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Kyoto Protocol
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application to overseas territories of the Kyoto protocol and the clean development mechanism, with particular reference to the possible
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benefits accruable from projects that reduce carbon emissions; to what extent carbon reductions associated with a project in an overseas territory would be eligible for carbon credits; and who would receive such credits. [66716]
Dr. Howells: The United Kingdom ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1993. The United Kingdom ratified the Kyoto protocol in 2002. It is open to the Government to extend the ratification of the convention and the protocol to include overseas territories. In practice the Government would do so only at the request and with the consent of the territory concerned.
The Kyoto protocol's flexible mechanisms, international emissions trading, clean development mechanism (CDM) and joint implementation (JI), would be available to an overseas territory (OT) that had the UK's instrument of ratification extended to it and would therefore become part of an Annex I Party. As part of an Annex I Party it cannot host CDM projects and therefore be eligible for carbon credits since these are only available to non Annex I Parties, generally developing countries. However, it may invest in non Annex I countries and purchase credits that it could sell on the international carbon market.
There is also the possibility that an OT could take part in JI projects between two Annex I Parties, but the detailed arrangements to provide for this would peed to be agreed between the Government and relevant OT.
Palestine
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the EU Police Mission in the Palestinian territories following the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. [65727]
Mr. Straw: The EU is currently reviewing the status of the EU Police Mission in the occupied territories and I will write to the right hon. Member once the results of the review are known, and place a copy in the Library of the House.
Spain
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) diplomatic and consular staff in Spain have had with Spanish authorities on child custody cases in Spain where British parents experience restrictions on legitimate access. [67901]
Dr. Howells:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides appropriate consular assistance, when requested, to British nationals involved in disputes over child residence and contact, in conjunction with the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) as the central authority handling cases brought under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. A delegation of FCO and DCA officials visited the Spanish Ministry of Justice on 26 March 2005 as part of ongoing discussions on how to resolve residence and contact disputes. These issues were raised by my noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor at a recent meeting with the Spanish Justice
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Minister. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and FCO Ministers have had no recent discussions with the Spanish authorities on such issues.
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British parents have contacted his Department since 2003 regarding assistance with cases relating to access to children involved in custody disputes in the Spanish courts. [67902]
Dr. Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Child Abduction Section, which was established in 2003, has records of 52 cases concerning child residence or contact disputes in Spain.
UK-South East Europe Forum
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding the UK-South East Europe Forum has received (a) from (i)central and (ii) regional government and (b) via the British Council in each year since its creation. [66310]
Mr. Straw: The British Council provided £355,000 to the Forum in 2004–05 and £360,000 to the Forum in 2005–06. All of this funding came from the British Council's grant in aid, which it receives from central government. No further funding was received from either central or regional government.
Visas
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) on what basis the UK embassy in Amman, Jordan, granted Iraqi
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citizen Mr Nabeel Sami Fathallah (HO Ref 10776940) a UK visa within 24-hours of his application; and if he will make a statement; [67351]
(2) what background checks were carried out following the receipt of a visa application from Iraqi citizen Mr Nabeel Sami Fathallah (HO Ref 10776940) at the UK Amman embassy; whether inquiries were made about (a) his links with the former regime in Iraq, (b) his financial position, (c) the reasons he was denied a visa by other countries and (d) the refusal of protection by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and if he will make a statement. [67395]
Dr. Howells: In accordance with Exemption 5 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government information, I regret that I cannot provide details of any individual entry clearance case in a public forum.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the scale of charges for visas to enter to the UK is at (a) Amman, Jordan and (b) other UK embassies in the Middle East. [67352]
Dr. Howells: UKvisas is mandated by HM Treasury guidelines to recover its costs without burdening the UK taxpayer. Therefore, the applicant must meet the full cost of processing an entry clearance application. The visa application fee for each category of entry clearance is the same, wherever in the world an individual applies. The application fee is payable in local currency at the consular rate of exchange, which is within 10 per cent. of the commercial rate. The visa application fees in the Middle East, in local currencies and Pound Sterling, are as follows.
Key:
A—Handling applications on behalf of Commonwealth countries.
Handling applications on behalf of UK Overseas Territories.
Direct Airside Transit.
Visitor in transit.
Join ship or aircraft.
B—Visit, single, double and multiple, valid up to six months.
C—Visit, multiple, valid for one, two, five or ten years.
D—Settlement, marriage (fiance"(e)), civil partner.
E—EEA/Swiss family permit.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what circumstances a UK visa section may issue a visa within 24 hours of application in (a) Amman, Jordan and (b) other UK embassies. [67354]
Dr. Howells:
UKvisas' target, under its public service agreement, is for 90 per cent. of straightforward non-settlement visa applications to be processed and available for return to the applicant within 24 hours from the date of receipt by a visa section of the
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application and all supporting documents including the fee. This target is currently being met, both in Amman and worldwide.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visas to the UK have been issued in Amman, Jordan, to non-Jordanian residents in each of the last five years; and from which countries those issued with visas were from. [67358]
Dr. Howells: The figures on the numbers of visas to the UK issued in Amman to non-Jordanian residents by nationality in each of the last five years is as follows:
Note:
Amman is the designated post for Iraqi nationals.
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