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Afghanistan

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the UK's involvement in Afghanistan. [68541]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK is working alongside the Afghan Transitional Administration and international partners to support the Bonn political process. The UK is committed to achieving its campaign objectives of defeating international terrorism and breaking the link between Afghanistan and terrorism (the details of which were placed in the Library of the House on 16 October 2001).

The UK was the first western nation to reopen a diplomatic mission in Kabul on 19 November 2001.

The UK has given £60 million since 11 September to UN agencies, the Red Cross and other organisations towards the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. The UK has pledged a further £200 million from the UK over the next five years for both reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan. The UK was the first donor to contribute to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund with £100 million. Development assistance focuses on five key areas: economic management; security sector reform (funded from the joint DFID/FCO/MOD Global

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Conflict Prevention Pool); humanitarian assistance; the development of sustainable livelihoods; and support to the political process.

The UK leads in co-ordinating international efforts and developing a strategy to assist the Afghan Government to tackle drugs.

The UK has developed close links with the new Transitional Administration and it's predecessor, the Interim Administration, through a number of high level visits including by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and other ministerial colleagues to Afghanistan, and President Karzai to the UK. The UK is contributing towards the future development of Afghan leaders through an expanded Chevening scholarship scheme.

After successfully leading ISAF in Afghanistan for the past six months, the UK handed over this role to Turkey on 20 June. The UK will continue to play a role in ISAF, with around 400 military personnel still committed. We remain committed to coalition activities in Afghanistan.

China (Human Rights)

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was discussed at the Human Rights Dialogue held between the United Kingdom and China in May. [69927]

Mr. MacShane: The eighth round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue took place in Beijing on 15 May.

The theme of this round was the management of ethnic minority affairs. In this context, the talks in Beijing were preceded by a four-day field trip to Gansu Province where the UK delegation visited both Tibetan and Muslim minority groups. The UK delegation included a senior British expert on race relations.

At the main session of talks in Beijing, the UK delegation raised a wide range of human rights concerns including: Tibet and Xinjiang; freedom of expression, religion and association; Falun Gong; criminal justice issues, including the death penalty; North Korean refugees; co-operation with UN human rights mechanisms, including visits by special rapporteurs; the ratification of the ICECSR and ILO Conventions; and the blocking of the BBC World Service website and Mandarin Service. The UK delegation also discussed the programmes of practical co-operation between the UK and China to promote human rights and the rule of law.

They raised over 50 individual cases of concern.

Bahrain

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Bahrain authorities regarding the case of Richard Mechan, a constituent. [68761]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our embassy staff have not had any discussions with the Bahrain authorities regarding the case of Richard Mechan.

East Timor

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 634W on

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East Timor, whether the unverified reports of Indonesian involvement in East Timor ahead of the invasion of 1975 were obtained from (a) press reports, (b) British diplomats in Indonesia and (c) the Australian embassy in Jakarta. [69031]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: As will be seen when the files are made available shortly, reports such as these the FCO received about Indonesian involvement in East Timor ahead of the invasion of 7 December 1975 came from all three sources referred to by the hon. Member.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 633W, on East Timor, whether the regular contacts between UK and Australian officials concerning the UN investigation of the deaths of British and other newsmen in East Timor have included discussion of the documentation published by Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in September 2000 on those deaths. [69033]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Yes.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 634W, if he will raise with the Indonesian Government the problems that have been experienced by the UN investigation on obtaining access to possible witnesses in Indonesia concerning the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and others in East Timor. [69032]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Further to my answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 634W, the Government have raised this case with the Indonesian authorities at every appropriate opportunity and will continue to do so.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the former special representative of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, concerning the status of the UN investigation into the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and others; and if he will make a statement. [68933]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Before he left Dili in May, Sergio Vieira de Mello confirmed that responsibility for the Balibo investigation remains with the Serious Crimes Unit in East Timor. I have since written to his successor Kamalesh Sharma to ask him to ensure that our ambassador in Dili is informed of any further developments with the UN investigation.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 634W, on East Timor, if the documents on non-intelligence aspects of Balibo case that he plans to release will include the full text of (a) the report to his department of mid-1975 by the Chancery Department of the British Embassy in Jakarta on East Timor's prospects and (b) the covering letter attached thereto sent by the then British Ambassador to Indonesia. [69030]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Yes. The full text of these documents will be released when the files are made available shortly.

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SCOTLAND

Mental Health

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the training of mental health professionals in Scotland. [65243]

Mrs. McGuire: The standards to which NHS mental health professionals are trained are set by UK regulatory bodies. However, the training routes by which mental health professionals meet these standards are devolved and are a matter for the Scottish Executive.

Government Liabilities

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the proportion of the rise in Government liabilities resulting from unfunded parts of Scottish (a) teachers and (b) NHS pension schemes in the last five years due to (i) wage inflation, (ii) longevity, (iii) extension of the rights of part-time workers and (iv) other factors; and if she will make a statement. [67026]

Mrs. McGuire: The regulation and administration of the teachers and NHS pension schemes in Scotland is a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive.

Consumer Credit Act

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations she has received from organisations in Scotland relating to reform of procedures relating to time orders under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. [67146]

Mrs. McGuire: Citizens Advice Scotland have sent the Scotland Office their briefing on this matter.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions she has had with the Department of Trade and Industry on possible reform of procedures relating to Time Orders under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. [67147]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department of Trade and Industry is currently reviewing the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The Scotland Office is working closely with the DTI in this area and the Government will consider whether it is necessary to make any changes to the provisions on Time Orders as part of the review.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on reform of procedures relating to time orders under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. [67145]

Mrs. McGuire: The Government will consider whether it is necessary to make any changes to the provisions on Time Orders as part of our review of the Consumer Credit Act. We will fully consult the Scottish Executive on this matter.

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