Inter-Parliamentary Union - British Group - PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION FROM BRAZIL 11-15 JUNE 2007


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Delegation Reports

PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION FROM
BRAZIL:
11 - 15 JUNE 2007

Parliamentary Delegation from Brazil
11 to 15 June 2007

Senator Heráclito Fortes (DEM-PI) -
Leader of the Delegation
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee &
Member of the IPU International Executive Committee

Senator Garibaldi Alves Filho (PMDB-RN)
Member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee

Senator João Tenório (PSDB-AL)
Member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee

Deputy Carlos Eduardo Vieira da Cunha (PDT-RS)
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Deputy Maurício Rands Coelho Barros (PT-PE)
Vice-President of the Brazil-UK Parliamentary Group

Deputy Claudio Antonio Vignatti (PT-SC)
Member of the Finance and Taxation Committee

Ms Monica Freitas
Chief of Protocol, Senate

The official programme began with a meeting with Gary Campkin, Head of the International Group, and Richard White, Head of the Africa & Americas Department, at the Confederation of British Industry. Next year marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of Brazilian ports to the international community and the delegation highlighted their desire to see an increase in UK-Brazilian trade.
The CBI are encouraged by the solid growth of the Brazilian economy over the past few years. However, in order to attract more UK investment, it was suggested that Brazil might consider simplifying their tax system, reforming their employment laws and improving their transport infrastructure.
Following this in-depth discussion, the delegation received a briefing on parliamentary procedures by Mark Hutton, Deputy Principal Clerk in the Journal Office. The delegates were particularly interested to learn about the reform of the House of Lords and the revised responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor, specifically that the role of the head of the judiciary is now held by the Lord Chief Justice.
An informal lunch was held in Shepherd’s Restaurant hosted by Mark Simmonds MP, Shadow Minister for International Development. The delegation then had a guided tour of the Tower of London.
In the evening, the welcoming dinner was hosted by Dr Roger Berry MP, Vice-Chair of the British Group IPU. Dr Berry is also a member of the Trade & Industry Select Committee, and he was pleased to inform the delegation that the committee were due to release their report on trade with Brazil and Mercosur later that week. (Copies of the report were presented to the delegates before their departure).
Tuesday began with a tour of Parliament led by David Wilshire MP. Senator Fortes commented that Brazil is almost 400 years younger than Westminster Hall! The delegation met Mike Gapes MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), and another committee member, Paul Keetch MP. The points covered included the FAC’s recent visit to Guantanamo Bay, the need to reform the Geneva Convention and the difficulties we are facing in the UK with anti-terrorism legislation being overturned in the courts due to human rights issues. The delegation also invited the FAC to visit Brazil next year as part of their report on Latin America.

After a trip on the London Eye, the delegates had lunch at Lancaster House with MPs and Peers, which was hosted by Lord Triesman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office. The delegation then made a short call on Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development. The delegates indicated that they would welcome closer co-operation with the UK on illegal logging and they also highlighted the problem of illegal smuggling of birds and wildlife.
The last meeting of the day was a briefing on the work of SOCA (Serious Organised Crime Agency) with Sophie Barrow, International Strategy & Partnership Directorate. The delegation were impressed by the 95 per cent conviction rate of SOCA cases in the past year. They were also interested to learn how the organisation co-operates with the courts to achieve this high success rate. In the evening, His Excellency Mr Mauricio Bustani, Ambassador for Brazil, hosted a reception in honour of the delegation at his residence.
Wednesday began with a two-hour round table discussions meeting chaired by Nick Hurd MP, Vice- Chair of the Brazilian All Party Parliamentary Group. Brazil is a world leader in the development of bio-fuels and ethanol, using sugar rather than the US technique of using maize. It was argued that the planned expansion of this industry would not adversely affect the poor by driving up sugar and food prices, as there is adequate land available for food production in Brazil. Nor would it affect the rate of deforestation in the Amazon region as the climate is too humid for sugar production. However, the Brazilians are currently suffering from a surplus in production as they are finding it difficult to export due to closed market policies of other countries. Delegates were keen to work more closely with the UK to develop technology in this industry.
Immigration was another issue raised by the delegates. Since 9/11 the US have introduced stringent visa policies, and this has resulted in a large increase in the number of Brazilians studying and working both legally and illegally in the UK. Following the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting in 2005, the delegation told the meeting that there is public concern in Brazil about the safety of Brazilians in the UK. (The de Menezes case is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Crown Prosecution Service).
The delegation also complained about the low numbers of UK tourists visiting Brazil compared to other European countries. It was suggested that Brazil should consider whether they wanted to attract mass tourism or elite, rich tourists. Improved transport infrastructure, such as more direct or chartered flights from the UK may also help to increase tourist figures.
The delegates observed Prime Minister’s Question Time, which was one of the last for Prime Minister Blair. A working lunch in the IPU Room was hosted by Bob Blizzard MP, Chair of the Brazilian All Party Parliamentary Group. Ambassador Bustani and Deputy Rands informed those present that due to a lack of funding, the Centre for Brazilian Studies in Oxford is likely to close when the current director retires. Both Brazilian and UK parliamentarians in attendance agreed to look into possible funding solutions.
The day concluded with a meeting with Sir Philip Mawer, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. In addition to learning about the role of the Commissioner, the delegates asked questions about the code of conduct, the register of interests and touched briefly on the funding of political parties in the UK.
On Thursday morning, the delegation travelled by train to Cardiff. On arrival, they received a briefing on the Welsh National Assembly and UK devolution from Dianne Bevan, Chief Operating Officer. Lunch was hosted by Rosemary Butler AM, Deputy Presiding Officer in Brazz Restaurant with other Assembly Members.

After lunch, the delegation had a tour of the Senedd and were impressed by the modern facilities provided for Assembly Members and the environmentally friendly features incorporated into the architecture such as the natural air-cooling system.
In the evening, the Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City and County of Cardiff hosted a dinner in the Mansion House. A number of other councillors attended the dinner which provided delegates the opportunity to learn about the structure and powers of Cardiff Council.
The final day of the visit began with a meeting with Dr Lolita Tsanaclis, Honorary Consul for Brazil and Laboratory Director at TrichoTech. TrichoTech is a company that specialises in the testing of hair and saliva for drug misuse for organisations like the Home Office, the Police and Armed Forces as well as a company in Sao Paulo. Several Brazilian expats based in Cardiff also attended the meeting.
Chief Executive, Gerry Toms, led a tour of the Millennium Stadium. Brazil is hoping to host soccer’s World Cup in 2014, and delegates were keen to see the facilities of a modern British stadium. The delegates also had an informative session on the policing of events in the stadium which is particularly challenging given the proximity to Cardiff town centre.
After a buffet lunch at the stadium, the visit ended with a short tour of Cardiff Castle. The delegation returned to London by train. Some of the delegates flew home to Brazil that evening, whilst others stayed on for the weekend for a private visit.