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2 May 2006 : Column 1393W—continued
EU Finance
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reasons were for the UK's position on the discharge of the EU's 2004 budget at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council on 14 March; and what discussions he had with his Dutch counterpart on this matter. [66917]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
I attended the Economic and Financial Affairs Council on 14 March. The UK's position in support of the Council's recommendation on discharge was based on recognition of the progress that has been made in financial management and control and the importance of Council commitment to the November ECOFIN agreement on taking forward the integrated internal control framework". Treasury officials work closely with their Dutch counterparts and kept me informed of the Dutch position.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) net and (b) gross contributions to the EU are to be paid by each of the 25 member states of the EU in each of the next seven years following the agreement on 17 December 2005. [66122]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 332W.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) future financing of the EU and (b) EU budget reform. [66922]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: As I said in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Leicestershire (David Taylor) on 25 April 2006, Official Report, columns 497–99, the December European Council agreed a European Union budget for 2007 to 2013. The Government welcome the Inter-Institutional Agreement (ILA) that the Council, the European Commission and Parliament have provisionally reached to give formal effect to the December agreement. The Council now needs formally to approve the IIA, but before then a debate on the agreement will take place on the Floor of the House.
The December European Council also invited the European Commission to undertake a full and wide-ranging review of the EU budget and to report back to the European Council in 2008–09.
2 May 2006 : Column 1394W
Fisheries
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the progress of the proposed UN referendum in Western Sahara of the signing by the EU of a new EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [66493]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1806–07W.
European Constitution
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what written submission the UK Government (a) have made and (b) intend to make in advance of discussions on a European Constitution at the Council of Ministers meeting on 27 May. [67577]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Government are still considering how they intend to contribute to preparations for the meeting.
Avian Influenza
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) guidance and (b) support his Department offers on inoculation against the H5N1 virus to British nationals living overseas in countries where there is a major outbreak. [65755]
Dr. Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in conjunction with the Department of Health and other Departments, has produced a comprehensive fact-sheet on avian and pandemic flu for both Britons travelling and resident overseas, available at http://www.fco.gov.uk/flu Included in the comprehensive guidance are specific precautions one should take to minimise the risks of contracting avian flu, which are believed to be very low. The FCO regularly updates travel advice pages when a country is verified by the World Health Organisation as having had incidences of avian influenza.
British diplomatic missions overseas cannot provide medicines or medical treatment to British nationals living overseas, but they will be able to advise on the local availability of medicines and provide details of health care providers.
There is currently no vaccine available to inoculate humans against avian influenza.
International Arrest Warrants
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received documentary evidence from the Israeli Government on potential changes to UK law on international arrest warrants. [66291]
Dr. Howells:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received representations from the Israeli Government on the subject of international arrest warrants. I discussed this with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, when she visited London on 2 March.
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Internet/Website Provision
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the websites operated by his Department and (b) the reports placed on the internet in March 2006, indicating in each case whether paper copies were also made available. [65207]
Ian Pearson: The websites operated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) include the main FCO website, UKvisas website, i-UK.com website and 180 overseas post websites. A complete list of the websites operated by the FCO will be placed in the Library of the House, as the information requested is lengthy. Five reports were published on the FCO main site during March 2006, these were:
The Autumn Performance Report and the six monthly report on Hong Kong, July to December 2005, were placed in the Library of the House.
Iran
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to support pro-democracy student groups in Iran. [65664]
Dr. Howells: Encouraging greater respect for human rights and political freedoms is a key element of our approach towards Iran. We seek to promote the internationally recognised principles to which many Iranians aspire including freedom of speech and transparent, genuinely democratic and accountable government. We maintain a dialogue with those inside and outside the Iranian Government who are working to support reform and the promotion of the rule of law. We do not generally publicise the details without the consent of our Iranian partners.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Iranian space programme; and if he will make a statement. [65722]
Mr. Straw: The UK reviews the space programme of other nations on a periodic basis. We note Iran's interest in using earth observation data, and that Russia recently launched a small satellite belonging to Iran for this purpose. Iran does not currently have the capability to launch a satellite into space without assistance.
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the threat to Baha'is in Iran; and if he will make a statement. [66118]
Dr. Howells:
We have serious concerns about the situation of the Baha'i community in Iran. Reports suggest that Baha'is have been subjected to harassment, intimidation and arbitrary arrest and a hostile campaign in the media. Iran's Chambers of Commerce have also
2 May 2006 : Column 1396W
reportedly been ordered to create lists of all Baha'i businesses. In December, a Baha'i, Dhaibullah Mahrami, died in custody in unclear circumstances.
The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Asma Jahangir, has recently highlighted her concern at a letter apparently from Iran's Supreme Leader instructing the country's authorities and armed forces to identify Baha'is and monitor their activities. I share these concerns. I can see no justification for the authorities to collect such information, nor for ordering surveillance of Baha'is simply on account of their faith.
Ministers and officials have pressed the Iranian authorities on many occasions to address discrimination suffered by the Baha'i community. At our suggestion, the EU presidency did so on 11 April 2006. On 10 April 2006, EU foreign Ministers underlined their
continued concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, in particular regarding the situation of Baha'is".
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of freedom to practise religion in Iran; and if he will make a statement. [66119]
Dr. Howells: We continue to have serious concerns about the situation of religious minorities in Iran. The Iranian constitution recognises the Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian communities, but not others such as the Baha'is. We receive many reports of discrimination against those wishing to practise these faiths. The position of people who have converted from Islam appears to be especially difficult. We have made clear to the Iranian authorities that we believe that persecution of individuals on the grounds of their religious beliefs is unacceptable. We expect Iran to uphold freedom of religion and belief in accordance with its international obligations under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the provision of assistance to UK citizens in Iran; and if he will make a statement. [66488]
Dr. Howells: Our policy on consular assistance to British nationals in Iran is the same as it is elsewhere in the world. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement to the House on 21 March announcing the publication of the consular guide which sets out what we can and cannot do for British Nationals (Official Report, Columns155–168). A copy of the guide has been sent to all hon. Members and is also available in the Library of the House.
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