| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
UNMIK
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the contributions made by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) the European Union to the manning and resources of UNMIK. [112905]
Mr. Vaz: The UK and its EU partners continue to make a major contribution to the international effort in Kosovo. The main elements of the UK's bilateral contribution include:
The EU Task Force (which has been strengthened to become the EU Reconstruction Agency) is responsible for the delivery of EU assistance. Since starting work in July 1999, it has disbursed over 52 million euros.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress that UNMIK has made in (a) the establishment and consolidation of its authority, (b) the creation of interim UNMIK-managed structures, (c) setting up the administration of social services and utilities and (d) the consolidation of the rule of law in Kosovo. [112093]
Mr. Vaz:
I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 2 March 2000, Official Report, column 400W.
2 Mar 2000 : Column: 402W
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from Hungary concerning ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina. [112107]
Mr. Vaz:
We have not received any recent official representations from Hungary concerning ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina. We are aware of Hungarian concerns about the situation in Serbia and we share the view that the promotion of democratic change in FRY/Serbia will be the best way of helping minorities within that country.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government are giving to those countries affected by the cyanide contamination of the Danube. [111972]
Mr. Vaz:
We have followed with concern reports of the pollution in the Danube caused by a serious spill of cyanide-contaminated water from a gold mine in Western Romania. There is no UK involvement in this disaster nor have we provided any assistance directly to those countries affected. We support the EU initiative in calling for an investigation into the causes of this pollution. We also support the EU principle that the polluter should pay.
The European Commission has confirmed that it will provide some practical assistance. The EU Commissioner for the environment, Margot Wallstroem, visited the region in February to assess the damage and what help might be offered. The EU is to set up a working committee of international experts and is ready to send experts to the region to help if necessary. No decision has yet been taken on financial assistance.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has received from (a) commercial, (b) charitable and (c) community organisations and from (d) foreign Governments regarding the cancellation of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress and the collapse of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd. [112720]
Mr. Hain:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received no representations regarding the cancellation of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress and the collapse of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the review of regional service centres for the Intervention Board Executive Agency began; how much it has cost; when he expects it to report; and if he will list all the present sites of the Intervention Board Executive Agency with the whole-time equivalent staff numbers employed at each site. [111351]
2 Mar 2000 : Column: 403W
Ms Quin
[holding answer 22 February 2000]: My right hon. Friend the Minister commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to review the administration of payments under the CAP subsidy schemes. The review, which began last September, covered the payments made through MAFF's nine Regional Service Centres (RSCs) and through the Intervention Board Executive Agency (IBEA). PwC submitted their report at the end of January and my right hon. Friend is now considering their recommendation that the payment functions of MAFF and IBEA should be merged. Any significant reorganisation of MAFF's RSCs and IBEA will require new funding, and the case for this will be considered in the context of the Spending Review 2000.
60 officers for the international police presence, a contribution we are now going to double;
40 police officers training the future Kosovo Police Service;
30 civilian secondees working on human rights/rule of law, democratisation, media development, elections and administration;
DFID has 50 staff working on the ground in Kosovo.
UK pays 6.25 per cent. of UNMIK assessed contributions. Our contribution for June 1999-June 2000 is £15.7 million. We pledged $13 million in the second half of 1999 on activities in support of UNMIK:
$4.8 million for upgrading Pristina airport.
$1 million for salary costs for utility workers.
$1 million on prisons and the use of an Emergency Engineering Unit to help repair prison facilities.
$3 million for activities related to the transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army and $1 million for socially valuable projects to be carried out by the Kosovo Protection Corps.
$2.9 million on other support including the UN Mine Action and Co-ordination Centre, the provision of a health management team for Pristina Hospital and providing experts to the UNMIK Civil Administration pillar.
In November 1999, we pledged a further $10 million in budgetary support to UNMIK.
A UK Scenes of Crime team (up to 20 personnel) carried out forensic investigations in Kosovo last year. Work will be resumed in the spring.
EU has agreed to provide 360 meuro to Kosovo in 2000 most of it for reconstruction and in budgetary support to UNMIK, with around 50 meuro in humanitarian aid. The EU is providing emergency budget support to UNMIK through accelerated procedures.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Reading | 1,002 |
| Newcastle | (30)293 |
| Bristol | 22 |
| Harrogate | 12 |
| Wolverhampton | 17 |
| Cambridge | 9 |
| Total | (30)1,355 |
(30) Includes 15 control staff
BSE
Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the underspend in the Treasury's budget for BSE-related expenditures. [111707]
Ms Quin: There is currently no underspend in this Department's budget for BSE-related expenditure.
NORTHERN IRELAND
H-blocks
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what savings arose as each of the H-blocks in the Maze Prison was emptied of prisoners. [102160]
Mr. Ingram: In 1998-99, there was a reduction of £0.33 million in the budget operating costs for which HMP Maze was directly responsible. Currently operating costs are £1.10 million less than the 1998-99 budget.
In addition, there was a 26 per cent. reduction in staffing at the prison between June 1998 and September 1999.
Mrs. Rosemary Nelson
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions the issue of the
2 Mar 2000 : Column: 404W
personal security of Mrs. Rosemary Nelson was raised in meetings between the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and officials of the Northern Ireland Office and the Prime Minister's Office. [103817]
Mr. Ingram:
The Government's long-standing policy is that they discuss security with the individual concerned and not with third parties. The Committee on the Administration of Justice, who wrote on behalf of Rosemary Nelson on 10 August 1999 were informed of this and were given details of how Rosemary Nelson might apply to the Northern Ireland Office's Key Person's Protection Scheme. She did not do so. Additionally, where the police have intelligence of a specific threat, which they did not in this case, they will notify the individual concerned and offer advice on security.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the recorded number of incidents of violence caused by paramilitary groups during 1999; and if he will make a statement. [111428]
Mr. Ingram:
The following tables show the security related incidents in Northern Ireland for the period 1 January to 31 December 1999.
| Number of incidents | |
|---|---|
| Shooting | 125 |
| Bombing | (31)100 |
(31) Excludes incidents involving incendiaries, petrol bombs or hoax bombs
| By Loyalist | By Republican | |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 3 | 4 |
| Shootings | 47 | 26 |
| Assaults | 90 | 44 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |