§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have to host events with the aim of promoting bilateral relations with Brazil. [184180]
§ Mr. RammellIn the course of our frequent exchanges with Brazil, we become involved in a range of events, both in the UK and in Brazil, which promote the bilateral relationship. A recent such event was the joint visit to London on 17 and 18 March of the Brazilian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Finance. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer met their Brazilian counterparts on this occasion for talks, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry represented the Government at a dinner for the visitors offered by the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. We fully expect beneficial events such as these to continue regularly and in many different forms.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for senior members of(a) the Government and (b) the Royal family to visit Brazil in the near future. [184181]
§ Mr. RammellForeign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not our practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and occasionally not until they are under way.
There are currently no plans for a senior member of the Royal family to visit Brazil.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government have had with the Brazilian Government about ways to preserve the remaining parts of the Amazon rainforest. [184182]
§ Mr. RammellWe follow closely the issue of environmental protection in Brazil, and discuss it regularly with the Brazilian Government. I met the Brazilian Environment Minister in December 2002 during my first visit to Brazil. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also supports a number of practical projects in Brazil totalling over £350,000 aimed specifically at preserving the Amazon rainforest and which enjoy the full support of the Brazilian Government.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what precautions the Government take to reduce illegal imports from Brazil into the UK. [184184]
§ Mr. RammellWe work closely with the Brazilian Government to combat all forms of illegal trafficking. As part of this effort, we have two Drug Liaison Officers based permanently in Brazil and have also provided equipment and training for Brazilian law enforcement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Drugs and Crime Fund.
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§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what level of military co-operation there is between the UK and Brazil. [184186]
§ Mr. IngramI have been asked to reply.
We engage in a series of armed forces visits, exchanges, joint training and defence staff talks within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation on Defence Matters, signed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in September 2000, and the Joint Action Plan, signed in 1997 by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the President of Brazil.