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UK Nationals Killed Abroad

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals were unlawfully killed in (a) India, (b) Burma, (c) Malaysia, (d) Singapore, (e) Indonesia, (f) China, (g) Vietnam, (h) Laos, (i) Thailand, (j) Cambodia, (k) the Philippines and (l) Papua New Guinea during the period 1 May 2000 to 1 May 2002. [63540]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 21 June 2002]: Our consular records show that the number of UK nationals reported as unlawfully killed in the following countries during the period 1 May 2000 to 1 May 2002 were:













Zimbabwe

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he pressed for the extension of the travel ban list of Zimbabweans supporting President Mugabe's regime at the recent GAC meeting of 17 to 18 June. [63543]

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Mr. Straw [holding answer 21 June. 2002]: The principal objective at the 17 June Council was to review the EU high-level Troika visit to the SADC region from 20 to 22 May. In its conclusions, the Council expressed its continued concern at the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe. The Council will review the targeted measures against Zimbabwe at its meeting on 22 July.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Zimbabwean Government concerning surveillance and the British High Commissioner in Harare. [63652]

Mr. Straw: The British High Commission has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Harare for assurances that they do not share the views expressed in the official Zimbabwean press on this matter, and that British High Commission staff will continue to enjoy the full protection to which they are entitled. We are awaiting a response.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British High Commission staff based in Harare are entitled to diplomatic immunity. [63651]

Mr. Straw: Fourteen UK-based members of staff at the British High Commission and seven members of the DfID Central Africa office in Harare, and their resident spouses, are entitled to diplomatic immunity.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to increase security (a) at the British High Commission and (b) for High Commission staff based in Harare. [63650]

Mr. Straw: Security of High Commission staff and the High Commission itself is kept under regular and close review. It would not be appropriate for me to list individual measures taken in recent months.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 June, Official Report, column 5W, on the High Commission, Harare, which members of the Zimbabwean Government attended the Jubilee celebrations at the High Commission. [63653]

Mr. Straw: None.

Arms Trade

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether permission was (a) sought and (b) given, by his Department for the re-export of MP5 submachine guns by MKEK (Turkey) to Indonesia in 1999. [61987]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: No such permission has either been sought or given by my Department. A licence is not required from the British Government in order to export items from Turkey to Indonesia.

Nelson Mandela

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings were held

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between Government officials and Nelson Mandela during his recent visit to the UK to see Mr. Abdul Bassett al-Megrahi. [63649]

Mr. Straw: Former President Nelson Mandela made a private visit to the UK on 9–10 June, during which time he visited Mr. Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi in Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow.

Mr. Mandela met no Government officials other than the Governor of Barlinnie Prison and his staff, and the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service.

India/Pakistan

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evacuation plans there are for British nationals in India and Pakistan if hostilities break out. [61197]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding reply 13 June 2002]: We have contingency plans for India and Pakistan, as we do for more than 100 other countries. We keep these plans under constant review. We do not discuss the detail of these plans in public, as doing so may make their implementation more difficult.

Mr. Ian Stillman

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has taken to assist Mr. Ian Stillman in India. [62620]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised Mr. Stillman's case with the Indian Home and Foreign Ministers on 29 May 2002 during his recent visit to India. He asked that Mr. Stillman's application for transfer to a prison in Chennai be considered favourably and quickly. He also raised our concern about a Supreme Court Judge's comments about the disabled, made in connection with Mr. Stillman's case, on 6 May 2002.

Our High Commission in New Delhi continues to do all it can to ensure that the Indian authorities are meeting Mr. Stillman's welfare requirements adequately.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Coroners Courts

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his review of the workings of coroners courts. [29265]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 22 January 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) on 11 June 2002, Official Report, column 1242W.

Data Protection

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with respect to the criminal conviction certificates to be issued by the Criminal Records Bureau, whether he will issue advice to employers requesting access to such certificates of job applicants; whether he plans to extend the statutory Code of Practice which cover other certificates to the criminal conviction certificate;

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whether he has undertaken research into the impact of the certificate on recidivism; if he will describe the activities, other than employment and visa applications, where the criminal conviction certificate is likely to be used; and if he will make a statement. [59266]

Hilary Benn: While it is possible that uses will be perceived for them in other circumstances, criminal conviction certificates (or Basic Disclosures, as they will be termed) are essentially intended for the purpose of employment checks, and also in connection with visa applications (instead of the use of the right of subject access under the Data Protection Act 1998). It is essential that people are not unfairly discriminated against because of information revealed in Basic Disclosures that they have been convicted in the past—not least because getting and holding down a regular job is likely to be a positive factor in preventing re-offending. In this, we have taken careful note of the results of recent research published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) will therefore be producing a range of advice urging employers to treat such information in a fair and reasonable manner. The CRB is also continuing to work closely with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the National Association of Care and Resettlement of Offenders (Nacro) on the production of guidance for employers. The current provision on a statutory Code of Practice applies only to higher-level Disclosures. We shall consider making provision to cover Basic Disclosures when there is a suitable opportunity. Meanwhile, the CRB has been working on an equivalent "good practice guide".

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles' details are recorded on the Police National Computer; what data categories describe these vehicles and what types of markers are used in connection with vehicles; and how many vehicles (a) carry a particular marker and (b) fall within a particular category. [59256]

Mr. Denham: As of 23 May 2002 the estimated number of vehicles registered on the Police National Computer (PNC) database was 50,444,691. The database includes information on the make of the car, the model code, the colour, body type and engine size.

The PNC database stores information, which identifies each vehicle. For example there are four groups, which are used as types of markers, and the categories associated with these markers are as follows:














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Statistics are not maintained on either markers or the number of vehicles in each category due to the dynamic nature of the database. In addition to the 'markers' above, vehicles held on the PNC have 'Police Interest' reports in the following categories: LOS (lost/stolen), FOU (found), INF (information), SEE (seen and checked), COR (correction), REM (removed), DES (destroyed).

The number of vehicles with 'Police Interest' reports as at 23 May 2002 was 894,549.

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