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Civil Service Pay Awards
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the senior civil service, in his Department for 1998-99; and to what extent the pay awards were staged. [69516]
Mr. Fatchett: The headline pay settlement was 2 per cent. on the paybill and, together with additional funds from staff turnover, staff in post received performance-related increases averaging 4 per cent. The increases were not staged.
General Pinochet
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the Metropolitan Police contacted his Department concerning their communications with the 5th Central Magistrate's Court in Madrid on 14 October. [70294]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: The Metropolitan Police informed the FCO that they had received, via Interpol, a request from the 5th Central Magistrate's Court in Madrid to interview Senator Pinochet.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (i) nature and (ii) frequency of the contacts made by the Metropolitan Police with his Department, between the time when the police were contacted on 14 October by the 5th Central Magistrate's Court in Madrid and the issuing of an arrest warrant for General Pinochet. [70288]
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
This Department does not keep a comprehensive record of telephone calls made by officials. Until the inquiry concerning Senator Pinochet's entitlement to diplomatic immunity on the afternoon of 16 October, contacts between the Metropolitan Police and the FCO concerned only the request from the 5th Central Magistrate's Court in Madrid to interview Senator Pinochet, received on 14 October. All such contacts were by telephone.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the nature of his Department's investigations into the well-being or otherwise of General Pinochet following the incorrect news reports of the general's death in early October. [70286]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
On 9 October, our Embassy in Santiago sought clarification from the FCO about inquiries from the press in Chile about reports that Senator Pinochet had died in hospital in London. FCO officials contacted the Chilean Embassy who confirmed that the reports were untrue and that Senator Pinochet was recovering from surgery in a London hospital.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance was provided by his Department towards the travel arrangements for Senator Pinochet's planned return to Chile in late 1998. [70293]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Windsor (Mr. Trend) on 25 January 1999, Official Report, column 149.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will deposit in the Library those sections of the four reports from the British Embassy in Madrid to his Department which deal with the investigations by Judge Garzon. [70291]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean) on 2 February 1999, Official Report, columns 597-98.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the diplomatic protests from the Chilean authorities following the arrest of General Pinochet made reference to promises from Her Majesty's Government to assist in the travel arrangements for Senator Pinochet's return to Chile. [70292]
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
No such promises were made. Following Senator Pinochet's arrest on 16 October, the FCO received two Notes from the Government of Chile (on 17 and 23 October). Neither of these refers to promises from HMG to assist in the Senator's travel arrangements.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Malaysia since 2 October 1998 about human rights and the application of the rule of law. [70244]
Mr. Fatchett:
We take all appropriate opportunities to raise such issues with the Malaysian authorities. Most recently, we have expressed concern about a number of aspects of the trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and related developments. Our High Commission have attended the trial regularly and fully associate themselves with the statements issued by the European Union on 2 October and 27 November.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the activities of Arab militias in Southern Sudan. [69037]
Mr. Fatchett:
Military activity in Southern Sudan continues to be a cause for concern.
We have not recently received any representations on this specific issue but we continue to urge all sides to work towards a peaceful settlement to the ongoing civil war.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current status of the arms embargo on Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [69043]
Mr. Fatchett:
We fully support and comply with the EU arms embargo which was implemented in 1994. The embargo was introduced as a result of the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the lack of any movement towards a peaceful settlement to the conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
We expect the embargo to remain in place until the conflict has been resolved.