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Turkey

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey since 1 June; and if he will make a statement. [180548]

Mr. MacShane: We are aware of the statement from the Kurdistan Workers Party (also known as PKK/Kongra-Gel) ending their "ceasefire" with effect from
 
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1 June 2004. In recent months there appears to have been an increase in the number of clashes between security forces and militants in the south east of Turkey. We monitor the situation in the south east closely and our embassy in Ankara is in regular contact with Turkish officials, politicians and NGOs on this issue.

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 UK Government have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Government of Turkey concerning their planned reaction to the incidents in Hakkari and Hatay province on 15 June; and if he will make a statement. [180549]

Mr. MacShane: We have not discussed the specific incidents which took place in Hatay and Hakkari on 15 June with the Turkish Government. However, we monitor the situation in the south east of Turkey closely and our embassy in Ankara is in regular contact with Turkish officials, politicians and NGOs about the situation there.

Uganda

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Uganda concerning the protection of civilians from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the resettlement of LRA soldiers. [179892]

Mr. MacShane: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Mullin) gave him on 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 982W. Since then, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised our concerns about the conflict in the north, including the need for confidence-building measures and the rehabilitation of former LRA combatants, with President Museveni when he visited Uganda on 5–6 April. Our High Commission remains in constant touch with the President about this issue.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to facilitate fraternal visits from Uganda to churches in England. [180311]

Mr. Mullin: Although we recognise and appreciate the value of contacts between the respective churches in the UK and Uganda, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not directly involved in these relationships.

US Navy Visit (St. Helena)

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what permission was (a) sought and (b) granted for US Navy personnel to visit St. Helena in December 2003. [180658]

Mr. Rammell: A request for clearance for US Navy Personnel to visit St. Helena in December 2003 was made to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 October 2003. A formal diplomatic clearance request was submitted the same day and clearance was granted on 28 November 2003.
 
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Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa refusals he has overturned in the last 12 months. [179907]

Mr. MacShane: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Mullin) who holds responsibility for entry clearance has overturned 16 visa refusals in the last 12 months.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visas were granted in (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria in each month in 2003. [179909]

Mr. MacShane: The information is as follows:

	Visas issued in:
2003	Romania	Bulgaria
January	1,225	1,008
February	1,404	1,212
March	1,949	1,479
April	1,898	1,944
May	2,478	2,254
June	2,905	1,748
July	3,700	2,323
August	2,423	1,797
September	2,565	1,584
October	2,346	2,302
November	2,728	1,606
December	1,841	1,663

The table gives the numbers of visas issued in Romania, at our Embassy in Bucharest and in Bulgaria, at our embassy in Sofia, during each month of 2003.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the refusal of visitors' visas to the group from Uganda who were due to visit the Deanery of Chippenham on 16 June led by the Reverend Shem Nelson Nsubuga. [180316]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 24 June 2004]: I regret that I cannot provide this information as it is not our practice to disclose details of individual entry clearance cases in a public forum. I am therefore withholding the information requested under exemption 5 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. However, I will write to the hon. Member with regard to this matter.

West Papua

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's position in relation to the Indonesian occupation of West Papua. [180254]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Province of Papua is an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia but has devolved powers under the 2001 Special Autonomy Law. We have consistently said to the Government of Indonesia that we believe that special autonomy should be implemented as soon as possible.
 
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Zimbabwe

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the steps his Department has taken in the past year to facilitate the return of Zimbabwe to the Councils of the Commonwealth. [180134]

Mr. MacShane: We have taken no such steps. Zimbabwe withdrew voluntarily from the Commonwealth in December 2003. If Zimbabwe should wish to re-apply, it will need to demonstrate to all Commonwealth members its commitment to Commonwealth principles, including respect for the rule of law, human rights and good governance.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy with regard to Zimbabwe's membership of the (a) International Monetary Fund, (b) World Bank and (c) African Development Bank. [180138]

Mr. Mullin: The Fund and the banks have clear procedures and recommendations for dealing with countries who persistently fail to service debt effectively. The UK provides support and ensures the IMF implements its recommended policies for addressing these issues. So far, with Zimbabwe, the Fund and the banks have followed their due process and implemented penalties accordingly which we have supported. The IMF Executive Board will consider Zimbabwe's position later in the year.

DEFENCE

Al-Yamamah Project

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether irregularities have been discovered among the claims for payment to his Department by BAE Systems under the Al-Yamamah project since 1999; and if he will make a statement; [180079]

(2) what arrangements have been put in place in his Department to verify the authenticity of claims submitted by BAE Systems under the Al-Yamamah programme; and how that process is audited; [180080]

(3) how many claims for payment submitted to his Department by BAE Systems, related to the Al-Yamamah project, have been rejected in each year since 1999; and if he will make a statement. [180081]

Mr. Hoon: The Al-Yamamah contracts provide for a set of accounting processes, jointly agreed between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabian Governments, which cover the endorsement and presentation for payment of claims submitted by BAE Systems. Claims are endorsed by the UK Government for payment only where they comply with the terms and prices contained in the associated contract and are supported by documentation confirming contractual performance, e.g. Certificates of Acceptance or Milestone Achievement. Where these criteria are not met, claims are held back or withdrawn until the
 
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appropriate paperwork is available or re-submitted. While records are not kept of these occurrences, these arrangements mean that very few claims are finally rejected. There is no evidence that staff of the Saudi Armed Forces Project Office have knowingly received or endorsed claims that contain improper payments of the type alleged in recent press articles.

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