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Civil Servants

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many new entrants to the Civil Service were employed in his Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 or over. [119827]

Mr. Rammell: The number of new entrants aged 50 or over, employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, are listed in the table.

	New entrants	Over 50
1998–99	204	7
1999–2000	237	11
2000–01	275	10
2001–02	409	22
2002–03	397	21

Colombia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is on the agenda of the aid donors meeting on Colombia to be held on 10 July 2003; and whether military and security assistance to Colombia will be discussed. [120126]

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Mr. Rammell: The London meeting on 10 July 2003 will discuss the political support that the international community might offer Colombia. The Colombian Government, and representatives from the UN and civil society have been invited to make presentations. Military and security assistance are not on the agenda.

Gibraltar

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his policy to seek joint sovereignty over Gibraltar with the Government of Spain. [120182]

Mr. Straw: I refer the right hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 12 July 2002, Official Report, column 1165.

Guantanamo Bay

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the High Court's statement on whether the situation of detainees in Camp X-Ray complies with fundamental principles recognised by international law. [118624]

Mr. Mullin: The issue of the detainees' rights under international law is linked, in part, to the question of their status, which depends on all the facts of the individual cases. However, whatever their status, the detainees are entitled to humane treatment and, if prosecuted, a fair trial. We have made this clear to the United States authorities. They have assured us they will treat the detainees humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva Conventions.

We have been pressing the US to move forward with the process of determining the detainees' future and shall continue to do so.

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the US Government about their plans for the future of detainees held at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay. [118625]

Mr. Mullin: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the United States authorities about the British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. We have been pressing the United States authorities to move forward with the process of determining the future of the British detainees. We shall continue to do so.

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal (a) protection and (b) status the British citizens detained in Camp X-Ray have. [118626]

Mr. Mullin: The question of the legal status of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay under international law is complex and has to be considered in the light of the facts relating to each individual detainee.

We believe that, whatever their status, the detainees are entitled to humane treatment, and if prosecuted, a fair trial. The United States has assured us it will treat the detainees humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva Conventions. We have been

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pressing the US to move forward with the process of determining the future of the British detainees. We shall continue to do so.

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the US Government on when the UK citizens held at Guantanamo Bay will be (a) charged and (b) released. [119768]

Mr. Mullin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that my ministerial colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mrs. Lawrence) on 17 June 2003, Official Report, column 142W.

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the US Government about expediting the process of determining what is to happen to the UK citizens held at Guantanamo Bay. [119769]

Mr. Mullin: We remain in regular contact with the United States, at both ministerial and official level, about the situation of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. We have been pressing the US to move forward with the process of determining the future of the British detainees and shall continue to do so.

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the US Administration on access by British officials to UK citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay. [119903]

Mr. Mullin: We remain in regular contact with the United States, at both ministerial and official level, about the situation of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. British officials have visited the British nationals on five occasions, most recently in April 2003. We were the first country to visit its nationals in Guantanamo Bay. The United States has assured us that it will treat the detainees humanely and consistently with the principles of the Geneva Convention.

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British juveniles are being detained in Guantanamo Bay. [118484]

Mr. Mullin: There are no British juveniles detained at Guantanamo Bay. All the British detainees are over the age of 18.

Iraq

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 19 May 2003, Official Report, column 553W, if he will make a statement on the range of Iraqi opinion, among opposition and exile groups, and those newly liberated, who were (a) represented at the meeting in Nassiriya on 15 April 2003 and (b) considered and not invited; and for what reasons the latter group were not invited. [119324]

Mr. Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answers that my ministerial colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) gave him on 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 287W and 5 June 2003, Official Report, column 553W.

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Palestinian Occupied Territories

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many new settlements he estimates have been built in the Palestinian Occupied Territories since 1993 to 2003. [118300]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: At least two major new settlements have been established within the expanded municipal boundaries of East Jerusalem. Two new settlements have been established in the West Bank. We have concerns about another four settlements in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip. In addition, we estimate that around 108 settlement outposts have been established in the period 1993–2003, some as far as 2 km from existing buildings. The combination of expanding settlements, the Eastern Ring Road and Route 80 will effectively isolate Jerusalem from the West Bank. Other settler roads (Routes 55, 57 and 505) divide the West Bank in an east-west direction. Settlers control 42 per cent. of the West Bank and 15 per cent. of the Gaza Strip.

These figures are the most authoritative available, as it is difficult to get accurate statistics about settlement activity. In particular, the number of settlement outposts is fluid. The Israel Defence Forces began dismantling a number of outposts on 9 June 2003; most of which are uninhabited. Settlers have vowed to establish more. We are monitoring the situation closely.

For a more detailed assessment of the impact of settlement building in the Occupied Territories, I refer my hon. Friend to the report, "Israeli Settlements in the West Bank and Gaza", which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary presented to the Foreign Affairs Committee early this year. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Consular Residences

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the proposed new consular residence in Presidio Terrace, San Francisco, is governed by restrictions that will prevent its use for consular functions; and if he will make a statement. [118725]

Mr. Rammell: It will be possible to use the new residence for normal consular functions.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 647W, when the present Permanent Under-Secretary visited the property; whether the PUS-designate visited the current Consul General's house; and when he visited the new property. [120326]

Mr. Rammell: The present PUS, Sir Michael Jay, was able to see the house when he visited San Francisco, shortly before taking up his appointment in January 2002. He has not visited the new property.

The previous PUS, Sir John Kerr, to whom I also referred in my answer on 9 June 2003, had previously been Her Majesty's Ambassador in Washington and was familiar with the current property.

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