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Gibraltar

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the planned prime ministerial and ministerial meetings with the Spanish Prime Minister and Spanish Ministers in which it is expected that the future of Gibraltar will be discussed under the Brussels Process in the next month. [57551]

Peter Hain: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met the Spanish Prime Minister on 20 May for discussions on a range of EU and foreign policy issues. They held talks on Gibraltar in a positive and constructive atmosphere. When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met his Spanish counterpart on 15 May they agreed to convene a further formal Brussels Process meeting in late June or early July.

Pakistan

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 1 May 2002, Official Report, column 830W, on appeals on what date (a) the appeal papers were despatched from Islamabad, (b) they were received by London and (c) they were sent to the IAA. [56128]

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.

As my hon. Friend has referred this case to the parliamentary ombudsman it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail on the issues he has raised at this stage of proceedings. My officials from Immigration and Nationality Directorate will shortly be responding to the matters raised by the ombudsman who will send you a reply in due course.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will call upon the Australian Government to ban President Mugabe and his Ministers from attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Brisbane; [38417]

(2) if he will urge the Australian Government to ban President Mugabe and his Ministers from attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Brisbane and from entering Australia until 10 March; [39800]

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(3) what discussions he has had with his Australian counterpart on whether Australia should ban President Mugabe and his Ministers from travelling to or entering Australia ahead of the presidential election in Zimbabwe on 10 March during the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting on 1 March; [39788]

(4) what discussions (a) he has had and (b) plans to have with Commonwealth partners on whether President Mugabe should attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting during the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting on 1 March. [39791]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 4 March 2002]: President Mugabe did not, in the event, attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Brisbane. Attendance at the meeting was a matter for the Australian Government.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he will recommend his Commonwealth colleagues take regarding the present situation in Zimbabwe during the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting on 1 March. [39787]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 4 March 2002]: At the CMAG meeting on 1 March we urged our Commonwealth partners to suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth. Zimbabwe was duly suspended from the Council of the Commonwealth on 19 March.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the European Union observers who have recently returned from Zimbabwe will publish a report on their findings. [38416]

Mr. Straw: The European Union observer team was withdrawn from Zimbabwe before the elections took place, as the Government of Zimbabwe prevented it from carrying out its mandate. The team did not publish a report.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy not to engage in dialogue or attend meetings with President Mugabe during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Brisbane. [38415]

Mr. Straw: I was unable to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Brisbane, at which President Mugabe was also not present. My noble Friend Baroness Amos attended plenary meetings at which Zimbabwe was represented, but did not engage in dialogue with representatives of the Zimbabwe Government.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of Council Common Position 2002/203/CFSP of 11 March, repealing 2001/83/CFSP, for the Zimbabwean military; and what steps he will take to ensure that EU aid is properly accounted for. [57876]

Mr. MacShane: The Council Common Position referred to supports the implementation of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement and relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions within the framework of the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A key element of the Lusaka agreement is the full withdrawal of all foreign troops, including Zimbabweans. This is also in accordance with the Security Council Resolutions.

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The European Commission now focuses its aid for Zimbabwe on humanitarian assistance and support for the health sector to combat HIV/AIDS. It has systems in place to closely monitor its assistance, and ensure that it is properly accounted for.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the European Community has banned exports of electronic jamming equipment designed to prevent the detonation by remote of improvised bombs to Zimbabwe under EC 310/2002 Annex II. [57869]

Mr. MacShane: EC Regulation 310/2002 of 18 February 2002 places inter alia an embargo on sale or supply to Zimbabwe of equipment which might be used for internal repression. Annex II of that Regulation contains an agreed EC list of equipment subject to the embargo. This list was originally established in the context of EC Regulation 926/98 of 27 April 1998 which placed inter alia an embargo on the sale or supply to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia of equipment which might be used for internal repression or terrorism. "Electronic jamming equipment especially designed to prevent the detonation by radio remote control of improvised devices and specially designed components therefor" was included in the list annexed to Regulation 926/98 because of the potential for such equipment being used in countering anti-terrorism measures.

This embargo is in addition to the full scope arms embargo imposed by the Council Common Position (2002/145/CFSP).

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Legal Profession

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he will publish his consultative paper on the OFT report on the legal profession; and if he will make a statement. [57696]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As announced in the Budget statement in April, Government plans to issue a consultation paper on matters falling to it before the summer recess. The issues concern the extension of legal professional privilege and rights to do conveyancing and probate work; moves towards enabling the Law Society effectively to regulate the provision of legal services through alternative business structures; and the QC system.

Immigration Appeals

Mr. Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the estimated waiting time is for an immigration appeal to be heard. [50591]

Ms Rosie Winterton [pursuant to her reply, 29 April 2002]: The average time to hearing for immigration cases received by the IAA between 1 May 2001 and 31 October 2001 was 5.2 weeks to first hearing and 14.1 weeks to substantive hearing at the adjudicator stage.

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SCOTLAND

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to her answer of 7 March 2002, Official Report, column 512W, on statutory instruments, what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of each of the statutory instruments listed. [50400]

Mrs. Liddell: Costs associated with regulatory proposals are considered at the policy development stage. A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is completed for regulatory proposals unless there are no or negligible costs, and sets out the impact, in terms of costs, benefits and risks of the proposed regulation which could affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. RIAs are available from the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) (Amendment) Order 2001; and if he will make a statement; [51105]

(2) what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the Representation of the People (Scotland) Order 2001; and if she will make a statement; [51106]

(3) what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Scotland) Regulations 2001; and if she will make a statement; [51129]

(4) what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 (Conditions Attached to PSV Operators' Licence and Competition Tests for Exercise of Bus Functions) Order 2001; and if she will make a statement; [51103]

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(5) what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the Scotland Act 1998 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2001; and if she will make a statement. [51104]

Mrs. Liddell: Costs associated with regulatory proposals are considered at the policy development stage. A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is completed for regulatory proposals unless there are no or negligible costs, and sets out the impact, in terms of costs, benefits and risks of the proposed regulation which could affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. RIAs are available from the Libraries of the House.

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