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Less-favoured Areas
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will consult with the agricultural industry on the options available to the Government in relation to the future of less-favoured areas under Agenda 2000. [97811]
Ms Quin: We issued a consultation paper, setting out proposals for England, on 5 November. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and the document may be found on the internet at http://www.maff.gov.uk/farm/agendatwo/agendatwo.htm.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Ministers in his Department met members and officials of the United States Government between 1 May 1997 and 31 December 1997; and if he will list the (a) dates, (b) locations, (c) Ministers involved and (d) names of the US members and officials at each meeting. [93947]
Mr. Robin Cook:
Foreign Office Ministers have frequent contact with members of the US Administration in the United States, in the UK and elsewhere overseas. Between 1 May 1997 and 31 December 1997, the FCO Ministers listed have visited the United States and have had bilateral meetings with their approximate US counterparts as follows:
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| Dates | Location | Minister | US counterpart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-19 May | Washington | Foreign Secretary | William Cohen, Secretary of Defense |
| Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State | |||
| Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State | |||
| Sandy Berger, Deputy National Security Adviser | |||
| 21-22 July | Washington | Mr. Lloyd | John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary for Human Rights, State Department |
| Ted McNamara, Assistant Secretary for Pol-Mil Affairs, State Department | |||
| Tom Pickering, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, State Department | |||
| John Kornblum, Assistant Secretary for European Affairs, State Department | |||
| Mac McLarty, Special Envoy to the President for the Americas | |||
| Tim Wirth, Under Secretary for Global Affairs, State Department | |||
| John Holum, Director for Arms Control and Disarmament Agency | |||
| 25-16 November | Washington | Mr. Fatchett | Martin Indyk, Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, State Department |
| Dennis Ross, Special Mid East Envoy, State Department |
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I also met Mrs. Albright on a number of other occasions in the UK and in the margins of international meetings, and received her as my guest at Chevening on 27 December. I also had bilateral meetings with Mrs. Albright during the G8 Summit in Denver in June 1997 and at the UN General Assembly in New York in September 1997.Unfortunately, the information the hon. Member requires on meetings which have taken place in the UK and third countries is not held centrally, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times
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Ministers in his Department have met members and officials of the US Government since 2 March; and if he will list the (a) dates, (b) locations, (c) Ministers involved and (d) names of the US members and officials at each meeting. [93946]
Mr. Robin Cook:
Foreign Office Ministers have frequent contact with members of the US Administration in the United States, in the UK and elsewhere overseas. Since 2 March, the FCO Ministers listed have visited the United States and have had bilateral meetings with their approximate US counterparts as follows:
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I also met Mrs. Albright on a number of other occasions in the UK and in the margins of other international meetings, including the UN General Assembly in New York in September and receiving her as my guest at Chevening on 6 March.
Unfortunately, the information the hon. Member requires on meetings which have taken place in the UK and third countries is not held centrally, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the titles of the in-house publications and newsletters which were produced for the staff of his Department, excluding non-departmental public bodies and agencies, in the last five years, specifying the dates on which each title was first produced, the frequency with which each title is produced and the current secrecy classification of each title. [93842]
Mr. Hain:
I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department is taking to advance a more comprehensive ban on mines in international law. [94643]
Mr. Vaz:
I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
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Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list EC legislation in progress since 1 May 1997 based on Article 235 of the Treaty of Rome as amended; and what is his policy towards use of this article as a basis for legislation. [95542]
Mr. Vaz:
I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the purpose of the establishment of the Foreign Policy Centre; and what criteria will be applied to judge its success annually. [97146]
Mr. Robin Cook:
The Foreign Policy Centre is independent of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has received no money from the Department. The purpose of its establishment and the criteria for judging its success are matters for the Foreign Policy Centre.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy on the establishment of a college of diplomacy of the European Union. [97524]
Mr. Hain:
There is no proposal from the UK or other EU member states to create a European Union College of Diplomacy. We continue to co-operate with our EU
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partners in the provision of joint training programmes where such training will give our officials the skills and knowledge to promote British national interests in the European Union. These programmes are in addition to our own national programmes.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what has been the cost of training, provided under the ASSIST programme, (a) in total and (b) to China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Croatia, Russia and Turkey; [97511]
(3) what has been the content of ASSIST training courses provided to personnel from (a) China, (b) Malaysia, (c) Pakistan, (d) Nigeria, (e) Croatia, (f) Russia and (g) Turkey; [97514]
(4) which NGOs have been involved in compiling ASSIST training courses for (a) China, (b) Malaysia, (c) Pakistan, (d) Nigeria, (e) Croatia, (f) Russia and (g) Turkey. [97513]
Mr. Vaz:
The content of ASSIST training programmes provided to personnel from (a) China, (b) Malaysia, (c) Pakistan, (d) Nigeria, (e) Croatia, (f) Russia and (g) Turkey has been:
(2) how many personnel have benefited from training, provided under the ASSIST programme, (a) in total and (b) from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Croatia, Russia and Turkey; [97512]
Training for senior police offices both in the United Kingdom and in-country to increase understanding of the political, social and economic context of policing;
In-country training for policemen on the rights of women and children and prevention of child trafficking;
Courses for military officers in early, middle and late career aimed at improving awareness of the operation of the armed forces in a democracy; the teaching of defence and international affairs set firmly within the context of democratic and constitutional principles, including the rule of law;
Technical courses designed to enhance the capacity of armed forces to participate in peacekeeping operations;
Training for military academy lecturers in the management of armed forces in a democracy;
Workshops on Conscientious Objection, and providing guest speakers for conferences on the military and democracy.
NGOs which have been involved in compiling ASSIST training courses for these countries (at a-g) are: Save the Children Fund, UNAIDS, Barry and Martin Trust, The Centre for Peacekeeping and Community Development, The Movement Against Violence.
The total cost of training provided under the ASSIST programme is £12,866,807. And to China £76,064; Malaysia £278,750; Pakistan £389,945; Nigeria £4,000; Croatia £38,696; Russia £95,386; Turkey £53,917.
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