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EU Enlargement (Illegal Trafficking)

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the prerequisites for countries to qualify for EU membership with respect to combating illegal trafficking routes. [27822]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The criteria for membership of the EU were set out at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993.

There is no specific requirement relating to combating illegal trafficking routes. But candidates need to transpose and implement European Community legislation including in the field of justice and home affairs into their national legislation.

This, and increased co-operation between the relevant agencies in member states, makes a significant contribution to the EU's ability to combat illegal trafficking.

European Union (Opt-outs)

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many opt-outs the Government have given up at EU level since May 1997; and if he will list them. [27817]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: Since May 1997, the Government have only removed the UK opt-out" to the agreement on social policy. This was annexed by the treaty of Maastricht to the treaty establishing the European Community as part of the Protocol on Social Policy. The agreement was fully incorporated into the treaty establishing the European Community by the treaty of Amsterdam which came into force on 1 May 1999. The provisions on social policy as they stand today can be found in part 3, title XI of the treaty establishing the European Community.

Indonesia

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of Christians in Indonesia, with particular reference to the case of three Christian women who have each been jailed for three years for giving Christian teaching to Muslim children with their parents' consent. [28813]

Ian Pearson: We are aware of the conviction of Dr. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun and the closure of some churches in Indonesia.
 
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In September this year, President Yudhoyono stressed that the state guaranteed every citizen religious freedom and called on the police and members of the public to act to prevent violence against any faith. We co-sponsored with the Indonesian Government in Bali in July, an international conference to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. We will continue to co-operate with them on this important objective. Immediately after the recent beheadings of three Christian school girls in Central Sulawesi, President Yudhoyono condemned what he described as a sadistic crime", and sent extra police to the area to ensure that violence did not flare up. The British ambassador in Jakarta has discussed the issue with senior Indonesian officials and expressed the UK's shock at the incident.

Ivory Coast

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports that the Ivory Coast is recruiting child soldiers from Liberia; and what representations he has made to the government of the Ivory Coast. [26972]

Ian Pearson: We are concerned by recent reports, in particular from Human Rights Watch, indicating that child soldiers from Liberia are again being recruited to Cote d'Ivoire. The UK, as EU Presidency, made representations to the National Transitional Government of Liberia in July concerning children in armed conflict. In addition, Belgium, as local EU presidency, expressed concerns on behalf of all member states about child soldiers to the Government of Cote d'Ivoire also in July. We continue to monitor the situation closely with EU colleagues and the wider international community.

Kurdistan

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (a) nature and (b) policy underlying UK involvement in ECJ case C0229/05, on certain Kurdistan political groups. [27821]

Dr. Howells: European Court of Justice (ECJ) case C0229/05 involves a freeze on assets imposed by the European Community pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1373 (2001). Effective implementation of UNSCR 1373 (2001) is apriority for the UK as a central component of the international community's efforts against terrorism. The UK fully supported the decision by the European Council to impose an asset freeze on certain Kurdish political groups and intervened in support of the European Council before the Court of First Instance. The action against the European Council was dismissed by that court. Although the UK has not intervened again in the appeal of the case to the ECJ, it continues to support fully the case put forward by the European Council.

Ministerial Travel

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the additional cost of (a) his and (b) his officials' early return from Moscow to permit him to vote in the proceedings in the Terrorism Bill. [28110]

 
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Mr. Douglas Alexander [holding answer 14 November 2005]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Moscow on 8 and 9 November for the EU-Russia Foreign Ministers' Troika. He attended this meeting as planned. The talks were constructive, continuing the positive dialogue from October's EU-Russia Summit.

The Chinese President's State Visit took place on 8–9 November. Immediately before leaving for Moscow, the Foreign Secretary met Li Zhaoxing, the Chinese Foreign Minister, in London. The Foreign Secretary had planned to travel directly to Iraq from Moscow, and then to Bahrain for the annual G8 and Broader Middle East and North Africa Forum for the Future" meetings on 11 and 12 November.

It would not have been possible to complete this schedule using commercial flights. We therefore chartered an aircraft. The total cost of the charter was £98,400, which included an additional £30,200 for diverting through the UK on 9 November. This also covered the travel costs of the staff accompanying the Foreign Secretary to Moscow, comprising six officials, plus one Special Adviser and one Special Branch Protection Officer.

Paragraph 10.11 of the Ministerial Code states:

if a Minister is abroad with permission and is called home for Ministerial Parliamentary reasons, including to vote, the cost of the extra journey back and forth may be met by public funds".

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much it cost (a) him and (b) officials from his Department to fly to and from Russia for his recent visit; [28243]

(2) what the flight arrangements were for his recent visit to Russia; [28244]

(3) how many Government officials accompanied him on his recent visit to Russia. [28245]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff) today (UIN 28110).

Piracy

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports of British citizens being victims of criminal incidents on the high seas (a) off the coast of Africa and (b) elsewhere have been received by his Department in each of the last five years. [27556]

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not collect this information. Consular cases are recorded by type e.g. death, hospitalisation, theft and so on, and by country. Cases are not recorded by circumstances such as occurring at sea.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many incidents of piracy involving British citizens have been reported to his Department in each of the last five years. [27557]

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today (UIN 27556).
 
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Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department has issued on the risk of (a) piracy and (b) other crime at sea. [27558]

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issues 217 regularly updated country travel advice notices on its website. These are aimed at members of the public and include information on the risk of falling victim to crime in each country. Advice on the risk of piracy, including kidnapping, within a country's territorial waters is included where appropriate, as in the cases of Somalia, Malaysia and Singapore. Other types of crime (eg illegal fishing) which do not pose a risk to individual travellers are not included in the advice.

The departmental lead on piracy on the high seas lies with the Department for Transport's Transport Security Division, which issues advice to commercial shipping on matters such as the risk of piracy.

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