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Departmental Vehicles
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of vehicles used by his Department and its agencies fuelled by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) liquid petroleum gas; and what plans he has to increase the rate of conversion of those vehicles to liquid petroleum gas. [98206]
Mr. Battle: The information is as follows:
| Fuel type | Number of vehicles fuelled |
|---|---|
| Petrol | 514 |
| Diesel | 347 |
| Unknown | 374 |
| Total | 1,235 |
Detailed information about the fuel types to be chosen for replacement vehicles to be purchased at FCO Posts overseas is not known. In each case this will depend on the type of vehicle required, and the availability of fuel types at the time of purchase.
The choice of the best fuel type for each new vehicle is decided by each Post, based on any local legislation, the type of vehicle required and what fuel types are available locally. (Not all countries are able to offer unleaded petrol and supplies of either petrol or diesel can in some places be contaminated, of poor quality, or subject to irregular supply).
| Fuel type | ||
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | Diesel | |
| Cars | 10 | 5 |
| Vans | 2 | 24 |
| Lorries | -- | 6 |
LPG vehicles are currently being evaluated. One vehicle will be introduced to the London Mail Van fleet in the year 2000.
Departmental Waste
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to set
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targets for the recycling of waste (a) paper, (b) cardboard, (c) glass, (d) metal, (e) plastic and (f) other products created by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [98224]
Mr. Battle:
My Department's approach to waste management is based on the three "R"s, with "Recovery" (i.e. recycling, composting and energy recovery) following "Reduce" and "Re-use" as the preferred options for reducing waste sent to landfill. This should help us achieve the Green Ministers' target for Government Departments of recovering a minimum of 40 per cent. of total office waste, with at least 25 per cent. of that recovery coming from recycling or composting, in 2000-01, as published in "Greening Government: First Annual Report of the Green Ministers Committee 1998-99". We are currently undergoing an environmental audit which will set baselines against which individual recycling targets may be set. Our associate bodies will be setting their own targets to help us achieve the corporate target.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the timing of the release of funds allocated by international institutions for stability and reconstruction work in Kosovo in respect of their effectiveness; and if he will make a statement. [98097]
Mr. Vaz:
We have been working in the EU and with other international organisations to ensure assistance is delivered to those in need in Kosovo. A programme for Reconstruction and Recovery in Kosovo will be discussed at the second international donors meeting on Kosovo, on 17 November. We shall continue to work to ensure that funds are released in an appropriate and timely way.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for continued operation of power stations in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [98098]
Mr. Vaz:
British Trade International assess the overall power situation in Kosovo at present as poor, with frequent power outages. The main reason for this is because the two power stations are old and have been inadequately maintained for many years. There has been no war damage to either power station. A British management team, jointly funded by the EU Task Force and British Trade International, is currently working with the EU Task Force, UNMIK and the Kosovo Electric Company to manage the situation.
The period between now and the end of November, when we expect one of the power stations to become operational again following essential maintenance, may well prove difficult. There have also been difficulties maintaining a regular supply of consumables, funded by the EU Task Force, required to keep the power stations operating. However, DfID and British Trade International are now both providing funds for the hire of bulldozers until new machines funded by the Dutch Ministry of Development arrive. This will ensure that the coal supply to the power stations can be maintained.
Danish and Norwegian programmes are repairing the high voltage transmissions systems and the ability to import what power is available from neighbouring grid systems should be improved by the end of December.
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DfID is working on the low voltage distribution system to ensure that essential services are maintained through the winter period. Our infrastructure engineering unit staff are heavily involved in co-ordination of the power sector to ensure that donor work is complementary.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the number of revenge attacks on (a) gypsies and (b) Jews in Kosovo since September. [98268]
Mr. Vaz:
I will write to my hon. Friend shortly.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the FBI about the number of bodies found in mass graves in Kosovo. [98263]
Mr. Vaz:
The FCO has not received any reports on this subject from the FBI. National forensic teams who have been working in Kosovo are submitting their reports to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on attacks by ethnic Albanians on Serbs who have stayed in Kosovo; [98265]
(3) how many villagers from Ulastica are under arrest; and for what alleged crimes. [98267]
Mr. Vaz:
I will write to my hon. Friend shortly.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the UK rejected the Iraqi appeal to halt patrols over the no-fly zone on the day of the solar eclipse on 11 August. [98277]
Mr. Hain:
We remain fully committed to patrolling the no-fly zones set up to limit Baghdad's repression of the Iraqi population. We are not prepared to leave innocent civilians exposed to attacks by the Iraqi air force. Our patrolling poses no threat to those on the ground. Only when Iraqi forces try to shoot down our aircraft are we forced to respond in self-defence. Civilian facilities would, of course, never be targeted.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the terms of reference of the Stability Pact in relation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; what objectives it is designed to achieve; how it is organised; where is the Secretariat; and who are its signatories. [98264]
Mr. Vaz:
The Stability Pact for South-East Europe aims to promote peace, stability and democracy in the region. The Pact brings together the countries of the region, the EU, the USA, Russia, a range of other countries, many international organisations and
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International Financial Institutions. The participating countries to the Pact adopted the founding document in Cologne on 10 June 1999. It has been stressed at all Stability Pact meetings that there is a role for the FRY when conditions permit. Meanwhile, Montenegro is fully involved in the Pact's work.
The Office of the Special Co-ordinator for the Pact is in Brussels. The Special Co-ordinator Chairs the Regional Table of the Pact. This acts as a steering board and facilitates co-ordination and information exchange between the Pact's three Working Tables. The three Working Tables deal with Democracy/Human Rights, Economic Reconstruction/Development/Co-operation, and Security Issues and meet every 3-4 months. Between these meetings work is taken forward through subject-specific Task Forces.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the barriers to (a) UK and (b) EU investment and trade with the Ukraine; what (i) formal meetings and (ii) programmes and initiatives have been introduced to overcome such barriers; and if he will make a statement. [98005]
Mr. Vaz:
I will write to my hon. Friend shortly.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions since May 1997 the British Ambassador to Ukraine held formal meetings with (a) the President, (b) the Prime Minister and (c) other ministers in Ukraine's Government; and on what occasions Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK has had meetings with Government ministers. [98006]
Mr. Vaz:
The British Ambassador in Kiev has had two formal meetings with the Ukrainian President and 20 formal meetings with Ukrainian Ministers since taking up his post in May 1999. He has not had a formal meeting with the Prime Minister. There is no comprehensive record of the meetings which the previous Ambassador had with the President, Prime Minister and Minsters.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom has had a number of formal meetings with United Kingdom Government Ministers since May 1997, including five meetings with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers this year:
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) staffing levels and (b) budget spent by the British Council in Ukraine in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [98002]
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Mr. Hain:
The staffing levels in Ukraine in each of the past five years was as follows:
(2) if he will make a statement on UN reaction to the grenade attack on Sunday 7 November on the Serb village of Pasjane; [98266]
Baroness Symons (10 February), Ms Quin (14 June), Mr. Lloyd (29 June), Mr. Hain (16 September) and Mr. Hoon (21 September).
The Ambassador was also present when the Ukrainian Foreign Minister called on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 1 February 1999 and on 20 March. The Ambassador has had two meetings with Ministry of Defence Ministers this year:
Lord Gilbert (23 March) and Mr. Spellar (6 September).
Comprehensive information on the Ukrainian Ambassador's meetings is not held centrally. To provide a full answer to this question would incur disproportionate cost.
| Year | Number of staff |
|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 44.5 |
| 1996-97 | 45 |
| 1997-98 | 51 |
| 1998-99 | 51 |
| 1999-2000 | 60 |
The amount of the grant-in-aid spent by the Council in Ukraine during this period was:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 1.0 |
| 1996-97 | 1.0 |
| 1997-98 | 1.0 |
| 1998-99 | 1.1 |
| 1999-2000 | 1.0 |
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 0.1 |
| 1996-97 | 0.1 |
| 1997-98 | 0.8 |
| 1998-99 | 0.5 |
| 1999-2000 | 0.7 |
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