15 Jul 2002 : Column 1W
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 15 July 2002
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Post-war Expulsions
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library legal opinions on the (a) Benes and (b) Polish expulsion decrees of 1945 that have been delivered to (i) his Department and (ii) Communities institutions. [68316]
Peter Hain: This question requires a detailed search of FCO records which may take some time. I shall write to the hon. Member when the appropriate research has been completed.
European Community Treaty
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he would list those occasions since 1 May 1997 where use has been made of Articles 308 and 95 TEC. [68338]
Peter Hain: Based on information from the European Commission's Eur-Lex database, since 1 May 1997 Article 308 of the Treaty on European Union has been used on 71 occasions and Article 95 on 82 occasions. I have placed copies of documents listing these occasions in the Library of the House.
Gibraltar
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what element of the Gibraltar economy Spain asked to be modified during the talks on 26 June on the future status of Gibraltar. [68457R]
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what issues will be discussed during the talks under the Brussels Process planned for 12 July in Madrid. [68310]
Peter Hain: No meeting took place on 12 July 2002.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Mr. Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the humanitarian impact of fighting between the RCD and dissident Banyamulenge forces on the Minembwe plateau in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. [68446]
Mr. MacShane: The heavy fighting and resulting insecurity in the Haut Plateaux area has made it difficult to find reliable reports about the humanitarian situation there. However, the few reports we have received indicate that there has been some displacement of the local population, leading to fear of further humanitarian
15 Jul 2002 : Column 2W
problems. We have raised our concerns about the situation with the Government of Rwanda, the United Nations Mission to the DRC and at the Security Council.
British Overseas Prisoners
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British prisoners have been incarcerated abroad for more than two years without trial, broken down by country. [68466]
Mr. Straw: We are aware of six British nationals who have been detained overseas for two or more years without trial. All six are held in Spain. Spanish law states that a detainee must come to trial within two years, but this period can be extended to four years 'under exceptional circumstances'. All six detainees have legal representation and have been offered full consular assistance throughout their detention.
UK Peacekeeping Missions
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications for UK peacekeeping missions of a US withdrawal from peacekeeping forces. [68543]
Mr. MacShane: On 30 June the US vetoed the UNSC resolution renewing the UNMIBH/SFOR mandate for Bosnia. The Council has decided to extend the UNMIBH mandate until 15 July, to allow for further efforts to resolve the issue. We continue to work for a solution which meets the concerns of all Security Council members.
The US have reassured the Security Council and peacekeeping partners that it is not their intention to withdraw from peacekeeping operations in the Balkans.
Outside the Balkan region, the US contribute 153 personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions. Were they to decide to withdraw from these peacekeeping missions, the impact on the UK would be negligible.
Comprehensive Spending Review
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff have contributed to his Department's input to the Spending Review. [68691]
Mr. MacShane: The Spending Review involves a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance priorities and resource requirements and a range of staff make a contribution.
Public Service Agreements
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of the public service agreements of his Department set out in the document "Public Services for the Future, 1998" have been met; and if he will make a statement. [68710]
Mr. MacShane [holding answer 10 July 2002]: Information relating to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Public Service Agreement targets can be found in the FCO's 2002 departmental report.
15 Jul 2002 : Column 3W
Rwanda
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement. [69190]
Mr. MacShane: There are some signs that, at an institutional level, the Government of Rwanda is willing to put in place initiatives which if correctly implemented could have a positive impact on the human rights situation in the country e.g. grass roots consultations, decentralisation and reconciliation processes. But there are also some worrying signs of a treat to some political and civil rights, particularly freedom of expression and association. We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to raise issues of concern about human rights with the Government of Rwanda at the highest level.
Turkey
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish Government regarding the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [69189]
Peter Hain: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary periodically meets with senior members of the Turkish Government to review a range of issues. His last substantial discussion with the Turkish side about the EU was during a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Cem at the time of the EU/OIC forum held in Istanbul in February.
Future of Europe
Ms Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the report made to the convention on the future of Europe on the outcome of the UK national debate on the future of Europe. [68990]
Peter Hain: The report submitted to the future of Europe convention outlines the public consultation activities in the UK on the future of Europe so far, and the main issues that have emerged. A copy is available in the Library. It is also on the websites of the FCO and the European convention (www.fco.gov.uk and http:// european-convention.eu.int/).
Indonesia
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to monitor the use of Hawk jets by the Indonesian air force. [68923]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The FCO pays close attention to the use of Hawk jets in Indonesia and, through the British embassy in Jakarta, follow up any allegations of improper use with the Indonesian Government. To date, there has been no evidence of Hawk jets being used in counter-insurgency operations in either Aceh or Papua.
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if British-made Hawk jets have been deployed by the Indonesian air force in Aceh; and if he will make a statement. [68917]
15 Jul 2002 : Column 4W
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our Ambassador in Jakarta recently discussed the use of Hawk aircraft with the Indonesian Co-ordinating Minister for Security, Bambang Yudhoyono and the commander of the Indonesian air force. They confirmed that no fixed wing aircraft were being used by the air force in operations against GAM in Aceh. Bambang Yudhoyono also reconfirmed Indonesian Government policy that no British military equipment would be used in counter-insurgency operations in Indonesia.
Zimbabwe
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa applications to travel to the UK have been refused by the British High Commission in Zimbabwe in the last six months for which figures are available. [69082]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The statistical data on the number of applications refused each month in the last six months for which figures are available are as follows:
Overseas Security Services
Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what privileges and immunities are enjoyed by members of the security services of other countries operating in the UK. [69551]
Mr. Straw: No privileges and immunities are enjoyed by members of the security services of other countries operating in the UK unless they hold them by virtue of their status as diplomats.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |