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Departmental Vehicles

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many road vehicles are operated by the Department and its agencies; how many personal injury accidents involving road vehicles operated by the Department have occurred within each of the last five years; and what the Department's policy is for managing work-related road safety. [185919]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office operates a fleet of 1,361 official vehicles; this is split between the home vehicle fleet (46 vehicles) and the overseas fleet (1,315 vehicles).

The number of personal injury claims in each of the last five years that have involved official departmental vehicles are as follows:

Road Safety forms a vital element of the training and development for our UK Fleet Managers. All UK Fleet Managers hold the Certificate of Professional Competence in National Road Haulage Operations. This professional qualification trains Fleet Management
 
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teams in the many road safety factors that their driving/maintenance teams must adhere to in the law. All vehicles are fully and properly maintained and driving hours/rest period regulations are monitored as required by the regulations. Other driving/maintenance safety training has been provided to increase the knowledge and proficiency of UK based driving/support teams. To provide details of our overseas fleets and their road safety policies in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate costs. Different Regions have a range of special conditions that will need to be complied with by local fleets.

I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Alexander) on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 490W).

EU Export Subsidies

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European partners about the impact on the developing world of EU export subsidies. [186307]

Mr. MacShane: During the last few months the issue of export subsidies and their impact on developing countries has been raised on a regular basis with our European partners by ministerial colleagues including my right hon. Friends, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Secretary of State for International Development and my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs and I attended meetings of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in the weeks leading up to the WTO Doha Framework Agreement, reached on 1 August 2004, where we strongly supported the European Commission's approach. I am pleased to say that the Framework Agreement provides explicitly for the elimination of all forms of export subsidy, which will greatly benefit developing countries.

Iraq

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date an official in his Department first informed an official in No. 10 Downing street of the withdrawal of the intelligence on Iraqi production of chemical and biological agent referred to in paragraph 405 of the Butler Report. [186807]

Mr. Straw: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the debate in the House of 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 195.

Royal Family (Overseas Visits)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty the Queen plans to visit Fiji within the next five years. [186881]

Mr. Mullin: There are currently no plans for HM the Queen to visit Fiji.
 
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Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries (a) HRH Prince Charles, (b) HRH Prince Andrew and (c) HRH Prince Edward plan to visit over the next five years. [186884]

Mr. Mullin: The forward programmes of visits for HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Earl of Wessex and HRH The Duke of York are not finalised this far in advance. In line with all royal visits, advance announcements are not usually made for security reasons.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many official visits overseas HRH Prince Charles has paid over the past five years. [186885]

Mr. Mullin: HRH The Prince of Wales has made 43 official visits and one royal visit to a realm in the last five years.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits the Royal Family has paid abroad over the past five years. [186891]

Mr. Mullin: The Royal Family has made 175 visits overseas at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty the Queen has visited New Zealand within the past five years. [186892]

Mr. Mullin: Her Majesty the Queen visited New Zealand in February 2002.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last royal visit to Singapore took place. [186894]

Mr. Mullin: HRH The Duke and HRH The Duchess of Gloucester visited Singapore in 2002 to promote bilateral relations and commercial interests. HRH The Duke of York visited in 2001 to support commercial and public diplomacy interests.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Royal Family plans to visit Australia within the next five years. [186896]

Mr. Mullin: The forward programme of visits to Australia has not been finalised. In line with all royal visits, advance announcements are not made for security reasons.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) Her Majesty the Queen and (b) the royal family last visited Australia. [186897]

Mr. Mullin: HM The Queen accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh last visited Australia in February 2002. Other members of the royal family visited Australia on the following dates:

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh—April 1998

HRH The Prince of Wales—January 1994

HRH The Earl of Wessex—November 2002
 
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HRH The Princess Royal—June and September 2000 and October 2003

HRH The Duke of Gloucester—May 1993

HRH The Duchess of Gloucester—January 2004.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a member of the Royal Family has visited the Falkland Islands over the past five years. [186898]

Mr. Mullin: HRH The Duke of York visited in 2002 to mark the 20th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands. HRH Princess Alexandra visited the Falkland Islands in 2000 in her capacity as Patron on the UK Falkland Islands Trust.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times in 2004 Her Majesty the Queen has visited countries of which she is Head of State. [186899]

Mr. Mullin: HM The Queen has not visited any countries in 2004 of which she is the Head of State.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries Her Majesty the Queen has visited in an official capacity in 2004. [186900]

Mr. Mullin: HM The Queen made a State Visit to France from 5–7 April to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Entente Cordiale of 1904. HM The Queen, with other Members of The Royal Family also attended the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day Normandy landings on 6 June.

It was announced by Buckingham Palace on 19 July that, at the invitation of President Horst Kohler, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will pay a State Visit to Germany from 2 to 4 November.

Beyond that the forward programme of State or Official visits by The Queen has not been finalised.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a member of the Royal Family plans to make a state visit to Canada within the next five years. [186903]

Mr. Mullin: Security reasons preclude announcements of visits to Canada by Members of The Royal Family this far ahead.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a member of the Royal Family has paid a state visit to Canada since 1999. [186904]

Mr. Mullin: Visits by Members of The Royal Family to Realms are classified as Royal Visits, not State or official visits. Our records show that visits to Canada by members of The Royal Family since 1999 have included the following:


 
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