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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Asia and Europe Meeting

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Asia and Europe meeting in Hanoi. [190496]

Mr. Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister represented the UK at the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit held in Hanoi on 8 to 9 October. At the Summit we exchanged views with our EU and Asian ASEM partners on a range of issues, including the role and reform of the UN, counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation, environmental issues, the EU-Asia trade relationship and the need for cultural dialogue.

As a key objective for the Summit, the Deputy Prime Minister urged ASEM partners to discuss ways in which developing and developed countries could meet their energy needs in a sustainable way. ASEM partners agreed to pursue this. The UK, in partnership with Indonesia, also launched an initiative promoting interfaith dialogue, which received support from a number of EU and Asian ASEM partners. We and our Indonesian partners will now take this forward.
 
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The Deputy Prime Minister, together with several of our EU partners, also raised the unacceptable lack of progress towards democratisation in Burma, and called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, the lifting of restrictions on the National League for Democracy, the start of genuine dialogue and an early visit by the UK Secretary-General's Special Representative, Razali Ismail. The UK worked closely with EU and Asian ASEM partners to build general consensus on the inclusion of language on Burma in the ASEM Chair Statement, which calls for all political groups in the country to be able to participate in national reconciliation and democratisation. We believe that this sends the regime a clear signal that ASEM partners share serious concerns about the situation in Burma.

In the margins the Deputy Prime Minister held bilaterals with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Premier of the People's Republic of China and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Correspondence

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to provide a full response to the letter from the hon. Member for North Norfolk of 13 November 2003 on the award of licences for the provision of mobile telecommunications services in Iraq. [147683]

Mr. Rammell: My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean replied to the hon. Member on 15 September. In doing so, she referred to answers given in response to written parliamentary questions and explained the reasons for the lengthy delay in sending a substantive reply to the hon. Member's original letter. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Entry Clearance Fees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the entry clearance fee is for visitors from India to the UK. [190785]

Mr. Mullin: Visitors applying for visas to the UK pay the equivalent of £36 sterling in their local currency. The fee for a standard visit visa application in India is currently 3,100 rupees.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are used in setting the entry clearance fee in different (a) countries and (b) cases. [190786]

Mr. Mullin: UKvisas administrate a self-funding operation. Visa fees are set at a level that ensures the full cost of providing the entry clearance service worldwide is met from fee income so that the taxpayer is not accountable for any of the costs.

A flat fee for each category of visa application is set in pounds sterling and charged to applicants worldwide at an equivalent rate in their local currency. The fees for each category are set at a level that is proportionate to the cost of processing that type of application.
 
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Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy for the entry clearance fee to be refundable if the applicant is denied a visa. [190787]

Mr. Mullin: Processing of a visa application incurs an administrative cost regardless of the outcome of that application. It is therefore our policy to pass this cost on equally to both successful and the unsuccessful applicants. There are no plans to alter this policy.

Faroe Islands

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the last time was that he was in contact with the Government of the Faroe Islands; and what the purpose of this contact was. [191512]

Mr. MacShane: There has been no recent contact between my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Government of the Faroe Islands. However, my right hon. Friend the Fisheries Minister (Mr. Bradshaw) visited the Faroe Islands on 23–25 September to discuss fisheries issues. Our ambassador, Sir Nicholas Browne, visited on 7–11 May to meet the new Prime Minister Eidesgaard and other members of his Government. The visit was part of our embassy's ongoing contacts with the Faroese Government, which include appointing an Honorary Consul in Torshavn.

Gaza

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to try to reduce tensions in northern Gaza; and how many people he estimates have been killed or wounded since the Israeli authorities intervened in the refugee camps there. [191121]

Mr. Rammell: We remain extremely concerned by the situation in Gaza. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 4 October and expressed our concern to Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom the same day. My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean also raised this with the Israeli ambassador on 6 October. On 13 October the Foreign Secretary issued a second statement reiterating his concerns, and the issue was again raised at official level with the Israeli ambassador. Copies of the Foreign Secretary's press releases are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases. British embassy officials in Tel Aviv also lobby the Israeli Defence Force, and we continue to urge Israel to act proportionately with restraint and in accordance with international law.

Since Operation Days of Penitence began on 29 September, we estimate that 119 Palestinians have been killed and 395 injured. five Israelis have also been killed.

The Palestinian casualty figures are as of 13 October, from the British Information and Service Office in Gaza. It should be noted that the total figures include both civilian and militant casualties. These are very difficult to separate for reasons given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the FCO (Mr. MacShane) in the
 
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written statement on the Middle East Peace Process (Civilian Deaths) issued on 7 September 2004, Official Report, columns 112–13WS.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from Gaza. [190652]

Mr. Rammell: We welcome the Israeli plan to withdraw from all Gaza settlements and some in the West Bank. Disengagement should be a real opportunity for progress back to the Roadmap. We have called on Israel to ensure withdrawal is full, carried out without undue delay and co-ordinated with the Palestinians and the international community. Likewise we have called on the Palestinian Authority to prepare to take on fully their responsibilities, including on security.

Hurricane Ivan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information sources and communication vehicles have been put in place to help UK residents contact family and friends who have been affected by Hurricane Ivan. [189909]

Mr. Mullin: Consular Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) expanded its 24-hour call-handling capacity during Hurricane Ivan's passage through the Caribbean and into the southern United States, providing fresh information as it became available. This included informing families and friends of relevant websites. Relevant travel advice on the FCO website: www.fco.gov.uk was updated regularly.

In Grenada, our High Commission staff helped many families get in touch with each other, passed on messages, and allowed UK nationals who visited the British High Commission to use the one working phone line in Grenada and to use mobile phones to contact relatives in the UK. In Jamaica the Cable & Wireless landlines held up well during the Hurricane and most of those who needed to were able to phone abroad. However, High Commission staff did assist a number of families to get in touch with each other and passed on a number of messages from family members.

HMS Richmond (The Atlantic Patrol Taskforce (North)) provided emergency communications on the Islands. In the Cayman Islands, the Task force was instrumental in establishing early communication between the Governor and London.

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