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Gibraltar

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the state of the Brussels process concerning Gibraltar. [95629]

Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on this matter by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 11 December 2002, Official Report, col. 380W.

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Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of compliance by Israel with the human rights provisions of the EU-Israel Association agreement; and what action he is taking to ensure full compliance. [94766]

Mr. MacShane: Respect for human rights and democratic principles constitute an essential element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and all other such agreements between the EU and Mediterranean countries, including the Palestinian Authority. The EU has used this as a vehicle to raise human rights as part of its political dialogue with Israel. The UK joined with other member states at the EU-Israel Association Council on 21 October 2002 in making clear its concerns about human rights and the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories and has continued to raise human rights issues in bilateral contacts with Israel.

Kenya

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to assist the incoming Kenyan Government in developing effective public administration and tackling corruption. [90145]

Mr. Rammell: We are discussing with the new Kenyan Administration the economic and social reform agenda which President Kibaki promoted during his campaign. Good economic management will be the key to the revival of Kenya. We expect the new Government to stand by its commitment to tackle corruption, including by creating an Anti-Corruption Authority and giving it the power to prosecute.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) his Department and (b) representatives of his Department in Nairobi have had with (i) representatives of the Government of Kenya in London and (ii) members of the Government of Kenya about the killing of Mr. William Mwaura Munhe; what reports he has received linking the murder to Mr. Felicien Kabuga; what assistance (A) his Department and (B) the UK Government are providing to the authorities in Kenya in this matter; and if he will make a statement. [94258]

Mr. Rammell: My noble Friend the Baroness Amos raised Felicien Kabuga's presence in Kenya with Mr. Kalonzo Musyoka, the Kenyan Minister for foreign affairs, on 28 January. Mr. Mwaura Munhe's killing is alleged to be linked to information on Mr. Kabuga's whereabouts. We continue to work with partners on gathering information leading to the apprehension of Rwandan genocidaires.

Liberia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on (a) the nature of the attack on the town of Beam in Liberia and (b) the identity of the perpetrators; what discussions he has had or is planning to have with (a) representatives of the Liberian

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Government and (b) the Liberian Government on Liberia's strategy to deal with this event; and if he will make a statement. [94260]

Mr. Rammell: We are raising the attack on Beam, in Liberia, with the UN Secretariat. The main aim of the attack seems to have been looting connected to the conflict in Cote d'lvoire. It is unclear who orchestrated the attack but Liberian and Ivorian groups have been accused of involvement. We remain concerned about reports of Liberian involvement in the rebellion in Cote d'lvoire and at the ease with which armed groups can pass across the border.

The Government of Liberia continues to ignore the demands of the UN Security Council by sponsoring armed groups in the region. Our aim remains to contain these activities by maintaining effective UN sanctions against Liberia.

Maganizo Mazeze

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to representatives and members of the Malawian Government concerning the arrest and trial of journalist Maganizo Mazeze; and if he will make a statement. [94254]

Mr. Rammell: Mr. Mazeze was arrested and bailed on 22 January. He was charged with disseminating false news after he had reported on stories of "bloodsuckers" in Malawi for his radio station, MIJ. While we have not specifically raised Mr. Mazeze's case with the Malawi Government, we have commented publicly on attempts to prohibit reporting of political news on MIJ. Our High Commissioner to Malawi last raised issues of media freedom with the Minister of Information on 24 October last year.

Minimum Wage

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the impact of increasing the minimum wage (a) in line with average earnings, (b) to £4.17 per hour, (c) to £4.87 per hour, (d) to £5.00 per hour and (e) to £5.30 per hour, on the cost of salaries of departmental employees (i) in total and (ii) for each nation of the United Kingdom in the next financial year. [90600]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: In the next financial year, our lowest salary will be £11,267 per annum, which equates to an hourly rate of £5.15.

The effect of a minimum wage of £4.17, £4.87 or £5.00 on the cost of salaries of FCO employees would therefore be nil.

If the minimum wage were raised to £5.30 per hour, there would be an effect on the cost of the salaries of FCO employees. This cost cannot, however, be quantified without disproportionate cost.

Occupational Stress

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) causes of occupational stress in his Department. [93672]

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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The FCO commissioned a company led by Professor Cary Cooper of UMIST to undertake an Occupational Stress Audit in 2000. An Action Plan, taking into account the results of this, and the 2001 FCO Employee Opinion Survey, has been drawn up and made available to all FCO staff. An Action Group, chaired by the Director Personnel, monitors progress. Its last meeting was held on 23 October 2002.

Peru

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions (a) he has and (b) his Department have had with the Peruvian Government on its response to the Peruvian Constitutional Court's ruling to overturn in part four anti-terror legislative decrees; and if he will make a statement; [94262]

(2) what reports he has received from his Department's representative in Lima on the Peruvian Constitutional Court's ruling to overturn in part four anti-terror legislative decrees; what advice his Department is issuing on the ruling's legal and security implications; and if he will make a statement. [94261]

Mr. Rammell: Our Embassy in Lima is watching closely developments following the recent ruling of the Peruvian Constitutional Court on the anti-terrorist legislation. Our understanding is that the Constitutional Court has reached its judgment based on the legislation's compatibility with Peru's international human rights obligations. The laws in question were adopted in 1992 and have been the subject of criticism internationally. The Peruvian Government intends to adopt new legislation within 30 working days of this ruling. We support the Peruvian Government's efforts to improve and protect human rights for all Peruvians. We maintain a good dialogue with Peru on human rights matters as well as security aspects in common to both sides, including terrorism.

Public Service Agreement

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place the technical note underlying his Public Service Agreement in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [94887]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Technical Note for the period 2003–06 will be published within the next few weeks, once detailed planning for the delivery of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Public Service Agreement targets has been completed. The Technical Note will set out how progress against the Public Service Agreement targets will be measured. A copy of the Technical Note will be placed in the Library.

Richard Mechan

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what documentary evidence he has received on (a) mitigating circumstances of self-defence and (b) mitigating circumstances of self-defence that were not included in the official confession,

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(c) health problems and (d) health problems that were not included in the official confession, relating to the case of Mr. Richard Mechan. [93520]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We received from Richard Mechan and his father, Terry Mechan, copies of selected documentation concerning Richard's judicial defence against his manslaughter charge in Bahrain. These included the issues of possible self-defence and Richard's heart condition. Our consular staff cannot provide detailed legal advice so, we have always advised Richard Mechan that any evidence in favour of his defence should be introduced by his lawyer. We understand that Mr. Mechan's lawyer did introduce the above mentioned documentation in support of his defence to the courts in Bahrain.

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