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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Angola

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with lifting sanctions on the Angola rebels; and what the prospects are for holding free elections in Angola by 2005. [113642]

Mr. Rammell: All sanctions on UNITA were lifted on 9 December 2002, by the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1448 (2002). The US, EU and others have updated their domestic regulations to reflect this, or are in the process of doing so.

The Government of Angola have not yet announced a date for elections, but the focus is on 2004–05. Before elections can be held, it is essential that proper electoral processes are put in place, including voter registration and education, to ensure that elections are transparent, free and fair.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with (a) security sector reform and (b) better economic and political governance in Angola. [113643]

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Mr. Rammell: There has been little progress, as yet, on Security Sector Reform. Our embassy in Luanda has had preliminary contacts with the Angolan Defence Ministry to see whether UK expertise here, especially in peacekeeping, would be welcome. We are awaiting an Angolan response.

The Government of Angola (GoA) has taken some steps towards improving economic and political governance and transparency. These include an audit of the Central Bank; placing customs administration under Crown Agents; undertaking an Oil Diagnostic Study by KPMG; and reviewing the public procurement system. As part of its Technical Support Strategy for Angola, the World bank is currently conducting a Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review. The UK plans to help in this. The review will make recommendations later this year. The GoA needs to strengthen public finance management and macro economic policy to reduce economic instability. The UK is encouraging Angola to take further measures to improve oil sector transparency by participating in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), launched by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in 2002. We have also provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Planning, following a request to help prepare its Interim-Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP).

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many failed asylum seekers from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Iraq, (c) Iran and (d) Pakistan have subsequently been granted early clearance to the United Kingdom on a visitor's visa in each of the last three years. [112212]

Mr. Rammell: We do not retain statistics of the number of successful visitor visa applicants who have previously been refused asylum in the UK. To obtain this information, visa sections worldwide would need to compare the names of successful visa applicants with those whose claims for asylum had previously been refused: this would incur disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) overseas consider each application on its own merits against the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules. An application from someone who had previously been refused asylum would not, therefore, necessarily fall for refusal, although an ECO would take this into account when making a decision.

Burundi

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with (a) a cease-fire and (b) the implementation of the Arusha Agreement in Burundi. [113638]

Mr. Rammell: We welcome the peaceful transfer of presidential power in Burundi on 1 May, in accordance with the Arusha Agreement.

We continue to work closely with EU and Security Council colleagues to support the South African facilitation, the regional initiative and the Government of Burundi in their efforts to secure a comprehensive

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ceasefire, to end continued violence by armed groups and to ensure that the next phase of the transition proceeds smoothly.

Dalit People

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have been held by UK representatives in India with representatives of Dalit peoples; and if he will make a statement. [113519]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi discussed Dalit issues with the Chairman of the Dalit Solidarity Network in February this year. I also discussed the issues with the Government of India during my visit in October last year.

We remain concerned about Dalits in India. We welcome the work of the many international Dalit rights organisations to end caste discrimination. We and our EU Partners are committed to human rights and will continue to raise issues such as discrimination based on work and descent in our meetings with the governments of those countries affected by this problem. We are also currently supporting human rights project work on bonded labour, an issue affecting many Dalits in India.

European Constitution

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU member states and accession countries' governments are proposing to hold national referenda to ratify the European Constitution; and if he will make a statement. [113441]

Mr. MacShane: A new EU treaty would need to be ratified according to the individual political and constitutional traditions of each of the Member States. None of our EU partners have yet made formal announcements on whether they would hold a referendum on a Constitutional Treaty. Of the 25 countries affected, we are aware that the constitutional traditions of some, such as Denmark and Ireland, make referenda in those countries likely, whereas the constitutional traditions of others, such as Germany, make referendums unlikely. In the UK, EU treaties are only ratified after rigorous scrutiny by Parliament, as has been the case with all previous treaties modifying the founding Treaties of the EU.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether draft article 14 of Title B of the Draft European Constitution is intended to be justiciable by the European Court of Justice. [113442]

Mr. MacShane: The jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice does not currently extend to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). We have made it clear in the Convention that this position should remain unchanged. Article 240b of the draft Constitutional Treaty provides that the Court of Justice shall not have competence over the chapter applying to the CFSP, which includes draft article 14. This chapter will be set out in Part II of the draft Treaty.

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Fishing Industry

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the European Commission's recovery plan to save cod from extinction in (a) the North Sea and (b) other fishing grounds around Britain. [113473]

Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.

The European Commission have recently published proposals for the long-term recovery of cod stocks, both in the North Sea and elsewhere. We are currently considering these proposals in consultation with the UK fishing industry.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with the EU Fisheries Commissioner. [113475]

Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.

I regularly speak to Commissioner Fischler, and last did so at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 8 April 2003.

Gibraltar

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the forthcoming United Nations Conference in Anguilla in May, with particular reference to issues affecting Gibraltar; and which officials will be representing the UK at the Conference. [113465]

Mr. MacShane: The UN seminar being held in Anguilla on 20–22 May 2003 is an annual event, organised by the United Nations Committee on De-colonisation (known as the C24).

This will be the first time that the seminar has been held on a UK Overseas Territory. The seminar will focus this year on ways in which to advance the de-colonisation process in the Caribbean and Bermuda, and in particular on those Territories where the political and economic situation may offer the greatest scope for progress towards self-determination. The discussion will however be of interest to non-Caribbean Overseas Territories, and I understand that the Chief Minister of Gibraltar plans to attend.

The FCO will be represented by officials from London and the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York, led by the Deputy Head of Overseas Territories Department.

Great Lakes

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with (a) disarmament, (b) demobilisation, (c) repatriation, (d) reintegration, (e) rehabilitation and (f) post-war reconstruction in the Great Lakes region of Africa. [113637]

Mr. Rammell: Latest information available indicates that some 1,500 non-Congolese former combatants have been through the UN's Disarmament, Demobilisation, Repatriation, Reintegration and Rehabilitation (DDRRR) programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo and returned to Rwanda.

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In Rwanda there is a continuing demobilisation and reintegration programme for ex-combatants from both the Rwandan army and rebel groups.

The UK is playing an active part within the international community in planning for post-war reconstruction in the Great Lakes region. On DDRRR specifically, we have contributed US$25 million to a Trust Fund administered by the World bank for DDRRR in the Great Lakes region. The UK has also contributed £5.5 million to the Rwandan Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme.

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