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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

European Constitution

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a White Paper on the legal and constitutional implications of his policy of acceding to a European constitution [104983]

Mr. MacShane: The Government will continue to ensure full opportunity for the involvement of Parliament in considering the draft Treaty articles being produced by the Convention and which will be considered in the next Intergovernmental Conference.

We are considering further how best to do this as the Convention approaches its conclusion before the IGC begins.

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the legal basis upon which Her Majesty's Government will give legal effect to (a) the principle of a Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and (b) the European Constitution. [104985]

Mr. MacShane: The product of the Convention on the Future of Europe will be a draft Treaty. The draft, including any reference in it to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, will require the agreement of all Member States in the next Intergovernmental Conference. The Government has put forward its views in detail on the draft text produced by the Convention so far. These have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

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Any new restructured treaty, or amendments to the existing treaties, will need to be ratified according to the individual constitutional requirements of all Member States. In the UK, as with the Nice Treaty, and all other treaties amending the original treaty structure, any new amendments would have to stand up to vigorous scrutiny by Parliament before the UK would ratify.

Chechnya

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to, and what responses he has received from, Russia on human rights in Chechnya on the accountability of the police and army for their actions. [104747]

Mr. MacShane: The question of the accountability of military and police actions in Chechnya is one which is regularly raised with the Russian government. Most recently, during human rights talks at senior official level, with the Russian government earlier this month, we stressed that all allegations of human rights violations should be thoroughly and transparently investigated, and those responsible punished. We added that the vigorous protection of the human rights of the civil population was an essential precursor to a lasting political solution to the conflict in Chechnya.

On this occasion, senior Russian officials acknowledged that violations had been committed and that action needed to be taken to prevent further abuses. Their aim was to increase the protection of the civil population's human rights through the introduction of a new constitution for Chechnya, the phased withdrawal of Federal troops and the transfer of their security duties to the Chechen Interior Ministry.

China

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's position with reference to the Chinese Government's response to the human rights demonstrations held in XUAR on 5 February. [104745]

Mr. Rammell: Marches by Uighurs protesting about the banning of meshreps (a traditional form of social gathering) took place in Gulja, in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) on 5 February 1997.

We regularly raise our concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang through the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue and continue to stress to the Chinese authorities that the international fight against terrorism must not be used as an excuse to repress people who engage in non-violent political activity or hold unauthorised religious beliefs.

Civil Service Travel

Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what grades in the Civil Service in his Department are allowed to travel by air (a) first class and (b) business class at public expense when on official duties. [104971]

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Mr. Rammell: In flights of less than three hours duration, all staff travel economy class except officers in the Senior Management Structure with Job Evaluation Senior Posts (JESP) weightings of 13 or higher who travel business class.

In flights of more than three hours duration, all staff travel business class except officers in the Senior Management Structure with job weightings of JESP 22 or higher who travel first class. If no business class is available, officers in the Senior Management Structure with job weightings of JESP 13 and above travel first class and other officers travel economy class.

Exceptions can be made sparingly on a case by case basis for the following reasons:

Urgent or unforeseen journeys when no lower class seats are available

Political or protocol reasons

Operational reasons when a junior officer is accompanying a senior officer

Cost effective reasons when it is cheaper to upgrade (e.g. to save excess baggage charges).

Correspondence

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason he has not replied to the letter to him dated 28 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. J. Meah. [103744]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary responded to my right hon. Friend's letter on 17 March. A copy of the letter was faxed to my right hon. Friend's parliamentary office on 18 March.

Cyprus

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is having with the Greek government on resolving the conflict in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [104634]

Mr. MacShane: Cyprus was discussed by EU Heads of Government, including, Greece at the European Council on 20–21 March. I regularly discuss Cyprus in bilateral contacts with representatives of the Greek government.

The UN Secretary-General has made it clear that he remains at the disposal of the parties should they ask for UN assistance in negotiations based on the UN proposals. We strongly support the UN Secretary-General in this approach.

Departmental Events

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in the last 12 months, broken down by title, purpose, date and cost. [104276]

Mr. Rammell: The information requested is not held centrally by any one department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

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Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions on which (a) his Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 2001–02. [104321]

Mr. Rammell: In 2001–02 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office paid 97 per cent. of invoices within 30 days of receipt or the agreed contract terms where these differ.

Kosovo

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the landmine clearance programme in Kosovo has been completed. [104633]

Mr. Rammell: Programmed mine clearance in Kosovo was completed during 2001, and the responsibility for any further demining transferred from the now defunct UN Mine Action Co-ordination Centre (UNMACC) to the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

A much reduced threat from unexploded ordnance (UXO), including landmines, continues to exist in certain areas of the province. UNMIK tackles this on a response basis, working with NGOs and the indigenous Kosovo Protection Corps as necessary.

Liberia

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of revenue from the Liberian timber industry in supporting the Government of Mr. Charles Taylor. [104140]

Mr. Rammell: The Government shares the concern of the UN Panel of Experts that the revenues from timber sales in Liberia are being used to fund arms purchases in breach of UN sanctions. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1408(2002) called on the Government of Liberia to undertake a credible audit of shipping and timber revenues and to use the revenues from the timber trade for social, development and humanitarian purposes.

We support the Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) process, which calls on all African governments and trading partners to take actions to control illegal activities in the forestry sector and associated trade. A conference to push this process forward is planned in April 2003.

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