---

Iraq

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions his Department has taken to secure the reinstatement of UN weapons inspectors in Iraq. [43530]

Mr. Bradshaw: We have continuously urged Iraq to co-operate with the UN, particularly on weapons inspections. Security Council Resolution 1284—a UK initiative—offered for the first time the suspension of UN sanctions as an interim step pending the complete elimination of Iraq's WMD, which would in turn lead to the full lifting of sanctions. We support the efforts of the UN Secretary General to persuade Iraq to co-operate with the UN through renewed dialogue, while making clear that there can be no watering down of Iraq's obligations under UN resolutions.

Middle East

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he is taking to stop the violence between the Palestinians and Israelis; and if he will make a statement. [43221]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Government are profoundly concerned at the continuing violence in the middle east. We believe United Nations Security Council Resolution 1397 is a clear expression of the international desire to end the violence. In this context we welcome the return of US envoy General Zinni to the region, and the Saudi Arabian initiative. We urge both parties to support Zinni's efforts to broker a ceasefire and implement the Tenet security workplan and Mitchell Committee recommendations.

UK-Sudan Relations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on UK-Sudan relations. [39551]

Mr. MacShane: We have a full bilateral relationship with Sudan. Our focus there remains the search for peace and, in this respect, my right hon. Friend the Foreign

19 Mar 2002 : Column 197W

Secretary recently announced the appointment of Alan Goulty as the UK Special Representative for Sudan. Mr. Goulty will continue our policy of engagement with all parties to the conflict in an attempt to bring an end to the suffering caused by so many years of war. We continue to support the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process, and, accordingly, the IGAD Declaration of Principles, which includes the right of self-determination for southerners. We also continue to promote democracy and human rights in Sudan.

Advertising

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by his Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case. [39102]

Mr. MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office conducted a publicity campaign in the UK in 1998 to reduce the number of ticketless fans travelling to France for the World Cup Finals and to explain what consular services were available. The Department also provides information on Britain and the EU for the British public. The aim is to increase knowledge of UK membership of the EU. Tables 1 and 2 give figures for expenditure and numbers of staff involved.

Table 1: consular publicity campaign

	Cost to public funds (£)	Staff
1998–99	1,000,000	3
1999–2000	0	0
2000–01	0	0
2001–02	0	0

Note:

Methods of evaluation included a face-to-face omnibus survey, before and after the campaign, on a targeted audience of football fans aged between 18 and 40.

Table 2: information on the EU

	Cost to public funds (£)	Staff
1998–99	0	0
1999–2000	102,574	5
2000–01	258,000	8
2001–02	(4)236,038	9

⁽⁴⁾ To date

Note:

Methods of evaluation have included hit counters on websites and an opinion poll in 2001.

Information on publicity or advertising campaigns organised by UK missions overseas could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Flexible Working

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of the staff of his Department are (a) job sharing, (b) term working and (c) engaged in another form of flexible working. [42421]

Mr. Bradshaw: The FCO has 44 people job-sharing (0.78 per cent. of FCO staff), two people term working (0.03 per cent. of FCO staff) and 130 people engaged in

19 Mar 2002 : Column 198W

other forms of flexible working ie part-time, home working and compressed hours (2.3 per cent. of FCO staff).

Other arrangement include staggered hours, flexi-time and home working.

The FCO is actively exploring the scope to offer increased flexibility to staff in order to meet the growing demand for a healthy work/life balance and to improve our record on diversity. This has the personal support of the Secretary of State.

Diplomatic Guidelines

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 63W, what guidelines there are to inform diplomats on how to assess whether representations will benefit the UK; and if he will make a statement. [42914]

Mr. MacShane: I have nothing to add to my previous answer.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

EU Directives

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to her Department that have been implemented in each of the last four years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each. [39112]

Mr. Caborn: The information requested is as follows for this Department:

Council Directive (89/552/EEC) of 3 October 1989 on the "Coordination of Certain Provisions Laid Down by Law, Regulation or Administrative Action in Member States Concerning the Pursuit of Television Broadcasting Activities", as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 June 1997.

Directive 2001/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2001 amending Council Directive 93/7/EEC on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a member state.

Cost information in the form requested in part (b) of the question is not held in this Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments are required to produce regulatory impact assessments for proposals, including those originating in European legislation, likely to impose significant costs on business, charities or voluntary organisations. Copies of these are available in the Commons and Lords Libraries.

Sports Funding

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on the provision of financial support for international sporting events in the UK. [43439]

19 Mar 2002 : Column 199W

Mr. Caborn: The benefits to the United Kingdom of hosting international sporting events are enormous. As well as encouraging economic investment and tourism, such events leave legacies of sporting development.

The provision of financial support for major events bids is a matter for the Sports Councils to determine against their clear and robust funding criteria. UK Sport currently makes available approximately £1.6 million per year in Lottery funding to assist with the bidding processes for, and the staging of, major sporting events in the UK. Sport England considers funding applications for these purposes against its general funding criteria.

Lottery Grants

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many organisations in receipt of Lottery grants in 2000–01 were subject to special investigations arising from concerns about how the money was used; and if she will make a statement. [43810]

Mr. Caborn: This information is not held centrally. The National Lottery distributing bodies make decisions independently of the Government on the award and monitoring of Lottery grants.

The distributing bodies are required by the financial directions issued to them under section 26 (3), (3A) and (4) of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 (as amended by the National Lottery Act 1998) to attach conditions to any National Lottery grant award. These conditions must include the provision that the grant must be used for the purpose set out in the application made by the recipient, and the condition that the grant may have to be repaid in full or in part if any of the grant conditions are breached.

The financial directions issued to each distributing body also require the body to maintain effective controls to prevent and detect fraud and have systems in place to deal effectively with cases of fraud, however they might have been identified. Distributors are expected to ensure that their procedures address the risks identified in a manual on lottery fraud issued by my Department.

---