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Underground Petrol Tanks

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial assistance is available for petrol retailers seeking to upgrade underground petrol tanks. [95476]

Mr. Morley: There is no financial aid available in England and Wales for this type of capital expenditure. However, help is available in the form of guidance and advice, and the Environment Agency is working with the petroleum retailers industry to ensure that this reaches those who need it. Given that underground petrol tanks may, in the course of maintenance, need replacing, the Downstream Oil Industry Forum, which is made up of Government and industry representatives, is currently looking into the cost and safety of re-lining as an alternative option for such tanks. The Forum is due to report later this year.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reported leakages of fuel from underground storage tanks there were in each year since 1999. [95477]

Mr. Morley: Information from the Environment Agency's database for these years will take a little time to compile but will be made available to the Library of the House as soon as possible. I will write to let the hon. Member know when that is.

Waste

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the Government's Best Value indicators for waste management. [89613]

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Margaret Beckett: All best value indicators are reviewed annually and the indicators for 2003–04 have been published recently.

Government will need to take a number of factors into account when reviewing waste indicators for 2004–05.

A key aim will be to maintain consistency over time as far as possible, to enable robust performance data to be accumulated. However, one of the recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit's recent report "Waste Not Want Not" was that alternative indicators for waste should be considered.

Government will respond to this and other recommendations in due course. If changes are to be made then Government would expect to go out to consultation with local government and others during August.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Al-Qaeda Cells

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with international intelligence organisations concerning the number of current al-Qaeda terrorist cells in different countries and how many operatives they have; and what their weapons capabilities are. [95324]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have regular discussions with our international partners about the threat posed by al-Qaeda and related groups.

Ambassadors

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is given to Her Majesty's ambassadors about (a) inviting and (b) receiving persons who are convicted fugitives from the law in diplomatic properties. [94964]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our Heads of Mission overseas use diplomatic premises for the furtherance of HMG objectives, and are able to exercise appropriate discretion in doing so.

Bangladesh

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has met representatives from (a) the Bangladeshi Government and (b) the Awami League to discuss the subject of political violence in Bangladesh. [95066]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I discussed law and order in Bangladesh, including political violence, with a cross-party group of Bangladeshi MPs, and with Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Awami League, last July. Our High Commission in Dhaka regularly raises with the Bangladesh Government the need for all allegations of political violence to be fully investigated and for perpetrators to be brought to justice. We urge all parties to work together in the interests of democracy.

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British Council (Budget)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the budget is for (a) the British Council, (b) British Trade International spending which falls under his Department and (c) publications, displays and events overseas, as defined on page 86 of his June 2002 Annual Report, Cm5413, in 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [95216]

Mr. Rammell: The information requested is as follows:

(a) The FCO grant in aid to the British Council for 2003–04 will be £166.461 million.

(b) The FCO's 2003–04 budget for British Trade International has not yet been set. In 2001–02, the most recent full Financial Year for which figures are available, British Trade International activities consumed £136.290 million of FCO resources. This figure is further broken down in Schedule 5 of the FCO's 2001–02 Resource Accounts (HC324).

(c) Public diplomacy budgets for 2003–04 have not yet been set but are expected to be about £5 million.

Diplomatic Premises

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those diplomatic premises which are shared with (a) EU diplomatic delegates and (b) other EU member state delegates. [95958]

Mr. Rammell: The UK Missions which share facilities with other EU member states or the European Commission are: Almaty (France, Germany), Ashgabat (France, Germany), Astana (France, Germany, European Commission), Dar es Salaam (Germany, Netherlands, European Commission), Freetown (France), Gaborone (France), Minsk (Italy), Nicosia (Italy), Pyongyang (Germany), Quito (Germany), Sofia (European Commission).

FCO Officials (Nairobi)

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason interviews with FCO officials have been suspended in Nairobi for Somali nationals seeking family reunion with relatives who have been granted settlement in the UK. [95653]

Mr. Rammell: Due to the current security situation in Nairobi, access to the High Commission may be granted only to those with adequate confirmation of their identity. These provisions apply to all visitors and are not aimed specifically at a particular nationality. Somali nationals continue to be interviewed but are affected by these restrictions. The High Commission keeps the security situation under constant review and the current restrictions will be in place no longer than absolutely necessary.

Guantanamo Base

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Government officials

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have visited the Guantanamo base in Cuba; and if he will place copies of the reports of their visits in the Library. [94762]

Mr. Rammell: The officials were from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Security Service. I am withholding the information requested under Exemptions la and 15 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, I am unable to publish the names of the officials.

Iraq/al-Qaeda (Links)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been received by his Department concerning links between (a) Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, (b) Osama bin Laden and (c) the al-Qaeda organisation. [95315]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have received inquires from the press and public and parliamentary questions but not representations as such. We have received information from various sources.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to investigate links between (a) Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, (b) Osama bin Laden and (c) the al-Qaeda organisation. [95316]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We will continue to evaluate such information as we may receive on any links between the Iraqi regime, Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by the Government to ensure that goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Gaza and Golan, are not imported to the EU under the preference terms of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. [94741]

Mr. MacShane : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury gave on 4 February 2003, Official Report, column 181W.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether Israel has breached its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention; and what actions the UK is taking, as a high contracting party to that Convention, to secure full compliance by Israel. [94768]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories are contrary to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We have repeatedly called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity.

Collective punishment is also contrary to the Fourth Geneva Convention. In certain circumstances this can include the demolition of homes of suicide bombers; the closure and curfew regime, denial of access for humanitarian and medical agencies to those in need. We have raised our concerns at the highest levels of the Israeli Government and have requested they take immediate steps to address concern about the situation in the Occupied Territories.

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In accordance with the Declaration adopted at the Conference of High Contracting Parties in Geneva on 5 December 2001 the UK continues to meet its responsibility to encourage all parties to the conflict to ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions in all circumstances.

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