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East Timor
Ms Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the United Kingdom will be represented in East Timor after independence. [55343]
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Mr. Bradshaw: The UK has played a leading role in rebuilding East Timor and preparing for self-government there. We have so far committed more than £30 million for reconstruction and rehabilitation—including £12 million from DFID for the first three years after independence. We will upgrade the existing British Office in Dili to an embassy on independence and Hamish St. Clair Daniel will be the first British ambassador to the Democratic Republic of East Timor. I will represent HMG at the Independence Day celebrations in Dili on 20 May.
St. Helena
Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date and by what means he plans to restore citizenship rights to the St. Helenians. [54909]
Mr. Bradshaw: A Commencement Order giving effect to the citizenship provisions of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 was signed by the Secretary of State on 1 May and will take effect on 21 May. From that date, which is also the quincentenary of the discovery of St. Helena, St. Helenians will be able to apply for British citizen passports.
British Overseas Territories Act
Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 Commencement Order will be made. [54908]
Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs signed a Commencement Order on 1 May which will bring the citizenship provisions of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 into force on 21 May 2002.
Arms Exports
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department takes to ensure that the export of arms is to countries which will only use the arms for approved purposes; and if he will make a statement. [54904]
Mr. Bradshaw: Britain has one of the strictest and most transparent arms export licensing systems of any country. We consider all export licence applications on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. Our criteria clearly state that we will not issue licences where there is a clear risk that the experts might be used for either internal repression or external aggression.
The British Government has been in the forefront of international efforts to strengthen the regulation of the arms trade and proliferation. We were instrumental in getting agreement for an EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and we regularly encourage other countries to adopt stricter and more transparent arms export policies. We are active members of all the key regimes that work to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the Australia Group (which deals with chemical and biological
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weapons). And we are signatories to key arms control treaties, such as the Ottawa Convention on landmines, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
The UK's national export licensing criteria were set out in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Peter Hain) to my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt) on 26 October 2000, Official Report, column 199–203W.
Lockerbie
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the offer of compensation made by Libya for the families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing. [54577]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government do not have a direct role in the discussions concerning compensation by Libya to the families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing. Negotiations have been taking place between lawyers representing the families and representatives of the Libyan Government. The Government would not find acceptable any outcome under which British families do not receive an appropriate sum in compensation or receive less than others. I have raised the question of compensation for British families with the United States Government, which has raised it in turn with the lawyers directly involved in the discussions.
Libya
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Libya with particular reference to sanctions. [54578]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government pursue a policy of critical engagement with Libya, through which we hope to continue improving relations. UN sanctions against Libya are currently suspended. The United Kingdom will support a lift once Libya has satisfied the remaining requirements of UNSCRs 731,748,883 and 1192.
Zimbabwe
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which individuals in Zimbabwe have bank accounts which have been frozen by the European Union and the United States, broken down by (a) the size of those assets frozen and (b) the country in which those assets were held. [48789]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 15 April 2002]: European Council Regulation 310/2002 requires member states to freeze the assets of Robert Mugabe, immediate members of his family and members of the Government of Zimbabwe. It is for each member state to ensure that the terms of the regulation are implemented. While the regulation does not allow for the disclosure of details regarding accounts and amounts frozen, in the United Kingdom accounts belonging to two individuals listed in the regulation have been frozen.
Actions taken by the United States in respect of individuals in Zimbabwe are a matter for its Government.
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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Copyright Piracy
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures her Department proposes to take to combat video, DVD and internet piracy. [53442]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
We are supporting the Copyright, etc. and Trade Marks (Offences and Enforcement) Bill which raises the maximum penalty for copyright piracy offences. We will be strengthening copyright law relevant to online use and misuse of copyright material in regulations to implement the EC Directive on copyright and related right in the information society. In addition, our support for initiatives that will raise awareness of and respect for copyright and other intellectual property (IP) rights, such as the Crimestoppers Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign and the CD-Rom for schools that will explain IP issues relevant to e-commerce, are further contributing to the fight against piracy. We will continue to collaborate with representatives from public sector enforcement interests and affected private sector interests in the Counterfeiting and Piracy Forum to identify practical solutions to the fight against all piracy. We have recently arranged for the police National High-Tech Crime Unit to participate in the forum in order to gain from its experience of fighting internet crime.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her officials have had with officials in other departments on combating video, DVD and internet piracy. [53441]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
My officials are in close contact with officials in other Departments on a regular basis, including those in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Home Office and the Department for Education and Skills.
Tourism
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid from public funds to support the British Tourism Industry in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02. [54012]
Dr. Howells: The following table sets out moneys paid from public funds to support and compensate the British tourism industry in the years 1999–2000 to 2001–02. DCMS provides funding for the British Tourist Authority (BTA) to promote Britain overseas but other direct public funding to the tourism industry in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved administrations, and is not included in the table. Other moneys, mostly administered by the English Tourism Council (ETC), from central Government are included.
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| Recipient of Payment | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Tourist Authority | 37.5 | 37.02 | (24)49.7 |
| English Tourism Council | (25)12.1 | 10.068 | (26)14.869 |
| Greater London Authority (GLA)(27) | — | — | 1.9 |
| Other English grants(28) | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.057 |
(24) This £49.7 million includes £14.2 million for foot and mouth disease (FMD) recovery.
(25) Grant in aid paid to the English Tourist Board (ETB), predecessor to the English Tourism Council.
(26) This £14.869 million includes £0.6 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund and £3.8 million to tackle FMD.
(27) As from 2001–02 public funding of tourism in London was granted by DCMS to the GLA—before it had been part of BTA and ETB/ETC grants.
(28) Including Sector Challenge, Invest to Save Budget, and Tourism Strategy Fund.
In addition to this direct Government funding:
- (a) Local authorities spend over £90 million per year in England promoting and developing tourism in their areas;
- (b) The Regional Development Agencies' Business Recovery Fund made £74 million available in 2001–02 to target help for rural businesses, including tourism businesses, affected by the implications of foot and mouth disease (FMD); and
- (c) DCMS's £1 billion expenditure on arts, museums, galleries, sport etc. also directly benefits tourism.
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