§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of farmers in Zimbabwe; and if he will place the minutes of that meeting in the Library. [116494]
§ Mr. HainThe High Commission in Harare is in regular touch with the Commercial Farmers' Union. They have not sought a meeting in London.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many farmers in Zimbabwe are British passport holders. [116493]
§ Mr. HainWe have no precise figures of how many Zimbabwe farmers hold British passports. British passport holders are not obliged to register their presence with the High Commission in Harare.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Commonwealth Secretary General calling on him to suspend Zimbabwe from the high-level group formed by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. [116893]
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests he has made to the Zimbabwean Government to allow election observers to attend the forthcoming general election. [116899]
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to President Mugabe concerning the(a) postponement of the general election and (b) invasion of farms. [116969]
§ Mr. HainWe have not made representations to President Mugabe about the postponement of the elections. On farm invasions, I spoke to the Vice-President on 6 March and wrote to the Foreign Minister on 7 March. My right hon. Friend, the Development Secretary, wrote to the Vice-President on 15 March.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for the emergency evacuation of British passport holders from Zimbabwe. [116891]
266W
§ Mr. HainWe have a Civil Contingency Plan for Zimbabwe, as we do for many other countries. The Contingency Plan is designed to help the British community in a crisis, and in a worst case scenario, to provide for their evacuation. The Contingency Plan comes into effect if there is a breakdown in law and order leading to a significant risk to the safety of British nationals. We do not believe this is the case in Zimbabwe and our travel advice reflects that view. Our travel advice, and the safety of British nationals, is kept under constant review.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials have been sent to Zimbabwe in the last 12 months to enhance the consular operation there. [116896]
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Zimbabwean nationals are currently in possession of(a) a UK work permit and (b) a holiday working visa. [116898]
§ Mr. VazA total of 526 work permits were approved by the Overseas Labour Service for Zimbabwean nationals in 1998 and 905 in 1999.
Our High Commission in Harare issued 389 working holiday-maker visas in 1998 and 303 in 1999. However, since visa statistics are not collected on the basis of the nationality of applicants, these figures may include applications made in Harare by non-Zimbabwean nationals. Figures for the number of Zimbabweans applying for working holiday-maker visas at entry clearance posts worldwide are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met(a) civil and (b) human rights organisations to discuss Zimbabwe; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings. [116894]
§ Mr. HainWe are in close and regular touch with civil and human rights organisations in Zimbabwe through our High Commission in Harare.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many residents of Zimbabwe are eligible for British passports; and how many British passport holders there are in Zimbabwe. [116892]
§ Mr. HainWe cannot provide exact figures because British nationals are not obliged to register with the High Commission in Harare. Our High Commission currently has 6,700 British nationals and some 5,000 dual British/Zimbabwe nationals registered. Actual numbers will be higher.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK visa applications have been received in the last 12 months from Zimbabwean nationals. [116897]
§ Mr. VazZimbabweans do not normally require visas before travelling to the United Kingdom though some in certain categories may do so. However, statistics on visa applications received worldwide are not collected on the basis of the nationality of applicants. We do not therefore have figures for the number of Zimbabweans applying at entry clearance posts worldwide. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.