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Refuse Dumping

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions there have been between the Minister for the Environment and his counterpart in the Republic of Ireland, regarding the illegal dumping of refuse from the Republic of Ireland on the northern side of the border. [161678]

Angela Smith: A meeting with Martin Cullen TD, Minister for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been scheduled for early April 2004 to discuss a range of waste management issues including cross-border movements of waste.

Segregation

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of facilitating segregation between Loyalist and Republican prisoners has been in the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of future costs to maintain the system. [161682]

Jane Kennedy: The operation of segregated and normal regimes has not been costed separately over the last 10 years. The Prison Service expects to incur £9.5 million in additional resource expenditure during 2004–05 in order to accommodate the separation of Loyalist and Republican prisoners.

Taxis

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sanctions are available to penalise taxi drivers who intentionally (a) turn off the meters in their vehicles and (b) overcharge passengers; and if he will make a statement. [161685]

Angela Smith: The current fleet of licensed taxis in Northern Ireland is approximately 6,400. Of these 255 (or 4 per cent.) are subject to fare regulation. Drivers of taxis whose fares are regulated must charge the hirer the metered fare when operating within a five mile radius of Belfast city centre. The only exception is if the taxi has been hired under 'special terms' for a period of time.

The penalty for infringement of the relevant By-Laws is a fine of £5. Also in serious cases the Department, following a conviction, has the power to suspend or

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revoke the taxi driver's licence. It is recognised the present level of fines for non-compliance with metering and charging requirements are not deterring offences. My officials are conducting an urgent review to introduce a more appropriate level of fines.

Teenage Mothers

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of births were to teenage mothers in each of the last 10 years, broken down by health board area. [161681]

Mr. Pearson: The following table gives the percentage of births that were to teenage mothers in each of the last 10 years, by Health and Social Services Board area.

Number of births to teenage mothers expressed as a percentage of all births, by year and Health and Social Services Board

	EHSSB	NHSSB	SHSSB	WHSSB
1993	7.0	6.7	5.1	6.3
1994	7.0	6.5	5.0	6.6
1995	6.9	5.3	4.3	7.1
1996	7.4	5.9	5.2	6.7
1997	8.0	6.4	4.9	7.0
1998	8.3	6.7	6.2	7.4
1999	8.7	7.3	5.9	8.8
2000	8.9	6.5	5.9	7.6
2001	8.1	6.5	5.6	6.8
2002	8.4	6.4	5.0	7.5

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Death Penalty

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to (a) Pakistan and (b) the United States of America regarding their use of the death penalty for people under the age of 18. [161066]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: With our EU partners, we make regular representations to the Pakistani Government on human rights issues including the use of the death penalty, most recently in June 2003.

We also make regular representations to the US, along with our EU partners, urging them to abolish the death penalty. On average, the EU makes representations to the US around once a month on individual cases.

We are particularly concerned about cases where the use of the death penalty contravenes customary international law, e.g. the execution of those who were juveniles at the time of the crime, and the execution of those suffering from mental retardation. We particularly urge the US to abandon this practice. Furthermore, we also raise the issue bilaterally with the US authorities.

Family Reunification (DNA Testing)

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make statement on the (a) DNA testing requirements, (b) DNA testing procedures and (c) the (i) normal and (ii) maximum

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permitted timescales in respect of each stage of that procedure, for a child applying to be reunited under a family reunification application with a parent resident in the UK, where that child is resident in (A) Pakistan and (B) another country. [161226]

Mr. Mullin: The Government's DNA testing scheme for entry clearance applicants is available on a voluntary basis wholly paid for by UKvisas. It is used to establish family relationships in cases where other factors in an application have led the Entry Clearance Officer to doubt that the relationship between the applicant and the sponsor is as claimed.

A UK based firm is contracted to carry out the DNA tests on receipt of samples from the applicant and the sponsor in the UK. The applicant's sample is obtained by a qualified medical practitioner appointed by the visa section in the presence of a member of staff from our overseas diplomatic post. The UK sponsor's sample is obtained by an approved haematologist in the UK.

There are no set timescales for obtaining the samples from an applicant or sponsor. Timescales vary according to a number of factors, including the availability of the applicant or sponsor to provide a sample. The UK based firm is contracted to complete and return test results within 35 days of receipt of the samples. There are currently twice weekly sample collecting sessions at our High Commission in Islamabad, dealing with 80 to 90 applicants at each session. Sponsors are responsible for organising their own DNA sample collection in the UK. In 90 per cent. of cases worldwide, the test results are processed in the UK within 15 days of receipt of both samples. There is no separate breakdown for individual countries.

India

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of discrimination faced by Christians in the states of (a) Madhya Pradesh and (b) Gujarat; and what representations he has made to the Indian Government. [160125]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government are concerned about the religious violence against Christians, including the attacks that took place in Madhya Pradesh in January. We understand that the situation in Jhabua has now improved and that religious leaders and the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister have met to look at ways of improving inter-community relations. Our High Commission in New Delhi will continue to monitor the situation closely.

We condemned the religious related violence in Gujarat in 2002. The vast majority of victims were Muslim. We welcome the Government of India's assurances that they will take action to bring to justice the perpetrators of violence. However, we understand that, to date, there have been very few prosecutions. We have repeatedly voiced our concerns with the Indian authorities on this, and will continue to do so.

We raised our concerns with the Government of India about the attacks on Christians in Gujarat in 1999 at the time. Since then, violence against Christians in Gujarat has declined.

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We provided immediate relief assistance to the victims of violence and we are now funding project work in Gujarat to encourage reconciliation between the worst affected communities.

We have raised the issue of rights of minorities with the Indian Government. We will continue to urge the Indian authorities to ensure the right to freedom of religion is upheld, and that those responsible for attacks on religious minorities are brought to justice.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of inter-religious violence in Orissa India with reference to the treatment of evangelical Christians. [160126]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We remain concerned about violence against Christians that has taken place in Orissa. Our High Commission in New Delhi will continue to monitor the situation closely and the Indian authorities are well aware of our commitment to human rights, including the right to freedom of religion.

We continue to urge the Indian authorities to ensure the right to freedom of religion is upheld, and that those responsible for attacks on religious minorities are brought to justice.

Maldives

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department last met members of the (i) Government of the Maldives and (ii) Maldivian Democratic Party; and what was discussed. [160667]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The last official meeting between Ministers was in 1999 when my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister visited the Maldives. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, also accredited to the Maldives, met with the Maldives Deputy Foreign Minister in Colombo on 30 January this year. The High Commissioner will be visiting the Maldives later on this month, and will seek calls on the President, Foreign Minister, and Deputy Foreign Minister. Officials in London last met the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on 24 February 2004. Our High Commission in Colombo has regular contact with MDP representatives, and the High Commissioner was the first Head of Mission to meet them on 8 January this year. The discussion with the Maldivian Foreign Ministers covered issues relating to small island states, and our bilateral relations. Discussions with MDP representatives covered MDP concerns about human rights and limitations on their ability to conduct political activity in the Maldives.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the activities of the National Security Service of the Maldives; and what assessment he has made of these activities. [160674]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Maldivian Democratic Party has raised concerns with us regarding the activities of the National Security Service in the Maldives, particularly relating to its role during the civil disturbances in Male' on 19 and 20 September 2003. We

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continue to monitor reports of human rights abuses in the Maldives, and are considering with our European partners what further action we might take.

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