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Schengen Agreement
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will deposit in the Library a copy of the response by the United Kingdom representative to the letter of 16 July 1997 of the Dutch permanent representative in connection with the Schengen Agreement and the Amsterdam Treaty. [31048]
Mr. Doug Henderson: It would not be appropriate to publish this piece of diplomatic correspondence between Her Majesty's Government and another Government.
Roma People
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy regarding (a) human rights and (b) the treatment of Roma people in those European countries likely to be in the next group to join the European Union. [31073]
Mr. Doug Henderson: We have made clear our commitment to place human rights at the centre of foreign policy. We will be strict in ensuring that EU applicants comply with the Copenhagen political criteria, including the
- "respect for and protection of minorities".
This is why we support strongly all efforts to address shortcomings in the treatment of minorities in EU applicant countries, both through bilateral Know How Fund projects and our contributions to the Phare Programme. We have also been working bilaterally with
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 241
several Central European Governments to help them implement measures to improve the position of the Roma and other minorities.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his officials attended conferences (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) overseas; and how many and what percentage made (i) oral and (ii) written contributions to the matters under discussion in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [31176]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The information sought is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the board of Premier Oil Ltd, in relation to their participation in the Burma-Thailand gas pipeline. [31076]
Mr. Fatchett:
We do not encourage UK companies to trade with Burma and urge them to think carefully before doing so, pointing out the political and human rights situation in Burma. I made this policy clear to Charles Jamieson, Chief Executive of Premier Oil, when we met on 17 December.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of Burma's GNP being spent on armaments and instruments of repression. [31077]
Mr. Fatchett:
The Burmese Government do not release any detailed figures on expenditure on arms, but we estimate that at least 30% of Burma's GNP is spent on general defence expenditure. The EU's Common Position on Burma includes a full-scale arms embargo, the suspension of all defence links and the suspension of non-humanitarian aid.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 February 1998, Official Report, column 489, for what reasons it is not his policy to list the British manufacturers of equipment found by inspectors in Iraq. [31273]
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
It is not our practice to reveal the identity of British manufacturers whose equipment has been found by UNSCOM in Iraq, because it is UNSCOM's practice to disclose such information to Governments on a confidential basis when it considers this may assist its investigations. That confidentiality must be maintained if UNSCOM is to be able to follow up information on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programmes effectively.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he held on human rights issues during his visit to Saudi Arabia; and what was the response of the Saudi authorities. [30772]
Mr. Fatchett
[holding answer 24 February 1998]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary held talks with Prince Saud Al Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, during his visit to Saudi Arabia on 5 February. The purpose of his visit was to discuss the current crisis in the Gulf.
Mr. Caton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlay the policy of the United Kingdom Government to oppose the inclusion of the use of nuclear weapons as a war crime under the jurisdiction of the proposed International Criminal Court. [31032]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson), to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hall Green (Mr. McCabe) on 10 February 1998, Official Report, columns 139-40.
Mr. Mallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list for each Government Department the total number of (a) posts, (b) non-industrial posts and (c) Grade 6 and above posts (i) outside the Greater Belfast area and (ii) more than 30 miles from Belfast on 1 April of each year since 1995. [30840]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Information in the form requested is readily available only in respect of Northern Ireland Civil Servants at 1 September each year and is as follows:
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 241
| Department | Total | Non-industrial only | Grade 6 and above | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |
| DANI | 2,000 | 1,836 | 1,839 | 1,239 | 1,123 | 1,165 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| DED | 785 | 786 | 740 | 735 | 737 | 701 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| DENI | 562 | 585 | 579 | 560 | 583 | 577 | 70 | 70 | 71 |
| DFP | 291 | 271 | 261 | 291 | 271 | 261 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| DHSS | 2,046 | 1,966 | 1,864 | 2,046 | 1,966 | 1,864 | -- | -- | -- |
| DOE | 3,422 | 3,328 | 3,149 | 2,417 | 2,311 | 2,257 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| NIO | 1,161 | 1,184 | 1,156 | 1,039 | 1,057 | 1,034 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 10,267 | 9,956 | 9,588 | 8,327 | 8,048 | 7,859 | 99 | 100 | 98 |
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 243
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 243
Mr. Mallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list for 1 April 1995 the total number of Grade 6, and above, Civil Service posts located (a) outside the Greater Belfast area and (b) more than 30 miles from Belfast, stating in each case the percentage of the total number of Grade 6 posts represented. [30841]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Information in the form requested is readily available only in respect of Northern Ireland Civil Servants at Grade 6 level and above at 1 September 1995 and is as follows:
| Number (%) | |
|---|---|
| Number located outside Greater Belfast area (percentage of Grade 6 posts and above in NICS) | 99 (19) |
| Number located more than 30 miles from Belfast (percentage of Grade 6 posts and above in NICS) | 11 (2) |
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the (a) total number and (b) percentage of Civil Service jobs located (i) inside and (ii) outside the Greater Belfast area at 1 April in each year since 1995. [30859]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Information in the form requested is readily available only in respect of Northern Ireland Civil Servants at 1 September each year and is as follows:
| Number located inside Greater Belfast area (percentage of NICS) | Number located outside Greater Belfast area (percentage of NICS) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1995 | 17,003 (62%) | 10,267 (38%) |
| 1 September 1996 | 16,852 (63%) | 9,956 (37%) |
| 1 September 1997 | 16,629 (63%) | 9,588 (37%) |
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the (a) total number and (b) percentage, of non-manual Civil Service jobs located outside the Greater Belfast area at 1 April in each year since 1995. [30860]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Information in the form requested is readily available only in respect of non-industrial Northern Ireland Civil Servants at 1 September each year and is as follows:
25 Feb 1998 : Column: 244
| Number located outside Greater Belfast area | Percentage of NICS total | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1995 | 8,327 | 35 |
| 1 September 1996 | 8,048 | 34 |
| 1 September 1997 | 7,859 | 34 |
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the (a) total number and (b) percentage, of Civil Service jobs located more than 30 miles from Belfast at 1 April in each year since 1995. [30861]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Information in the form requested is readily available only in respect of Northern Ireland Civil Servants at 1 September each year and is as follows:
| Number located more than 30 miles from Belfast | Percentage of NICS total | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1995 | 6,413 | 24 |
| 1 September 1996 | 5,950 | 22 |
| 1 September 1997 | 5,744 | 22 |
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the (a) total number and (b) percentage, of non-manual jobs located more than 30 miles from Belfast at 1 April in each year since 1995. [30862]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Information in the form requested is readily available only in respect of non-industrial Northern Ireland Civil Servants at 1 September each year and is as follows:
| Number located more than 30 miles from Belfast | Percentage of NICS total | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1995 | 4,994 | 21 |
| 1 September 1996 | 4,595 | 20 |
| 1 September 1997 | 4,485 | 19 |
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