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Diplomats (Language Training)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost of language training for diplomats was in the most recent years for which figures are available. [51478]

Ian Pearson: The total cost of language training charged to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) account was:

Financial year	Amount (£)
2002–03	3,101,000
2003–04	5,717,000
2004–05	4,265,000

The figures include training costs in the UK and overseas for FCO officers and their spouses/officially recognised partners.

Egypt

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers in his Department are preparing to hold talks with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt; and if he will make a statement. [54086]

Mr. Straw: At present, there are no meetings planned between Ministers and representatives of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
 
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We have always had contacts with elected members of the People's Assembly and will continue to do so. Contact with elected parliamentarians that use peaceful means to achieve their objectives is normal diplomatic practice. In recent years, this has included members of the People's Assembly that are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterparts regarding the possibility of holding discussions with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt; and if he will make a statement. [54087]

Mr. Straw: None.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact members of his Department have had with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [54088]

Mr. Straw: Officials at the British embassy in Cairo have had infrequent contact with members of the People's Assembly aligned with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the last six months.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has supported terrorist organisations in the Middle East; and if he will make a statement. [54089]

Mr. Straw: I have seen no credible evidence that the current leadership of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood supports terrorist organisations in the Middle East.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of support offered by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to Hamas; and if he will make a statement. [54090]

Mr. Straw: While there are contacts between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas leaders, we have no evidence of any direct financial or other support given by the Muslim Brotherhood to Hamas.

EU Fraud

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government holds records on EU fraud allegations made by whistleblowers. [53438]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: As the hon. Member would expect, the Government does hold some information on fraud allegations made by whistleblowers such as diplomatic and media reporting.

EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the operation of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [52776]

 
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Dr. Howells: The Government asked for further information from the European Commission about the agreement which we received on 16 February. We will carefully analyse this and further information before reaching a position on the draft agreement.

European Constitution

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) mechanisms have been put in place and (b) activities are taking place in relation to the period of reflection on the European Constitution called for by the Prime Minister on 30 May 2005; what initiatives are aimed at engaging the public; and what consultation has taken place. [53269]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: Information about UK Government activities—and the activities of other EU member states—during the period of reflection can be found in the Interim report on the national debates during the reflection period on the future of Europe". This joint report by the UK and Austrian presidencies of the EU was placed in the Library of the House on 16 January 2006.

Extradition

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on diplomatic immunity within the United Kingdom where a foreign court has made a request for extradition involving human rights. [50605]

Mr. Straw: The UK is obliged to honour its international obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Article 31 of the Convention grants immunity to a diplomatic agent from the criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction of the receiving state, except in cases relating to property, succession, or professional and commercial activity in which the diplomat has acted in a private capacity. Article 29 provides that the person of a diplomat shall be inviolable, and that he shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. Any request for extradition of a diplomat could only be given effect if a waiver of his/her immunity were granted. Any decision to request such a waiver would be made on the merits of the case.

G8 Summit

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what planning applications his Department made for the G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2004–05; and how many were (a) granted and (b) refused. [53721]

Ian Pearson: No applications for planning permission were made by this Department in 2004–05 for the G8 Summit at Gleneagles.

Gibraltar

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Gibraltar on protecting from destruction the Rosia Water Tanks on Gibraltar. [53460]

 
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Mr. Douglas Alexander: The site of the Rosia Water Tanks falls within the scope of the Defined Domestic Matters" where authority is devolved to the Government of Gibraltar. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the Government of Gibraltar on this matter.

Haiti

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of electoral fraud in the recent elections in Haiti. [53728]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: We have not received official reports of electoral fraud in the recent elections in Haiti, but we are aware of allegations that have appeared in the media. A number of international observer missions, including one sent by the European Union, have been monitoring the elections and we expect their reports shortly.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, columns 2482–3W, on identity cards, what the policy issues relating to use of or access to identity cards overseas that required clarification were; and whether clarification has been provided. [50320]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The policy issues relating to the use of identity cards that I referred to in my answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, columns 2482–3 W), concern the consular premium charge applied to each passport to support consular assistance, the ability of posts to issue emergency travel documents should a British National lose his or her identity card whilst using it for travel in the EU, and whether or not posts will issue identity cards overseas. Decisions on these issues can only be taken once the Identity Cards Bill has passed both Houses of Parliament and the framework for the overall identity card scheme has been finalised.

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