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Chernobyl (Farming Land)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what acreage of farming land has restricted use as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion. [113604]

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Ms Quin [holding answer 8 March 2000]: The total area of farming land still subject to restrictions in England as a result of the Chernobyl accident is approximately 2,650 hectares (6,543 acres).

Biomass (Carbon Dioxide)

Mr. Jack: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate by how much plantings of biomass would have to be increased on an annual basis (a) to save the equivalent of the horticulture industry's current carbon dioxide output and (b) to save the equivalent of two million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, using the same basis for his calculation as that used in page 7/5 of the England Rural Development Plan 2000-06. [113363]

Ms Quin [holding answer 8 March 2000]: I will write to the right hon. Member with the information he has requested as soon as possible and arrange to place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Notre Europe

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what EU support has been provided, since its inception, to the Notre Europe organisation; and what contacts his Department has had with that organisation. [112335]

Mr. Vaz: The information is readily available from the European Commission.

Sri Lanka

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussion his Department is having with the Government of Norway on the initiative the Norwegian Government are taking to help resolve the conflict in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [113431]

Mr. Vaz: The Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), discussed the Norwegians' role in Sri Lanka with State Secretary Wegger Christian Strommen during the latter's visit to the United Kingdom this week. The Foreign Secretary will also have an opportunity to raise the matter when he sees Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek during his visit to Oslo on 15 March. Our Embassy in Oslo discusses the initiative regularly with Norwegian Foreign Ministry officials.

Turkey

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the Mayor of Hasankeyf about his proposed meeting in London; and what reasons underlay the decision to cancel that visit. [113561]

Mr. Vaz: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had no discussion with the Mayor of Hasenkeyf about his proposed visit to London. The Mayor had scheduled meetings at the Department of Trade and Industry and with the Export Credits Guarantee Department (to be attended by FCO officials).

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We were informed that the visit had been cancelled because the Mayor's political party had advised him to return to Turkey.

UK Affiliations

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the regional arrangements and agencies, as recognised under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, of which the United Kingdom is a member. [113747]

Mr. Hain: There is no recognised list of regional arrangements and agencies of the kind referred to in Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.

Press Releases

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local newspapers and media bodies to which his Department sent news releases during the period 2 May 1997 to 29 February 2000. [113987]

Mr. Robin Cook: Most news releases (including the FCO Daily Bulletin) are distributed electronically via the COI news Distribution Service. In addition a number of newspapers and media organisations receive this material by fax. Both distribution lists are attached. Press releases also appear on the FCO website.

In addition, individual releases are faxed, on request and/or out of hours to other members of the press on an ad hoc basis. Records are not kept of these additional, ad hoc transmissions.


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Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for the period 2 May 1997 to 29 February 2000 what was (a) the number of occasions on which couriers were used to distribute news releases from his Department and (b) the total cost of using couriers to distribute news releases. [113975]

Mr. Robin Cook: Over this period, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not distributed its news releases to media organisations by courier.

The FCO Daily Bulletin is distributed to Commonwealth High Commissions in London by courier, as part of regular deliveries of other FCO correspondence. Until September 1999 this service was provided in house. Since September 1999 these services have been contracted out.

The cost of delivering news releases in this courier service, as distinct from the costs of delivering other mail distributed with them, is not calculated. To provide a separate breakdown of the cost of delivering news releases, as a proportion of the total volume of correspondence distributed to High Commissions, would incur disproportionate costs.

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