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Euro Roadshow

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the events he plans to attend as part of the Government's euro roadshow. [121402]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no current plans to attend the Government's euro roadshow. Officials from Her

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Majesty's Treasury will be undertaking a number of "roadshows" to our European and other partners to explain the assessment of the five economic tests, the supporting studies, and the subsequent announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the House on 9 June, Official Report, column 407.

Family Visit Visas

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide clearer and more comprehensive information on the (a) family visitor appeal right and (b) appeal process to refused family visit visa applicants. [120603]

Mr. Mullin: All unsuccessful applicants receive written notices informing them about their right to appeal, and the procedure they need to follow should they choose to exercise this right, at the time of refusal. Where this is necessary it can be explained in the applicant's own language by an interpreter. Furthermore, by definition, all family visitor applicants will have a UK sponsor who can advise and assist with the appeal.

In response to the discussion paper published to inform the Interdepartmental Review of Family Visitor Appeals the review team has produced a leaflet for family visitors and their sponsors, which is available on the Home Office website. UKvisas produce a general information leaflet on Appeals: 11,500 of these have been sent to overseas posts in the past six months.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will inform refused family visit visa applicants of the relative chances of success of appellants who opt for (a) an oral appeal and (b) a paper-only appeal. [120604]

Mr. Mullin: We do not as a matter of course inform refused applicants or their sponsors of the relative chance of success of different types of appeals, but the leaflet for family visitors and their sponsors does point out that "people who ask for their appeals to be decided on the papers are only about half as successful as people who ask for an oral hearing". The leaflet explains that the sponsor and other witnesses can speak to the adjudicator at an oral hearing, and that a legal representative can attend to put the appellant's case. All appeals are determined on their merits by an independent Adjudicator.

As paper appeals are prioritised, and because family visits are often to attend a specific event, it may be in the applicant's interest to opt for a swift decision by choosing an appeal on the papers.

Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) do not usually have the benefit of seeing the applicant's sponsor at interview. If an oral hearing is chosen, the adjudicator will have the advantage of hearing the sponsor's evidence in addition to the evidence provided to the ECO at the time of the application, allowing the appellant and the sponsor the opportunity to make a fuller case.

By definition, all family visitors will have a sponsor in the UK who can seek advice on their behalf about appealing, including which type of appeal to choose.

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Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will amend the visit visa application form to include an option to indicate that the purpose of the visit for which a visa is sought is to visit family members in the UK. [120605]

Mr. Mullin: An amended visit visa application form has been produced which will enable applicants to indicate that the purpose of the visit for which entry clearance is sought is to visit family members in the United Kingdom.

The revised application form will be in use from 1 August 2003.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide additional guidance to entry clearance officers on (a) how to assess multiple-purpose visit visa applications and (b) which relationships qualify as family members for the purpose of family visitor appeals under the immigration rules. [120606]

Mr. Mullin: All new Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) undergo an intensive course of training provided by UKvisas. As part of an ECO's training, specific instruction is given concerning visit visas. Guidance about visit visa applications is contained in the Diplomatic Service Procedures, Entry Clearance, Volume 1, Chapter 10. The Diplomatic Service Procedures are available to ECOs both during their training and while at post, and are available to the public online through the UKvisas website (www.ukvisas.gov.uk).

Applicants wishing to visit the United Kingdom for more that one reason are issued with a multiple entry visa, valid for six months, for the main purpose of their visit.

Any secondary purpose of a visit can be undertaken using the same visit visa. The relationships which qualify as family members, for the purpose of family visitor appeals, are clearly defined in the Diplomatic Service Procedures, Entry Clearance, Volume 1, Chapter 23.3 and were redefined in SI 518 on 5 March 2003.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to establish regular meetings between UK Visas and the Immigration Appellate Authority to provide a forum for discussion of issues of joint concern. [120607]

Mr. Mullin: The Head of UKvisas already meets with colleagues from the Immigration Appellate Authority to discuss issues of joint concern. UKvisas attaches great importance to this relationship.

Ghana

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Ghanaian Government concerning the visit of the President of Liberia to their country. [121667]

Mr. Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Caroline Spelman) on 23 June 2003, Official Report, column 591W.

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Zimbabwe

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on Zimbabwe Government pensioners in the United Kingdom not receiving their pensions; and if he will make a statement. [121206]

Mr. Mullin: We receive regular representation from pensioners in the UK who are not being paid their Zimbabwean Government pensions. Our High Commission in Harare speaks regularly to the Zimbabwean pension authorities, reminding them of their obligations to pay these pensions in full and on time. The Zimbabwean authorities say that the current lack of foreign currency in the country means that they can no longer pay pensioners living outside of Zimbabwe. All payments to pensioners living in the UK were suspended from January this year. Regrettably, this situation is unlikely to change until Zimbabwe's economy improves.

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with sub-Saharan African counterparts regarding the situation in (a) Zimbabwe and (b) the Great Lakes region. [121288]

Mr. Mullin: We are in regular contact with African leaders on Zimbabwe. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the crisis there with Botswana's President Mogae in London on 11 June; and with South Africa's President Mbeki in South Africa on 14 May. We support regional efforts to promote inter-party dialogue as a first step towards restoring good governance and economic prosperity in Zimbabwe.

We regularly discuss the situation in the Great Lakes with regional governments including Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa and Angola. We remain concerned about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly the humanitarian crisis in the north-eastern Ituri region. We were active in encouraging the governments of Rwanda and Uganda to respond positively to the UN Secretary General's request to send an Interim Emergency Multinational Force to Bunia (Ituri region).

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent measures have been taken to support British citizens in Zimbabwe. [121301]

Mr. Mullin: The British High Commission in Harare provides guidance and assistance to British nationals resident in Zimbabwe and those visiting the country. It offers a full range of consular services.

The High Commission also runs a website enabling it to maintain good communications with the resident British community. The Consul visits the main regional centres at regular intervals to offer advice to those unable to travel to Harare.

Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision is being made to assist the repatriation to the United Kingdom of former British nationals whose Zimbabwean passports and residents' stamps have been withdrawn. [120610]

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Mr. Mullin: We have a civil contingency plan for Zimbabwe, as we do for many other countries which can be activated if there is an emergency affecting the safety of British nationals. Any evacuation would be a last resort and by whatever means available at the time.

Anyone wishing to move to the UK to take up residence who is not a British citizen will need to arrange this before leaving Zimbabwe. Anyone wishing to resume British citizenship can do this by submitting their original Declaration of Renunciation form, evidence of their present nationality and a completed application form for Registration as a British citizen, to the British High Commission in Harare, together with the current fees. The Home Office is responsible for considering such applications. If successful, a Certificate of Registration will be issued after which a British passport may be applied for.

All those with a valid British citizen passport are free to enter the UK for an indefinite period.

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