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CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Unpaid Fines

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of fines were unpaid in (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts in (i) Chesham and Amersham and (ii) Buckinghamshire in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [123908]

Mr. Leslie: Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs) have a responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed by both the magistrates courts and the Crown court. Debt collected includes not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not yet possible to separate out only fines from the total so the figures provided here include all the elements above.

Data are collected centrally at MCC level, rather than at court level. The payment rate for the Thames Valley MCC in 2002–03, that is the percentage of the total amount collected over the amount imposed, was 69 per cent. On that basis, the percentage of fines unpaid was 31 per cent.

In addition, the Thames Valley MCC accounting system is unable to identify the percentage of fines unpaid in the Chesham and Amersham satellite magistrates court. Information from the Thames Valley MCC indicated that the payment rate in 2002–03 for the Central Buckinghamshire Petty Session Area, which includes Amersham, was 65 per cent.

General Election Participation

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of UK citizens who live abroad participated in the last general election. [123597]

Mr. Leslie: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office estimates that there are around 15.5 million UK citizens living abroad, but not all of these will be eligible to register to vote as overseas electors. In February 2001, 11,496 UK citizens were registered to vote as overseas electors. However, no central record is kept on which of those electors chose to vote in the general election that followed in June that year.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

11. Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements he has made to assist in the development of free trade unions in Iraq. [123876]

Mr. Rammell: The Government are working through the Coalition Provisional Authority in partnership with the Iraqi people to develop a free and democratic society respectful of human rights and freedom of expression.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. MacShane) is working with the hon. Member and others to encourage the establishment of one of the key political institutions in any democracy: a trade union movement.

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe today met British trade union officials to discuss support for trade union's in Iraq.

European Constitution

12. Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about keeping the British veto in the areas covered by the draft European Constitution; and if he will make a statement. [123877]

Mr. MacShane: The Government have received many representations on the Convention's proposals. We look forward to receiving many more once the final text of the Convention's draft is published in the next few days. More QMV is essential to push through our solutions to Europe-wide problems in key areas, such as asylum and immigration. But there are areas on which we would not be prepared to move from unanimity. We would not agree to any changes on foreign policy, defence, taxation or social security which threatened the national interest.

EuroMed Process

13. Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on developments in respect of the EuroMed Process at the recent Thessaloniki European Council meeting. [123878]

Mr. MacShane: The European Council welcomed the outcome of the Euro-Mediterranean Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting in Crete in May and agreed that the EuroMed Process was a key tool for enhancing the EU's relationship with the Arab world.

European Council

14. Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reform of the Presidency of the European Council. [123879]

Mr. MacShane: The Government supports the proposals made by the Convention for a full-time European Council Chair, which would give its work greater continuity and coherence. We believe that reform is essential to enable the enlarged EU to work effectively.

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Zimbabwe

15. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the latest situation in Zimbabwe. [123880]

Mr. Mullin: The political and economic situation in Zimbabwe remains serious. The state continues to use violence and intimidation against its opponents. Formal dialogue between the ruling ZANU (PF) and opposition MDC has not started. The leader of the opposition, Morgan Tsvangirai, now faces two treason charges. The economy continues to spiral downwards. The World Food Programme estimates that nearly half the population, 5.5 million Zimbabweans, will depend on food aid this year.

Responsibility for the present state of Zimbabwe lies squarely with its present Government. Together with the rest of the international community, we will continue to provide humanitarian relief, will work to sustain Mugabe's isolation and highlight his abuses of fundamental human rights and will continue to promote a prosperous and democratic future for the people of Zimbabwe.

16. Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the situation in Zimbabwe on the rest of southern Africa. [123881]

Mr. Mullin: The situation in Zimbabwe continues to have a negative impact on other countries in southern Africa. The crisis there is damaging regional economies and has adversely affected their interest rates, inflation, foreign direct investment and tourism. A study by the Zimbabwe Research Initiative in May estimated the total cost to the combined Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to have been at least US$1.88 billion at the end of 2002. Zimbabwe's neighbours are also suffering damage to local production from the influx of cheap Zimbabwean goods, unpaid Zimbabwean debts, an increase in largely unskilled migrants, and the cross border spread of foot and mouth disease.

Consul-General (San Francisco)

17. Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the Consul-General's house in San Francisco has been sold. [123882]

Mr. Rammell: The Consul-General's house failed to match the key performance indicators by which we judge whether to retain estate assets, particularly because it was significantly overscale.

United Nations

18. Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Germany concerning its policy on the United Nations. [123883]

Mr. Rammell: We have regular discussions at all levels with Germany on UN issues, not only as important partners in the UN, but also as current members of the UN Security Council.

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Leyla Zana

20. Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the re-trial of Leyla Zana and her three colleagues in Turkey. [123885]

Mr. MacShane: We welcome the Turkish reforms which allow for the re-trial of cases in line with ECHR rulings and the subsequent decision to re-try Leyla Zana and her co-defendants. We are monitoring the trial closely and co-ordinate with EU Partners to ensure that all hearings are attended.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

22. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that he received before the recent conflict. [123887]

Mr. Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Foreign Affairs Committee, which is included in their report, "The Decision to Go to War in Iraq", Volume II Written Evidence (HC 813–11), published on 7 July 2003.

Burma

23. Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Burma. [123888]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The situation in Burma is of grave concern to this Government. We have repeatedly called on the Burmese authorities to release immediately Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other National League for Democracy members detained on or since 30 May 2003. The regimes responses to events so far have been unacceptable. The UK will ensure that pressure is maintained and increased on the Burmese regime to move irreversibly towards democracy and respect for human rights.

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the decision by member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations to allow Burma to take over the presidency of the organisation in 2006; and what discussions he has had with ASEAN about this decision. [124514]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We are concerned that Burma is to take over the presidency of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2006. We take advantage of our regular bilateral and multilateral contacts with all ASEAN nations to discuss Burma related issues, most recently on 17 June 2003 at the ASEAN Regional Forum. We welcome the recent joint statement from the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, which looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on Aung San Suu Kyi. We hope that this will lead to more action on behalf of ASEAN members in the future. We believe that the ASEAN nations have an important role to play in encouraging substantive change in Burma.

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