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Detention (France)

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received about UK citizens held (a) in remand and (b) following conviction in French prisons in the last 12 months. [105779]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We regularly receive representations on behalf of British citizens held in prisons in France. These are often from families concerned about members of their family. We look into the details of each case on an individual basis. We do not record statistics on the points raised by the hon. Member.

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK lorry drivers are held (a) on remand and (b) in prison following conviction in France. [105777]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: There are currently 24 British lorry drivers held on remand in prisons in France and 25 British lorry drivers who are in prison following conviction.

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are held (a) on remand and (b) in custody following conviction in France; and what proportion of (a) and (b) was for drug offences. [105778]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: There are currently 79 British citizens held on remand in France and 107 British citizens who have been convicted and are serving prison sentences in France. 68 per cent. of the British citizens detained both on remand and sentenced are being held on charges related to drugs.

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Iraq

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to ensure that in the Iraqi conflict, the 4th Geneva Convention of 1949 requiring that any force that occupies all or part of a territory has to ensure the provision of food, medical supplies and the maintenance of hygiene and public health is adhered to. [104874]

Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.

We take our responsibilities to the Iraqi people extremely seriously and British forces have played a vital role in the effort to liberate the port of Um Qasr, which will be a major point of entry for humanitarian aid into Iraq.

Until the security situation in Iraq stabilises sufficiently to allow the full deployment of civilian aid agencies, United Kingdom forces will, where they are able, deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq in full accordance with their obligations under the Geneva and Hague Conventions. The military has made extensive preparations for this, with the assistance of experts from the Department for International Development.

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about the source of evidence passed to the UN inspectors in Iraq in support of the allegation that Iraq had attempted to obtain uranium from Niger; and if he will make a statement. [105302]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information was passed to the UN weapons inspection teams from a number of sources. The documents referred to by Dr. El-Baradei in his presentation to the UN Security Council on 7 March 2003 came from only one of those sources. These were not documents provided by the UK. We continue to have confidence that the information provided by a variety of sources demonstrates a clear intention by Iraq to procure uranium to restart a covert nuclear programme.

Kuwait

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what contingency plans are in place (a) to supply British citizens who remain in Kuwait with emergency supplies and (b) to evacuate such people; [105249]

(2) how many British citizens remain in Kuwait; what advice he has given them; and what safety equipment has been made available to them. [105250]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We advise against all travel to Kuwait. British nationals are urged to leave while commercial flights remain available. Kuwait airport remains open.

Kuwaiti authorities say that there are no shortages of food or water. There are food stocks to feed the entire population (including expatriates) for several months. Ports are fully functional. The border with Saudi Arabia is open for the overland shipment of imports. Food aid shipments are being made into southern Iraq.

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On 11 March 2003, the number of British citizens registered at our embassy in Kuwait was 3,170. By 24 March 2003, 888 citizens had left. There will be some who have not registered, or have left without informing the embassy. Those who remain in Kuwait despite our travel advice are advised to follow the safety instructions of the emergency services in the event of a chemical or biological incident.

I am advised that safety equipment needs to be adequate. However, only a full NBC suit, plus the full training needed to use it, would provide safety. A gas mask and other equipment of themselves might provide a false sense of security without the full NBC suit.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to Kuwait about the use of the Kuwait Compensation Fund for the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. [105264]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The purpose of the UN Commission for Compensation is to compensate for losses arising out of the illegal invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1991. The reconstruction of post-war Iraq will require funds from the wider international community.

Organisation for the Prohibition ofChemical Weapons

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 18 March 2003, Official Report, column 727, on OPCW, what information the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has given the UK Government about when budgetary contributions should be paid. [105362]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The timelines for payment are in the OPCW's Financial Regulation 5.4. This states that contributions to the budget are payable in full within 30 days of receipt of the notice of assessment or on the first day of the financial period to which they relate, whichever is later. However, at 28 February 2003, 85 states parties had not paid anything towards their 2003 assessments.

Pensions

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) funded and (b) unfunded public sector pension schemes for which his Department, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies are responsible; when the last actuarial valuation was of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and if he will make a statement. [104934]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK based staff employed by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office are members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) and related schemes. These schemes are managed under Section 1 of the Superannuation Act 1972, by the Civil Service Pensions Division of the Cabinet Office, on behalf of HM Treasury. The audited accounts of the PCSPS for 2001–2002 were laid before the House on 21 January 2003 by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

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Of the non-departmental public bodies for which the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is responsible, the staff of the British Council, the Great Britain China Centre and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy are similarly members of the PCSPS and related schemes. Staff of the Britain-Russia Centre and the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe receive an enhancement to their individual salaries in lieu of having pension arrangements.

Various different pension arrangements exist for local staff at United Kingdom Missions abroad. Readily available information on such schemes is as follows:

£

Country	Date of valuation	Assets	Future liabilities
Belgium	2000	2,168,000	1,847,000
Canada	2001	3,902,000	3,383,000
Irish republic	2001	1,316,000	1,486,000
Jamaica	2001	247,000	206,000
South Africa	2000	1,713,000	1,103,000
USA	2002	30,220,000	36,320,000

To obtain the information requested in respect of other schemes elsewhere abroad, would incur disproportionate costs.

Somalia

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to establish a new reconciliation committee to address human rights, war crimes and transitional justice in Somalia. [105620]

Mr. Straw: The UK is playing a leading role among international observers in assisting Ambassador Kiplagat, the new Kenyan chair of the Somali National Reconciliation Conference. The UK contributed £25,000 to conference costs. Addressing past human rights abuses is critical to resolution of the Somali conflict. However, the timing and way in which these issues are addressed is a matter for the Somalis.

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