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Iran

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's assessment of Iran's nuclear programme. [210388]

Mr. MacShane: We continue to have serious concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. Together with the French and German Governments and representatives of the European Union, we are engaged in dialogue with the Iranian Government in order to resolve these concerns. The Government believe that, to restore confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme, it is essential for Iran to agree, as part of this process, to cease permanently all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs published on 18 January a White Paper, Iran's nuclear programme: a collection of documents" which draws together public documents on Iran's nuclear programme since September 2002.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the extent of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Iran. [210118]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer of 24 January 2005]: We have no specific information on the situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Iran. We continue to receive reports of discrimination against members of Iran's religious minorities, including the surveillance, intimidation, and arrest of members of Iran's Christian communities. We have made clear to the Iranian authorities on many occasions that this is unacceptable, and have called upon them to permit Iranians of all faiths to practice their beliefs freely and without interference, in line with Iran's international obligations.

Jamaica

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Jamaican citizens have been refused entry into the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [209920]

Mr. Mullin: From April 2002-March 2003 the visa section in Kingston received 10,185 applications and refused 2,736; a refusal rate of 26.9 per cent.

Following the introduction of the requirement for all Jamaican nationals (including visitors) to have visas to enter the United Kingdom in January 2003, applications from April 2003-March 2004 went up to 26, 603 and 11,646 were refused; a refusal rate of 43.8 per cent.
 
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Figures on refusal rates for 2004–05 are not yet available. When they are, they will be posted on the UKvisas website at www.ukvisas.gov.uk. Further entry clearance statistics are available on the UKvisas website at Entry Clearance: Facts and Figures".

Jordan

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Jordan regarding Mrs. Siham Qandah's custody of her children; and if he will make a statement. [209565]

Mr. Mullin: This case remains sub judice within the Islamic Court system in Jordan. Through our embassy in Amman, we continue to follow the legal process and, where appropriate, draw the Jordanian authorities' attention to the strong concerns which the case has raised in the UK and elsewhere, both over the welfare of Mrs. Qandah and her children, and over the underlying principles involved.

Madagascar

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how the UK diplomatic presence in and relations with Madagascar will be maintained if the British embassy is closed; [210081]

(2) if he will appoint a one man diplomatic mission at Charge" d'Affaires level instead of the proposed nomination of an honorary Consul in place of the embassy in Madagascar. [210082]

Mr. Mullin: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary explained in his written statement on 15 December 2004, Official Report, columns 137–40WS, we have decided to close our Embassy in Madagascar, while maintaining an honorary Consul in Antananarivo and non-resident accreditation from Port Louis. This reflects the need to better align our resources with our priorities, to maximise efficiency, and to ensure that the UK has a cost-effective and flexible network of overseas representation.

Palestinian Authority

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government plans to provide the new Palestinian leadership to carry out internal reforms to strengthen security apparatus in order to tackle powerful warlords and corrupt officials, and establish law and order in Palestinian society. [209035]

Mr. Rammell: We have been providing technical support and assistance to the Palestinian security services in order to help them to effectively tackle terrorism. The UK-supported Ramallah Central Operations Room in the West Bank has already had some success in foiling attacks against Israelis. The London meeting on 1 March is intended to support the new Palestinian leadership in preparing for disengagement and implementing the Roadmap. It therefore includes work to help the Palestinians strengthen their security apparatus, as well as facilitating reform in the fields of governance and the economy. We are committed to working with the
 
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Palestinians, our European partners, the US, Egypt and others in order to improve the infrastructure necessary for establishing a Palestinian state.

Proof of Death

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) which (a) Departments, (b) Ministers and (c) officials are involved in the review into the criteria necessary for proof of death abroad in exceptional circumstances following the Asian tsunami disaster; [210103]

(2) what progress has been made in reviewing the criteria necessary for proof of death abroad in exceptional circumstances following the Asian tsunami disaster; [210104]

(3) who will be consulted in the course of the review into the criteria necessary for proof of death abroad in exceptional circumstances following the Asian tsunami disaster; [210105]

(4) what timescale has been set for the review into the criteria necessary for proof of death abroad in exceptional circumstances following the Asian tsunami disaster. [210106]

Mr. Mullin: [holding answer of 24 January 2005]: Irefer the hon. Gentleman to the written statement my hon.Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Alexander) made on 24 January 2005, Official Report, columns 5–6WS.

South Africa

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of reports of xenophobia in South Africa aimed at refugees from Sudan; what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have made in regard to this issue to (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Government of South Africa; and if he will make a statement. [206312]

Mr. Mullin: I am aware of a UN High Commission for Refugees report of 15 December describing the experiences of Sudanese refugees in South Africa. We have not discussed these with the South African authorities. But the South African Government is working to address the broad issue of xenophobia in South African society. The UK Government has a regular dialogue with the South African Government on human rights issues, and is engaged in project work in South Africa in this field.

Syria

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Syria concerning support for Hezbollah and Hamas. [210399]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised these issues on 18 October 2004 with Syrian Foreign Minister Shara'a during the latter's visit to London.
 
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During this and other discussions with the Syrian Government, we urged Syria to use its influence with Hezbollah to refrain from the use of violence.

We have also regularly raised with Syria the need to address the problems created by rejectionist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Trinidad and Tobago

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to review his Department's travel advice in relation to Trinidad and Tobago. [209893]

Mr. Rammell: We keep all Travel Advice under constant review. At a minimum it is reviewed once a month and re-published every three months. The Travel Advice for Trinidad and Tobago was last reviewed on 19 January.

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