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20 Oct 2003 : Column 382W—continued
Slovakia
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on visas for Slovakian citizens before their accession to the EU. [131481]
Mr. Mullin: All visa regimes, including that in respect of Slovak nationals, are kept under review and are lifted when it is judged that the circumstances which gave rise to the imposition of the requirement have been addressed. The visa regime on Slovak nationals will be lifted as soon as possible and at the latest by May 2004, when the Slovak Republic becomes a full member state of the European Union.
Intergovernmental Conference
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, at the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference, the Government will seek to amend Article III-206, with particular reference to the provision that states that: When the Union has defined a position on a subject which is on the United Nations Security Council agenda, those member states which sit on the Security Council shall request that the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs be asked to present the Union's position; and if he will make a statement. [131512]
Mr. MacShane: The Government will not seek to change the aforementioned provision in Article III-206 at the Intergovernmental Conference. This Article allows for a continuation of the current practice, in line with the Security Council's Rules of Procedure, whereby the Presidency can speak at open meetings of the Council. Under the new Treaty, the European Foreign Minister instead of the Presidency will represent the Union where non-members of the Council are permitted to speak and when the Union has defined a common position on the subject of the meeting.
The UK retains the right to speak in a national capacity as a permanent member of the Security Council. This is safeguarded in Art III-206.2, which states that
- "Member States which are members of the Security Council will, in the execution of their functions, defend the positions and the interests of the Union, without prejudice to their responsibilities under the provisions of the United Nations Charter".
Military Nuclear Testing
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had since April with representatives of (i) the US Administration, (ii) the governments of the EU member states, (iii) the governments of prospective EU
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candidates, (iv) the Russian Government and (v) the Government of China about military nuclear testing; and if he will make a statement. [131530]
Mr. MacShane: My noble Friend, the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean and officials spoke to representatives of governments from all the regional groupings at the Conference on the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in September 2003, which was attended by 102 State Parties. In her speech to the Conference, Baroness Symons reiterated the UK's continued strong support for the CTBT. The full text of the speech is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk-speeches
Prior to the Conference, we also participated in an extensive EU lobbying effort, including with both the United States and China, to urge their ratification of the Treaty.
The UK has not carried out a nuclear explosion since November 1991. We signed the CTBT in 1996 and ratified it in 1998. We continue to urge all states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Treaty as soon as possible.
Euro
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for UK entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for UK entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency. [131593]
Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 October by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many speeches he has made since 1 June 2003 supporting entry into the eurozone. [131752]
Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made clear the Government's position on EMU—and indeed the EU more broadly—repeatedly over the last four months. May I draw my hon. Friend's attention in particular to the speech he gave to the Foreign Policy Centre on 27 August 2003.
Pakistan
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Pakistan. [131749]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK has a close relationship with Pakistan. This relationship is strengthened by our historical links to Pakistan and by the very large number of Pakistani-origin British citizens. We have regular engagement with the Pakistani Government at all levels on a range of issues. Our relationship was further strengthened by the successful visit to the UK by President Musharraf in June 2003. The Pakistani Foreign Minister will be making an official visit to the UK as a Guest of Government in November 2003.
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Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will meet the new Pakistani High Commissioner. [131751]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary briefly met the new Pakistani High Commissioner at the Labour Party Conference and I had a substantive meeting with her on 22 September 2003.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 311W, on Pakistan, whether consular access to Mr. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh has been granted; and if he will make a statement. [131773]
Mr. Mullin: We continue to seek consular access to Mr Sheikh. As explained to my hon. Friend on 2 July, if Mr Sheikh is a dual national, the Pakistani authorities are not obliged to give us consular access or information. We will, however, continue to press for access to ensure Mr Sheikh's welfare. The British Deputy High Commission in Karachi last wrote to the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30 July, reminding them of the provisions of the Vienna Convention. We have not yet received a response.
The British Deputy High Commission also wrote to Mr Sheikh's legal representative on 1 September, asking him to deliver a letter offering consular assistance to Mr. Sheikh. Mr. Sheikh's legal representative explained that an earlier letter from the Deputy High Commission had been passed to Mr Sheikh. He therefore declined to pass this more recent letter to Mr Sheikh.
Visas
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters from hon. Members were received by UKvisas in August 2003. [131882]
Mr. Mullin: In August 2003, UKvisas received 1,466 letters from Members of Parliament.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to fill the post of Director of Visas, India. [131883]
Mr. Mullin: The post of Director of Visas in India is currently filled by Chris Dix. A decision as to who will replace him has not yet been made.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the backlog of correspondence for UKvisas was on 1 September. [131885]
Mr. Mullin: Ukvisas's computer system only enables the user to view current information and does not allow access to historical information. On 1 October the backlog of correspondence stood at 370. This refers to individual letters or e-mails that had not been answered within our deadlines (20 working days to reply to members of the public and 15 working days to reply to Members of Parliament). From January to week ending 22 August, the correspondence section received 15,892 letters, an increase of 37.5 per cent. over the same period in 2002. Ukvisas has also seen a 50 per cent. increase in the number of e-mail enquiries it is receiving (currently around 5 per cent. a month). We are constantly seeking
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to improve our working practices to deal with this rise in demand and are also expanding our correspondence unit.
Turkey
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government about the future entry of Turkey into the EU; and what issues were discussed. [132099]
Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul at UNGA on 25 September. He reaffirmed the UK's support for Turkey's EU candidacy and welcomed the significant progress that Turkey has made, particularly the 6th and 7th EU-related reform packages this summer. He and his Turkish colleague agreed that consistent and effective implementation of these is now crucial.
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