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Rail Journeys (Staff)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets. [40445]
Mr. MacShane: In practice, many staff already travel at standard class unless, for example, they need extra space to work during travel. Staff are encouraged to use standard class on short journeys, especially when they are made at off-peak times.
Israel
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the number of Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorists (a) since 7 March 2001 and (b) during the 12 months prior to that date. [40964]
Mr. Bradshaw: As I said to my right hon. Friend in my previous answer on the same subject on 6 December 2001, casualty figures can be unreliable. Israeli Government figures show that about 65 Israelis were killed in the twelve months before 7 March 2001, and 255 since then to 6 March. From the start of the intifada in September 2000 to the end of February 2002, 1,087 Palestinians have been killed, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
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Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether British-made components are in use on (a) Israeli Apache helicopters, (b) Merkave tanks, (c) F16 jets and (d) armoured personnel carriers; and if he will make a statement. [40796]
Mr. Bradshaw: In answer to (a), (b) and (c), we have no evidence that equipment or components manufactured in the UK and licensed for export by this Government have been used by Israeli forces against civilians in the Occupied Territories during the recent and continued violence. We would plainly be most concerned if such evidence came to light.
New information has, however, come to light that UK supplied equipment licensed for export under a previous Administration and a different export control regime is being used by the Israelis in the Occupied Territories. The Israelis have modified a number of Centurion tanks, exported to Israel between 1958 and 1970, into armoured personnel carriers.
This contradicts a written assurance that the Israeli Government gave us on 29 November 2000 that
"no UK originated equipment nor any UK originated systems/sub-systems/components are used as part of the Israel Defence Force's activities in the Territories"
We consider all export licence applications to Israel on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, taking careful account on a case by case basis of the nature of the equipment and the proposed end-use and end-user.
Overseas Representatives (Business Promotion)
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a British ambassador or high commissioner has, since the beginning of this Parliament, submitted a draft letter for the Prime Minister in support of the commercial activities of a British company other than that submitted by the British ambassador to Romania in connection with the acquisition of Sidex by Mr. Lakshmi Mittal's company. [39715]
Mr. MacShane [holding answer 7 March 2002]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–11W.
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions and guidance his Department has given to British ambassadors and high commissioners overseas as to the circumstances in which they should seek a letter from the Prime Minister in support of the commercial activities of a British company; and if he will place a copy of such instructions and guidance in the Library. [39721]
Mr. MacShane [holding answer 7 March 2002]: Ministers write frequently in support of UK commercial interests in overseas markets with each case considered on its merits.
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Drug Trafficking (Central Asia)
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Turkey concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan; [41627]
- (2) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Pakistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia; [41625]
(3) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kazakhstan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and those countries in Central Asia; [41641]
(4) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Iran concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and those countries in Central Asia; [41636]
(5) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kyrgyzstan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia; [41634]
(6) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kyrgyzstan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Kyrgyzstan; [41635]
(7) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Tajikistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia; [41633]
(8) what recent discussions his Department has had with the United States Government concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan; [41628]
(9) what reports his Department has received on changes in the level of cultivation and trafficking of poppies in (a) Afghanistan and (b) other Central Asian countries since the establishment of Afghanistan's interim Government; [41626]
(10) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Afghanistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia; [41631]
(11) what recent discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan; [41629]
(12) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Pakistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Pakistan; [41624]
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(13) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Uzbekistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Uzbekistan; [41640]
(14) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kazakhstan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Kazakhstan; [41642]
(15) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Uzbekistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia; [41623]
(16) what recent discussion his Department has had with the Government of Turkmenistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia; [41639]
(17) what recent discussion his Department has had with the Government of Iran concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Iran; [41637]
(18) what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Tajikistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Tajikistan; [41632]
(19) what recent discussions his Department has had with the interim Government of Afghanistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan. [41630]
Mr. Straw: The cultivation and trafficking of opiates is of serious concern to the UK. The UK maintains a dialogue, and co-operates closely, with the EU and G8 countries as well as all countries in south-west and Central Asia. The Bonn Agreement concluded in December 2001 urged the international community to assist the Afghan Interim Authority to combat the cultivation and trafficking of illicit drugs. When I met Hamid Karzai, the Chairman of the Interim Administration, during my visit to India at the end of last month I stressed the importance of progress on tackling drugs. Mr. Karzai has already signalled his intent by announcing in January a ban on drugs production, processing and trafficking. The international community, including the UK, has expressed its determination to help the Afghan authorities to implement this ban as soon as possible.
It was decided at the Tokyo Reconstruction conference in January that drugs should be treated as a cross-cutting issue and that drugs-related objectives should therefore be reflected in all assistance programmes. The UK pledged £200 million at Tokyo which, among other things, will be aimed at projects designed to reduce the dependence of the Afghan economy on drugs.
In financial year 2002–03 the FCO will provide around £4.5 million for practical anti-drugs assistance in the form of training and equipment to countries in south-west and Central Asia.
A UNDCP report published at the end of February 2002 stated that between 1,900 and 2,700 tones of opium would be produced in Afghanistan this year. Opium production in other south-west and Central Asian countries is negligible by comparison.
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Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Turkmenistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Turkmenistan. [41638]
Mr. MacShane: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram).
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