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Maintained Schools

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will place (a) documents, (b) circulars, (c) questionnaires and (d) consultation papers which DfEE or DES have circulated to maintained schools in the last five years in the Library. [53672]

Mr. Timms: The Department already places all legal documents and key policy documents in the Library, but not ephemeral items such as questionnaires. The Library has a full list of titles sent to schools following an answer given to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green) on 6 March 2002.

Electronic copies of all communications sent to schools since September 2001 are on the internet at http:// www.teachernet.gov.uk/Mailing, and most documents sent in the two years before then on the DfES website: http://www.dfes.gov.uk.

Apprenticeships

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many modern apprenticeships were completed in the last 12 months, broken down by local learning and skill council area. [53091]

John Healey: The latest available information about numbers starting, and in-learning, on modern apprenticeships was published in a statistical first release, SFR 03/2002, on 22 March 2002. Numbers of completions by local learning and skills councils are not available.

Teacher Vacancies

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacant (a) deputy head teacher, (b) head teacher and (c) teacher posts existed in (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools and (iii) special schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [47505]

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Mr. Timms: [pursuant to his reply, 10 April 2002, c. 217W] The published figures were incorrect in that the figures for head teacher and classroom teacher vacancies in special schools were transposed for the years 1997 to 2000. The revised answer and tables have been placed in the Libraries.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Solar Panels

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Government buildings owned by his Department in the United Kingdom have solar panels installed. [51191]

Mr. MacShane: At present there are no solar panels installed on any of the buildings managed by the FCO in the United Kingdom. However their use is being investigated with other measures to reduce carbon emissions, as part of the FCO's energy strategy.

Iraq

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the action taken by the Iraqi Government via the International Court against the UK for the use of depleted uranium by the UK forces in Southern Iraq. [51637]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Government are not aware of any legal case brought by Iraq against the UK for the use of depleted uranium during the Gulf War.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Iraqi Government concerning the attempted assassination of Dr. Baham Salih. [51636]

Mr. Bradshaw: None. It is not clear who was responsible for the assassination attempt on Dr. Barham Salih.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the stability of the (a) PUK and (b) KDP in Northern Iraq. [51635]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have had de facto control of the three northern Iraqi governorates since the Iraqi administration withdrew in October 1991. There are no indications of instability within either of these two political parties. In recent years there has been increasing cooperation between the PUK and KDP, particularly in dealing with humanitarian issues such as the implementation of the "oil for food" programme and the return of internally displaced people to their home towns.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has collated about the attack sites and the weapons used by the Iraqi Government on northern Iraq. [51572]

Dr. Moonie: I have been asked to reply.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 April 2002, Official Report, column 486W.

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Burma

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the persecution of Christians. [51757]

Mr. Bradshaw: Respect for human rights, including freedom of religion, is a central part of UK and EU policy towards Burma. It is a consistent theme in all our activity, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.

The EU is currently working on a resolution on human rights in Burma at the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. As in previous years, it will cover instances of infringements and abuses of the right to practice religion freely.

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the Government of Burma to improve their human rights record. [53601]

Mr. Bradshaw: Respect for the rule of law is the only long-term guarantee for human rights in Burma. That is why we have been pressing so consistently for the return of constitutional rule in Burma. In the meantime, we continue to work with EU colleagues and through the United Nations to focus attention on Burma's human rights record. On 25 April the UN Commission on Human Rights adopted an EU sponsored resolution on the human rights situation in Burma.

Afghanistan

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the establishment of a human rights commission in Afghanistan; and if he will name those appointed to the commission and their terms of reference. [51462]

Mr. Bradshaw: Four standing working groups were established at the Afghan National Workshop on Human Rights held in Kabul on 9 March. These working groups will take forward the human rights provisions of the Bonn agreement, including the establishment of the independent Human Rights Commission, the investigation and monitoring of human rights abuses, and the provision of human rights education.

The UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan will continue to support the Interim Authority and the Human Rights Commission in their work. According to the UN Secretary General, a senior Human Rights Co-ordinator in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General will serve as the principal contact for the independent Human Rights Commission. Staff, including Afghan nationals, will be equipped to perform the human rights aspects of their work, including the integration of rights-based and gender-sensitive approaches in the mission's relief and reconstruction activities.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements have been put in place to ensure women's participation in the regional ballot of the emergency loya jirga, which began on 15 April. [51464]

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Mr. Bradshaw: On 31 March, the Special Commission for Convening the Emergency Loya Jirga announced the criteria for the selection of delegates for the Loya Jirga, including the arrangements for selection of candidates by regional ballot. These include a quota of seats reserved for women (100 out of the 1,051 seats being decided by regional ballot). A further 60 seats will be reserved for women out of the quotas reserved for members of the Interim Authority, refugees, members of civil society, internally displaced persons and professionals. This will give a total allocation of 160 out of 1,450 seats.

The Loya Jirga process has received wide publicity in Afghanistan via radio and print media. The commission, whose 21 members include three women, are also travelling to the regions to explain the process and to encourage women to take part.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what part women will play in the new police force and national army being established in Afghanistan. [51463]

Mr. Bradshaw: Reform of the security sector will be crucial in establishing security across Afghanistan. The process is at an early stage. While Afghan women are not members of the recently established First Battalion of the Afghan National Guard (trained by ISAF), we hope that Afghan women will play an important role in the security sector, including in the police, the judiciary and the armed forces.

Tanzania

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the explanatory statement in the case of Mrs. L. Odedra, a constituent, was dispatched from Dar-es-Salaam Ref: ECR/419/00 104792. [51523]

Mr. Bradshaw: It is not our practice to disclose details of individual entry clearance cases in a public forum. I will write to my hon. Friend about this case in the next few days.

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