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Information Technology

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on Information Technology and (c) spending on Information Technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure has been in each financial year since 1997–98. [107094]

Mr. Rammell: Total managed expenditure, total spending on Information Technology and spending on Information Technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure for each of the of the last six years was as follows.

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Year	£	£	Percentage
1997–98	1,230,729,000	32,882,960	2.67
1998–99	1,261,865,000	41,421,615	3.28
1999–2000	1,393,060,000	42,191,555	3.03
2000–01	1,462,280,000	33,018,372	2.26
2001–02	1,523,487,000	27,582,068	1.81
2002–03	1,730,143,000	69,796,804	4.03

Notes:

1. The managed expenditure totals from 1997–98 to 2000–01 reflect Appropriation Account cash-based figures. Those in 2001–02 and 2002–03 are resource-based and include net capital expenditure. 2001–02 is an outturn figure; 2002–03 represents the Parliamentary Estimate.

2. During 2002–03, the FCO embarked on a major new MIS and HR programme (Prism).

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Iraq

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the US Government about the treatment of Iraqi prisoners. [107521]

Mr. Rammell: We have made no representations to the US Government about Iraqi nationals in its detention. The US is a State Party to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The treatment of persons in its detention is primarily a matter for the US as Detaining Power.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2003, Official Report, column 120W, on Iraq, whether he received a copy of (a) the full declaration and (b) the declaration as circulated to non-Security Council members. [107804]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Copies of both the full version and the edited version subsequently distributed to other UN Security Council members were provided to us by the United Nations.

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the principle of a US-controlled government in post-war Iraq. [107835]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We want to see a phased transfer of authority leading to a new and effective representative Iraqi Government as soon as possible. We will work with the UN and the international community to help the people of Iraq to achieve this aspiration.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visas have been issued to Iraqi directors of UK (a) banks and (b) companies to come from Iraq to London on business in the last three years. [107974]

Mr. Rammell: Our diplomatic post in Iraq has been closed during the last three years. However, Iraqi nationals are permitted to apply for visas, including business visit visas, at any British diplomatic post. Inquiries would therefore, need to be made to all our 164 visa sections to search their records for the last three years in order to obtain the answer to this question. The cost of this would be disproportionate.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 550W, on Iraq, what steps he is taking to protect the Kurds of Northern Iraq from an advance by the Turkish army which has mobilised in Northern Iraq. [107999]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Coalition is working for peace and stability throughout Iraq. We and the US maintain regular contact with the Turkish Government and Kurdish leaders, including a meeting between, my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary and the Turkish Foreign Minister, Gul, in the margins of the European Council on 21 March. In addition British officials hold ongoing discussions with the principal Turkish parties in Turkey.

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Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Iraqi organisations will be invited by Major General Robin Brims to the Southern Iraq regional conference on the post-conflict administration and reconstruction; and which of these are women's organisations. [109213]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Major General Brims has no plans to organise a conference in Southern Iraq. However, the coalition are considering organising a conference in Southern Iraq to discuss post-conflict issues. The invitation list has not yet been set. We expect a wide range of representatives of internal and external Iraqi groups to be present.

Middle East

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on information he has received on (a) the number of homes which have been destroyed and (b) how much land has been used as a result of the construction by Israel of the separation fence in the West Bank. [107113]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Construction of the fence has only recently begun. The Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON) estimated in March 2003 that 100 buildings, most of them used as stores, had been demolished as a result of fence construction. When completed the fence is expected to be 360km long. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate in Jerusalem who have travelled to Palestinian areas affected by construction of the fence have reported that a corridor up to 40 metres wide in places has been cleared for the fence's path.

The proposed path of the fence, as described in the Israeli media, would run east of the Green Line for most of its length. Approximately 10 per cent. of the entire West Bank would lie to the west of the fence. Palestinian land is being seized for fence construction, cultivated farmland is being destroyed and some towns will be separated from surrounding farmland by the fence. Current estimates indicate the northern and Jerusalem sections of the fence, approximately 215km long, will leave 290,000 Palestinians on the Israeli side of the fence. Of those, some 70,000 do not have Israeli residency permits and, as a consequence, may feel it necessary to move east of the fence in order to retain access to basic services.

Our view is that, the building of the fence, and the adverse impact it will have on Palestinians living in the West Bank, is unacceptable. We have made our opposition known to the Israeli Government.

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the Palestinians that the Government have accepted may have been killed illegally by the Israeli policy of targeted assassinations since 29 September 2000. [108336]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government do not keep a list in the form requested. But to assist I can say that B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has made allegations that 98 Palestinians have been assassinated by the Israel Defence Forces between 29 September 2000 and 6 April 2003. A further 45 Palestinians who had no known

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affiliation to any militant group were also killed in these operations. B'Tselem's website (www.btselem.orR) gives further details of the Palestinians killed. Since 6 April there have been two further targeted killings carried out by the IDF resulting in the deaths of eight Palestinians, including at least four civilians.

Market Testing

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated level of saving to the Department is from the use of market testing in 2002–03. [107760]

Mr. Rammell: No services were market tested in 2002–03.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial resources have been allocated to ensure the internal security of the Turks and Caicos Islands. [107277]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Governor has overall responsibility for internal security, but budgetary provision for this rests with the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG). The Governor delegates day to day operations to TCIG Ministries and law enforcement agencies. Fifteen new police officers have been deployed in the last few weeks. Capacity has been enhanced, with two new police vehicles and upgraded equipment for the police plane.

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Council of Ministers Building

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the bugging of the UK Mission in the Justus Lipsius Council of Ministers building. [107420]

Mr. MacShane: The Government was informed of the discovery of a number of devices in the Justus Lipsius building at a very early stage, and we have been kept fully informed. The bugging operation is a matter of serious concern. The EU Council Secretariat, which is responsible for security in the building, is conducting an investigation. We are co-operating closely with them.

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