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11 Jul 2003 : Column 1054W—continued
Morocco
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Morocco concerning the case of the journalist, Ali Lmrabet, who has recently been imprisoned. [123461]
Mr. Rammell: Officials in Rabat raised our concerns about Ali Lmrabet's detention with the Moroccan Government at official and Ministerial level. The EU Presidency in Rabat also spoke formally to the Moroccans concerning Ali Lmrabet's state of health. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Sierra Leone
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people from Sierra Leone have been admitted to the UK on entry visas for work in (a) 2001–02 and (b) in 2002–03. [124607]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 9 July 2003]: I have been asked to reply.
The latest available information on Sierra Leonean nationals granted leave to enter the United Kingdom as work permit holders or their dependants is given in the table.
| Employment for 12 months or more | 10 |
| Employment for less than 12 months(21) | 5 |
| Dependants of work permit holders | 10 |
(19) A change in procedures may have resulted in some under-recording in the first quarter of 2001.
(20) Data are rounded to the nearest five.
(21) Includes the majority of work permit trainees.
Data on those people granted leave to enter the United Kingdom in 2002 are due to be published at the end of August 2003 on the Home Office website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html
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Telecommunications Masts
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many planning applications have been made to site mobile telecommunications masts on land owned by the Department. [124804]
Mr. Rammell: We have been in discussion with one cell phone operator who wishes to install a mast on the FCO's Old Admiralty Building, and we understand that a planning application is to be submitted shortly. No other applications have been made in respect of the FCO's properties.
Turkey
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about his recent discussions in London with the Turkish Foreign Minister. [124590]
Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I met his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, on 3 July 2003. He reaffirmed the UK's full support for Turkey's EU candidacy, welcomed recent developments and encouraged Turkey to make further progress towards meeting the Copenhagen Political Criteria. He also discussed regional issues. He reported on his recent visit to the Middle East, focusing on the situation in Iraq and Iran. The Foreign Secretary also reiterated the need for a Cyprus solution on the basis on the UN plan.
Turkish Aircraft Incursions
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent incursions by Turkish aircraft in the Aegean; and if he will make a statement. [124592]
Mr. MacShane: The conduct of international aviation is governed by international law. Any action which has as its objective the increase of tension or the deterioration of bilateral relations between two countries is a matter of regret to the British Government. The British Government welcome the contacts which continue between the Governments of Greece and Turkey at a political and official level with a view to the consolidation of improvements in bilateral relations.
Visas
Mr. Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to introduce online visa applications in countries other than the US. [124614]
Mr. Mullin: Following the success of online visa applications in the United States, UKvisas is currently developing the necessary software and website required to introduce online visa applications in other countries. It is intended that a pilot scheme will begin by early November 2003 in Malaysia and Singapore, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Canada before the end of 2003.
It is intended to make online visa applications available in up to 30 countries in 2004.
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Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people were granted visas in (a) 2002 and (b) the first six months of 2003 to enter the UK without restriction on seeking employment. [123774]
Mr. Mullin: All visas issued have some form of restriction attached. Categories of entry clearance of which there are no restrictions on seeking work are:
- Those applicants settling with spouses, partners or other dependant close relatives in the UK;
Those applicants joining recognised refugees in the UK for family reunion.
In addition to the above categories of entry clearance, the following applicants are also entitled to work without restriction on their employment:
- Those applicants entering the United Kingdom under UK Ancestry Rules;
Dependants of students coming to the UK for more that 12 months;
Dependants of work permit holders.
Working Holidays
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance has been given to entry clearance officers about the funds required for a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a working holidaymaker. [125337]
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 those seeking entry clearance for employment in the United Kingdom, part of which covers working holidaymakers.
Guidance about applications from working holidaymakers is contained in the Diplomatic Service Procedures, Entry Clearance, Volume 1, Chapter 18.4. The Diplomatic Service Procedures are available to ECOs both during their training and while at post, and are available to the public online through UKvisas website www.ukvisas.gov.uk.
Applicants are not expected to have a specific amount of money in order to qualify for entry to the United Kingdom as a working holidaymaker. However, working holidaymakers must be able to demonstrate that that they have enough money to pay for their return journey and also to pay for accommodation and living expenses for at least the first two months after arrival without recourse to public funds, or at least one month if they have a job arranged in advance.
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Those wishing to visit the United Kingdom as working holidaymakers are advised to establish how much money they will need by researching their trip before they apply. ECOs are not required to make decisions based on a prescribed level of funding that a working holidaymaker must have, but instead are required to consider each application on its own merits against the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules.
Changes to the Working Holidaymaker Scheme (WHMS) were announced on 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 21WS, by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Beverly Hughes). Ukvisas sent entry clearance staff worldwide guidance on the changes to the WHMS on 18 June. Although no changes were made to the Immigration Rules concerning the funding required by working holidaymakers, entry clearance staff were reminded of these requirements in the guidance of 18 June.
PRIME MINISTER
Foreign Secretary (Committees)
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what factors underlay his decision to appoint (a) the Foreign Secretary to head the Biotechnology sub-committee SCI(BIO), (b) the Deputy Prime Minister to head the Environment Committee (ENN) and (c) himself to head the Thames Gateway Committee (MISC 22). [125329]
The Prime Minister: I act in accordance with the way previous Prime Ministers have chosen their chairmen of Cabinet committees.
Iraq
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister when he was first informed by British Intelligence that Iraq had attempted to procure uranium from Africa. [125003]
The Prime Minister: The issue of how intelligence information was used in the production of the UK Government's dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction published in September 2002 is currently being addressed by the Intelligence and Security Committee of the House. Their report on their findings will be published in due course.
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister when and by whom he was first informed that the dossier which he presented to the House on 3 February (a) had been released to journalists and (b) was not predominantly intelligence material. [125083]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling (Sir John Stanley) on 24 June 2003, Official Report, columns 652–53.
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister which Government (a) official and (b) Minister took the decision to insert the assertion that such weapons could be deployed in 45 minutes in (i) the foreword to, (ii) the executive summary of, and (iii) the draft of his speech
11 Jul 2003 : Column 1058W
to the House, 24 September 2002, Official Report, column 3, on the September 2002 dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. [125189]
The Prime Minister: The dossier, including the executive summary, was drafted by the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and his staff, and they were responsible for including the 45 minutes intelligence. The foreword was prepared by my staff in Downing street in the normal way. It was signed off by me, but members of the JIC had the opportunity to comment on it. My speech to the House of Commons was written in the normal way and reflected what was in the September 2002 dossier which was being debated in the House on 24 September 2002.
Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the situation of the uranium derivatives looted from the Tuwaitha nuclear complex in Iraq. [125236]
The Prime Minister: A team of investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency's safeguards division carried out an examination of the al-Tuwaitha site last month. The report of their findings has not yet been published.
Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had on the state of Iraqi schools. [125244]
The Prime Minister: Rehabilitating Iraq's education system is a Coalition priority. The Coalition Provisional Authority has been working with the Iraqi Ministry of Education, UNICEF and UNESCO to get schools back up and running as quickly as possible. Funding is also being made available through US Agency for International Development contractors to rehabilitate 6,000 schools and provide school equipment. Plans are being made to provide teaching materials to all primary schools by the start of the school year in mid-September. UNICEF is assisting the organisation of national terminal exams for primary, intermediate and secondary students.
By the end of June, 98 per cent. of all schools in Iraq had reopened and around 4.5 million children had taken end of year exams. A further 1 million children will take exams in July.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the Liaison Committee on 8 July, if he will make a further statement on intelligence received relating to Iraq seeking to obtain uranium from Niger since the end of the first Gulf war in 1991 which is deemed valid. [125711]
The Prime Minister: The assessment that Iraq sought uranium from Niger drew on intelligence from more than one source, including non-documentary intelligence. We agree with the IAEA that some of the documents they hold are forgeries. However, others may be genuine. The Government are keeping the situation under review.
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