§ Mrs. BrowningTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the advice he has placed in the Library in respect of people travelling to Chechnya was issued to individual visa applicants employed by Granger Telecom or was issued to the company that employed them. [66960]
§ Mr. Tony Lloyd[pursuant to his reply, 21 January 1999, c. 536–37]: Granger Telecom have informed FCO officials that as a result of Granger's meeting with 257W FCO officials on 21 August 1998, Granger management did not re-consult their field staff about their willingness to work in Chechnya, but Granger Telecom directors discussed the advice given to Granger by the FCO at that meeting. Granger Telecom have reaffirmed that they drew to the attention of their field staff the FCO travel advice for Russia which stated:
We strongly advise against travel to the Chechen Republic … because of the unstable security situation. Visitors have been kidnapped in these areas recently.