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Diplomatic Posts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many diplomatic posts overseas his Department has closed in the last three years; and how many posts it plans to close in the next three years. [131103]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not close any Posts in the financial years 2000–01, 2001–02 or 2002–03.

This financial year (2003–04) we have already closed Bamako. We have announced plans to close San Salvador, Managua and Tegucigalpa by the end of this financial year. There are currently no proposals to make any further closures of Diplomatic Posts in the next three years, although the situation is kept under continuous review.

Draft European Constitution (Territorial Cohesion)

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's position with regard to the forthcoming Inter-Governmental Conference on the articles in the draft European Constitution dealing with terroritorial cohesion. [130887]

Mr. MacShane: The Government are considering the implications of the references to territorial cohesion, and will respond appropriately in the Intergovernmental Conference.

Entry Clearance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list entry clearance posts that have ceased to use the pre-assessment of entry clearance applications, together with the date on which each post ceased to use the procedure. [131102]

Mr. Mullin: Guidance was issued to all visa sections on 2 May 2002, instructing them to minimise the use of pre-assessment procedures.

Posts authorised to use pre-assessment were advised that it should only be used where applicants clearly lack adequate documentation, to manage queues on days where the visa operation would otherwise be unable to cope with demand, or deal with specific local circumstances affecting limited groups.

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Since many posts thus have authority to use pre-assessment in exceptional circumstances, there is no definitive record of those posts which have ceased to use the procedure.

European Union

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the evidential basis is of the statement on page 8 of the White Paper, "A Constitutional Treaty for the EU", that the EU's share of total UK trade has grown from 40 to 55 per cent. [131272]

Mr. MacShane: HM Customs and Excise data indicates that in 1973 UK trade with the EU 15 was 43 per cent. of total UK trade. This has risen to 55.2 per cent. in 2002.

Detail	1973	2002
UK trade with the EU 15 (£ million)	12,177	227,925
UK trade with the world (£ million)	28,310	413,281
EU15: per cent. share	43.0	55.2

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department is doing to encourage more countries to join the European Union. [131275]

Mr. MacShane: The British Government continue to champion the accession of the three remaining candidates for EU membership. We are providing political and practical support to help Romania and Bulgaria complete their negotiations, prepare for membership and accede in 2007. We are also encouraging Turkey to implement fully the reforms that are a prerequisite for the opening of EU accession negotiations.

Beyond this, we will continue to support eligible potential future candidates in carrying out political and economic reforms that will help their EU candidacies.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his assessment of the benefits of expansion of the European Union. [131349]

Mr. MacShane: We have long supported the enlargement process, which will promote peace, prosperity and security across the EU and beyond. Both the benefits and potential costs to the UK of the next wave of enlargement are outlined in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on the European Union (Accessions) Bill. The RIA has been placed in the Library of the House and is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk

Heads of State (Assassination)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Her Majesty's Government's policy is on the assassination of heads of state recognised by the United Nations; and what recent representations have been made to other countries on this matter. [131112]

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Mr. MacShane: Our policy is to act in accordance with UK and International law. In the case of the Israeli decision in principle to expel President Arafat, the UK has made its view clear during debates in the UN Security Council and General Assembly. The expulsion or harm of President Arafat would be wrong and counterproductive. Israel should not allow its justified anger at the continuing violence to lead to actions that would undermine both the peace process and Israel's own interests. My noble Friend the Baroness Symons made strong representations to the Israeli Ambassador on this issue on 15 September.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when, in relation to Krishna Maharaj, the Government expects to have advised the United States court of the submitting of its brief. [128804]

Mr. Mullin: We are appointing US lawyers who will advise the Government and take matters forward with the US Courts in an appropriate manner.

Legal Advice

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of publishing the legal advice prepared by the Attorney General for use by the United Kingdom ambassador to the United Nations. [130361]

Mr. Rammell: It is the long-standing practice of successive Governments that neither the substance of Law Officers' advice, nor the fact that they have been consulted, is publicly disclosed. This information is withheld under exemptions 2 and 4(d) of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Military and Police Training

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers the Government have to prevent UK citizens providing (a) military and (b) police training to embargoed countries and forces. [131130]

Mr. Rammell: Where the United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution deciding that states shall prohibit the supply of military and police training to specified countries or forces, the UK will generally implement this by making statutory instruments under the United Nations Act 1946 applicable to the UK, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Where the European Union has acted swiftly to implement a UN Security Council Resolution by an EC Regulation, the EC Regulation will be directly applicable in the UK and Gibraltar, and the UK and Gibraltar will legislate only to provide penalties for the breach of the Regulation in those territories.

Where the European Union has adopted measures prohibiting the supply of military and police training (for example, in the case of Zimbabwe), those measures will include an EC Regulation which is directly applicable in the UK and Gibraltar. The UK and Gibraltar will legislate only to provide penalties for the

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breach of the Regulation. Bermuda and the Crown Dependencies will adopt their own legislation to implement the EU measures. The UK will legislate in respect of the Overseas Territories other than Gibraltar arid Bermuda using powers in the Saint Helena Act 1833, the British Settlements Acts 1887 and 1947, and prerogative powers.

The precise powers taken in legislation will depend upon the scope of the sanctions regime against that particular state. However, legislation will generally create a criminal offence of providing assistance and training to prohibited territories or individuals without a licence from an appropriate authority, and this will apply to all individuals within the territory to which the legislation applies, and also to all categories of British citizen wherever they may be. Legislation will also generally provide ancillary powers to enforce the prohibition, for example, powers for the obtaining of evidence and information, and provisions for criminal proceedings and penalties. Penalties on summary conviction will generally be imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding £5,000 or both, and on conviction on indictment, imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or an unlimited fine or both.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the countries hoping to join the European Union in the near future he has visited in his capacity as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. [131273]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has visited seven of the acceding member states and candidate countries: Poland (October 2001), Hungary, Romania and Slovakia (July 2002), the Czech Republic (November 2002), Slovenia (December 2002) and Turkey (October 2001 and December 2002).

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