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Holy See

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions the future arrangements for UK diplomatic
 
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representation to the Holy See were discussed with (a) the Archbishop of Westminster, as Head of the Catholic Hierarchy in England and Wales, (b) the Archbishop of Edinburgh, as Head of the Catholic Hierarchy in Scotland and (c) Archbishop Sean Brady, as Head of the Catholic Hierarchy in Ireland; what their response was to these consultations; and if he will make a statement. [222243]

Mr. MacShane: We have kept the Catholic church in the UK informed of our deliberations on a regular and informal basis. They have not raised any concerns with us over our plans.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 21W, on the Holy See, what the response was of the Papal Nuncio to the Government's consultation concerning revised arrangements for the UK's future diplomatic representation to the Holy See; and if he will make a statement. [222292]

Mr. MacShane: The Papal Nuncio in the UK has been kept informed of our deliberations on an informal basis and has not raised any concerns with us over our plans.

International Driving Requirements

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to ensure that UK drivers are informed of the requirement in (a) Italy and (b) Spain to carry at least one reflective jacket in their cars. [222321]

Mr. MacShane: The requirement for drivers in Spain to carry at least one reflective jacket in their car has been displayed in our Travel Advice for Spain since the new regulation came into force during summer 2004.

We have recently up-dated our Travel Advice for Italy to include this requirement. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) travel advice is available on the FCO website: www.fco.gov.uk. I am writing to the AA, RAC and to motoring and travel edition in the press asking that publicity is given to this requirement for motorists in Spain and Italy.

Interpretation/Translation Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many companies were invited to tender for (a) interpretation and translation services and (b) provision of interpretation equipment at meetings of the G8 to be hosted by the UK. [223064]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 22 March 2005]: No companies have been invited to tender for interpretation and translation services for work associated with the G8 Presidency. Four companies have tendered for the provision of interpretation equipment for the G8 Summit in July.

Ministerial Visits

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the purpose was of his official visit to Lahore and Gujarat in February. [223941]

 
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Mr. Straw: Whenever possible and appropriate, I try on trips abroad of any length to visit areas beyond the capital cities concerned, as well as the capitals themselves. Thus in early 2004 I visited Peshawar as well as Islamabad, Pakistan, and Bangalore as well as New Delhi, India.

In respect of my visit to Pakistan in February 2005, the proposal for a visit to Lahore came initially from the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Khurshid Kasuri. Lahore is his home. It is the second largest city in Pakistan, and a major centre for the media and commerce, as well as being the capital of Punjab province. Mr. Kasuri arranged for me to meet a wide cross-section of the business and political leaders of the province. In addition, I gave the keynote speech of my visit to Pakistan there, entitled: 'Pakistan and the United Kingdom: a modern partnership for engagement and understanding'.

I also expressed an interest in visiting one of the major centres to which many of the large UK population of people of Pakistani heritage trace their roots. My original idea was to visit Mirpur, in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. However, I decided not to do so for foreign policy reasons. I then sought suggestions from a number of people of Pakistani origin in the UK, in my Blackburn constituency and elsewhere. Two suggestions were made to me—Jhelum or Gujrat in Punjab province. I decided, following advice from officials, to visit the latter as it was easy to slot into my programme and because it is the home city of the Chief Minister of Punjab province, Pervaiz Ellahi. During my visit to Gujarat I was also able to pursue the Government's consular and immigration objectives.

To avoid confusion, I last visited the Indian state of Gujarat (Ahmedabad, the state capital) in September 2000.

Moldova

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with Russia regarding Transnistria separatists in Moldova; and if he will make a statement. [223328]

Mr. MacShane: Regular discussions are held with Russia on Transnistria, principally through the framework of the EU troika. Transnistria was discussed most recently at the EU Foreign Ministers' troika meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on 28 February. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) represented the UK at this meeting. The UK and Russia also discussed Transnistria bilaterally at official level on 18 February during Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Chizhov's visit to London.

Mr. Peter Dun

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received a copy of the Lacey Report on the conduct of officials in his Office in the case of Mr. Peter Dun, a former employee of the diplomatic service. [223592]

 
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Mr. Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not comment on cases involving serving or former employees, nor would it be appropriate to do so in this case.

Nepal

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of Nepal's ability to combat Maoist insurgents following the suspension of non-lethal military aid by the UK and India. [223323]

Mr. Alexander: India's assistance is more immediately critical than the UK's as they provide lethal hardware. The UK's support has been non-lethal and focused on improving general professionalism and intelligence capabilities. However, given the topography of Nepal and the capabilities of the security forces and the Maoists, it does not appear that either side can win the conflict militarily. A negotiated political settlement involving all the constitutional forces offers the best way to resolve the conflict in Nepal and to create a stable democracy with good governance and respect for human rights. We assess that by taking power the King has undermined democracy, increased the risk of instability and that this is likely to lead to intensified conflict. The UK's military support has been predicated on multi-party democracy and the preservation of democratic freedoms. We are considering with international partners what our longer term policy should be in the new political context.

OSCE

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart about the functioning of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. [223202]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had recent discussions on the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with his Russian counterpart. I discussed OSCE business with the Russian ambassador in January and with Deputy Foreign Minister Chizhov last month. The functioning of the organisation is also the subject of frequent discussion with Russia at senior official-level in London, Brussels and Vienna. In these discussions, we have made clear to Russia the importance the UK attaches to the central role played by the OSCE in European security architecture, not least through its human dimension work. We have also set out that, while the UK is content to see OSCE reform, this must not be at the expense of the organisation's democratic values and core commitments, including in the field of human rights.

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the budgetary process for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. [223203]

Mr. Rammell: Agreement of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) unified budget requires the consent of all 55 participating states. There is at present no consensus on the 2005 budget or on a revision to the scales of contribution. We are
 
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concerned about the failure to reach an agreement. We are working with EU partners to find a solution, including through discussions with Russia and other participating states. In the absence of such agreement, we support the interim measures taken by the OSCE Secretary General to ensure the continuing functioning of the organisation.

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