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14 Mar 2003 : Column 446W—continued
Israel
Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning (a) the resettlement of Bedouin in the Negev and (b) the provision of services to Bedouin in the Negev; and if he will make a statement. [101584]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Israeli Cabinet will soon vote on a proposal to relocate 70,000 Bedu from the Negev to seven existing settlement areas. I have asked our Embassy in Tel Aviv to raise concerns about the treatment of the Bedu with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We continue to monitor developments closely.
Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv visited the Bedu Regional Council of the Unrecognised Villages on 18 February as part of our Embassy's continuing dialogue with them. In 2002, our Embassy in Tel Aviv completed a successful advocacy-training programme for Bedu leaders and will shortly fund the construction of an 'environmental' medical centre for several unrecognised villages. The Regional Council has warmly welcomed our interest in, and support for, the Bedu's plight.
North Korea
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the nuclear programmes in (a) Iran and (b) North Korea; and if he will make a statement. [101822]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: There has been concern about the nuclear ambitions of both Iran and North Korea for sometime. The IAEA Director-General has recently returned from a fact finding mission to Iran. We await his report to the IAEA Board of Governors.
On North Korea's programme I refer the hon. Member to the answer given him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) today UIN 101823.
We continue to monitor closely developments in both countries.
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the threat posed to the United Kingdom by North Korea's nuclear programmes. [101823]
Mr. Rammell: We assess that North Korea has the technical capacity to manufacture nuclear weapons, and that the volume of plutonium it has diverted from its nuclear programme would be sufficient to make one or
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two weapons. We also believe that North Korea could flight test a missile with the potential to reach Europe within weeks of a decision to do so. Once such a missile was flight-tested, it would take several years to deploy the missile operationally.
Assessment of threat is based on both capability and intent. We currently have no evidence of North Korean intent to target the UK.
We deplore North Korea's recent actions, including the expulsion of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitors from Yongbyon, and the stated intention to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Sudan
Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Sudan on the clearances of villages in the oil field area of Southern Sudan. [101586]
Mr. Rammell: We are in regular contact with the Government of Sudan. The US-led Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) has investigated alleged attacks against civilians in Western Upper Nile as part of their normal mandate. At the request of Lt-Gen. Sumbeiywo the CPMT has also investigated alleged violations of the Memorandum of Understanding on cessation of hostilities which was signed at Machakos on 15 October 2002 and extended on 18 November 2002.
On 4 February the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) signed an addendum which aims to strengthen the MoU. It contains many new and welcome initiatives, including the establishment of a Verification Monitoring Team to investigate alleged violations of the MoU by the Government of Sudan and the SPLM/A, to build confidence between the parties and make more unlikely the sorts of outbreaks of fighting which we have seen recently in Western Upper Nile. We are ready to contribute personnel and resources to this operation.
Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals are employed in the southern oil fields of Sudan. [101587]
Mr. Rammell: We cannot state with certainty how many UK nationals are in Sudan. UK nationals are not obliged to register at the British Embassy in Khartoum. Of those who have registered 26 state that they work in the oil industry in south Sudan.
Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on the progress of peace negotiations in Sudan. [101590]
Mr. Rammell: The UK role in supporting the peace process is performed jointly by the FCO and DFID. The UK Special Representative for Sudan, Alan Goulty, leads the UK observer delegation at the peace talks. We continually carry out intensive consultations at ministerial and official level with the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in support of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process. My right hon.
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Friend the Foreign Secretary most recently met the Sudanese Foreign Minister at UNGA in September 2002.
United Nations Security Council
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his definition is of the phrase material breach as used in United Nations Security Council Resolutions. [101991]
Mr. Rammell: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 7 November 2002, Official Report, column. 437,
"material breach is a term of art familiar in international law"
"means something significant, some behaviour or pattern of behaviour that is serious".
Mr. Rammell: As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) stated on 4 March in a written reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Morley and Rothwell (Mr. Challen), Official Report, column 915W, the Council has warned Iraq that it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violation of its obligations. As the Government have made clear, that means consequences up to and including the use of force.
Zimbabwe
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what applications (a) Mr. Robert Mugabe and (b) other Zimbabweans subject to the EU travel ban have made to visit Europe in the next three months; and if he will make a statement. [101780]
Mr. Rammell: We are not aware of any such applications.
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the members of the Commonwealth troika on Zimbabwe; what assessment he has made of Zimbabwe's position in the Commonwealth following these discussions; and if he will make a statement. [101820]
Mr. Rammell: We have a regular dialogue with Presidents Mbeki and Obasanjo and Prime Minister Howard about the situation in Zimbabwe. The political, economic and humanitarian situation has further deteriorated since Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth Councils on 18 March 2002. Zimbabwe has made no progress towards meeting the principles of good governance as set out in the Commonwealth's Harare declaration. On that basis, we see no justification for lifting its current suspension from the Commonwealth Councils.
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HEALTH
Avian Flu
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what implications for human health avian influenza has. [102366]
Ms Blears: Avian influenza viruses very occasionally infect humans. However, this is a very rare event. An outbreak of avian influenza (strain H5N1) in Hong Kong in 1997 resulted in the death of six people. There was no evidence of human to human spread. In Europe there have been several cases of avian flu without any human consequences. The United Kingdom has plans in place to deal with a pandemic situation should the need arise.
Dietary Advice
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the Government's five-a-day programme for schools is sourced from British fruit and vegetables. [102547]
Ms Blears [holding answer 12 March 2003]: Under the National School Fruit Scheme, which is part of the five a day programme, apples, pears, bananas and satsumas are provided free to children aged four to six. Since the beginning of the current school year, approximately 63 per cent., of apples and 73 per cent., of pears have been of United Kingdom origin.
The Department is working with a range of partners to maximise the opportunities for UK growers to supply to the scheme, including expanding the range of produce provided to include other types of fruit and vegetables.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken to encourage low income groups to increase their consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables. [97324]
Ms Blears: The Government's Five-a-day programme, a NHS Plan commitment, aims to increase access to, and availability and consumption of, fruit and vegetables particularly in low-income groups. Following successful piloting by the Department of Health, the New Opportunities Fund is providing £10 million over the next two years to support 66 local community initiatives led by primary care trusts (PCTs) based in the most deprived areas of England. Evaluation of the initial Department of Health Five-a-day community pilots showed that those who ate less than five a day at baseline increased their intakes by one portion over the course of the study.
The Five-a-day communications programme will provide clear and consistent messages about Five-a-day, including the benefits of eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day and portion sizes. Work is also in progress with different organisations from across industry, including retailers, producers and caterers, as well as across government and with other agencies, to improve people's access to fruit and vegetables.
Fully operational by 2004, the National School Fruit Scheme will entitle every child aged four to six in infant schools to a free piece of fruit each school day, as part of a national strategy to improve the diet of children. In
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addition, local initiatives to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in low-income groups may be found through health action zones, sure start, healthy living centres and other PCTs.
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