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Espionage
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the imprisonment of 12 UK citizens in Greece on alleged espionage charges. [18388]
Mr. Bradshaw: Twelve British and two Dutch nationals were arrested on 8 November in Kalamata airbase after allegedly taking photographs at the base. Such photography is illegal in Greece. The group were charged with espionage on 12 November. They appeared before an Investigating Magistrate on 27 November when further espionage charges were laid.
Following the hearing on 27 November, the group was remanded in custody. They will now appear in front of a three strong panel of judges in Kalamata. We hope this will take place as quickly as possible. This hearing will not be a trial as such but is a review mechanism within the Greek justice system.
The British plane spotters and their families were naturally disappointed that the case did not conclude on 27 November. So were we. We are talking to the Greek authorities to request that all avenues are pursued to ensure that the review takes place very quickly. Our objective remains to ensure proper conditions for the detainees and a speedy and transparent judicial process.
Weapons
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries his Department has assessed as seeking to make (a) nuclear, (b) biological and (c) chemical weapons. [18260]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence matters or assessment.
Iraq and Iran
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether (a) Iraq and (b) Iran have covertly produced biological weapons. [18268]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is not Government policy to comment on specific intelligence assessments. However, with reference to Iraq, I refer the hon. Member to the answer which the Prime Minister gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 6W.
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EU Treaties
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the areas under the third pillar of the EU treaties to which co-decision with the European Parliament (a) applies and (b) does not apply. [18440]
Peter Hain: The third pillar, or Title VI of the Treaty on European Union, contains provisions for co-operation between member states in the fields of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters. There are no areas under the third pillar to which co-decision with the European Parliament applies. However, within Title VI, under Article 39(1) of the Treaty on European Union, the Council is required to consult the European Parliament before adopting any measure referred to in Article 34(2)(b), (c) and (d). These measures are:
- framework decisions for the purpose of approximation of the laws and regulations of the member states;
decisions for any other purpose consistent with the objectives of Title VI; and
conventions which the Council shall recommend to member states for adoption in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.
Entry Clearance
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit the Joint Entry Clearance Unit. [18735]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend has not yet visited the Joint Entry Clearance Unit, but he does plan to visit Departments of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that he has not yet seen. As Minister responsible for entry clearance I visited the Joint Entry Clearance Unit on 12 June.
Visa Cases
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2001, Official Report, column 45W, on visa cases, when it became the practice not to disclose details of individual visa cases in a public forum; and for what reason. [18628]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is a well-established general practice not to disclose the names of applicants or details of individual visa applications on confidentiality grounds. This practice is in accordance with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and reflects the Government's obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998. I refer my hon. Friend to his answer of 22 March 2001, Official Report, columns 316–17W.
Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many formal notices his Department has received in the last year from the
29 Nov 2001 : Column: 1081W
Parliamentary Ombudsman expressing an intention to carry out an investigation; and in respect of each notice how long it took to respond. [18763]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 27 November 2001]: Information on the outcome of statutory investigations which were concluded during 2000–01 are set out in the Parliamentary Ombudsman's Annual Report for 2000–01, copies of which are available in the Library of the House, or on the Parliamentary Ombudsman's website at www.ombudsman.org.uk/pca/document/para01/index/htm.
Between 1 April 2001 and 31 October 2001, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office received 13 new statutory statements of complaint from the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The FCO responded to them all; in 11 cases the FCO met the agreed deadline set by the Ombudsman's office; while in the other two, the deadline was missed by one day.
Zimbabwe
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Zimbabwe; and what steps he will take to ensure (a) the conditions of the land reform deal negotiated at Abuja, Nigeria are honoured and (b) the criteria for Commonwealth membership are maintained. [18255]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 28 November 2001]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 27 November 2001, Official Report, columns 815–18.
Gibraltar
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Gibraltarians can vote in the 2004 elections to the European Parliament. [19998]
Peter Hain: We unequivocally accept the obligation to give effect to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Matthews v. UK and we are committed to extending the European franchise in time for the 2004 elections to the European Parliament. To this end, we will be seeking legislative time in order to bring in the necessary domestic legislation. We will, of course, consult the Government of Gibraltar on the legislative and practical details.
Andorra
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has held with the joint sovereigns of Andorra in the last three years, with specific reference to the use of Andorra as a route for smuggling into the UK. [19133]
Peter Hain: The Secretary of State has not had any formal bilaterals with the French President and/or the Bishop of Urgell in the last three years. Officials have met regularly with Andorran parliamentarians and officials during the last three years to discuss issues of mutual interest.
29 Nov 2001 : Column: 1082W
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Sport England (Athletics)
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what targets her Department has set Sport England for the funding of athletics; and if she will make a statement; [17945]
(2) what plans she has to direct Sport England to divert the resources earmarked for the 2005 World Athletics Championships to the development of grassroots athletics; and if she will make a statement. [17943]
Mr. Caborn: The UK's offer to stage the World Athletics Championship in Sheffield in 2005 has not been accepted by the International Association of Athletic Federations. Sport England will therefore reallocate the lottery funds originally earmarked in principle for staging the Championships to other projects to benefit grassroots sport including athletics in particular.
UK Athletics, Sport England and officials from my Department are co-operating to produce an agreed development plan for athletics which aims to increase the number of people involved in the sport as competitors, organisers, coaches and officials; to improve systems for identifying and developing talent; provide better facilities; and strengthen support for our top competitors. Details of the plan are under discussion and will be published in the near future.
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