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Slovakia

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to discontinue the visa requirements for Slovak nationals who wish to visit the UK. [111198]

Mr. Rammell: All visa regimes, including that in respect of Slovak nationals, are kept under constant review and are lifted when it is judged that the circumstances which gave rise to the imposition of the requirement have been addressed. The visa regime on Slovak nationals will be lifted as soon as possible and at the latest by May 2004, when the Slovak Republic becomes a full member state of the European Union.

Amina Lawal

Mr. Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Nigerian Government on the death

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sentence on Amina Lawal since the recent decision of the Nigerian Supreme Court; and if he will make a statement. [113051]

Mr. Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for South Swindon (Julia Drown) during questions to the Foreign Secretary on 6 May 2003, Official Report, col. 528.

Export Licences

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what correspondence was exchanged between Foreign Office Ministers and Mr. David Mills; and what representations were made to the British Embassy in Washington on his behalf concerning the sale of (a) aircraft and (b) aircraft parts to Iran. [112550]

Mr. Straw: Mr. David Mills wrote to my noble Friend Baroness Symons on 9 July 2002, and she replied on 16 July 2002. The British Embassy in Washington was consulted for advice on the drafting of the Minister's response, but no representations were made on Mr. Mills' behalf concerning the sale of aircraft, or aircraft parts, to Iran.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Ministers from his Department contacted the UK Embassy in Washington to make representations to the US Government on selling jets to Iranian airlines; which Ministers sought the advice; what advice was sought; from which United States agencies it was sought; what reply was received; and to whom advice was passed outside his Department. [112551]

Mr. Straw: No FCO Minister has contacted the British Embassy in Washington to make representations to the US Government on selling jets to Iranian airlines.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written Ministerial Statement on Export Licences (Iran), Official Report, 26 March, column 6WS, from which (a) agencies, (b) bodies and (c) individuals advice was sought on the decision that the Iran Working Group should no longer convene to consider export licence applications to that country. [112552]

Mr. Straw: All appropriate experts and advisers within the Ministry of Defence, Department of Trade and Industry and Foreign and Commonwealth Office were consulted on this procedural change. The final decision was agreed jointly by the Ministers concerned.

Gender Strategy

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will publish the gender strategy for his Department. [111008]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's gender strategy is encapsulated in our strategic framework document on Diversity, "Investing for Tomorrow". I will place a copy in the Library of the House. In order to advance gender diversity in the Department, the FCO has a Gender Advisory Group, chaired by a member of the FCO Board.

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Gibraltar

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Gibraltar meets its obligations under the Directive on a General Framework for Equal Treatment in Employment (2000/78/EC) in time for the stated implementation deadline of 2 December 2003. [112859]

Mr. MacShane: Gibraltar Government officials are aware that this Directive must be transposed by 2 December 2003. We understand that they intend to complete this process within the required timescale. We will provide technical assistance if required.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Gibraltar meets its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, as expressed in the judgment of 9 January 2003 of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of L and V v. Austria, to equalise the homosexual and heterosexual ages of consent [112860]

Mr. MacShane: We have informed the Gibraltar Government that we believe the age of consent should be equalised for homosexual and heterosexual couples to avoid a breach of Articles 8 and 14 of the ECHR. The Gibraltar Government are now considering how to do so.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the delegates who elected a mayor and council in Mosul on 5 May 2003 were women; and how many of those elected to office were women. [112938]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We do not know the procedure by which the town council was chose, nor do we know its composition. I have asked the British official working with the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Northern Iraq to find out. When she replies, I will write to my hon. Friend.

Liberia

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department has given to the Liberian peace talks and the Bamako Talks. [110745]

Mr. Rammell: Through the International Contact Group on Liberia, the UN and the EU, we are working to facilitate the peace process in Liberia and to encourage all sides to enter into ceasefire negotiations. We welcome the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Inter-religious Council of Liberia to promote reconciliation in Liberia.

Initial peace talks between the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Liberian Government took place in Freetown under the auspices of ECOWAS in early February. These were not followed up in Bamako as had been planned.

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SARS

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is being given to British nationals who reside in (a) China, (b) Thailand, (c) Japan, (d) Canada, (e) New Zealand and (f) Australia regarding the SARS virus. [111302]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: British nationals residing abroad are able to receive up-to-date information about the SARS virus via the Travel Advice pages of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) and by remaining in contact with their nearest embassy, high commission or consulate. In addition, our missions in Beijing, Hong Kong and Guangzou, where the SARS outbreak has been most serious, produce information notices on SARS for the British community which are updated regularly. British nationals resident in Australia, New Zealand and Canada also have access to the advice on SARS provided by the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Governments.

The travel advice on the FCO website contains links to the websites of the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation where more general information on the SARS virus, its symptoms and precautionary measures against it, can be found. Travel advice is also available by telephone around the clock, on 0870 606 0290.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the British Council has had with the Movement for Democratic Change in Harare on public sector training (a) inside and (b) outside Zimbabwe. [112932]

Mr. Rammell: The British Council is a non-political organisation. It has not discussed these issues with the MDC.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to President Mugabe on the arrest and treatment of MDC Members of Parliament; and if he will publish his dossier on human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. [112934]

Mr. Rammell: We have repeatedly condemned the Mugabe regime for its violent attacks on the MDC. Most recently, the UK was at the forefront of preparing a resolution on Zimbabwe at the UN Commission on Human Rights. This condemned the Government of Zimbabwe for its attacks on the opposition and civil society and called upon it to comply with its international human rights obligations.

We receive detailed information on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe from numerous non-governmental and civil society organisations. We do not intend to publish a dossier of their findings, as this would only duplicate their reporting.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss human rights abuses in Zimbabwe with President Mbeki during his visit to South Africa. [112935]

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Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will discuss Zimbabwe with the South African Government. He will explain that our objective is to see an end to the politically motivated violence and human rights abuses and the beginning of multi-party dialogue in Zimbabwe, as a first step towards restoring good governance and economic prosperity.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Movement for Democratic Change in Harare with respect to the reform programme for Zimbabwe once President Mugabe stands down. [112936]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this. Any future reform programme for Zimbabwe will be a matter for a future Zimbabwean Government. We would monitor such a programme closely and engage with it where appropriate, but we are not trying to pre-judge such a process.

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