§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Indian Government about upholding the rule of law for social and religious minority groups in India. [129573]
§ Mr. HainMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns over incidents of religious intolerance with the Indian Home Minister, L. K. Advani, during talks in London in June and with Indian Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, during his visit to India in April.
§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards India's claim to a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. [131110]
§ Mr. HainOur policy is for each regional group to recommend who should occupy any permanent seat allocated to them in an enlarged Security Council. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this point when he visited India earlier this year. India would clearly be a contender for any eventual Asian Group seat.