§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their reasons for maintaining visa control in relation to Bulgaria and Romania. [HL1471]
§ Baroness AmosVisa regimes are maintained when there is evidence that nationals of a particular nationality are seeking to circumvent UK immigration control, such as in the case of Romania and Bulgaria. All visa regimes are kept under constant review and the regimes on Bulgaria and Romania will be lifted when it is considered that to do so would not affect adversely the United Kingdom's immigration control.
§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which member states of the European Union (other than the United Kingdom) maintain visa control in relation to Bulgaria and Romania. [HL1472]
§ Baroness AmosNationals of Bulgaria and Romania no longer require visas to enter Schengen member states. They do, however, still require visas to enter the Republic of Ireland.
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, following recent deaths and homelessness in Darfur Province of the Sudan, allegedly caused by attacks of the Baggara tribes against the Fur and Massalit tribes, and in view of comments by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Sudan, the Sudan Organization against Torture and Amnesty International, they will seek to establish improved monitoring of the situation and the inclusion of Darfur in peace negotiations. [HL1554]
§ Baroness AmosWe are concerned about the situation in Darfur. Very little information has come out of the area. Embassy personnel plan to visit the region to assess the situation in the near future. We do not expect Darfur to be included separately in the peace negotiations.