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Acquittals
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what proportion of contested cases triable either way, which were tried in the crown court for each of the last five years where data are available, the defendant was acquitted (a) by the jury after deliberation and (b) on the direction of the judge; [104232]
- (2) in what proportion of contested cases triable either way, which were tried in the magistrates' court for each of the last five years where data are available, the defendant was acquitted. [104231]
Mr. Charles Clarke: No regular statistics are collected on this. However, there is some information available from the baseline data collected by the Home Office in 1998 for the evaluation of the pilot schemes to reduce delay in the criminal justice system. In a sample of contested trials for either-way offences in the six pilot areas, 40 per cent. of defendants were acquitted by the jury and 5 per cent. were acquitted on the direction of the judge in the Crown Court. The acquittal rate in the magistrates court was 32 per cent.
Crime Fighting Fund
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces have applied for funding for recruitment from the Crime Fighting Fund; and what level of funding has been bid for in each case. [104375]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Forty three forces have bid for a total of 8,220 officers over the three year period of the Crime Fighting Fund Recruitment Scheme. The total number of officers bid for exceeds the 5,000 officers for which funding will be available under the scheme. We are currently assessing the bids to determine whether they meet the criteria laid down in the bidding guidelines which were issued to forces and a copy placed in the Library of the House on 2 December 1999.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Peru
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Peruvian Government in support of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commission and encourage the pardoning of innocent prisoners. [104399]
Mr. Battle:
We have made a number of representations to the Peruvian authorities in support of the Ad Hoc Commission on Human Rights. This issue
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was raised in November 1998 with the Peruvian Ambassador to London, when the Ad Hoc Commission's mandate was last up for renewal. More recently, FCO officials discussed this with the Deputy Ombudsman of Peru, Dr. Gino Costa, when he visited the UK in November 1999 on an FCO Sponsored Visit. Since March 1998, we have contributed £141,960 from the FCO's Human Rights Project Fund to assist the Ombudsman's office and the Ad Hoc Commission with their important work. This funding helped to ensure that the Ad Hoc Commission could discharge its responsibilities in an effective manner for the duration of its mandate, which expired on 31 December 1999.
Responsibility for the recommendation of Presidential pardons has been passed on to the National Human Rights Council at the Ministry of Justice. On 25 December 1999, President Fujimori granted pardons to 12 more people imprisoned for alleged terrorism offences. According to the Ombudsman, 48 of the Ad Hoc Commission's recommendations for pardon have yet to be approved. The British Embassy in Lima will continue to work closely with the Ombudsman and provide practical support for its work and research.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the measures taken by the United Arab Emirates authorities to prevent the trafficking in and employment of children under 14 years of age. [104413]
Mr. Hain:
We spoke recently to the UAE authorities about this issue. They assured us that the existing legislation banning jockeys under the age of 15 was being enforced and that offenders would be prosecuted. This should discourage the previous practice of employing underage jockeys brought into the UAE from abroad.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the UAE Government in respect of its compliance with the ban on child jockeys. [104832]
Mr. Hain:
We have recently spoken to the UAE authorities about this issue. They have assured us that they are enforcing the existing legislation banning jockeys under the age of 15 and will prosecute offenders.
Mr. Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international action his Department has taken to combat the drugs trade, with particular reference to drugs from Latin America. [104453]
Mr. Battle:
The FCO co-ordinates the UK's international counter-drugs activities, to reduce the production of Class A drugs and their trafficking to the UK and Europe. During the financial year 1998-99 the FCO spent £5,900,000 on projects in support of these aims. On
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5 January I announced a contribution of £2.286 million towards a range of projects under the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). This consists of:
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage the Sudan to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention. [104464]
Mr. Hain:
Sudan acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on 24 May 1999. It has not yet submitted its declarations as required under the Convention to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Until it does so the OPCW or States Parties is unable to advise or encourage the Sudan on implementation. The UK along with EU partners are seeking clarification of the Sudanese accession statement as submitted to the UN.
Mr. Pollard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit the Kingdom of Morocco. [104430]
Mr. Hain:
I made a productive and rewarding visit to Morocco in December of last year. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has been invited to visit and will take this up when a suitable opportunity arises.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Iran's capability to produce (a) nuclear and (b) chemical and biological weapons. [104880]
Mr. Hain:
In conjunction with other Government Departments, we regularly assess the status of efforts by a number of countries to develop or acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. Such assessments draw heavily on intelligence sources and we are therefore unable to comment further.
Iran is a Non-Nuclear-Weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. We continue to encourage Iran to respect these treaties and to comply fully with its obligations under them.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask Iran officially to recognise Israel. [104879]
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Mr. Hain:
The Foreign Secretary had lengthy discussions with the Iranian Foreign Minister about the situation in the Middle East and the peace process in the course of Dr. Kharrazi's recent visit. We pressed him for Iran to take a more positive position on the peace process. Iranian recognition of Israel does not look likely for the moment.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received that persons executed for criminal offences in Iran are political dissidents. [104780]
Mr. Hain:
We and our EU partners have on a number of occasions reminded the Iranian Government of our opposition to the death penalty, and our concern that it be used with utmost restraint. Our information is that the majority of executions in Iran are for drug-related offences. We and our EU partners have raised with Iran our concern over particular death sentences, notably against members of the Baha'i community and against students involved in the July 1999 demonstrations.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to Iran concerning its attempts to obtain fissile material and technology for weapons development. [104784]
Mr. Hain:
We regularly raise with the Iranians our concerns over reports that Iran has a nuclear weapons programme, most recently during last week's visit to the UK by Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The visit resulted in a Joint Declaration, signed by Dr. Kharrazi and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in which the UK and Iran agreed to continue mutual co-operation to reinforce international efforts aimed at eliminating weapons of mass destruction and reiterated the importance of implementing the international conventions to which both have adhered, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the Iranian Government to grant equal opportunities in education and employment to Baha'i, Christian and Jewish Iranians. [104781]
Mr. Hain:
We and our EU partners regularly raise our concerns over certain Iranian human rights policies with the Iranian authorities. The EU sponsored United Nations General Assembly resolution on human rights in Iran adopted on 18 November featured prominently international concerns about treatment of religious minorities. The Iranian authorities are fully aware that we and our EU partners consider persecution on religious grounds to be unacceptable.
Mr. Gapes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States Government regarding the foreign policy of Iran. [104769]
Mr. Hain:
We and our EU partners regularly discuss policy towards Iran, with the US as well as matters relating to Iranian foreign policy, as I did in Washington last month.
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Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports he has received in the last two years regarding the activities of the Revolutionary Guards in Iran. [104998]
Mr. Hain:
Our Embassy in Tehran provides comprehensive reporting on the full range of public policy and other issues in Iran, including those relating to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of people currently awaiting extradition from Iran to the United Kingdom. [105005]
Mr. Hain:
There is no extradition treaty between the United Kingdom and Iran. We are not aware of anybody facing extradition from Iran to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian Government concerning the (a) financing, (b) equipping, (c) provision of training locations and (d) provision of refuge from extradition to Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad by the Iranian Government. [105004]
Mr. Hain:
Iranian opposition to the Middle East peace process and support for groups that oppose the peace process featured prominently in the discussions between the Foreign Secretary and his Iranian counterpart during his visit from 10-12 January. The Iranian authorities are fully aware of the importance that we and our EU partners attach to the Middle East peace process.
Dr. Vis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to Iran calling for the trial of the 13 Iranian Jews accused of spying to be held in public. [104790]
Mr. Hain:
We and our EU partners have repeatedly stressed to the Iranian authorities the importance we attach to this issue. We have also stressed our belief that those detained should either be released or granted a speedy, fair and open trial. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised this issue with Dr. Kharrazi during his visit from 10-12 January. Dr. Kharrazi said that those detained would receive a fair trial with access to lawyers and their families. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the Iranian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK regarding (a) human rights in Iran, including the human rights of the Jewish community and (b) support for the Middle Eastern peace process; and if he will make a statement. [104905]
Mr. Hain:
Human rights and Iranian attitudes to the Middle East peace process featured prominently in the discussions between the Foreign Secretary and his Iranian counterpart Dr. Kamal Kharrazi during the visit to London on 10-12 January.
£470,000 to strengthen the counter-drugs capabilities of law enforcement agencies in Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia.
£216,000 to support a Law Enforcement Adviser to UNDCP.
£350,000 to a precursor control project and other law enforcement measures in Bolivia.
£350,000 to support an integrated monitoring system of illicit cultivation in Columbia.
£500,000 to protect to monitor coca leaf production in Peru.
£100,000 to phase II of a project to promote the regional co-ordination of drug control activities in the Caribbean.
Up to £300,000 for UNDCP's strategic studies of the Afghanistan opium trade and the annual Afghanistan opium poppy survey.
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