| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Jun 2003 : Column 44W—continued
Lord Ashcroft
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the costs to be borne by Her Majesty's Government for the settlement of the case conducted by Lord Ashcroft; whether an apology has been issued; who has the responsibility for the errors which have been accepted by Her Majesty's Government; and if he will make a statement. [119175]
Mr. Straw: The settlement of the cases brought by Lord Ashcroft against various Government Departments involved a payment of £350,000 towards Lord Ashcroft's overall costs, two thirds of which will be paid by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and one third by the Department for International Development.
16 Jun 2003 : Column 45W
On the occasion of settlement, on 5 June, the following Government statement was read out in Open Court:
- "During the years 1999 and 2000, documents held by certain Government Departments, and which contained references relating to the affairs of Lord Ashcroft were disclosed to the media.
Despite investigation, the Government was not able to establish how the unauthorised disclosures to the media occurred.
The Government has though recognised that various disobliging references relating to Lord Ashcroft which were contained within documents held by Government Departments were without foundation.
Lord Ashcroft commenced litigation following the unauthorised disclosures. That litigation has today been settled, with the Government Departments which were defendants to those actions apologising to Lord Ashcroft."
Colin Berry
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Afghan authorities concerning Mr. Colin Berry, a constituent. [119326]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer of 13 June 2003]: Mr. Berry is currently in detention in Afghanistan. I raised Mr. Berry's case with the Afghan Ambassador last week. Our Embassy in Kabul has also raised the case on numerous occasions with the Afghan authorities. We are pressing the Afghan authorities to ensure that Mr. Berry's case is properly handled and that he receives a fair trial.
Mr. Berry is visited regularly by consular staff from our Embassy in Kabul and we will continue to represent his interests.
Overseas Territories
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which overseas territories are in the process of revising their constitutions and, in each case, what the anticipated timescale is for (a) the overseas territory to finalise their requests for revision and (b) referral to the Privy Council for an Order. [118886]
Mr. MacShane: The following Overseas Territories are in the process of reviewing their constitutions: Anguilla; the British Virgin Islands; the Cayman Islands; the Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; St Helena; and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
There is no anticipated timescale for submitting draft Orders in Council containing revised constitutions to the Privy Council; this will depend on the conclusion of discussions with the territories concerned about their proposals for constitutional revision.
16 Jun 2003 : Column 46W
The following is a summary of the stage reached in the constitutional review process in each territory concerned:
- Anguilla: A local review commission is reviewing the Constitution; we expect it to report later this year and that proposals for revision will be made by 31 March 2004.
British Virgin Islands: A local review commission is expected to be established within the next few months.
Cayman Islands; St Helena: Proposals for revised constitutions have been discussed with the FCO and are under consideration.
Falkland Islands: A committee of the local Legislative Council is reviewing the Constitution but has yet to report.
Gibraltar: The Select Committee on Constitutional Reform of the Gibraltar House of Assembly has reviewed the Constitution; the Chief Minister has indicated that he expects to table proposals for discussion during the course of the year.
Turks and Caicos Islands; Montserrat: Local review commissions have recommended changes and these are under consideration in the territories; we expect firm proposals from the local Legislative Councils later this year.
Mr. MacShane: Education is the responsibility of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) government. All children legally entitled to be in the TCI are attending educational establishments. These amount to some 4,492 students, (including those at the Community College). The cases of students who were unable to register because their immigration status was unclear are being examined; in the meantime some are actually attending school. The Department of Education does not hold statistics for these cases.
UN Special Committee on Decolonisation
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement the United Kingdom Government had in the UN's Special Committee on Decolonisation's conference Advancing the Decolonisation Process in the Caribbean and Bermuda held in Anguilla last month. [118890]
Mr. MacShane: The Chairman of the UN decolonisation committee asked last year whether the Committee's annual seminar could be held in 2003 on a UK Caribbean Overseas Territory. We and the Anguillian Government agreed the request and subsequently signed an agreement with the UN covering practical arrangements.
The seminar, which took place from 20–22 May, was attended by Chief Ministers and senior representatives of a number of UK Overseas Territories. The FCO was represented by the Deputy Head of Overseas Territories Department and a representative of the UK Mission to the UN.
Visas (Syria)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visas were issued at the British Embassy in Syria in each of the last three years to (a) people seeking political asylum, (b) students, (c) visitors and tourists, (d) people
16 Jun 2003 : Column 47W
seeking indefinite leave to remain and (e) people seeking to join their spouses; and if he will make a statement. [118921]
Mr. Rammell: Applications for asylum are not accepted overseas. It is unlikely that would-be asylum seekers would disclose their intention to claim asylum on arrival to an Entry Clearance Officer as this would be likely to lead to the refusal of their visa application. We do not keep figures for those who have claimed asylum on entering the United Kingdom after having previously applied for entry clearance overseas.
There were 535 entry clearance applications from prospective students at the British Embassy in Damascus in 2000, 502 in 2001 and 377 in 2002.
There were 4,263 entry clearance applications in Damascus from those who wished to visit the United Kingdom in 2000, 3,525 in 2001 and 3,773 in 2002.
In 2000 there were 71 entry clearance applications in Damascus by individuals who wished to settle in the United Kingdom, 178 in 2001 and 287 in 2002.
There are no specific entry clearance categories for visa applicants who wish to join their spouses in the United Kingdom, or for those seeking indefinite leave to remain. These applicants fall within the settlement category, statistics for which are given above.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Arms Trade
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what intelligence gathering mechanism she has for determining the bona fides of arms dealers and purchasers. [118936]
Nigel Griffiths: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 619W.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the research which she has commissioned on US end-user monitoring and controls, with special reference to the use of (a) mutual and (b) multilateral legal assistance treaties. [118941]
Nigel Griffiths: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, has not commissioned any research on US end-user monitoring and controls.
Broadband
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress of rolling out broadband internet coverage in East Sussex. [117359]
Mr. Timms: I visited East Sussex on 22 May with my right hon. Friend the Minister for Rural Affairs to review progress on rolling out broadband.
16 Jun 2003 : Column 48W
South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is committed to, and very active in rolling out broadband coverage in East Sussex. Two significant areas of activity are:
- Plans for a 'Coastal Superhighway' that will bring broadband to the East Sussex coast via a fibre optic network.
The Remote Area Broadband inclusion Trial (RABBIT) scheme providing grants to pilot the use of satellite and wireless broadband solutions as an alternative to BT ADSL or cable broadband.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |