§ Mr. SoamesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many invitations Ministers in his Department accepted and from whom in 2000, for Divali celebrations. [147292]
§ Mr. Wilson[holding answer 26 January 2001]: The Foreign Secretary, Baroness Scotland, the then Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) and the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) and I did not accept any invitations to Divali celebrations in 2000. The Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) accepted invitations from the Leicester Hindu Festival Council, the Leicester Bratma Samaj, the Shree Prajapati Association, London First and the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission in Neasden for Divali celebrations in 2000.