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"Your Britain, Your Europe"
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) past and (b) future venues of the "Your Britain, Your Europe" roadshow; and what have been its costs to date. [147460]
Mr. Vaz: Since the launch of the "Your Britain, Your Europe" information initiative, I have visited the following cities, towns and boroughs: Newcastle; Sunderland; Hull; Rotherham; Manchester; London; Bristol; Bath; Nuneaton; Birmingham; Leicester; Leeds; Liverpool; Norwich; Southampton; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Rosyth; Cardiff; Newport; Reading; Newbury; Swindon; Oxford; Slough; Henley on Thames; Wolverhampton; Loughborough; Northampton; Brent; and Tower Hamlets.
In the next two months, I plan to visit Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Brighton, Hove and Hastings.
So far, the total cost of my programme of visits has been about £100,000.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many responses were received to the questionnaire attached to the "Your Britain, Your Europe" leaflet; how many leaflets have been distributed; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [147466]
Mr. Vaz: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 April 2000, Official Report, column 77W.
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We have now distributed all 17,000 copies of the "Your Britain, Your Europe" leaflet. The total design and printing costs came to £3,862.51.
European Women's Lobby
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last (a) met and (b) received representations from the European Women's Lobby; and if he will make a statement. [147514]
Mr. Vaz: The Secretary of State has not met the European Women's Lobby. Relevant officials come into contact with the Lobby during regular European-level meetings and the Lobby circulates publications on women's issues to interested parties in all member states.
Euro
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on planned information campaigns for UK embassy and consulate staff on the euro. [147463]
Mr. Vaz: I refer the hon. Member to the Treasury's "Fourth Report on Euro Preparations", copies of which have been deposited in the Library of the House.
Iraq
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the outcomes of the oil-for-food programme for Iraq. [147374]
Mr. Wilson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the then Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on this subject on 22 January 2001, Official Report, column 405W.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the money from the Iraqi "oil-for-food" programme, held in a UN administered account, was spent on (a) food and medicine, (b) war reparations and (c) payments to the UN in the last 12 months. [147370]
Mr. Wilson: During the last 12 months the UN has continued to direct 66 per cent. of "oil for food" revenue to the UN's humanitarian programme in Iraq, 30 per cent. to the UN Compensation Fund and 4 per cent. to UN administration of the programme. However, for the current phase of "oil for food" (December 2000-June 2001) the UN has agreed to reduce the UN Compensation Fund share to 25 per cent. and increase the humanitarian programme share to 71 per cent. as a gesture to the Iraqi people.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received concerning the ending of sanctions against Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [147381]
Mr. Wilson: In response to recent representations by the Government of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, we have given assurances that the process leading to the suspension and eventual lifting of sanctions on Iraq can begin when Iraq chooses to co-operate. SCR1284--a UK
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initiative--continues to offer Iraq the opportunity to make quick progress in this process. We continue to urge Iraq to accept this resolution.
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to combat the smuggling of embargoed goods to and from Iraq; and what role Turkey plays in this process. [147025]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 30 January 2001]: The UN sanctions regime continues to be largely effective in controlling the flow of embargoed goods into and out of Iraq and denying the Iraqi regime of funds outside UN control. However we remain concerned about breaches of sanctions, in particular the smuggling of Iraqi oil through the Gulf and across Iraq's land borders, which has the effect of depriving the Iraqi people of humanitarian aid under the UN "oil for food" programme.
Where we have firm evidence that embargoed goods are being smuggled, we press Governments, including that of Turkey, both bilaterally and through the UN Sanctions Committee to take action against the smugglers. We also continue to play an active role in the Multinational Interception Force, which through its regular patrolling, helps to deter smuggling through the Gulf.
Iran
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Iran. [147255]
Mr. Wilson: The Foreign Secretary last met his Iranian counterpart Dr. Kharrazi at UNGA on 15 September last year and reaffirmed our commitment to constructive engagement with Iran.
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Our policy, in line with that of our EU partners, remains to encourage the reforms already under way in Iran while pressing for improvements in those Iranian policies that are of concern.
Ecuador
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid the British Government have provided to help Ecuador deal with the oil spill off the Galapagos Islands. [147373]
Mr. Battle: We are providing £50,000 to help Ecuador protect the integrity of this flagship World Heritage Site; and we have informed the Government of Ecuador that we are ready to share the UK's experience in contingency planning to avoid or repair damage to sensitive marine environments. At an international co-ordination meeting in Quito on 24 January the Ecuadorean Environment Minister expressed publicly his warm appreciation of support from the UK.
Drugs Control
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the management of United Nations Drugs Control Programme funds. [148058]
Mr. Battle: We have, with a number of other donors, raised concerns about UNDCP programme management. In light of recent press reporting on this issue, I wrote to Mr. Arlacchi on 23 January seeking his assurance that UK contributions have been managed properly and used effectively, and encouraging early progress towards a more transparent system of project management and evaluation. In his reply of 24 January, Mr. Arlacchi assured me that he had invited a management audit of the UNDCP by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services in New York, and that UK funds had been properly managed. In response to requests from donor countries, Mr. Arlacchi has also produced a paper on management reform which we and other donors are studying.