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Cash Points (Post Offices)
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the Post
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Office on the prospects of cash points in sub-post offices which are not owned by banks and building societies making charges for access to cash. [148178]
Mr. Alan Johnson [holding answer 1 February 2001]: None; this is a commercial matter for the Post Office. However, the Government have made it clear that they do not welcome the imposition of charges for access to cash. They would impact disproportionately on the socially excluded and those in rural areas.
Coal Consumption
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the UK (a) consumption of coal and (b) extra tonnes of carbon dioxide burned between August and October was in (i) 1999 and (ii) 2000. [147815]
Mr. Hain [pursuant to his reply, 30 January 2001, c. 121W]: I should like to point out that there was an increase of 1 million tonnes (and not 3 million tonnes) in the amount of coal consumed in this period in the UK in 2000 compared with 1999.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Directives
Mr. Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the institutions of the European Union are required to abide by European directives [148054]
Mr. Vaz: Directives are addressed to the member states, but may contain express provisions that bind the institution, for example a requirement that the Commission set up a programme or report back to the Council on a particular matter.
Embassies and High Commissions
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the 10 British embassies and high commissions with the (a) highest and (b) lowest running costs, indicating the number of staff employed in each case. [145310]
Mr. Wilson: The 10 UK embassies and high commissions with the (a) highest and (b) lowest operating costs in FY 1999-2000, and the numbers of UK-based staff resident at these missions, are as follows:
(15) Operating costs include costs of small subordinate posts, that cannot easily be separated/extracted.
(16) Numbers of home-based staff is the total staff complement of the FCO and other Government Departments, ie MOD and DFID.
(17) Costs and staff figures cover all the FCO Missions in Brussels, (Embassy, UKREP, NATO).
(18) Costs and staff figures cover the offices in Berlin and Bonn together as they cannot be calculated separately.
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Lord Levy
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met Lord Levy to discuss his recent visit to South America. [145259]
Mr. Battle [holding answer 15 January 2001]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary meets Lord Levy on a regular basis, most recently on 15 and 21 January.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the (a) agenda and (b) minutes of Lord Levy's meetings with officials during his visit to South America. [145258]
Mr. Battle [holding answer 15 January 2001]: Our ambassadors in the countries concerned sent accounts of Lord Levy's meetings by telegram to the FCO. Under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, exemption 2, internal telegrams are not made public. This is in line with previous Government practice.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of Lord Levy's visit to South America, with particular reference to UK-South American relations. [145260]
Mr. Battle [holding answer 15 January 2001]: Lord Levy's visit was very successful and made a major contribution to our relations with the countries concerned.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what private business Lord Levy is conducting while travelling in the middle east. [146489]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 22 January 2001]: Lord Levy conducts no private business while travelling as the Prime Minister's personal envoy, and has no business interests in the middle east.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) practical and (b) financial support his Department and embassies have provided to Lord Levy during his visit to the middle east; and if he will separately itemise the cost of this support. [146494]
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Mr. Wilson: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to question 145858 from the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) answered today, Official Report, column 390W.
Saudi Arabia
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in gaining access to British citizens held in Saudi Arabian prisons. [147625]
Mr. Wilson: Following our representations to the Saudi authorities, our embassy has now been given access to all those British nationals to whom we had previously been denied access.
Our embassy is now arranging for follow-up visits to the men.
Public Interest Immunity Certificates
Sir Nicholas Lyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many public interest immunity certificates (a) he, (b) Ministers of State, (c) junior Ministers and (d) civil servants in his Department have signed in each calendar year from 30 May 1997. [147731]
Mr. Wilson: Eight public interest immunity certificates have been signed by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers since 30 May 1997, as shown in the table.
| Secretary of State | Ministers of State | Junior Ministers | Civil Servants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hinduja Brothers
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) has had with representatives of the Indian Government and its agencies at which matters relating to the Hinduja family were discussed. [148072]
Mr. Vaz [holding answer 31 January 2001]: Since becoming Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in October 1999, I have met a number of Indian Ministers and officials. I have not discussed matters relating to the Hinduja family during any of these meetings.
Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions, and for what purpose, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), has met a member of the Hinduja family while serving as a Minister in his Department. [148306]
Mr. Vaz: I have met members of the Hinduja family at various Asian community events. As prominent members of the British Asian community, the Hindujas are involved in many community issues.
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Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), has discussed extradition arrangements between the UK and India with (a) Mr. G. Hinduja and (b) Mr. S. Hinduja while serving as a Minister in his Department. [148307]
Bear Baiting (Pakistan)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations about bear baiting in Pakistan to the Government of Pakistan. [148561]
Mr. Battle: The British high commission in Islamabad has raised the issue of bear baiting with the Pakistani authorities on several occasions. It will continue to convey the strength of public opinion in the UK over the exploitation and ill-treatment of these animals, and will encourage the Government of Pakistan to find ways to enforce the law against bear baiting more effectively.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the Government of Pakistan to co-operate with the World Society for the Protection of Animals in its campaign to eradicate bear baiting in Pakistan. [148562]
Mr. Battle: We noted that the Government of Pakistan, through their high commission in London, have expressed their appreciation to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for its commitment in developing the Kund Park bear sanctuary to house bears confiscated from their owners. The British high commission in Islamabad will continue to raise our concerns over bear baiting with the Pakistani authorities.
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