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Treaty of Nice

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates in 2000 for (a) negotiating sessions and (b) other meetings on the draft Treaty of Nice. [120808]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 5 May 2000]: A timetable for the intergovernmental conference negotiations until the end of the current Portuguese Presidency is available in the Library of the House of Commons. The French Government have yet to publish a timetable for their Presidency, which runs from 1 July until the end of the year.

British Embassy Vehicles

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000, Official Report, column 68W, on British Embassy vehicles, what the (a) cost, (b) make and (c) model was of the motor vehicles leased for use by British diplomatic representatives in Germany since 1 May 1997. [121508]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 11 May 2000]: Posts in Germany currently spend a total annual cost of DM 438,005.52 (£136,876.73 @ 3.20) on leased vehicles. The annual costs since 1 May 1997 would not be too different. The make and model of the vehicles currently being used are:

Berlin/Bonn/BTO Leipzig
Rolls Royce--Silver Seraph
Jaguar--XJ8
Rover--75 2.0 Ltr
Rover--75 2.0 Ltr
Rover--75 2.0 Ltr
Rover--75 2.0 Ltr
Rover--600 2.0 Ltr
Rover--600 1.8 Ltr
Rover--600 1.8 Ltr
Rover--600 1.8 Ltr
Rover--216 1.4 Ltr
Mercedes Lorry--7.5 Ton
Ford--Courier
Ford--Courier
VW--Minibus
Land Rover--Discovery
Frankfurt
Rover--825 SI LUX

17 May 2000 : Column: 157W

Munich
Rover--825 SI LUX
Rover--600 2.0 Ltr
Dusseldorf
Jaguar--XJ6
Rover--825 SI LUX
Rover--600 2.0 Ltr
Rover--400 1.6 Ltr
Stuttgart
Rover--75 2.0 Ltr.

Since 1 May 1997 the overall composition of the fleet has remained more or less the same.

Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlay the decision taken at the Lisbon Summit to involve commissioners Solana and Patten in implementation of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. [121976]

Mr. Vaz: The Lisbon European Council invited High Representative Solana and Commissioner Patten "to enhance co-ordination with the Stability Pact and other efforts of the international community". This is intended to maximise the international community's overall contribution to the Balkans by making co-ordination among the different players as effective as possible.

The Danube

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what proposal was made by the Regional Funding Conference on 30 March to reopen the Danube for international and local traffic; [121830]

(2) what grant the European Commission has given to finance removal of obstacles in the Danube. [121831]

Mr. Vaz: On 25 January the Danube Commission submitted a proposal for clearance of the Danube to the European Commission. The European Union has provisionally agreed to finance 85 per cent. of the total 24.1 million euro cost of the clearance work, conditional on the Danube Commission providing clarification on outstanding technical questions.

The Danube Commission proposal was also cleared by the European Investment Bank and included in a list setting out EIB projects at the Stability Pact Regional Funding Conference on 30 March. The EIB has not, however, agreed additional funding for the proposal.

British Council

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the reduction has been in the number of London-appointed British Council staff serving overseas since 1997; and if he will make a statement on the impact of these reductions on the work of the British Council. [121823]

Mr. Hain: The number of London-appointed British Council staff serving overseas has been reduced by 6 per cent. since 1997-98. This reduction has been partly offset by the appointment of skilled local managers in the Council's local offices.

17 May 2000 : Column: 158W

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to increase the programme funds available to British Council offices in developing countries. [121822]

Mr. Hain: The British Council performs a valuable role and should be properly funded. It is already able to bid against a range of FCO programme funds; for example, it manages some 50 per cent. of Human Rights Projects Fund activities. Its freedom to bid for access to these funds will continue.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on changing in the funding of the British Council when it is required to operate in additional countries. [121828]

Mr. Hain: The British Council is funded through grant-in-aid, voted by Parliament, for its activities world-wide rather than through specific grants for individual countries. We expect the Council to reshape its representation around the world as required, including opening new offices, within the resources it has from the FCO and other Government Departments, the private sector and paid for services. Technology now allows the Council also to reach target audiences in a different way.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the (a) percentage reduction in the value of the British Council's DFID-funded contract work since 1996-97 and (b) impact of this reduction on the British Council's work in developing countries. [121821]

Mr. Hain: The value of the British Council's DFID- funded contract work has been reduced by 55 per cent. since 1996-97. The resulting drop in income has led to extensive restructuring in overseas directorates in developing countries and a reduction of staff in the UK and abroad. Council operations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have been most affected.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will restore the British Council's grant in aid to its real terms level before 1995-96. [121827]

Mr. Hain: The FCO and the British Council experienced cuts in funding in the period from 1995-96 until this Government had the opportunity, in the last comprehensive spending round, to arrest the decline. It is unrealistic to expect that the FCO and the British Council will receive increases that will recoup these cuts quickly. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is pressing for a much-needed increase in FCO resources across the board. I expect the Council to achieve an increase in its grant in aid broadly in line with the settlement for the FCO as a whole as it performs a valuable role and I always try to visit its offices abroad while on ministerial visits to demonstrate my support.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the percentage reduction in the number of UK-based staff at the British Council since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement on the impact of the reduction on the Council's work. [121820]

Mr. Hain: The number of UK-based staff at the British Council has been reduced by 23 per cent. since 1996-97. These cuts have resulted in a reduction in the range of services offered to international students in the UK and in

17 May 2000 : Column: 159W

the size of the Council's network of regional offices in the UK. Reductions in the number of subject advisers and geographical managers in the Council's London and Manchester offices, and in personnel and finance officers, have affected the support provided to overseas operations.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the percentage reduction in corporate overheads at the British Council since 1995-96. [121826]

Mr. Hain: Corporate overheads at the British Council have been reduced by 23 per cent. since 1995-96.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the British Council country directorates which have no full-time London-appointed staff. [121824]

Mr. Hain: The following 16 British Council country directorates have no full-time London-appointed staff: Albania, Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Brunei, Caribbean, Denmark, Eritrea, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Norway, Swaziland and Switzerland.

Georgia Presidential Visit

Mr. Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the President of Georgia will visit the UK. [121802]

Mr. Vaz [holding answer 15 May 2000]: We are looking forward to an early visit by President Shevardnadze. When the Secretary of State visited Georgia in February he invited President Shevardnadze to visit the UK. We have now offered dates to the Georgian Government and are awaiting their response.

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