27 Jun 2006 : Column 344W—continued
Basson/Project Cost Handling Strategy
Andrew Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2006, Official Report, column
27 Jun 2006 : Column 345W
1274W, on the Basson/Project Cost handling strategy, how many officials there were from each Government Department; and what the job title was of each one. [79205]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 21 June 2006]: I am unable to provide any more information than that provided in my answer to my hon. Friend on 14 June 2006, Official Report, column 1274W.
Benyam Mohammed
Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer given by her predecessor to Q36 of oral evidence taken before the Foreign Affairs Committee on 13 December 2005, what form the misinformation referred to about the case of Benyam Mohammed (al-Habashi) took. [80070]
Dr. Howells:
Serious allegations have been made concerning mistreatment of Mr. Al Habashi. As the former Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) made clear, Mr. Al Habashi was interviewed once by a member of the UK Security Service while he was in detention in Karachi in 2002. The Security Service had no role in his capture or in his transfer from Pakistan. The Intelligence and Security Committee report “Handling of Detainees by UK Intelligence Personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq” of March 2005 gave details of the guidance under which such interviews were conducted, and the service officer did not observe any abuse and no instances of abuse were reported to him by Mr. Al Habashi.
The Government, including the intelligence and security agencies, never uses torture for any purpose, including to obtain information. Nor does the Government or its Security and Intelligence Services ever instigate, condone or otherwise support others in the use of torture for any purpose.
British Passports
Mr. Carswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British passports have been issued by her Department overseas in each of the last five years, broken down by country; and in how many cases the recipient was issued with a passport for the first time in each case. [79171]
Dr. Howells:
The number of British passports that have been issued overseas in each of the last five years is shown as follows. The table also provides a breakdown by issuing country. Data are not available for financial year (FY) 2001-02 as we did not begin to keep records until FY 2002-03. The figures for FY 2005-06 are derived from a source different from that of the previous years and will be adjusted in due course and when global figures are available from the consular annual returns from overseas posts. We are unable to tell in how many cases the recipient was issued with a
27 Jun 2006 : Column 346W
passport for the first time, as our records do not provide data on the number of first time applicants for passports.
The total number of British passports issued overseas rounded to the nearest thousand is:
| FY | Number |
|
2002-03
|
450,000
|
|
2003-04
|
447,000
|
|
2004-05
|
453,000
|
|
2005-06
|
438,000
|
A breakdown of figures on passport issues by issuing country:
| | Passport issues |
| Country | FY 2002-03 | FY 2003-04 | FY 2004-05 | FY 2005-06 |
|
Algeria
|
63
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Angola
|
103
|
—
|
—
|
26
|
|
Argentina
|
649
|
712
|
1,066
|
902
|
|
Australia
|
53,011
|
44,138
|
61,549
|
66,162
|
|
Austria
|
941
|
1,074
|
1,362
|
1,644
|
|
Azerbaijan
|
126
|
219
|
287
|
334
|
|
Bahrain
|
1,073
|
999
|
972
|
1,233
|
|
Bangladesh
|
790
|
905
|
806
|
1,187
|
|
Barbados
|
2,267
|
2,614
|
3,372
|
2,495
|
|
Belarus
|
7
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Belgium
|
3,612
|
4,324
|
4,430
|
4,181
|
|
Belize
|
130
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Bolivia
|
267
|
170
|
204
|
168
|
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
54
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Botswana
|
576
|
516
|
455
|
442
|
|
Brazil
|
932
|
1,021
|
1,228
|
1,229
|
|
Brunei
|
674
|
681
|
576
|
633
|
|
Burma
|
46
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Canada
|
24,268
|
27,728
|
23,263
|
28,160
|
|
Chile
|
460
|
498
|
558
|
581
|
|
China
|
118,348
|
109,537
|
81,386
|
62,068
|
|
Colombia
|
323
|
319
|
432
|
353
|
|
Congo (Democratic Republic)
|
39
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Costa Rica
|
237
|
387
|
730
|
575
|
|
Croatia
|
89
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Cuba
|
65
|
61
|
66
|
76
|
|
Curacao
|
16
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Cyprus
|
6,070
|
5,033
|
6,382
|
6,219
|
|
Czech Republic
|
554
|
647
|
668
|
860
|
|
Denmark
|
1,721
|
1,745
|
1,932
|
2,084
|
|
Dominican Republic
|
60
|
61
|
164
|
167
|
|
Ecuador
|
212
|
261
|
274
|
222
|
|
Egypt
|
1,098
|
1,741
|
1,399
|
1,287
|
|
El Salvador
|
39
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Estonia
|
61
|
70
|
77
|
93
|
|
Ethiopia
|
115
|
126
|
148
|
149
|
|
Fiji
|
270
|
—
|
118
|
—
|
|
Finland
|
357
|
449
|
434
|
509
|
|
France
|
14,455
|
18,598
|
20,624
|
22,417
|
|
Gambia
|
76
|
156
|
196
|
175
|
|
Germany
|
16,197
|
15,387
|
18,145
|
16,383
|
27 Jun 2006 : Column 347W
|
Ghana
|
519
|
507
|
698
|
639
|
|
Greece
|
2,423
|
2,388
|
2,691
|
2,724
|
|
Guatemala
|
188
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Guyana
|
292
|
—
|
170
|
199
|
|
Honduras
|
95
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Hungary
|
533
|
—
|
463
|
573
|
|
Iceland
|
102
|
88
|
90
|
96
|
|
India
|
3,014
|
2,400
|
3,073
|
2,921
|
|
Indonesia
|
1,034
|
1,040
|
1,200
|
1,181
|
|
Iran
|
310
|
230
|
298
|
336
|
|
Ireland
|
9,582
|
10,024
|
10,893
|
10,813
|
|
Israel
|
3,357
|
3,062
|
5,784
|
5,537
|
|
Italy
|
4,029
|
4,302
|
4,994
|
5,313
|
|
Ivory Coast
|
117
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Jamaica
|
2,451
|
2,531
|
2,375
|
2,487
|
|
Japan
|
1,959
|
2,176
|
2,652
|
2,506
|
|
Jerusalem
|
1,299
|
978
|
—
|
—
|
|
Jordan
|
581
|
749
|
826
|
740
|
|
Kazakhstan
|
77
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Kenya
|
2,273
|
2,853
|
4,050
|
2,361
|
|
Kuwait
|
685
|
543
|
792
|
800
|
|
Latvia
|
37
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Lebanon
|
585
|
519
|
622
|
692
|
|
Lesotho
|
77
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Libya
|
—
|
303
|
364
|
419
|
|
Lithuania
|
29
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Luxembourg
|
722
|
787
|
—
|
—
|
|
Macedonia
|
95
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Malawi
|
569
|
785
|
920
|
676
|
|
Malaysia
|
0
|
1,482
|
1,818
|
1,732
|
|
Malta
|
923
|
936
|
842
|
904
|
|
Mauritius
|
662
|
486
|
833
|
659
|
|
Mexico
|
385
|
615
|
1,264
|
1,193
|
|
Mongolia
|
47
|
26
|
28
|
33
|
|
Morocco
|
241
|
186
|
277
|
241
|
|
Mozambique
|
144
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Namibia
|
177
|
172
|
144
|
167
|
|
Nepal
|
566
|
162
|
156
|
199
|
|
Netherlands
|
6,511
|
6,274
|
5,919
|
6,021
|
|
New Zealand
|
17,495
|
18,341
|
21,590
|
22,604
|
|
Nicaragua
|
41
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Nigeria
|
1,589
|
1,259
|
1,881
|
1,661
|
|
Norway
|
1,684
|
1,625
|
1,925
|
2,069
|
|
Oman
|
776
|
801
|
762
|
780
|
|
Pakistan
|
4,269
|
3,932
|
4,726
|
5,681
|
|
Panama
|
102
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Papua New Guinea
|
94
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Paraguay
|
33
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Peru
|
380
|
443
|
597
|
411
|
|
Philippines
|
1,295
|
1,300
|
1,925
|
1,221
|
|
Poland
|
429
|
590
|
566
|
656
|
|
Portugal
|
1,805
|
1,985
|
2,293
|
2,144
|
|
Qatar
|
701
|
708
|
873
|
972
|
|
Romania
|
167
|
225
|
220
|
192
|
|
Russia
|
479
|
510
|
656
|
783
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
3,268
|
2,635
|
2,482
|
2,185
|
|
Senegal
|
22
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Serbia and Montenegro
|
100
|
115
|
184
|
223
|
27 Jun 2006 : Column 348W
|
Seychelles
|
291
|
147
|
171
|
129
|
|
Sierra Leone
|
98
|
116
|
292
|
300
|
|
Singapore
|
3,867
|
4,429
|
5,149
|
4,501
|
|
Slovakia
|
74
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Slovenia
|
33
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Solomon Islands
|
17
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
South Africa
|
22,781
|
22,875
|
17,464
|
21,750
|
|
South Korea
|
316
|
263
|
356
|
422
|
|
Spain
|
22,772
|
18,915
|
19,500
|
20,645
|
|
Sri Lanka
|
383
|
372
|
484
|
521
|
|
Sudan
|
127
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Swaziland
|
227
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Sweden
|
1,366
|
1,583
|
1,867
|
1,939
|
|
Switzerland
|
—
|
6,882
|
7,224
|
6,100
|
|
Syria
|
231
|
223
|
221
|
215
|
|
Tanzania
|
408
|
662
|
665
|
482
|
|
Thailand
|
3,469
|
3,265
|
4,559
|
5,081
|
|
The Bahamas
|
413
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Tonga
|
19
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
742
|
1,109
|
1,345
|
1,022
|
|
Tunisia
|
136
|
70
|
146
|
188
|
|
Turkey
|
1,289
|
537
|
1,255
|
1,564
|
|
Turkmenistan
|
2
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Uganda
|
280
|
260
|
365
|
343
|
|
Ukraine
|
60
|
61
|
107
|
131
|
|
United Arab Emirates
|
3,719
|
5,155
|
6,153
|
6,810
|
|
Uruguay
|
69
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
USA
|
49,649
|
55,034
|
52,746
|
45,178
|
|
Vanuatu
|
27
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|
Venezuela
|
1,069
|
519
|
715
|
565
|
|
Vietnam
|
339
|
344
|
403
|
441
|
|
Yemen
|
272
|
179
|
191
|
396
|
|
Zambia
|
620
|
752
|
791
|
649
|
|
Zimbabwe
|
2,862
|
2,356
|
2,513
|
1,998
|
|
Total
|
449,897
|
447,358
|
452,901
|
438,128
|
