| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Disciplinary Actions
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the instances
23 Feb 1999 : Column: 261
from 1 May 1997 to date where his Department has taken disciplinary actions against employees and the reasons for those actions. [71831]
Mr. Fatchett:
Forty-four employees have been disciplined since 1 May 1997. Questions of staff discipline are matters of confidence between employer and employee. It would be wrong to breach confidence by giving further details.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has investigated the delay in providing Mr. Penfold with secure communications equipment after his move to Conakry; and what factors underlay the delay. [71815]
Mr. Fatchett:
Mr. Penfold arrived in Conakry on 5 June 1997. He discussed his communications needs with the FCO on 11 June. Equipment enabling him to send and receive material marked "restricted" was sent to Conakry on 26 June 1997, arriving on 7 July. For security reasons, the equipment needed to be housed in a protective steel cabinet. The slight delay arose from the need to assemble the various components (some of which had been returned for repair from other posts) and test them before dispatch.
Mr. Penfold has said that staff in Conakry at that time, after consulting him decided not to use the equipment as it was too large for the hotel room. Mr. Penfold and his staff continued to use the commercial facilities available in the hotel.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms exist within his Department to ensure ministers are properly briefed for parliamentary debates. [71832]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Revised Guidance covering the need to brief Ministers fully was circulated to all FCO Departments in July 1998.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that UN arms embargoes will be agreed to by the UK only if he determines the authorising resolution to be clear and unambiguous. [71822]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The United Kingdom works actively in the Security Council to ensure that resolutions relating to arms embargoes are clear and unambiguous.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy of providing secure communications equipment to diplomatic missions forced to relocate through war or natural disasters. [71814]
Mr. Fatchett:
We are considering our response to the Recommendations of the Foreign Affairs Committee contained in their Second Report HC116. This includes the recommendation that all appropriate steps are taken to ensure that overseas posts are fully and properly supported in future if obliged to move temporarily from
23 Feb 1999 : Column: 262
their normal office premises. The Government will address this in the formal Response that they will be submitting to Parliament.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his officials working in the United Kingdom have worked more than (a) 50 hours, (b) 60 hours, (c) 70 hours and, (d) 80 hours in any one working week since 1 May 1997. [71835]
Mr. Fatchett:
The Department does not have this information.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish his Department's guidelines for co-operating with select committees. [71821]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office follows the guidance on Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees circulated by the Cabinet Office in January 1997. Copies are in the Libraries of the House.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the impact on employment levels in his Department of compliance with the Working Time Directive. [71816]
Mr. Fatchett:
The Department will study the operational impact of the Directive and of the Working Time Regulations 1998 once their effect on working patterns becomes clear.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish his Department's rules on contacts with military companies (a) as they were at 1 January 1998 and (b) as amended in line with his press release of 9 February 1999. [71837]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Prior to 24 July 1998, there were no general requirements for Foreign Office officials to record contacts with private military companies. The guidelines introduced on 24 July were intended for internal use only pending preparation of more detailed guidance in consultation with other Government Departments.
We intend to make this revised guidance available to Parliament and to companies or individuals who request it.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of his discussion with the Indonesian Government on issues of the human rights in (a) East Timor and (b) Indonesia. [72232]
Mr. Fatchett
[holding answer 22 February 1999]: During my visits to Jakarta last year I stressed our commitment to the process of political reform and support for the changes that have taken place in Indonesia since
23 Feb 1999 : Column: 263
May 1998. There have also been other positive developments (progress in the negotiations over East Timor, political prisoner releases, trade union reform and greater freedom of expression), but we remain concerned about the overall human rights situation in Indonesia and East Timor. Last October we arranged a Human Rights Workshop in Jakarta, whose participants included Indonesian Ministers, members of the armed forces, NGOs, academics and human rights activists. We continue to work for practical progress. We are looking at ways in which we can further assist democratic change in Indonesia.
Mr. Ruffley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the services that KPMG have performed for his Department (a) since 1 May 1997 and (b) in the corresponding period prior to 1 May 1997, indicating the remuneration made in each case. [72008]
Mr. Fatchett
[holding answer 22 February 1999]: KPMG provided the FCO with the following Consultancy Services in July 1996:
No Consultancy Services have been provided since 1 May 1997.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical measures he proposes to support the electoral process in Nigeria. [72897]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We fully support the democratic process in Nigeria. The FCO and DfID have spent around £900,000 on projects to support the electoral process.
The FCO have funded a BBC World Service project on responsible journalism and voter education. We are working with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy to provide training for the new political parties and politicians. We have helped pay the cost of freighting ballot papers to Nigeria.
We have funded a Commonwealth team which has provided training to electoral officials. With the UN and EU, we are providing observers to the National Assembly and Presidential elections on 20 and 27 February.
DfID involvement has covered a wide number of projects. These include: a Commonwealth Local Government Forum observer mission; training for up to 1,200 local election monitors; a seminar to discuss the draft constitution; and the production of a manual for polling officials.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the human rights advances which have followed the introduction of his policy of constructive engagement with the Chinese Government. [72242]
23 Feb 1999 : Column: 264
Mr. Fatchett:
Since the UK/China human rights dialogue was established in September 1997, and the EU/China human rights dialogue resumed in October 1997, China has taken several positive steps. These include signature of two international covenants and agreement to report to the UN under those covenants in respect of Hong Kong. It has received visits by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, as well as allowing a visit to Tibet by EU Troika Ambassadors. It has also extended an invitation to visit to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. We have been able to discuss issues of serious concern including the death penalty, religion, Tibet and individual cases. China has begun to collaborate with the UK and EU on human rights cooperation programmes, which include projects in the areas of Civil and Political as well as Economic and Social rights, and has hosted two EU/China legal affairs seminars and a seminar on the rights of women.
(i) A study on pension compensation for DS spouses. Total remuneration paid £37,600;
(ii) FCO Pay and Grading Review, Review of Specialist Salaries. Total remuneration paid £8,225.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |