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Gibraltar
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Windsor (Mr. Trend) of 10 July 2001, Official Report, column 473W, what date has been agreed with Spain for the resumption of ministerial-level talks on Gibraltar under the Brussels Process. [6450]
Peter Hain: Ministerial-level talks with Spain on Gibraltar under the Brussels Process will take place in London on 26 July.
Wilton Park Executive Agency
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Wilton Park Executive Agency performed against the targets agreed for 2000–01; and what the agreed targets for the current year are. [6451]
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 490W
Mr. MacShane: Wilton Park met all four of the agreed targets set for the 2000–01 financial year, for income, cost recovery, the number of conference participants, and cost per head to the FCO overall. Wilton Park's performance in 2000–01 and targets for the current year are shown.
| Income (£) | Cost recovery (%) | Number of conference participants | Cost to FCO per participant (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | ||||
| Targets | 2,500,000 | 82.3 | 2,400 | 224 |
| Performance | 2,870,000 | 87.4 | 3,093 | 134 |
| 2001–02 | ||||
| Targets | 2,963,000 | 86.0 | 2,400 | 203 |
The number of conference participants in 2000–01 was significantly higher than in previous years. This has had a significant impact on the cost-per-participant figure.
Antarctic
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what decision there has been on the location of the proposed Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. [6452]
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will announce the establishment of a Secretariat for the Antarctic Environmental Protocol; and if he will make a statement. [5910]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and commonwealth Affairs confirmed to Dr. Adalberto Rodriquez Giarvarini, Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, during their talks in London on 17 July that, in response to commitments made by the Argentine Minister of Defence, Dr. Horacio Jaunarena, in Buenos Aires on 6 July, to strengthen the civilian scientific elements of Argentina's Antarctic programme, the UK would join a consensus on the location of the proposed Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. This was relayed to the recent meeting of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM XXIV) in St. Petersburg. The texts of the Argentine and UK Statements of 6 July and 17 July respectively have been deposited in the Library of the House.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evaluation has been undertaken by his Department of the effects of tourism in the Antarctic. [5908]
Mr. Bradshaw: The UK remains in close contact with other Antarctic Treaty Parties and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) to ensure adequate regulation of tourism activities, within the jurisdictional constraints peculiar to Antarctica. Under the Antarctic Act 1994 the UK requires tourist voyages undertaken by UK flagged vessels and tourist parties organised in the United Kingdom to obtain permits from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The FCO closely monitors compliance with the permit conditions. The UK is the sole government sponsor of the most comprehensive monitoring programme in the Antarctic Peninsula area aimed at determining what impact tourism might have on environmental and wildlife values.
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 491W
Absence
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days on average were lost per employee in his Department because of sickness; and how many officials retired early from his Department in each of the past 10 years. [R] [5049]
Mr. Bradshaw: It has not been possible to collate the information requested in the given timescale. We will write to the right hon. Member shortly and place copies of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
China
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the achievements which have resulted from the policy of constructive engagement with the Chinese Government in respect of advances in human rights. [5696]
Mr. MacShane: Since our human rights dialogue with the Chinese authorities started in 1997, there have been some signs of progress. While these can not be attributed entirely to the dialogue itself, we believe that our dialogue with China, along with that of the EU and a number of other partners, has contributed to this process. Progress includes:
- Signature in 1997 and ratification in March 2001 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Signature in October 1998 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Meeting of a bilateral Working Group to promote the ratification and implementation of the provisions of the two International Covenants.
Signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, in November 2000 on the provision of human rights technical assistance. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office contributed £60,000 towards first year activities which have included seminars on police and human rights, and reform of the system of administrative detention.
A commitment to work towards abolition of the death penalty, and co-operation with a visit in September 2000 by members of the Foreign Secretary's Death Penalty Panel.
Agreement to a visit to Tibet by the All Party Group on Tibet (although this has yet to be take place).
The provision of greater information on individual cases of concern.
We continue to press the Chinese authorities to do more to promote greater respect for human rights across the board in China, including in Tibet.
20 Jul 2001 : Column: 492W
Tibet
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultations his Department has had with oil companies concerning oil exploration and railway construction in Tibet. [5914]
Mr. MacShane: We have regular consultations with major British oil companies engaged in business with China. Neither we, nor Trade Partners UK, have, to the best of our knowledge, discussed with them questions of oil exploration or railway building in Tibet.
We are not aware of any British oil companies being directly involved in either oil exploration or railway building in Tibet. We would expect British companies involved in development in Tibet to observe best social and environmental standards.
Indonesia
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions HM Government's Ambassador to Indonesia held with the Indonesian authorities during his visit to the site of British Petroleum's Tangguh project in Bintani Bay, West Papua in June; what are the (a) statutory and (b) other requirements for the Indonesian security forces to provide security for the project; what arrangements will be made to secure the project; what access local people will have to independent information about the likely impact of the project; and what proportion of the project's revenue will be returned to local communities. [6391]
Mr. Bradshaw: I will write to my hon. Friend shortly and place copies of the letters in the Libraries of the House.
West Papua
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has collated about the number of (a) political prisoners and (b) other persons subject to arbitrary detention in prison in West Papua; and what representations he has made to the Indonesian authorities concerning their release. [6390]
Mr. Bradshaw: I will write to my hon. Friend shortly and place copies of the letters in the Libraries of the House.
Security Council
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to inform the House on future occasions in which the UK's veto at the United Nations Security Council is used. [5928]
Peter Hain: I will write to my hon. Friend shortly and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
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