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Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Honduras on the murder in June this year of 29 Honduran children and young people. [184298]
Mr. Rammell:
We have not made specific representations to the Honduran Government about the deaths of 29 children and young people in June as reported by Casa Alianza, the leading NGO in Central America dealing with child protection.
20 Jul 2004 : Column 176W
We have a regular and on-going dialogue with the Government of Honduras and with NGOs on the issue of child protection. We are currently co-funding an investigation into the juvenile justice system in Honduras, run by the University of Essex's Children's Legal Centre. The study, for which our Ambassador has secured the full support of the Honduran Government, will make recommendations to improve juvenile justice and child protection in line with Honduras's commitments to international human rights norms.
I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 8 July 2004(Official Report, column 851W) which describes dialogue we have had with the Honduran Government bilaterally and with EU partners.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed that SIS had withdrawn reporting from the source who claimed that production of biological and chemical agents had been accelerated by the Iraqi regime, because the source of the reporting had subsequently been deemed unreliable. [185655]
Mr. Straw: I became aware of the withdrawal of this reporting when I agreed, in response to a request from SIS on 8 September 2003, that the reports in question should be disclosed to the Intelligence and Security Committee.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the reductions in the numbers of civil servants in his Department announced in the comprehensive spending review will be of special advisers. [185461]
Mr. Straw: None. There are only two Special Advisers in post.
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his statement in the debate on European Affairs of 16 June 2004, Official Report, columns 7867, what steps he has taken personally to pursue the substance of the Bill on Marine Wildlife Conservation put forward by the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Randall); and if he will make a statement. [184177]
Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has asked me to reply.
As my hon. friend knows, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on this issue. We note, however, that the Private Members Bill on Marine Wildlife Conservation put forward by the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Randall) has been tabled for second Reading on Friday 15 October.
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Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money the European Union has provided to regeneration projects in each member state in (a) 1990, (b) 1995, (c) 2000 and (d) 2004. [184263]
Mr. MacShane: The Commission does not produce specific figures for funds spent on regeneration projects. However, figures for the overall spends on structural and cohesion funds across EU member states in 1990, 1995 and 2000 are set out in the following table. The figures for 2004 have yet to be released. Figures for 1990 and 1995 are in ECU millions and for 2000 in € millions.
Country | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 |
---|---|---|---|
Belgium | 154.903 | 178.59 | 1,829 |
Denmark | 76.66 | 104.40 | 745 |
Germany | 511.261 | 3,039.76 | 28,156 |
Greece | 1,171.523 | 2,714.68 | 20,961 |
Spain | 2,836.067 | 6,076.89 | 43,087 |
France | 1,231.601 | 1,663.61 | 14,794 |
Ireland | 730.087 | 996.85 | 3,088 |
Italy | 1,624.853 | 2,353.29 | 28,484 |
Luxembourg | 10.139 | 11.75 | 78 |
Netherlands | 142.867 | 241.16 | 2,635 |
Portugal | 1,067.048 | 1,527.70 | 19,029 |
United Kingdom | 1,107.894 | 1,637.10 | 15,635 |
Austria | | 343.97 | 1,473 |
Finland | | 353.34 | 1,908 |
Sweden | | 309.36 | 1,836 |
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts concerning the Israeli High Court ruling on human rights breaches since the construction of the security wall, in relation to the EU-Israel Association Agreement. [184296]
Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with his EU counterparts on the Israeli High Court ruling on human rights breaches since the construction of the security wall in relation to the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Mr Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Monday 12 July 2004, Official Report, columns 112939, on the spending review, what percentage of the 1.4 per cent. spending increase allocated to his Department will be given back to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the form of departmental assets to be sold off under his £30 billion Government asset sale. [185004]
Mr. Straw:
None. We have an agreed asset-recycling programme with Her Majesty's Treasury which allows the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to reinvest estate sales receipts, primarily for the modernisation of the estate both overseas and in the UK.
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Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the Government of Sri Lanka regarding the break-in at the office of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka on 3 July 2004. [184318]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have not made representations to the Government of Sri Lanka regarding this specific incident. Our High Commission in Colombo continues to urge the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that those responsible for attacks such as this are brought to justice, and that the rights of all religious minorities in Sri Lanka are respected.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the UK's foreign direct investment has changed since the European Union enlargement. [184256]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is too early yet to draw any meaningful conclusions.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Vietnam; and what representations he has made with regard to the treatment of Christians, with particular reference to evangelicals. [184226]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have regular discussions with the Vietnamese Government on a range of issues, including religious freedom and other human rights issues. We are deeply concerned at the severe restrictions on some Protestant groups in Vietnam, especially ethnic minority Protestants in the Central Highlands region.
We regularly raise our human rights concerns. I raised during my visit to Vietnam in March again the situation in the Central Highlands with the President of Vietnam during his official visit to the UK. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised our human rights concerns in Vietnam the same day with the Vietnamese Foreign Minister.
With EU partners, we also participate in a regular human rights dialogue with Vietnam. The most recent EU-Vietnam human rights dialogue meeting took place on 22 June and was attended by our Ambassador in Hanoi. We raised freedom of religion and the situation of the Protestants in Vietnam.
We will continue to raise our concerns at every suitable opportunity.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are used by entry clearance officers overseas to assess the personal guarantee of an hon. Member that an applicant will abide by the terms of their visa and return to the country of origin. [183490]
Mr. Mullin: It is not our policy to ask hon. Members for personal guarantees as such personal guarantees are not enforceable in UK law. However, assurances given by an hon. Member reflecting close personal knowledge of a sponsor or applicant would be taken into account by the Entry Clearance Officer considering an application in conjunction with other available evidence.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what authority entry clearance officers offer to overturn a decision to refuse a visa in return for a personal guarantee from an hon. Member that the applicant will abide by the terms of the visa. [183491]
Mr. Mullin: Entry Clearance Officers have no authority to overturn a decision to refuse a visa in return for a personal guarantee from an hon. Member that the applicant will abide by the terms of the visa.
However, an Entry Clearance Officer or Entry Clearance Manager reviewing a decision to refuse a visa would take into account subsequent representations made by an hon. Member. These might, in a borderline case, help to satisfy him or her that the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules were met and he might therefore be prepared to overturn the refusal.
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