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India

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether he discussed inter-religious conflict on his recent trip to India; and whether he made representations to the Indian Government for an independent investigation to be carried out into the level of conflict; [160127]

(2) what representations he made to the Indian Government during his recent visit to India concerning the level of attacks on Christians by Hindu militants. [160190]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed many subjects with the Indian Government during his visit to India in February although the opportunity to raise this issue did not arise on this occasion. He has however raised it on many previous occasions and will continue to do so. But the
 
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Indians can be in no doubt of our commitment to human rights, including the right to freedom of religion. Most recently, on my visit to India in January this year I was able to raise human rights concerns with the Indian authorities.

Israel

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters in respect of Israel's nuclear weapons of mass destruction were discussed in his meeting with Israel's Foreign Minister Shalom on 2 March. [159940]

Mr. MacShane: A wide range of issues of mutual concern were discussed with Foreign Minister Shalom. Details of the discussions with members of the Israeli Government are withheld under exemption l(c) of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
 
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North Korea

Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what UK involvement there has been in the negotiations with North Korea. [160264]

Mr. Rammell: The UK fully supports the six-party talks process which was established to find a peaceful resolution to the issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear programmes. We have not participated directly in the talks. However, we maintain close contacts with all the participants, including DPRK. We will also continue to urge DPRK to engage constructively in the process and dismantle its nuclear programme completely, irreversibly and verifiably.

Nuclear Materials

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received in respect of the theft of highly enriched uranium and caesium-137 radioactive isotopes from a research institute in Sukhumi, in Abkhazia in 2002. [159946]

Mr. MacShane: Georgia has not reported any loss of highly enriched uranium or caesium-137 radioactive isotopes in 2002 for inclusion on the International Atomic Energy Agency's Illicit Trafficking Database.

Pakistan

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters in respect of Abdul Qadeer Khan's involvement in proliferating nuclear weapons were discussed during his recent visit to Pakistan. [159941]

Mr. MacShane: A range of issues of mutual concern were discussed during the visit. Details of the discussions with the Pakistani Government are withheld under exemption 1(c) of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the (a) Pakistani and (b) Indian Governments concerning the roadmap to peace between the two countries. [160079]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have been in regular contact with the governments of both India and Pakistan following the announcement at the start of January that the two countries will begin a dialogue. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Pakistan last week, and India at the start of February. During both visits relations between India and Pakistan were discussed with President Musharraf, Deputy Prime Minister Advani and Foreign Minister Kasuri. Both governments were congratulated on recent progress in their bilateral relations following the breakthrough agreement to commence dialogue, and were encouraged to build a sustainable pattern of talks that will, in time, lead to the resolution of all their outstanding differences, including over Kashmir.
 
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Palestinian Authority

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assurance he has received from the Palestinian Authority that it unequivocally condemns suicide bombing; [160144]

(2) what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority about the need for municipal government elections; [160147]

(3) what recent representations he has made about the need for reform of the Palestinian Authority. [160156]

Mr. Rammell: Representatives of the Palestinian Authority at every level have made clear to us repeatedly their condemning of suicide bombings. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's 8 March talks with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, focussed on his plans for further improving security as well as on the importance of continuing reform of the Palestinian Authority. Elections are part of that reform process. We have encouraged the Palestinian Authority to complete its work on the legal and administrative framework. The successful conduct of municipal elections will, however, also require a significant easing of the occupation and associated restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the numbers of (a) children and (b) dependants of Zimbabwean (i) police, (ii) military personnel, (iii) civil servants, (iv) judges and (v) Government Ministers who are being educated in (A) schools, (B) colleges and (C) universities in the United Kingdom. [160728]

Mr. Mullin: We have made no such assessment.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Amnesty International on prison conditions in Zimbabwe. [160734]

Mr. Mullin: We are in regular contact with a number of human rights organisations operating in Zimbabwe who are monitoring the situation on the ground. Our embassy in Harare and officials in London regularly receive reports from Amnesty International about the level of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) Mr. Henry Doha, (b) Lieutenant General Solomon Mujuri and (c) Mr. Joseph Mwale are on the EU list of Zimbabweans who are banned from travelling to member states of the European Union. [160735]

Mr. Mullin: Retired General Solomon Mujuru is on the EU's list as he is a ZANU (PF) Politburo Senior Committee Member. Mr. Henry Doha, a Zimbabwean police officer, is not on the list although he was removed from the UN's mission to Kosovo following protests over his presence there by UN member states, including the UK. Mr. Joseph Mwale, a member of the War Veterans' Association, is not on the list: Mr. Jabulani Sibanda, the Chair of the Association, is on the list.
 
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The EU renewed and extended its targeted measures on Zimbabwe on 19 February 2004. An additional 16 names were added to those caught by the travel ban and assets freeze. The list targets the top members of ZANU (PF) and the Zimbabwean Government.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Action Teams for Jobs

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the (a) cost and (b) success rate of Action Teams for Jobs. [158426]

Mr. Browne: Action Teams are halving a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged people in some of the most economically deprived areas of the country. Between June 2000 and the end of January 2004 Action Teams had engaged with almost 250,000 people helping nearly 100,000 of them into work. The annual budget for Action Teams for Jobs is currently £49 million.

Asbestos

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice he has made available to employers concerning the implementation of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. [159352]

Mr. Browne: The Health and Safety Executive has published three Approved Codes of Practice to support The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002: one aimed at licensed asbestos removal contractors, one dealing with asbestos work that does not require a licence and the third specifically addressing the new duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. These documents provide comprehensive advice on how to comply with the regulations.

The Executive has also produced a number of guidance leaflets including a free leaflet produced jointly with the Federation of Small Businesses, Asbestos Testing and Consulting and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Practical manuals have also been produced to help workers, employers and managers on the ground fulfil their responsibilities under the regulations.

In order to raise awareness of the duty to manage asbestos, the Health and Safety Executive has also developed workshop and seminar materials, which allow presentations to be delivered on the new regulations both by HSE staff and others.

Additional useful information on complying with the regulations can be also found on HSE's web pages on asbestos on the Internet.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the buildings occupied by his staff, including departmental agencies, which require (a) remedial work on and (b) the removal of asbestos; what that work will cost; what budgets are available for this work for (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and what budget is available for future asbestos surveys. [159361]

 
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Mr. Browne: A list of buildings requiring remedial work on, or the removal of asbestos is not yet available as the surveys being carried out in connection with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 will not be completed until later this year.

A list of buildings occupied by DWP staff and already identified as containing asbestos is available in the Library. This department, and its predecessors, has been proactive in identifying these buildings and the asbestos has been either sealed or removed as necessary.

The costs of the surveys and any remedial works have not been estimated. However, under the terms of the PRIME (Private Resource Initiative for Management of the Estate) contract, the DWP's service partner, Land Securities Trillium, are responsible for arranging and funding these.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of buildings occupied by (a) staff of the Department and (b) staff of the Department's executive agencies have been surveyed for the purpose of identifying the presence of asbestos prior to implementation of the control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. [159370]

Mr. Browne: To date approximately 13 per cent. of the buildings occupied by DWP staff have been surveyed for the purpose of identifying the presence of asbestos prior to implementation of the control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. Surveys of the remaining buildings are expected to be completed during 2004. HSE are content with the actions DWP have taken so far and the proposals for future action.

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