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Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to be put on trial; and if he will make a statement. [42681]
Mr. Bradshaw: We are in contact with the Pakistani authorities about Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. We understand that they have not completed their investigations or made a decision about trial proceedings. We will continue to monitor this case closely.
Angola
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made to the Angolan Government concerning restrictions on freedom of expression; and if he will make a statement; [42524]
- (2) if representations are being made to the Angolan Government against their continued military offensive against UNITA; and if he will make a statement on what is being done by the international community to achieve new momentum in the peace process; [42519]
(3) what the British Government have done to show their condemnation of human rights abuses by (a) the UNITA rebel movement and (b) the ruling MPLA Government in Angola; and if he will make a statement. [42520]
Mr. MacShane: Following the death of Jonas Savimbi, the UK joined the EU partners in issuing a declaration urging both parties to put an end to the conflict in Angola. The Prime Minister has written to
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President dos Santos to encourage him to take steps to begin a process of national reconciliation and to address Angola's very serious humanitarian situation.
Her Majesty's Government believe that freedom of expression is essential to a functioning democracy. It is important for the improvement of human rights in Angola. The UK makes regular representations to the Government of Angola, bilaterally and through the EU, urging them to address human rights and humanitarian issues in Angola. We condemn human rights abuses by UNITA. UK support for sanctions against UNITA is a strong signal that their behaviour has been unacceptable.
The next opportunity for HMG to discuss Angola's human rights record will be the visit of Foreign Minister Miranda to the UK at the end of March, when he will meet the Foreign Secretary, Baroness Amos and the International Development Secretary. The International Development Secretary is also visiting Angola from 2–4 April.
Burma
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the authorities in Burma regarding the situation of Aung San Suu Kyi. [42404]
Mr. Bradshaw: Ministerial contact with the Burmese authorities is limited by the EU Common Position. However an FCO official visited Rangoon from 27 February–1 March where he met both Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the Burmese Government. The Burmese Government are aware of our view that all restrictions on ASSK should be removed. An EU Troika mission is visiting Rangoon from 13–15 March to gauge the latest developments and explain EU policy.
Non-governmental Organisations
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2002, ref 39187, on non-governmental organisations, what information he collates on the funding of non-governmental organisations by his Department, with particular reference to those operating on a regional level; and if he will make a statement. [42540]
Mr. Straw: The FCO does not keep information centrally about the funding of NGOs and nor do FCO Commands keep that information broken down on a regional basis. It would be difficult to arrive at a precise answer because the FCO could be said to "fund" NGOs in a great variety of ways—some are contracted to provide specific services in relation to projects funded by Command Programme Budgets and specific Programme funds (e.g. Human Rights Project Fund), others may well receive financial support to attend conferences etc as guests of HMG. In some cases posts overseas may use local budgets to pay, for example, for accommodation of NGO visitors on official business.
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UK Citizens (France)
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom citizens are held (a) on remand and (b) in custody following convictions within France. [42716]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are currently 65 British citizens held on remand in France and 105 British citizens who have been convicted and are serving prison sentences in France.
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom lorry drivers are held (a) on remand and (b) in prison following conviction in France. [42717]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are currently 26 British lorry drivers held on remand in prison in France and 19 British lorry drivers who have been convicted and are serving prison sentences in France.
EU Enlargement
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of (a) Poland, (b) Hungary, (c) the Czech Republic and (d) Slovenia on EU enlargement. [42721]
Peter Hain: Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have regular discussions with candidate countries about their accession to the EU. As part of this dialogue I visited Hungary in September 2001 and the Czech Republic and Slovenia in January and will visit Warsaw later this month.
Public Appointments
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appointments to public bodies have been made through his Department (a) from April 2000 to March 2001 and (b) since 31 March 2001; and how many of these were (i) men and (ii) women. [42163]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 12 March 2002]: The number of men and women appointed, or re-appointed, by Ministers in this Department to bodies sponsored by this Department during the periods in question is as follows:
| Period | Men appointed | Women appointed |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4.00–31.3.01 | 21 | 6 |
| 1.4.01–28.2.02 | 22 | 9 |
United Nations
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff are employed at the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations. [43553]
Mr. MacShane: There are 48 UK-based staff and 18.75 LE staff.
Freedom of Information Act
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to
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his answer of 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 332W, on the Freedom of Information Act 2000, on what dates the steering group of senior officials has met since August 2000. [43478]
Mr. MacShane: The FCO's steering group of senior officials met on 13 September and 6 December 2001. It will next meet on 20 March.
In addition officials at working group level continue to meet regularly to review progress.
India and Pakistan (Nuclear Programmes)
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is regarding (a) exports to nuclear and nuclear-related end users in India and Pakistan and (b) contacts with India and Pakistan relating to their nuclear programmes. [44337]
Mr. Bradshaw: As the then Foreign Office Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) made clear on 10 July 1998, Official Report, column 687, many countries including the UK have in place strict controls on the export of nuclear-related goods to India and Pakistan. The UK also exercises caution over contacts between personnel from the British nuclear industry and their Indian and Pakistani counterparts. Current tensions between India and Pakistan demonstrate the need for both countries to exercise restraint.
The events of 11 September highlighted the fact that some terrorist groups will use any means to achieve their ends. We know that Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network have shown an interest in developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. To ensure that such ambitions are not realised, we are encouraging all countries, including India and Pakistan, to take all steps necessary to ensure the better physical protection of their nuclear assets. We will be encouraging both countries to consider measures which contribute to the safety and security of their nuclear programmes.
Bearing these factors in mind, and consistent with our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, we have revised our policy as follows:—
- we will continue to deny all export licence applications (ELAs) for items listed on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Dual-Use List to nuclear and nuclear related end users in India and Pakistan. We will consider all applications for other items assessed as licensable, including those licensable under the WMD end use control, with particular vigilance in making licensing decisions on a case by case basis. Licences may be issued if there are no end use concerns. Consistent with our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, licences may also be issued in exceptional cases where the Government is satisfied that the proposed exports will contribute to the physical protection or security of civil or military nuclear facilities or assets in India and Pakistan;
- we will continue to discourage contacts by UK nuclear scientists or those working in the UK nuclear industry with their counterparts from, or personnel who we know are likely to work in, nuclear or nuclear related organisations in India or
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- Pakistan. We will also discourage visits by such counterparts and personnel to UK nuclear facilities. However, this will not apply where such contacts would contribute to the safety and security of India and Pakistan's nuclear programmes, or further the UK's non-proliferation objectives, consistent with our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Since carrying out their nuclear tests in 1998, neither India nor Pakistan have demonstrated sufficient commitment to meet their obligations to reduce nuclear
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tensions set down in UNSCR 1172. We are now encouraging both countries to engage in a bilateral dialogue on nuclear confidence building measures.
US Anti-personnel Mines
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether US anti-personnel mines have been (a) transited, (b) stockpiled and (c) maintained on British Indian Ocean Territory during the conduct of operations in Afghanistan. [43524]