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DTI Staff (Secondment)
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Department of Trade and Industry staff are currently on secondment to his Department; from which sections in the DTI they have come; and in which sections in his Department they are working. [119915]
Mr. Hain: There are 51 Department of Trade and Industry staff currently on loan to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
These staff were deployed from the following DTI Directorates: Consumer Affairs, Communications and Information Industries, Communications, Deregulation, Environment, Employee Relations, Invest in Britain Bureau, Management Best Practice, Nuclear Industries, Office of Science and Technology, Trade Policy, Warren Spring Laboratory, Export Control and Non-Proliferation and several regional Government Offices.
Since May 1999, British Trade International (a joint FCO/DTI Department) has had lead responsibility within Government for trade development and promotion on behalf of British business. This joint operation covers UK and overseas activity. Many of the DTI staff on loan to the FCO are deployed in British Trade International posts overseas. The majority of these staff took up their postings from what are now British Trade International UK operations.
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Of the 51, there are currently 38 DTI staff in the following FCO and British Trade International posts overseas: Almaty, Amman, Bonn, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chicago, Dhaka, Gibraltar, Hanoi, The Hague, Houston, Johannesburg, Karachi, Kuwait, Lagos, Los Angeles, Moscow, Munich, New Delhi, Oslo, Ottawa, Paris, Peking, Seoul, Tokyo, UKMis Geneva, UKRep Brussels, Washington.
In London, the remaining 13 DTI staff are working in the following FCO departments: Aviation, Maritime, Science and Energy; Latin America and Caribbean; Near East and North Africa; North America; Resource Planning, and the Diplomatic Service Language Centre (undertaking full-time language training).
Iraqi Oil Sanction Breaches
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of whether the Governments of (a) Iran, (b) Turkey and (c) Jordan have acted to stop the sale in breach of UN sanctions of Iraqi oil through their territories; [120041]
- (2) if he will make a statement on his Department's assessment of the volume of oil sold by Iraq in violation of UN sanctions (a) during 1999 and (b) since the start of the current year; [120039]
(3) what assessment he has made of which countries Iraqi oil is being smuggled through in breach of UN sanctions. [120040]
Mr. Hain: We remain concerned at the large amount of Iraqi oil being smuggled through the Gulf and across Iraq's land borders in breach of UN sanctions. That oil should be funding food, medicine and other humanitarian relief for the Iraqi people through the UN programme, not going into the pockets of the regime and middlemen. We therefore regularly stress the need to crack down on sanctions-busting in contacts inside and outside the region, most recently with Turkey, Iran and the UAE. We ourselves remain committed to the Multinational Interception Force in the Gulf. I welcome Iran's recent action against a number of vessels containing smuggled Iraqi oil. We want Turkey to do more: last year we proposed that the trade across its borders be brought into the UN humanitarian programme. The Jordan/Iraq oil/trade protocol, which is acknowledged by the UN in recognition of the importance to Jordan of trade with Iraq, allows Jordan to import Iraqi oil at half the market price in exchange for Jordanian civilian goods. Excluding oil sold under this Jordanian protocol, we estimate that in 1999 Iraq sold approximately 3.2 million metric tonnes of oil in breach of sanctions; for this year we estimate the figure to be approximately 2.2 million metric tonnes.
European Union
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 10 April 2000, Official Report, column 77W, on the European Union, if he will list the responses referred to in his reply to question 118022; how many leaflets have yet to be distributed; what was the printing cost for the undistributed leaflets; and what analysis he has made of the cause of the small number of responses. [119863]
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Mr. Vaz [holding answer 20 April 2000]: As we received only a small number of replies to the questionnaire, we did not keep a record of responses. We have distributed most of the leaflets and will distribute the remainder over the next few months. We have not drawn any conclusions about the small number of responses.
The Gambia
Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of The Gambia with regard to the recent deaths of demonstrators in pro- democracy marches. [120303]
Mr. Hain: The High Commissioner in Banjul called the Secretary of State for the Interior on 11 April to express our concern at the high number of casualties and urged the Government to ensure the security forces exercised maximum restraint, and not to fire on demonstrators. He stressed the need to maintain full respect for human rights.
On the initiative of the UK, the EU issued a declaration on 17 April seeking assurance from the Government of The Gambia that the incidents leading to these disturbances are dealt with through dialogue and in a peaceful and orderly manner. The President of The Gambia ordered a Commission of Inquiry later that same day.
The UK and the EU will continue to urge the Government of The Gambia to restrict the use of force; ensure persons detained as a result of these disturbances enjoy the protection of the law and that their rights are respected; and ensure that the inquiry is transparent, independent and free from political interference.
Israel
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and their arrest and imprisonment of Palestinian children aged under 15 years. [119917]
Mr. Hain: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made no representations to the Israeli Government about their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Red Cross have confirmed to our Embassy in Tel Aviv that Israel does not hold any children under the age of 15 in prison.
British Embassy Vehicles (Germany)
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) cost, (b) make and (c) model was of the motor vehicles purchased for use by the British Embassy in Berlin since 1 May 1997. [120550]
Mr. Vaz: Neither the British Embassy in Berlin, nor (prior to September 1999) the British Embassy in Bonn, nor the British Embassy Berlin Office, have purchased any motor vehicles since 1 May 1997. All vehicles acquired in recent years have been leased.
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EU Business
Mr. Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for May and (b) the major European Union events for the next six months. [120680]
Mr. Vaz: The information is as follows:
Monthly Forecast of EU Business: May 2000
This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters, but certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date of issue.
May 2000
2 May--Brussels--Telecommunications Council
1. Adoption of the agenda
2. (poss.) Approval of the list of "A" items
3. Commission communication entitled "The European positions for the World Radiocommunications Conference 2000 (WRC-2000)"
Council conclusions
6981/00 ECO 54 AVIATION 7 TRANS 37
7788/00 ECO 89 AVIATION 14 TRANS 58
4. Conference on Digital Terrestrial Television (DVB-T) on 17 and 18 February 2000 in Lisbon
Presidency briefing
7527/00 ECO 72 AUDIO 13
5. Review of the electronic communications regulatory package: outcome of the public consultation
presentation by the Commission
policy debate
7754/00 ECO 87
6. (poss.) Postal services
Commission briefing
7. Other business
(a) Outcome of the public consultation on the "EU"
Oral presentation by the Commission
5971/00 ECO 26
(b) Commission communication on the organisation of the management of the Internet
Presentation by the Commission
(c) Recommendation and communication from the Commission on access to the local loop, including local loop unbundling
Presentation by the Commission
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3-4 May--Brussels--European Parliament Plenary
(poss.) Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion on behalf of the European Community on the Food Aid Convention 1999
(poss.) Proposal for a Council regulation laying down certain control measures in respect of vessels flying the flag of non-contracting parties to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO)
(poss.) Proposal for a Council regulation amending the fifth time Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms
Codecision procedure
First reading
(poss.) Proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation (EC) amending Regulation 5EEC No 3528/86 on the protection of the Community's forests against the atmospheric pollution
Proposal for a European Parliament and Council regulation (EC) extending Regulation (EC) No 443/97 on operations to aid uprooted people in Asian and Latin American developing countries
8 May--Brussels--ECOFIN Council
Commission recommendation on the broad economic policy guidelines--Orientation debate
(poss.) Amendment to the UCITS Directive
(poss.) Amendment to the Money Laundering Directive
(poss.) Directive on the reorganisation and winding-up of credit institutions
Draft EU budget 2001--Orientation debate
Any other business
11 May--Brussels Health Council
15-16 May--Brussels--Agriculture Council
15-19 May--Brussels--European Parliament Plenary
16 May--Brussels--Culture Council
17 May--Brussels--EU/Russia Summit
18 May--Brussels--Industry Council
18 May--Brussels--Development Council
22-23 May--Brussels--General Affairs Council
23 May--Brussels--EEA Council
23 May--Brussels--Association Councils With Slovakia and Slovenia
23 May--Brussels--Peace Implementation Council
25 May--Brussels--Internal Market Council
29-30 May--Brussels--Justice and Home Affairs
30 May--Brussels--Energy Council
No agendas currently available
European Calendar: May-October 2000
This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters; but certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date of issue.
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