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Chagos Islands

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances civilians are allowed to visit the Chagos Islands; and if he will make a statement. [180349]

Mr. Rammell: Under the 1976 United Kingdom/United States Exchange of Notes concerning the US Defence Facility on Diego Garcia, access to Diego Garcia is in general restricted to members of the Forces of the United Kingdom and of the United States, the Commissioner and public officers in the service of the British Indian Ocean Territory, representatives of the Government of the United Kingdom and of the United States and, subject to normal immigration requirements, contractor personnel. The United Kingdom Government reserves the right, after consultation with the appropriate United States administrative authorities, to grant access to members of scientific parties wishing to carry out research on Diego Garcia and its environs, provided that such research does not unreasonably interfere with the activities of the facility. Access is not to be granted to any other person without prior consultation between the appropriate administrative authorities of the two Governments.

Under the immigration law of the British Indian Ocean Territory, all persons other than members of the United Kingdom or United States armed forces and Government officials require a permit to visit any part of the Territory, including both Diego Garcia and the outer islands. Such permits are not generally granted except in connection with official business or on compassionate grounds. However, private yachts are allowed to call in at the outer islands without a permit provided that the crews do not stay ashore overnight.

Civil Service Relocation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants and what percentage of the total Civil Service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the West Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire. [180177]

Mr. Rammell: Detailed Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) relocation plans were set out in the Lyons report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. 456 staff will relocate to the FCO Milton Keynes site over the next five years, which represents 12 per cent. of FCO central London staffing levels.

Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply
 
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to the letter to him dated 6 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mohammed Shafi. [178944]

Mr. Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied on 15 June.

Death Certificates

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what charges his Department makes for issuing death certificates for individuals who die abroad; what plans he has to review these charges; and if he will make a statement. [179570]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: There is no requirement under UK law for the death of a British national overseas to be recorded at one of our Posts. In many cases, the local authorities for the jurisdiction in which the death took place issue death certificates.

However, if we are asked to do so the Statutory fee for registering a death at one of our Posts is £55 for the registration only. A copy of the entry costs an additional £35 per copy, if obtained through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and £8 per copy if obtained through the General Registry Office in Southport, Merseyside, after March of the succeeding year.

It is established Government policy that the cost of consular services, which are laid before Parliament, should be set to cover the full costs involved in delivering the services and not subsidised by the taxpayer.

There are no plans to review the costs at present.

Honours List

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those individuals who are not UK citizens who since 1 May 1997 have been awarded honours, giving in each case (a) the date of the announcement, (b) the honour in question and (c) the rationale behind the honour. [180397]

Mr. Straw: During this period, approximately 700 honorary awards have been bestowed on foreign nationals who reside in the United Kingdom and overseas. Since honorary awards are not published in the New Year and Birthday lists, but are processed throughout the year, details are not readily available. Honorary awards are not necessarily announced since not all recipients desire publicity. Honours are awarded for services to British interests.

To provide the detailed information requested would incur disproportionate costs.

Indian Foreign Minister

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Indian Foreign Minister. [179905]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the Indian Foreign Minister Mr. Natwar Singh on 16 June. This was the first Cabinet-level meeting between our two governments since the Indian General Election in April/May. The Foreign Secretary and Mr. Singh recognised the strength of our bilateral relations and emphasised their desire to enhance our
 
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engagement yet further. They also discussed a range of regional and global issues including: India/Pakistan relations, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nepal and South Asian regional co-operation.

OSCE Conference

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conclusions were reached at the OSCE conference on racism and anti-semitism on 16–17 June in Paris; what practical steps he expects to be taken following the conference, with particular reference to the internet; and if he will make a statement. [180351]

Mr. Rammell: The OSCE Meeting on the Relationship between Racist, Xenophobic and anti-Semitic Propaganda on the Internet and Hate Crimes looked at a variety of methods to address this issue including monitoring, self-regulation, legislation, and raising awareness in the community and among young people. The views of participating states varied widely, particularly over the balance to be struck between freedom of expression and combating hate speech. We expect the final report of the conference to issue within a month. The report will be discussed at the OSCE's Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in October, along with the reports of the Anti-Semitism Conference held in Berlin in April and the Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination Conference held in Brussels in September. OSCE participating states are then likely to reach a decision on political commitments on tolerance at the Ministerial meeting due to be held in Sofia in December.

Rwanda/Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the Government have had with (i) members and representatives of the Government of Rwanda and (ii) representatives of non-governmental organisations regarding the closing of the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [179640]

Mr. Mullin: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) have both spoken to President Kagame of Rwanda to express our concern over present tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and to press for a peaceful solution to the crisis. I will be visiting both Rwanda and the DRC during the week commencing 21 June to reiterate these concerns. I hope to meet President Kabila and Kagame during this visit.

Our Ambassadors in Kigali and Kinshasa remain in regular contact with their host Governments, and with NGO representatives, on the situation on and around the Rwanda/DRC border.

Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he
 
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will be making to the Sudanese authorities concerning the seizure on 20 May of the guesthouse in Khartoum belonging to the Episcopal Church in Sudan. [179344]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our Embassy in Khartoum is in contact with the Christian Community about this case and have raised the matter with the Government of Sudan. The Episcopal Church in Sudan (ECS) requested a review of the court eviction order by the original judge and this has been accepted. The judge has also issued an injunction, as requested by the ECS, that nothing should be done to the guesthouse property while the court case is under way.

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