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North Korea

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to help the development of good relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and (a) the Republic of Korea, (b) Japan and (c) China. [136695]

Mr. Rammell: The Government actively support the six party process, begun in Beijing in August, to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. The Republic of Korea, Japan, China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are all participants in that process.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the opening of an official embassy by the Republic in the United Kingdom. [136696]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the opening of their embassy in London, During my own meeting with the new DPRK ambassador, I expressed concern about the nuclear issue and human rights. I made clear that

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further development of our bilateral relationship would depend on North Korean actions to address these concerns, which are shared by the European Union and the wider international community.

Nuclear Proliferation

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons-related technology. [136771]

Mr. MacShane: Preventing the spread of technology with WMD application is a high priority for the Government. All licences for the export from the UK of nuclear technology with possible weapons-related application are rigorously scrutinised. I refer the hon. Member to the Statement made by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) on 15 March 2002, Official Report, column 1298W.

The UK is a leading and active member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an international export control regime which seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons by controlling the export of nuclear related and dual use items and related technology. These are identified in the NSG technical annex and are incorporated into national and EU legislation.

Within the NSG the UK chairs the Licensing and Enforcement Experts Meeting where customs and other enforcement officials exchange information and intelligence relating to procurement methods, and discuss case studies on interdiction. The UK also provides technical experts who revise the lists of controlled goods to ensure that the NSG keeps pace with developments in technology, weapons systems and procurement methods.

Within the NSG and other export control regimes the UK supports outreach activities, in the form of bilateral talks and awareness raising seminars, which play a key role in our efforts to promote and support the implementation of responsible export controls around the world. In addition, joint teams of officials from FCO, DTI, MOD and HM Customs and Excise conduct dedicated export control bilateral meetings to address the practical issues surrounding the implementation of export licensing and enforcement systems.

Pakistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Government have had with members and representatives of the governments of (i) Pakistan, (ii) India and (iii) China on the proposed construction of a nuclear power plant at Chashma, central Punjab province, Pakistan; what concerns have been raised during those discussions; what assurances were (A) sought and (B) given; and if he will make a statement. [136931]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We are aware of the existing nuclear power plant at Chashma in central Punjab, and of the plans for a second reactor to be built at the same site with the co-operation of China. We understand that

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these plans only involve co-operation over energy production and we have not raised any concerns with the representatives of the governments of Pakistan, India or China

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he is making to Pakistan concerning the fight against terrorism, with particular reference to the case of Dawood Ibrahim; and if he will make a statement. [136829]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We regularly discuss the fight against terrorism with the Pakistani Government, most recently when I, and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, met the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Khurshid Kasuri, on 4 November.

On 3 November the al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council added Dawood Ibrahim's name to its list of individuals linked to al-Qaeda. Like all UN members the UK is accordingly under an obligation to freeze his assets, and has now done so.

Russia

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government is giving to the Russian Federation to work towards a constructive and peaceful solution to instability in Chechnya and the Caucasus region; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proper democratic processes are taking place in the area. [136697]

Mr. Rammell: The UK Government undertake regular dialogue with Russian counterparts at both official and ministerial level about the on-going conflict in Chechnya and its resolution. The UK Government also substantially fund humanitarian aid by international organisations and NGOs in the region, totalling around £74 million.

We have monitored the political process in Chechnya closely since its inception. We were disappointed by the conditions under which the recent Chechen Presidential elections were held, as I made clear in my 6 October press statement. A copy of the press release is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases. The UK supported similar statements by the EU. We have called on the new Chechen President to promote a genuinely open political process.

Uzbekistan

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates since 1 January 2001 the British Government have held meetings with the Government of Uzbekistan; and what was discussed at each meeting. [137018]

Mr. Straw: We have regular contacts with the Government of Uzbekistan across a range of issues, including human rights, regional security, bilateral

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co-operation, political and economic reform. It would incur disproportionate cost to compile detailed information about meetings of the kind requested by the right hon. Member.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the issue of the closure of United Nations relief and recovery units in Zimbabwe with the UN; and if he will make a statement. [138406]

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.

The UN Relief and Recovery Unit (RRU) itself has not been closed. This unit, which was set up jointly by donors and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in January 2002, continues to co-ordinate information sharing and to review policy issues, covering all humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe. The RRU publishes regular situation reports on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

However, the Government of Zimbabwe has not yet approved UNDP to operate three regional offices (Relief Information Validation units) that RRU had been using to facilitate fieldwork until the Government closed them in the summer. All RRU operations are presently implemented from the Headquarters in Harare, which is feasible but more difficult to manage. At meetings with DFID and other donors, the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Zimbabwe has agreed to continue to press the Zimbabwe Government to allow the regional offices to operate.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Adult Learning

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to facilitate adult learning in Northern Ireland. [137803]

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Employment and Learning offers a range of services and activities to facilitate adult learning in Northern Ireland, including:

funding for widespread provision in the statutory FE sector;


financial support for the Workers' Educational Association and the Ulster Peoples' College, to enable them to deliver adult education and training programmes;


funding for learners undertaking a range of courses via learndirect;


essential skills provision, which has been fully integrated into all the Department's programmes, to improve literacy and numeracy skills;


a range of New Deal initiatives providing opportunities to learn new skills;


the delivery of an all age guidance service providing career guidance to people in education and training and to the unemployed;


a Training for Work (TfW) vocational programme, aimed at adults who have not reached the entry point for any of the New Deal options; and


Worktrack, a temporary employment programme, focusing on the needs of unemployed adults.

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