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27 Jan 2003 : Column 564W—continued

Empty Homes

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many empty homes his Department (a) had five years ago and (b) has now, by region; if he will establish an empty homes strategy within his Department; and if he will set a target for reduction in empty homes. [92920]

Mr. Rammell: It is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's policy to limit empty properties to one of four categories: (a) those that must be vacated while undergoing refurbishment or adaptation; (b) those that are surplus and in the process of disposal; (c) those we cannot occupy because of a break in diplomatic relations or a similar eventuality, but we expect to need in the future; (d) those that are vacant for short periods between officers' overseas tours.

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Routine management of the FCO estate is devolved to our overseas posts and information is not held centrally. It is therefore not possible to identify these properties or their costs without disproportionate cost.

Energy Supplies (Security)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions with other (a) Departments and (b) Governments his Department has had over the last 12 months with regard to the British Foreign Policy objective of ensuring secure energy supplies. [92177]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has participated in regular cross-Whitehall discussions on the security of energy supply, most importantly, in the context of the Energy White Paper.

The FCO has had regular bilateral and multilateral discussions on a range of energy issues, including the security of energy supplies, with both energy producing and energy consuming countries.

Entertainment

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92374]

Mr. Rammell: Comparable information is only available for the years 2000–01 to 2002–3. The following figures show the actual spend on entertainment within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the first two of these years, with a forecast for year three based upon expenditure to date:

	£
2000–01	8,337,306
2001–02	8,708,262
2002–03	8,566,545

All expenditure on entertainment within the department is carefully monitored to ensure that it is made in accordance with departmental guidance that is based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

Industrial Action/Illness

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many working days have been lost in his Department and its predecessors due to (a) industrial action and (b) illness in each year since 1997. [93165]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not lost any days due to industrial action since 1997. The number of days lost due to sick absence are as follows:

	Average days per officer
1997	8.9
1998	8.0
1999	n/a
2000	6.3
2001	6.6
2002	5.7

Notes:

1. Figures for 1997 to 1998 have been uplifted to account for different recording practices in different parts of the Department and its overseas posts.

2. Figures for 1999 could only be provided at disproportionate costs, the method of recording changed part way through 1999.

3. FCO figures are recorded as total days (not working days).

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Kenya

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on compensation for alleged victims of repression by the British authorities in Kenya during the period of the Mau Mau rebellion and before Kenyan independence; and if he will make a statement. [90681]

Mr. Rammell: Ten different individuals and organisations have made representations to the British High Commission in Nairobi since January 1999 to ask for compensation for alleged victims of repression by the British authorities during the period of the Mau Mau rebellion. The latest approach was on 19 October 2002 on behalf of the "Mau Mau Original Trust". In addition, BHC officials received a delegation of Mau Mau veterans on 23 October 2002. Responsibility for the actions of the colonial Government of Kenya passed to the Government of Kenya at Independence in 1963.

United Nations Organisations

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official representations have been made during the last six months to UN organisations on behalf of the United Kingdom at the UN; and what the results were of those representations. [93346]

Mr. Straw: The UK makes daily representations to UN organisations and agencies, and to other members of the UN, on a wide range of issues.

Examples of the UN's achievements in the last six months to which UK representations have contributed include:

The unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 and the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq;


The successful transition of the International Police Task Force in Bosnia to the European Union Police Mission;


The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1445 strengthening UN action against Al-Qaida;


The adoption, by a large majority, of a new international human rights instrument to combat torture: the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture;


The adoption of General Assembly Resolutions on major human rights thematic issues, including torture, rights of the child, rights of the disabled and honour crimes;


Significant agreements on international sustainable development governance at the World Summit for Sustainable Development: e.g. access to sanitation, biodiversity, chemicals management and sustainable production and consumption;


Lifting sanctions in Angola.

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Visas

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many applications for a visa to visit family members in the UK were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused by entry clearance posts, in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002; [93093]

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(2) how many applications for a visa to visit family members in the UK were (a) received, (b) determined and (c) refused by those entry clearance posts that provide monthly statistical information in each month since 1 October 2000. [93092]

Mr. Rammell: The figures for Family Visit Applications received, determined and refused since October 2000 are set out as follows.

Family visit applications

	January	February	March	April	May	June
2000
Received	—	—	—	—	—	—
Determined	—	—	—	—	—	—
Refused	—	—	—	—	—	—
2001
Received	13,612	15,975	20,811	22,560	32,220	32,292
Determined	11,432	14,574	19,533	22,142	30,182	28,156
Refused	2,305	2,831	4,205	3,979	5,178	5,610
2002
Received	15,904	18,759	23,207	27,137	33,299	26,706
Determined	13,477	15,306	19,221	24,765	28,465	21,023
Refused	3,208	3,881	4,363	5,497	5,908	3,425

	July	August	September	October	November	December
2000
Received	—	—	—	20,809	15,868	12,456
Determined	—	—	—	20,530	15,758	12,386
Refused	—	—	—	2,022	1,893	1,283
2001
Received	36,998	28,899	17,981	13,908	16,251	14,551
Determined	35,559	26,895	17,858	13,256	15,587	13,886
Refused	5,887	5,138	4,225	3,344	4,136	2,706
2002
Received	31,235	23,382	17,591	17,896	19,307	13,617
Determined	29,360	22,984	16,641	17,149	17,780	12,197
Refused	5,184	6,187	4,959	4,713	4,668	2,714

Yugoslavia

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assistance the Government has provided to the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to undertake investigations into the activities of arms dealers involved in the illegal supply of weapons to (a) West Africa and (b) Iraq; [93487]

(2) what the outcomes of his meeting on 6 November 2002 with the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were regarding the illegal supply of weapons to (a) West Africa and (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement; [93488]

(3) what assistance (a) the EU and (b) the UK have provided to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to develop arms export legislation. [93489]

Mr. MacShane: When he met President Kostunica and Foreign Minister Svilanovic in late 2002, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our serious concerns about reports of arms sales from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) to Iraq and Liberia, in breach of UN sanctions. He urged them to ensure a thorough investigation, leading to prosecutions of those responsible. Since then Mr. Cekovic, Head of Jugoimport, and Mr. Djokic, Assistant Minister for Defence, have been sacked, the Jugoimport office in Baghdad closed and a commission established to investigate Jugoimport's activities. The FRY has also cancelled a bilateral agreement with Iraq and suspended bilateral military industrial agreements with all states that are subject to UN sanctions. Svilanovic has promised further investigation and possible prosecutions. The United Kingdom is considering the provision of technical assistance to the FRY to ensure effective regulation of arms exports. On 10 December UK experts visited Belgrade to conduct a preliminary assessment; a follow-up visit will take place soon. The EU provides support to the FRY's reform process, including improving the democratic control of the armed forces, from its Common Foreign and Security Policy budget.

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