To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has held with the Governments of Romania and Bulgaria on the restrictions on migrant workers from those countries; and if she will make a statement. (106872)

Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I met recently with Ministers from Romania and Bulgaria to explain the Government’s decision on migrant workers. Our ambassadors in Bucharest and Sofia have also kept in close contact with their host Governments both before and after the decision was announced. I refer my right hon. Friend to the statement made to the House on 24 October 2006, Official Report, columns 82-84WS, by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on this subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the Governments of other European Union states on national policies on accommodating workers from Romania and Bulgaria. (106874)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials were in regular contact with EU member states both before and after the UK took its decision on labour market access by Romanian and Bulgarian workers. Such contact has allowed the exchange of information on respective positions.