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Kashmir
36. Ms Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Pakistani Government about terrorism in Kashmir. [30517]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited Pakistan on 22–23 November when he had extensive discussions with President Musharraf and other interlocutors on a range of issues including terrorism. Since then, he has spoken to his Pakistani counterpart about terrorism and other issues.
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38. Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indian Government about human rights in Kashmir. [30519]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary recently discussed the issue of human rights in Kashmir with Mr. Jaswant Singh, the Indian Foreign Minister, during his meeting on 29 January. We will continue to raise our concerns over human rights in Kashmir with the Government of India.
EU Constitution
37. Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European Union Ministers on introducing a new constitutional settlement for the European Union. [30518]
Peter Hain: The Laeken European Council in December 2001, at which the Secretary of State was present, agreed to set up a Convention on the Future of Europe to prepare the next intergovernmental conference in 2004. The convention will hold its inaugural meeting on 28 February 2002 and will include in its membership the representatives of the Heads of State or Government of the member states. The Minister for Europe has been appointed to represent the Government. The convention will produce options to the Heads of Government or State.
The convention will consider the issues laid out in the Laeken Declaration. One of the headings is: Towards a Constitution for European Citizens.
Visas
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of refusals for overseas visitors visas have been overturned by appeal by post since October 2000. [30834]
Mr. Bradshaw: We do not maintain information centrally on the number of family visit applications refused entry clearance, which are subsequently overturned on appeal.
We do record the number of family visit appeals dispatched for those posts which complete a monthly statistical return. These posts generate 98 per cent. of total applications (110 posts in 2001).
Between October 2000 and December 2001 4,564 family visit appeals were dispatched by entry clearance managers.
The Lord Chancellor's Department has provided the following details of appeals upheld in cases for which they hold data.
From 1 October 2000 to 31 December 2001, the number of successful visit visa appeals decided on the papers alone was:
- 904 appeals allowed by adjudicators, and
86 appeals allowed by Tribunals.
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Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints have been received regarding applications for student visas by students from (a) China, (b) Russia, (c) Turkey, (d) Korea and (e) Latin American countries since 1997; how many applications from these countries have been turned down in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [31613]
Mr. Bradshaw: I regret that the information requested by the hon. Member is not available; complaints are not recorded by subject matter.
The statistics for the number of student applications refused are as follows:
| Number of applications | Refusal rate (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|
| China | ||
| 1997 | 1,380 | 41 |
| 1998 | 1,782 | 24 |
| 1999 | 2,561 | 21 |
| 2000 | 4,484 | 23 |
| 2001(1) | 1,063 | 29 |
| Russia | ||
| 1997 | 1,360 | 15 |
| 1998 | 847 | 8 |
| 1999 | 65 | 2 |
| 2000 | 448 | 9 |
| 2001(1) | 43 | 9 |
| Turkey | ||
| 1997 | 567 | 4 |
| 1998 | 679 | 5 |
| 1999 | 527 | 6 |
| 2000 | 608 | 9 |
| 2001(1) | 147 | 16 |
| Korea | ||
| 1997 | 5 | 17 |
| 1998 | 6 | 21 |
| 1999 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000 | 6 | 15 |
| 2001(1) | 0 | 0 |
| Latin America | ||
| 1997 | 49 | 4 |
| 1998 | 113 | 8 |
| 1999 | 383 | 9 |
| 2000 | 1,490 | 16 |
| 2001(1) | 224 | 18 |
(1) The figures for 2001 are for January to March 2001. We collect these statistics only on an annual basis.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many persons from (a) the Czech Republic and (b) Turkey have been refused entry to the United Kingdom at ports of entry in each month since 1 January 2000. [31578]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
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Statistics on nationals of the Czech Republic and Turkey refused entry to the United Kingdom and removed in each month during 2000 are given in the table. This is the latest available information. Data for 2001 are due to be published in the summer this year.
| Czech Republic(2) | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| January | 127 | 29 |
| February | 147 | 35 |
| March | 103 | 27 |
| April | 206 | 24 |
| May | 265 | 11 |
| June | 267 | 15 |
| July | 337 | 37 |
| August | 349 | 37 |
| September | 326 | 19 |
| October | 170 | 23 |
| November | 223 | 20 |
| December | 263 | 22 |
| Total | 2,783 | 299 |
(2) Include Czechoslovak passport holders
Southern Rhodesia Act
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what power HM Government retain to make orders under section 3(1)(b)(i) of the Southern Rhodesia Act 1979. [27750]
Mr. Bradshaw: The power to make orders still appears in the Southern Rhodesia Act 1979. Other powers were later repealed but the section 3 powers were not. It would technically be possible to make an order, but it would have to relate to unconstitutional action that had taken place in Southern Rhodesia before independence.
Angola
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the supplementary report of the monitoring mechanism on Sanctions against UNITA appointed, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1295 (2001), paragraph 3, in relation to the situation in Angola. [31193]
Mr. MacShane: We welcome the supplementary report of the monitoring mechanism. We believe the report accurately highlights the continuing destabilising impact of UNITA in Angola. It describes the problem of the ongoing flow of arms to UNITA, albeit at a reduced level and contains detailed evidence of the role of sanctions buster, Victor Bout, in supplying arms to UNITA.
We are working in the UN Angola Sanctions Committee to ensure that all breaches of sanctions detailed in the report are appropriately followed up. We believe the monitoring mechanism has an important role to play in ensuring the targeted sanctions against UNITA are fully implemented and enforced and fully support Security Council resolution 1374 (2001) of 19 October 2001, extending the mechanism's mandate for a further six months.
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Civil Servants
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 581W, which senior management structure positions are held by non-career civil servants; when the terms of their appointment end; and whether either has been promoted during their current employment in his Department. [31590]
Mr. Bradshaw: Two senior management structure positions are held by non-career civil servants: The Chief Economist and High Commissioner Canberra.
The Chief Economist contract runs from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2002. The appointment carries the possibility of extension or permanency. The High Commissioner Canberra contract runs from 1 October 1999 to 31 October 2001, with an option for extension by one year to 31 October 2002 and a further option after that for a final extension to 31 October 2003.
Neither has been promoted during their time with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
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