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Mink Farming
Mr. Heppell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food during what hours Ministry officials were in attendance for the transport of mink on 22 December 1998 from Ponteland to Devon; and what charges were levied for their attendance. [68145]
Mr. Morley:
Officials attended the mink at Ponteland on 21 December from 9.45 am to 11.00 am and from 12.30 pm up till their departure at 1.45 pm the same day. Officials also met the mink on arrival at the premises
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of destination at 11.55 pm, inspecting them for about 45 minutes. A further inspection was carried out at 1 pm the following afternoon (22 December). The work is not chargeable. Under the arrangements for licensing mink farms, the premises of destination are regarded as being in Cornwall.
Mr. Heppell:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how long the mink transported on 22 December 1998 from the mink factory farm at Ponteland remained in the lorry which transported them. [68144]
Mr. Morley:
The journey was on 21 December. The time from loading the first mink at Ponteland to unloading the last animal at the premises of destination was 19 hours. The animals had access to water in each compartment and food was also carried in case of delay.
Iraq
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources have been allocated by Her Majesty's Government to opposition groups in Iraq. [68818]
Mr. Fatchett: We have given humanitarian assistance to Kurdish groups in northern Iraq and Shia groups in southern Iraq.
Indonesia
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many licences for the export of armaments to Indonesia have been agreed for each of the last five years. [68638]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 3 February 1999]: I have been asked to reply.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, South (Mr. Simpson) on 9 February 1999, Official Report, column 202.
Cossacks (Repatriation)
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on public access to Public Record Office files relating to repatriation of Cossacks at the end of the Second World War. [69710]
Ms Quin: All FCO files more than 30 years old relating to repatriation of Cossacks are available for access at the Public Record Office.
Public Consultations
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to each of the Government's public consultations. [69778]
Mr. Fatchett:
The FCO does not as a matter of course collate and assess responses to the Government's public consultations. To do so in order to reply to this question would involve disproportionate costs.
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Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to raise concerns about the situation of (a) the Karen and (b) other ethnic groups in Burma at the forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Commission. [69809]
Mr. Fatchett:
The UK, with EU Partners, will work for a tough resolution on Burma at the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, to highlight the abuse of ethnic minorities, including the Karen and press the military regime to stop violating human rights.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department is taking to encourage the Association of South East Asian nations to expel Burma from its membership. [69810]
Mr. Fatchett:
ASEAN members are fully aware of our deep concern about the appalling human rights and political situation in Burma. We encourage them to use their influence on Burma.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he is taking to encourage the Thai Government (a) to permit the entry of refugees from Burma and (b) not to repatriate such refugees forcibly. [69808]
Mr. Fatchett:
Our Embassy in Bangkok is in close touch with the Thai authorities, who are aware of our concerns about Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burma border. We welcome the agreement reached with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees which includes arrangements for admissions into refugee camps. The Thai authorities assure us that no refugees have been forcibly repatriated.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times his Department's premises have been searched by HM Customs and Excise officers in connection with their investigations in the last five years. [69814]
Mr. Fatchett:
HM Customs and Excise have never used their statutory powers to search FCO premises. There have been occasions during the course of HMCE investigations when they have examined FCO documents with the consent of the Department. But no central record of such examinations has been maintained either by HMCE or the FCO.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 26 January 1999, Official Report, columns 214-15, on arms embargoes, when each of (a) the listed UN resolutions and (b) the implementing Orders in Council were first circulated to the relevant British ambassadors. [69815]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The UK Mission in New York transmits the texts of United Nations Resolutions on adoption to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and relevant overseas posts.
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As stated in my reply of 26 January, it was not normal practice prior to July 1998 to circulate details of the Orders in Council to the relevant High Commissions or Embassies.
Audrey Wise:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions he has taken in pursuance of the implementation of the United Nation resolution relating to Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara, with particular reference to the provision for a referendum of the Saharawi people. [69897]
Mr. Fatchett:
We fully support the United Nations' policy of holding a free and fair referendum in the Western Sahara. We are working to this end with our EU partners, within the Security Council and at the Friends of the Western Sahara Group in the UN. We urge the co-operation of all the parties involved with the UN Secretary-General's present initiative. We also regularly raise the Western Sahara in bilateral meetings, emphasising the need for achieving a just and lasting solution.
Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings and (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [69972]
(3) which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings, (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards and (d) operate some form of appeal or complaints procedure; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [69983]
(4) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b) the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [69834]
(5) which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b) the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69948]
Mr. Fatchett:
The answer for advisory non- departmental public bodies sponsored by the FCO is shown in the tables.
(2) which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; and which are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner; [69907]
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(13) Only the AGM is an open meeting
(14) Held once a month: the AGM is also open to the public
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(15) Available for public reference in the Commonwealth Resource Centre
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(16) These NDPBs are due to be brought within the Parliamentary Ombudsmans jurisdiction by means of an Order in Council to be laid in February 1999
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