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Article 111.8 (EU Draft Constitutional Treaty)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the unanimity requirement on the effectiveness of Article 111.8 Draft Constitutional Treaty for the European Union in combating discrimination. [130859]

Mr. MacShane: The Government believe that the unanimity requirement in Article III-8 will provide a good basis for EU legislation to combat various forms of discrimination. The Government consider that the requirement of unanimity will ensure that EU legislation is framed appropriately in order to take account of national diversity as well as the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity. Furthermore, initiatives taken under Article III-8 are measures aimed

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at supporting member state action, and do not therefore in any case stop member states putting in place additional measures.

Asbestos

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004. [130921]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned a complete review of asbestos in buildings in the UK in 2002. The cost of this survey was £81,500. Approximately £180,000 has been spent on the removal of asbestos during routine maintenance and refurbishment works. No further expenditure on surveys is anticipated for the next two years. There is no planned programme for asbestos removal in 2003 and 2004 as the review did not indicate that this is necessary.

In our posts overseas, the cost of asbestos specific surveys since January 2001 has been £72,672. The management and removal of asbestos is however a component of building maintenance budgets devolved to our Posts, and it is therefore not possible separately to identify asbestos related expenditure without incurring disproportionate costs.

Subcontinent

Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK's relationship with (a) India, (b) Bangladesh and (c) Pakistan. [131008]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: This Government attaches great importance to the South Asian region as a whole.

The UK and India work together on regional and global issues, poverty relief, trade and investment, science and the environment. The shared vision was set out in the New Delhi Declaration of January 2002. There has been a series of high-level visits to and from India. Outward visits have been made by: my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister; the Foreign Secretary; and Secretaries of State for Defence; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Culture; Trade and Industry; and the then Secretary of State for International Development (Clare Short). We have received recent inward visits from Indian Ministers including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defence Minister.

The UK and Bangladesh regularly engage on all levels and there have been a number of high profile visits between our two countries, including that of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to Dhaka in January 2002, and that of the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Morshed Khan, to London in May 2003.

Our bilateral relationship with Pakistan is close. Our relationship has been strengthened by the initiatives launched by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in

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Islamabad in the judicial, commercial and defences spheres. We very much welcomed the official visit to the UK in June 2003 by President Musharraf.

The large number of British nationals of South Asian origin play a major part in Britain's economy and culture and strengthen the partnerships we share with India,Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Brazilian Prisons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom citizens have been detained in Brazilian prisons in each year since 1997. [131333]

Mr. Mullin: The total number of British prisoners detained in Brazilian prisons each year since 1997 is as follows:

Year	Number
1997	15
1998	8
1999	12
2000	11
2001	12
2002	15
2003(32)	26

⁽³²⁾ To date

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each year since 1997 the representations (a) he and (b) members of his Department have made to representatives of the Brazilian government concerning the conditions of gaols in Brazil; what assurances were sought; what assurances were given; and if he will make a statement. [131334]

Mr. Rammell: Since 1997, our dialogue with Brazil on human rights questions has taken place within the framework of the UK-Brazil Joint Declaration on human rights. The situation in Brazil's prisons forms a regular part of our bilateral dialogue. Prisons was one of the topics I discussed during my meeting with Nilmario Miranda, Brazil's Special Secretary for Human Rights, in Brasilia last May.

We have developed an active programme of co-operation with Brazil in this area. A project to improve the management of prisons in the state of Sao Paulo, thereby increasing respect for the human rights of prisoners, has received funding of £191,430 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Human Rights Project Fund. Key project partners include the Brazilian Federal Government's Department of Prisons and the Sao Paulo State Government's Secretariat of Prison Administration. On 29 August, a successful workshop was held to encourage other State Governments to replicate the ongoing project and discussions continue with federal and state authorities to this end.

A project to produce a Brazilian Portuguese language version of a handbook, 'A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management' has received funding of £12,200 from the FCO's Human Rights Project Fund. The project, operating in partnershipwith the Brazilian Federal Government's Department of Prisons, aims to

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distribute copies of this practical guide to all prison staff throughout Brazil, promoting best practice in placing human rights at the centre of prison management, thereby increasing practical respect for the human rights of prisoners throughout the country.

Central Asia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Central Asia and its (a) direct and (b) indirect causes. [131336]

Mr. Rammell: We monitor the security situation in Central Asia closely. Security in the region is affected by many factors, including the threat from local and international terrorism, crime, and the political situation in each country.

We are not aware of any current, specific terrorist threat to British nationals in Central Asia, but we cannot discount the possibility of attacks. We advise travellers to the region to contact the relevant embassy for up-to-date advice.

Although we have no immediate plans to change our current assessment of the security situation in Central Asia, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice is kept under constant review.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the (i) Russian and (ii) US governments on Central Asia; what issues were raised in these discussions; and if he will make a statement. [131337]

Mr. Rammell: We have regular discussions with representatives of both the Russian and US governments on Central Asia. This year officials have discussed a variety of issues affecting the respective countries of Central Asia and the region as a whole, including economic and political reform, counter-narcotics, regional co-operation and security matters.

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the problem of drug trafficking in Central Asia and the surrounding region with Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov on 4 March 2003.

Chemical Weapons

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with (a) the Russian Government and (b) governments of the Baltic states regarding the clean up of dumped chemical weapons in the sea after the Second World War. [129097]

Mr. MacShane: The UK disposed of captured German chemical munitions in the Skagerrak immediately after World War II. We did not dump or dispose of captured German chemical weapons in the Baltic.

This issue was first raised by Russia in a NATO context in 1997.They also raised the matter directly with the UK around the same time and subsequently raised it with the EU in 1998.

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The issue was also investigated by the Helsinki Commission, an international maritime forum, in the early 1990s. At that time there was no evidence of any increased levels of toxicity in the seas in that area.

The NATO Political Committee rejected proposals for a joint NATO-Russia environmental expedition, stating that any future expeditions should be conducted through, or as part of, the Helsinki Convention.

Although there is no suggestion that this would be an acceptable method for disposing of chemical weapons stocks today, the UK believes that any attempt to raise or salvage the munitions could create a far greater environmental hazard.

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