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26 Jan 2005 : Column 428W—continued
Non-proliferation Treaty
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the UK representatives will be at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York in May; and what proposals will be tabled by the UK Government. [210704]
Mr. MacShane:
I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave him on 1 November 2004, Official Report, column 77W and 13 December 2004, Official Report, column 899W. The UK will send a full delegation to the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. The delegation will be led by Ambassador John Freeman, the UK Permanent Representative to
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the Conference on Disarmament at Geneva. He will be accompanied by other experts and advisers to be decided.
We will stress the need for a stronger and more effective counter-proliferation regime and the central role of the NPT as its cornerstone. We will emphasise the importance of compliance with the treaty and will promote the adoption of safeguards. We will emphasise the strength of the UK's positive record on nuclear disarmament and we will present a final report of the studies we have conducted on the verification of nuclear disarmament.
Palestine
Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet representatives of the Palestinian authorities following the recent election. [210062]
Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will meet recently-elected Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and representatives of the Palestinian Authority at the London Meeting on strengthening the Palestinian Authority. This will take place on 1 March. We will also hold bilateral contacts and meetings with the Palestinian leadership as necessary in the run-up to the London Meeting.
Serbia and Montenegro
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Serbia and Montenegro requesting that they hand over war criminals to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. [210232]
Mr. MacShane: The UK Government continue to take every opportunity—both bilaterally and in multilateral fora—to make clear to the Government of Serbia and Montenegro (SaM), as well as to the competent authorities in Belgrade and in Podgorica, their international obligations, under Chapter VII UN Security Council Resolutions, to co-operate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Most recently, during the visit of SaM President Svetozar Marovic and other State Union Ministers to the UK, I—together with my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Defence and other Ministers—emphasised that the arrest or surrender and transfer to The Hague of fugitive indictees, in particular Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, is the key requirement for the country's closer integration with Euro-Atlantic structures.
Sir Mark Thatcher (South Africa)
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK Government officials were involved in the proceedings relating to Sir Mark Thatcher in South Africa. [210073]
Mr. Mullin:
No. Officials from our Consulate General in Cape Town provided Sir Mark Thatcher with appropriate consular assistance.
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VE Day Celebrations
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has for the celebration of the 60thanniversary of Victory in Europe day. [210578]
Mr. MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will participate in the major commemorations held on Sunday 10 July 2005 which will incorporate the anniversaries of the cessation of hostilities in Europe and the Far East and are being organised by the Ministry of Defence.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Antisocial Behaviour Response Courts
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the establishment of the antisocial response courts. [210725]
Mr. Leslie: Antisocial behaviour response courts are magistrates courts, which have a particular focus in dealing with antisocial behaviour cases as effectively as possible, in co-operation with local agencies.
Within this framework, it is a matter for local management to decide how the courts should operate in their areas.
Antisocial behaviour response courts were originally established in summer 2004 in 12 areas, including Merseyside. The location of these courts was chosen to link up with the appointment of specialist Crown Prosecutors in these areas. Since then antisocial behaviour response courts have been identified across England and Wales. On 21 January 2004 Lord Falconer announced the identification of the 100th antisocial behaviour response court. Lessons learned from the original 12 courts have also been circulated to courts across England and Wales, to ensure that all courts are aware of best practice in their handling of ASB cases.
Further antisocial behaviour response courts will be identified in areas where there is a need.
Asylum Seekers
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what advice is issued to asylum adjudicators regarding the grounds for granting refugee status to applicants who have fled persecution because of their homosexuality. [210707]
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Mr. Leslie: Immigration Adjudicators are independent members of the judiciary, and as such no specific advice or guidance is issued in relation to claims based on an appellant's sexuality. Immigration Adjudicators will determine each asylum appeal based on their own findings of fact and by applying the law as established to that particular claim.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what training in sexuality issues is given to asylum case adjudicators who handle asylum applications based on persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation. [210710]
Mr. Leslie:
Immigration adjudicators are independent members of the judiciary who determine each asylum appeal based on their own findings of fact and by applying the law as established to that particular claim. The training of immigration adjudicators is organised and facilitated by senior judicial members of the Immigration Appellate Authority.
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Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he intends to answer the letter dated 15 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Thomas Gill. [210837]
Mr. Leslie: I can confirm that the hon. Member's letter was received on 20 December. Unfortunately, however, it has been mislaid. Arrangements have been made to obtain a further copy and the Secretary of State will write to the right hon. Member soon. I apologise for this unfortunate incident.
District Judges
Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many district judges there have been in each year since 1997. [210972]
Mr. Leslie: The number of district and deputy district judges in post for each year since 1997 are set out in the following table.
(81)On 31 August 2000 stipendiary magistrates and acting stipendiary magistrates were renamed district judges (magistrates court) and deputy district judges (magistrates court).
(82)Figure not available.
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