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European Constitution

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 245W, on the draft European Constitution, how his statement that Article I-10 (1) should be interpreted accordingly applies to interpretation by the United Kingdom courts in respect of any future enactment of the United Kingdom Parliament which UK courts had determined was unambiguously inconsistent with European Union law. [143765]

Mr. MacShane: The ultimate guarantee of parliamentary sovereignty lies in the power of Parliament to repeal all or any of the Acts which give effect to the EU treaties in this country. It is within Parliament's power to legislate contrary to the UK's treaty obligations. This of course includes legislation that might impact on the effective implementation of Article I-10 (1). The result of so doing, however, would be to place the UK in breach of its treaty obligations.

Gibraltar

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's position on the proposal for British/Spanish joint sovereignty for Gibraltar. [143555]

Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 12 July 2002, Official Report, columns 1165–80.

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Hajj 2004

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what extra consular, medical and other support he proposes to offer to UK citizens attending the Hajj at Mecca in 2004. [144001]

Mr. Mullin: The delegation will include eight doctors, two counsellors and two members of staff from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Identity Cards

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for his Department. [142943]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been involved from an early stage in detailed consultations with the Home Office and other Government Departments about the implications of an identity cards scheme. The FCO's initial concerns were addressed in the Home Office's paper "Identity Cards: The Next Steps" of November 2003. Issues such as the scheme's compatibility with EU legislation are being addressed in the drafting of the Bill. The FCO is represented on the interdepartmental programme board for ID cards which is taking into account the implications for foreign nationals and British nationals overseas, as well as our visa and consular services.

The Government have adopted an incremental approach to the introduction of ID cards which will ensure that successful roll-out in the first stage is a precondition for any move to compulsory cards.

Iraq

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the Government is playing in the process of awarding contracts for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq; how this process is being managed; and if he will make a statement. [142018]

Mr. Rammell: The process of awarding licences for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq is the responsibility of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The Iraqi Minister of Communications reviewed the outcome of the process and announced it.

The CPA put into place measures and safeguards in order to ensure the telecommunications licences were awarded in a transparent, fair and impartial manner, based upon full and open competition.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the extent of the involvement of Mr. Nadhmi Auchi in the process for awarding contracts for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq. [142020]

Mr. Rammell: The process for awarding licences for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq was the responsibility of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The Iraqi Minister of Communications reviewed the outcome of the process and announced it. Mr. Nadhmi Auchi was not involved in the process of awarding licences.

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Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the Pentagon Inspector General and (b) other US authorities on investigations into the awarding of contracts for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq, with particular reference to the activities of Mr. David Leech and Mr. Jim Davis. [142208]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Pentagon Inspector General or other US authorities on investigations into the awarding of the licences for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq. The British Government have no knowledge of any investigation into or formal allegation against Mr. David Leech or Mr. Jim Davies, and no reason to doubt their integrity in any way.

The CPA put into place measures and safeguards in order to ensure the telecommunications licences were awarded in a transparent, fair and impartial manner, based upon full and open competition.

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria will determine whether the results of investigations by (a) the Iraq Survey Group and (b) any other agency will be published; and if he will make a statement. [142637]

Mr. Straw: The Iraq Survey Group is a coalition body, not a UK Government body. The reports that they produce will be shared with the Governments of the coalition parties.

The criteria for the release of any information generated within the Government or received by the Government are laid down in the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Middle East

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the action taken by his Department to address human rights violations in Middle Eastern states with particular reference to (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) Syria and (c) Iran. [143549]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office Ministers have discussed human rights concerns with their opposite numbers in these countries on many occasions. We also raise concerns through the EU.

On Saudi Arabia, we continue to have concerns about the failure to implement basic human rights norms. We have raised the use of capital punishment with the Saudi authorities, doing so most recently in conjunction with EU partners on 20 April 2003.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Mike O'Brien) raised a range of civil society issues with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his visit to Damascus on 5 March 2003.

The Foreign Secretary most recently raised concerns about human rights in Iran, including restrictions on freedom of expression, with his Iranian counterpart in

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September 2003. The UK co-sponsored a Canadian-tabled resolution on human rights in Iran at the United Nations General Assembly in November this year.

Simon Chapman

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to secure the release of Mr. Simon Chapman, arrested on 21 June 2003 in Thessaloniki, Greece; whether Her Majesty's representatives in Greece viewed the video evidence purporting to demonstrate Mr. Chapman's innocence of the charges made against him; how many days Mr. Chapman was on hunger strike; what the most recent assessment is of Mr. Chapman's medical condition; if he will make representations to the Greek authorities to lift the remaining barriers that prevent Mr. Chapman from returning to the UK; and what publicly-funded (a) legal advice and (b) financial support is available to Mr. Chapman to pursue a civil action against the Greek authorities. [143378]

Mr. Mullin: Simon Chapman was released on bail on 27 November 2003. Consular staff were in regular touch with him throughout his detention; and staff in the UK were in frequent touch with his family.

Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) nor the British Embassy in Athens are in a position to comment on the video evidence put forward in Mr. Chapman's defence. It is for the courts to decide upon its relevance to his case.

Mr. Chapman started refusing food and liquids from 4 October 2003, although he did take honey and vitamin supplements. He started taking water from 25 October 2003. Since his release, Mr. Chapman has not contacted our staff but we remain in contact with his family, who have told us that Mr. Chapman is now eating certain foods and steadily regaining weight.

Mr. Chapman's lawyer has made an application to the Greek authorities to allow him to return to the UK pending his trial.

The FCO does not fund the legal costs of distressed British nationals but we have offered the use of a pro-bono lawyer from the FCO panel to assist Mr. Chapman's lawyer.

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