Written question asked by Mark Simmonds (Conservative) on Wednesday, 7 December 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 December 2005. It was answered by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Monday, 19 December 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Venezuela

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between Venezuela and the United States of America, with particular reference to the sale of discounted heating oil to Massachusetts by Venezuela.

Answer: Bilateral relations between Venezuela and the United States (US) are a matter for the two countries concerned.We understand that Citgo Petroleum Corporation, a US registered company owned by the Venezuelan Government, is providing discounted oil to low-income communities in the US, including in New York and Massachusetts. A US State Department spokesman has recently commented that the US regards this as an"““issue of an American company helping American people, which is good and right and proper””."

Secondary information