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Passports

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many residents in each British Overseas Territory have applied for British passports since the new rules were introduced in May 2002; how many applicants have been successful; and if he will make a statement. [164968]

 
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Mr. Mullin: The number of residents in each British Overseas Territory who have successfully applied for passports as British citizens since May 2002 are as follows:

Anguilla—3,776

British Virgin Islands—3,426

Cayman Islands—2,460

Falkland Islands—79 (since 2004)

Gibraltar—2,595

Montserrat—1,290

St. Helena—586, and its dependency Ascension Island—435

Turks and Caicos Islands—304

Tristan da Cunha—164

Bermuda—3,709

Pitcairn—8.

We do not hold statistics for unsuccessful applications and cannot provide details, though numbers will be low since most applicants produce passports confirming their status as British Overseas Territories citizens.

Saudi Arabia

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he has given the Secretary of State for Home Affairs in relation to applications for asylum from Saudi members of the Committee for the Defence of Legitimate Rights resident in the United Kingdom. [164677]

Mr. Rammell: All asylum claims are judged on their individual merits. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office answers enquiries from the Home Office case by case.

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on peaceful democratic reform in Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement. [164678]

Mr. Rammell: We encourage peaceful reform and change in Saudi Arabia.

Special Advisers

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many special advisers to his Department attended conferences (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in the year to 29 February; and what the cost was of attending these conferences, broken down by (i) travel costs, (ii) food and drink, (iii) accommodation and (iv) miscellaneous costs. [160798]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 17 March 2004]: The two   special advisers have attended the following conferences:

Date	Conference and location	Travel costs (£)	Food and drink (£)	Accommodation (£)	Miscellaneous (£)
Michael Williams
2003
22–25 September	United Nations General Assembly (New York)	3,793. 40	170.00	937.40	0
27 November	Ditchley Park Seminar	48.00	n/a	n/a	0
2004
20–21 January	World Economic Forum (Davos)	RAF flight	3.30	Not yet available	0
Ed Owen
19–21 June	European Council/EU-Western Balkans Summit (Porto Caras, Greece)	RAF flight	80	Not yet available	0
29 August	IGC Meeting (Rome)	RAF flight	n/a	n/a	0

 
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Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent attempted coup in the Sudan; and what his assessment is of its implications for the future of the Popular Congress Party and its leader Dr Hassan al-Turabi. [165457]

Mr. Mullin: We understand that the Government of Sudan has arrested a number of military officers as well as officials of the opposition Popular Congress party, including its leader, Dr Hassan al-Turabi. The Government of Sudan has announced that the individuals were planning a coup. It appears that the   offices of the Popular Congress Party have been closed.

Terrorism

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made (a) an assessment of and (b) a response to the recommendations of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference on Anti-terrorism held in Bangladesh in October 2003. [165159]

Mr. Mullin: The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) held its annual conference in Bangladesh in October 2003. The subjects discussed included anti-terrorism legislation and the action plan   developed by the Commonwealth Ministerial Committee on Terrorism, in which the UK plays an active role. Heads of Commonwealth Governments, who met in Nigeria in December 2003, endorsed this plan and recognised the important work the Commonwealth Secretariat is carrying out in assisting member countries to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1373.

The CPA has not sought a response from my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the report of its   conference. We welcome all commitments that contribute to anti-terrorism, including those made by Commonwealth governments and organisations.

Uganda

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) internally displaced persons in Teso in North East Uganda and (b) the number of internally displaced persons camps in Teso. [165515]

Mr. Mullin: The number of internally displaced persons in the Teso region is estimated to be 380.000. We do not have a precise figure for the number of camps as the situation is very fluid.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Israel (Bombings)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the Government has received results obtained by Israeli scientists on samples removed from the sites of the bombings on 26 July 1994 at the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House; [160930]
 
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(2) what forensic reports he has received on (a) the results of tests by Israeli scientists carried out on samples removed from the sites of the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in London on 26 July 1994 and (b) police and forensic reports by scientists on the type and amount of explosive used, and the trigger mechanisms used, in the bombings. [160928]

Mr. Blunkett: Scientists from Israel and the Forensic Explosives Laboratory met to discuss findings following their investigations, but reports were not exchanged. The issue of forensics was subsequently covered extensively and in detail at the trial.

In answer to the most recent previous questions about this issue I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave my hon. Friend, Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 100W, and the answer given to you on 15 May 2003, Official Report, column 431W. I arranged for my officials to place a copy of transcripts of the original trial as are available in the Library. I apologise for the delay, but this is on order and will be available in approximately eight weeks.

Certain information was not disclosed at the trial or subsequent appeals and cannot now be divulged owing to the Public Interest Immunity certificates granted by the courts.

"Reducing Crime: Changing Lives"

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which bodies his Department consulted prior to the publication of Reducing Crime—Changing Lives. [163106]

Paul Goggins: Since the review of Correctional Services was announced in the White Paper 'Justice for all' published in July 2002 the Home Secretary has sought and continues to seek views from all stakeholders on a number of issues relating to the effective management of offenders.

Administrative Officers

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost in salary of employing an administrative officer in his Department for one year at current pay levels was in the last year for which figures are available; and what the equivalent cost of covering an AO post with temporary agency staff was in the same period. [163576]

Fiona Mactaggart: The average salary costs of employing an Administrative Officer for one year at current pay levels is £18,234, including employers National Insurance contributions and superannuation costs. The typical cost of covering an AO post with temporary agency staff equates to an annual cost of £14,208.

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