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British Nuclear Fuels plc
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of British Nuclear Fuels plc are employed by, or attached to, the British Embassy in the United States. [86959]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: No employees of British Nuclear Fuels plc are employed by, or attached to, the British Embassy in Washington.
Iran (Human Rights)
Mr. Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Iran concerning the arrest of thirteen rabbis, teachers and other members of the Jewish community of Shiraz. [87126]
Mr. Hoon:
We and our EU partners are concerned at reports of the arrest of 13 Iranian Jews. We have made our concerns known to the Iranian authorities and have stressed that we expect the detainees to be treated fairly
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under Iranian law. We and our EU partners will continue to watch developments closely and will take further action if necessary.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make improved relations with Iran dependent on the release of the group of thirteen Jews from Shiraz arrested by the Iranian Government. [87133]
Mr. Hoon:
We and our EU partners regularly raise human rights issues with the Iranian authorities. We have made our concerns about the recent arrest of 13 Iranian Jews known to the Iranian government and sought assurances that they will be treated fairly under Iranian law. We will continue to use our improved relationship with Iran to press for improvements in Iranian policies, on human rights and other issues, which cause us concern.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the actions he has taken since March to secure the release of the group of thirteen Jews from Shiraz who have been arrested. [87127]
Mr. Hoon:
We first heard some weeks ago that a number of Jews had been detained without charge in Iran. We have been in regular contact with the Agudas Israel Organisation, both here in the UK and in the US through our mission in New York, and with other agencies involved. The more reliable accounts now agree that 13 people have been detained. Last week it became apparent, first through media reports from Iran and then officially, that they had been accused of espionage.
Before this news broke on 7 June, the German EU Presidency on a visit to Tehran on 20 May had already expressed the concern of EU member states at these detentions. This was followed up with an EU demarche on 16 June. We have also told the Iranians of our concern bilaterally and pressed for the detainees to be treated fairly under Iranian law, as have many of our EU partners. We and our EU partners continue to monitor the situation, and will take further action as necessary.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of human rights abuses in Iran. [87131]
Mr. Hoon:
We and our EU partners continue to have serious concerns over certain human rights issues in Iran. We continue to raise these concerns with the Iranian authorities both bilaterally and multilaterally.
We remain particularly concerned over the continued use of torture and the lack of transparency in the judicial system; both are at odds with the stated aim of the Iranian government to establish a civil society based upon the rule of law. We shall continue to engage the Iranian authorities on these issues with the intention of securing further improvements.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what commitments he received from the Iranian Government concerning human rights prior to the exchange of ambassadors between the United Kingdom and Iran. [87125]
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Mr. Hoon:
The exchange of ambassadors with Iran was agreed in principle during my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Dr. Kharrazi, at the United Nations on 24 September last year, when Dr. Kharrazi gave important assurances that the Iranian government would take no action to threaten the life of Mr. Salman Rushdie, or encourage or assist anyone else to do so.
We and our EU partners remain concerned over certain human rights policies in Iran. We shall continue to raise these concerns with the Iranian authorities.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the women's organisations which have been consulted over proposed legislation by his Department during this session; and if their responses have been published. [87188]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The FCO has not introduced any new legislation during this session.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a list of the European Community's working groups, stating in each case the number of times each group has met, the nature of the UK delegation, the documents submitted to the Council and the working group's purpose. [86761]
Ms Quin:
A full list of European Community's working groups will be placed in the Library once it has been received from the Council Secretariat.
There is no centrally held record of the number of times that working groups have met. The UK is usually represented in working groups by officials from the relevant government department or the UK's Permanent Representation.
Working groups make reports and recommendations on legislative proposals from the Commission. These are then passed to the Council of Ministers for a final decision. The working group reports are not normally published, but the legislation, once enacted, is published in the Official Journal and is also available on the CELEX database.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will deposit in the Library a copy of the draft Stability Pact for South-East Europe. [86721]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
A copy of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe is being placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to review the guidance given to British families when visiting the USA, relating to the supervision of children. [86679]
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Mr. Hoon:
FCO Travel Advice warns British nationals of the risks to their personal safety when travelling overseas. The situation in each country is monitored closely and the advice revised when necessary. However, FCO Travel Advice is not intended to reflect all the laws and customs of a country and travellers should not rely exclusively upon it.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list the previous chairmen of the British Council and their salaries since 1969; [87264]
Mr. Hoon:
The position of the chair of the British Council has never been salaried, though an honorarium has been paid in the past. The honorariums paid to the last Chairman, Sir Martin Jacomb, have been declared in the British Council's annual report and accounts since 1995-96 and amounted to:
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid by his Department to each of the health trusts in which MDHUs operate for the treatment of military personnel in each of the last three years. [80572]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[pursuant to his reply, 23 April 1999, c. 718-19]: In respect of the amounts paid to health trusts for the treatment of military personnel, I regret that some of the information given was incorrect. For the year 1997-98 the amount my Department paid to Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust (Derriford) was £1.558 million not £1.381 million.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total number of departmental personnel treated at NHS hospitals; how many operations were carried out on them; and what was the cost to his Department in each of the last five years. [65780]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[pursuant to his reply, 4 February 1999, c. 732]: In respect of the cost of treating departmental personnel at NHS hospitals, I regret that some of the information given was incorrect. Treatment costs for 1996-97 were £10.304 million not £12.050 million, and for 1997-98 treatment costs were £9.297 million not £8.622 million.
(2) what salary has been agreed for the current chairman of the British Council. [87265]
1997-98: £10,850
1996-97: £10,560
1995-96: £10,250
I understand that an honorarium for the current chair is under discussion, but not yet agreed.
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