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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what discussions he has had with the (a) Democratic Republic of the Congo Government and (b) Government of Rwanda on the situation in Bukavu. [177977]

Mr. Mullin: The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is of great concern. Events in the east and violent demonstrations in Kinshasa and other major cities have placed the transition process under serious strain. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has spoken to President Kabila of the DRC and President Kagame of Rwanda. We have been in
 
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constant contact with the key players to press for restraint and to urge them to work constructively to achieve a peaceful solution.

I had a meeting with Kabila's envoy on Monday 7 June.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on attacks upon UN personnel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement. [177978]

Mr. Mullin: There have been a number of attacks on the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in recent weeks. An unarmed Military Observer was killed in South Kivu on 31 May and two South African peacekeepers were killed and several others were injured in an unrelated incident in North Kivu on 2 June. On 2 and 3 June MONUC was targeted by violent demonstrations in Kinshasa and other towns across the DRC. The UK supports the efforts of the UN to achieve the military and political stabilisation of the DRC.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of abuse of women, including rape and other sexual offences, by UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [177979]

Mr. Mullin: We are deeply concerned about press reports alleging serious sexual abuse by peacekeepers of the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC), including against children. MONUC have launched an urgent internal investigation into the allegations. If these are confirmed, we will press MONUC to take all necessary steps to prevent such abuses from re-occurring.

India

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the new Indian Government on the legacy of the Amritsar attacks on the Sikh shrine. [177980]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: None.

Kosovo

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent shooting of a Serb teenager in Gracanica, Kosovo; and what discussions he has had with the authorities in Kosovo on this incident. [177981]

Mr. MacShane: In the early hours of 5 June, a Serb teenager was killed in a drive-by shooting in the Serb enclave of Gracanica in the municipality of Pristina. Two suspects were subsequently arrested by Kosovo Police Service officers. The Prime Minister and President of Kosovo have both condemned the attack. The Contact Group also condemned this incident in their meeting in Pristina on 8 June, and had discussions with both UN Interim Administration Mission in
 
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Kosovo and Kosovo Serbs. The British Office in Pristina has been in touch with the police in Kosovo to urge that every effort be made to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Sudan

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the United Nations on preventing crimes against humanity in Sudan. [176816]

Mr. Mullin: We are deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Darfur. We are in close contact with the UN and other members of the international community on this matter. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development spoke to the UN Secretary-General about Darfur on 9 June. We are calling on all sides to put a stop to the human rights abuses and breaches of international humanitarian law.

We see the deployment of the African Union (AU) ceasefire monitoring team as key to improving the security situation and addressing civilian protection. The UK will contribute one of the six observers requested from the EU, and have already provided £2 million to help the AU team to set up. In addition, the UN is planning to deploy human rights monitors throughout Darfur with UK financial support.

Zimbabwe

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Zimbabwean residents have left Zimbabwe and sought residency in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months. [175156]

Mr. Browne: I have been asked to reply.

The requested information is not available.

Data are available on the number of entry clearance applications granted in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean nationals seeking asylum. The latest available data are provided in the tables. In addition 3,530 Zimbabwean nationals were granted settlement in 2002.

Detailed statistics on immigration control are published in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2002" (cm 6053) obtained from the House Library, the Stationary Office and via the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html

Information on asylum applications is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html
 
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Initial decisions made on asylum applications1, 2 receivedin the United Kingdom excluding dependants, 2003,nationals of Zimbabwe

	Initial decisions
Total decisions	4,175
Grants of asylum	870
Grants of ELR(10)	10
Grants of HP(11)	5
Grants of DL(11)	20
Total refusals	3,275

⁽⁸⁾ Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2
⁽⁹⁾ Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
⁽¹⁰⁾ Granted between 1 January 2003 and 31 March 2003 only.
⁽¹¹⁾ Granted from 1 April 2003.



Decisions on entry clearance applications, nationalsof Zimbabwe, 2002⁽¹²⁾

Entry clearance applications for:	Granted 2	Refused initially 3
Temporary purposes(15)	8,665	4,160
Settlement 5	1,475	80

⁽¹²⁾ Actual data not available, estimates based on financial year data.
⁽¹³⁾ Granted initially or on appeal.
⁽¹⁴⁾ Some may have been granted subsequently on appeal.
⁽¹⁵⁾ Nationals of certain countries currently need a visa to enter the UK regardless of the purpose of their journey.
⁽¹⁶⁾ Includes applications for a certificate to the right of abode.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Transitional Government (Iraq)

20. Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on the representation of women in positions of power in the transitional Government of Iraq. [177774]

Ms Hewitt: I am delighted to hear that six women have now been appointed as Ministers in Iraq. I am especially pleased to hear that the Iraqi interim Government has created the post of Minister of State for Women.

Women's Entrepreneurship

22. Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on the progress of the strategic framework for women's entrepreneurship launched in May 2003. [177777]

Ms Hewitt: As a result of Strategic Framework, all nine English regions and all 45 Business Link Operators have set targets to increase the number of women starting their own businesses.

Already, in the last year, the Labour Force Survey shows that the number of self-employed women in the UK has risen by 4.4 per cent. bringing the total number of businesses started and run by women to almost one million.

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