. Bradshaw: Since 1 November 2000, 38 British nationals detained in prisons overseas have been repatriated to the United Kingdom.

Afghanistan

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to provide economic compensation to surviving family members of non-combatant civilians killed by accident by allied munitions used in the conflict in Afghanistan. [14260]

Mr. Bradshaw: UK military operations are conducted in accordance with international law. Compensation for any casualties as a result of action undertaken in accordance with those requirements would be inappropriate.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resolution he proposed on Afghanistan at the session of the UN Security Council on Tuesday 13 November. [14858]

Mr. Bradshaw: On 13 November, a UK/French draft Security Council resolution on the future of Afghanistan was circulated among Security Council members. The draft will be discussed in informal consultations of the Security Council today. We hope the resolution will be adopted by the Security Council as soon as possible. A copy of the agreed resolution will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent decision by the EU to lift the arms embargo on the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. [14415]

Peter Hain: The EU (Common Position 96/746/CFSP) imposed an embargo on the export of arms to Afghanistan. In December 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1333, which imposed a mandatory arms embargo only on the territory of Afghanistan under Taliban control. On 5 November the EU embargo was brought into line with the mandatory UN embargo (Common Position 2001/771/CFSP).

Vietnam

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the case of Miss Truong Vy Pham, Hanoi (Ref. P402281). [13904]

Mr. Bradshaw: It is not our policy to comment on individual visa cases in a public forum. I will write to my hon. Friend shortly.

Biological Weapons Convention

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what his Department's policy is on the establishment of national oversight mechanisms for (a) security and (b) genetic engineering of pathogenic organisms; [13947]

(2) what plans he has with regard to the development of a code of ethical conduct for bioscientists; [13946]

(3) what United Nations procedures exist for investigating (a) suspicious outbreaks and (b) allegations of biological weapons use; [13949]

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(4) what plans he has for the promotion of responsible conduct in the (a) study, (b) use, (c) modification and (d) shipment of pathogenic organisms; [13953]

(5) what proposals his Department has (a) to improve international disease control and (b) to enhance mechanisms for sending expert response teams to cope with outbreaks. [13948]

Mr. Bradshaw: These are among a number of new ideas intended to complement the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). We have been discussing these and other options with other States Parties since the end of the negotiations on a BWC Protocol in August. All are at an early stage of development. We expect them to be further discussed at the 5th Review Conference of the BWC in Geneva (19 November to 7 December). We welcome proposals that have been made for practical and effective measures to meet the biological weapons threat. We hope that these can be agreed at the Conference.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with its United States counterparts with regard to the United States' recent proposals to strengthen the biological and toxic weapons convention. [13945]

Mr. Bradshaw: We are in frequent contact with the United States, and other States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention, on our respective ideas for strengthening the Convention. The Foreign Secretary discussed the subject with the US Secretary of State during his visit to Washington in October.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on his Department's policy at the forthcoming biological and toxic weapons convention Review Conference; [13951]

(2) what steps he will take to ensure that international progress towards the strengthening of the biological and toxic weapons convention is sustained following the BTWC Review Conference. [13950]

Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham Deptford (Joan Ruddock) on 13 November 2001, Official Report, column 668W.

Government Wine Cellar

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the number of bottles of (a) wine and (b) other alcoholic beverages contained within the Government wine cellar, managed by his Department; what his estimate is of the value of the Government wine cellar; and if he will make a statement. [13517]

Mr. MacShane: The Government Wine Cellar contains a mixture of fine wines, reception or drinking wines and spirits and liqueurs. Stock levels vary according to the number of Government functions at any given time. Generally the cellar contains approximately 37,000 bottles, the majority of which are wine. The value of the stock is subjective, depending on the vagaries on the wine

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market, and bears no relation to the purchase costs. The current value is estimated to be in the region of £1.5 million.

SCOTLAND

Prestwick Air Traffic Control Centre

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the most recent projection of the number of jobs that would be created by the completion of the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick airport is. [9200]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 22 October 2001]: NATS staff will transfer from the existing centre at Prestwick to the new centre when it is completed. It is not anticipated that any new jobs will be created by the completion of the project. There will be some additional short-term employment opportunities during the construction and commissioning phase.

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the projected capital cost of the proposed new air traffic control centre at Prestwick airport is; and how much of this budget had been spent as at 16 October. [9201]

Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 22 October 2001]: Although construction of the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick is being deferred, contracts for the design of the building and initial site works are in progress and will be completed. The value of these contracts is a commercial matter between NATS and the contractors. Construction of the building and the design and installation of equipment systems will be subject to a competitive procurement process, which will determine the total costs of the new centre.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what financial assistance the Government allocated for the building of the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick airport (a) before and (b) following the confirmation of a delay. [11243]

Mrs. Liddell: The Government have not made any allocation of financial assistance for the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick.

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment the Government have made of the delay in building the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick on (a) Ayrshire's economy and (b) local unemployment. [11247]

Mrs. Liddell: Recent changes to airline operations and consequent reductions in air traffic has led to temporary deferral of work to create the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick. Air traffic control services for Scottish and North Atlantic airspace will continue to be provided by NATS staff from the existing centre at Prestwick. The main effect on the local economy of deferring work on the new centre will be to delay creation of short-term employment opportunities on the construction and commissioning of the new centre. The Government remain closely in touch with the industry with a view to securing the shortest possible delay.

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John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings she has had with the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions regarding the delay in building of the new air traffic control centre at Prestwick. [11244]

Mrs. Liddell: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on a wide range of transport issues which affect Scotland, including matters relating to the new air traffic centre at Prestwick.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Scotland Office will shortly meet the Minister for Transport to discuss a number of items including the new NATS centre at Prestwick.

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