---

6 May 2003 : Column 568W—continued

National Minimum Wage

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated cost is in 2003–04 to his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible of the increase in the national minimum wage from £4.20 per hour to £4.50 per hour. [110442]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The increase in the national minimum wage from £4.20 per hour to £4.50 per hour will have no cost impact on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2003–04, nor on any of the agencies or non-departmental public bodies for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible. There are no staff on the minimum wage in the FCO.

Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to include Dafur within human rights monitoring as part of the Sudan peace process. [111371]

Mr. Rammell: Human rights provisions of the eventual peace agreement will apply throughout Sudan. The talks have not yet progressed to the stage of agreement on monitoring arrangements.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the inter-tribal conflict in Dafur, Sudan. [111372]

Mr. Rammell: The situation in Dafur is extremely complex with unresolved inter-Arab disputes and Arab-African ethnic clashes. Previous efforts at mediation have not succeeded. In the near future further conflict may prevent the delivery of humanitarian relief. International staff of international non-Governmental organisations (INGOs) and the UN have been withdrawn and access to Dafur remains difficult.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the demonstrations that have taken place in Dafur, Sudan, on the security situation in the region. [111373]

Mr. Rammell: We have received reports that a demonstration took place in Geneina on the Chadian border in Dariur on 26 April. Following clashes in the area demonstrators protested at the killings and the failure to arrest those responsible. There were also protests on 26 April against the Sudan Liberation

6 May 2003 : Column 569W

Movement following its attack against the airport in El-Fashir. International staff of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and the UN have been withdrawn and access to Dafur remains difficult. Further conflict may prevent the delivery of humanitarian relief.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the Sudan on the situation in Dafur, Sudan. [111378]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised the situation in Dafur with the Sudanese First Vice-President on 29 April, during his visit to London. The British Embassy in Khartoum will continue to monitor the situation in Dafur. They are in contact with a wide range of Government and National Congress party officials in addition to Dafur MPs and other local representatives.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the decision of the UN Commission on Human Rights to vote against the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Sudan; and what discussions he has had with the Russian Government on this matter. [111379]

Mr. Rammell: We were disappointed that the EU sponsored resolution on Sudan was not carried at the UN Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on 16 April. The result of the vote (24 in favour, 26 against and three abstentions) was the first defeat for this resolution in 10 years and means the termination of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, Gerhard Baum.

At CHR, we and EU partners had extensive discussions on EU initiatives with all CHR members, including Russia.

Syria

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on UK-Syria relations. [110409]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK remains committed to a policy of constructive and, where necessary, critical engagement with Syria. This allows us to support reform while maintaining a robust dialogue on issues of concern including her attitude to Iraq, support for certain Palestinian rejectionist groups, WMD and human rights.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects a referendum to be held on the future of the Western Sahara under UN auspices; and if he will make a statement. [110265]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 133W. The United Kingdom supports fully the efforts of the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) and his Personal Envoy, James Baker, to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute that provides for self-determination for the people of Western Sahara. In March this year the

6 May 2003 : Column 570W

Security Council asked the UNSG to provide a report on the situation by 19 May, to allow Mr. Baker time to consider the responses of the parties to his proposals. I do not wish to pre-judge the outcome of this process.

DEFENCE

Depleted Uranium

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to carry out the recommendations of the Royal Society on the clean-up and monitoring of depleted uranium used on battlefield sites. [110488]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Fur

Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what animal fur, broken down by species and value, has been purchased by his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what use was made of the fur. [111124]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not purchased any animal fur for use as a raw material in the last 10 years. The MOD does, however, purchase various clothing items which incorporate animal fur as part of their specification. A wide range of clothing products, such as socks and pullovers, incorporate animal fur or wool to an agreed quality standard. There are, however, a limited number of items for which a specific type of fur or wool is included within the specification. These are as follows:

Product/Species	Number of products (per annum)
Busby
Scandinavian Blue Fox	2 (maximum)
Coney (Rabbit)	42
Sheep (Astrakhan)	1 (maximum)
Bearskin
Black Bear	60
Flounce
Black/Black Faced Brown Bear	1
Sheep (Astrakhan)	(5 in 20 years)
Saddle Cover
Black Bear	5
Sheep	40

It is not possible to readily identify the value of these animal products as the cost incurred by the MOD is for the finished and complete item, not just the animal component.

Homecoming Parades

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will organise a parade to welcome UK servicemen home from the Persian Gulf. [110546]

Mr. Ingram: An event for armed forces personnel returning from duty in the Gulf is being considered by the Government. No decision has yet been taken.

6 May 2003 : Column 571W

Iraq

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British-made arms and military equipment have been discovered in Iraq since the war began; to which countries these were originally supplied; and what actions he intends to take against countries who have diverted or re-exported arms to Iraq. [109003]

Mr. Ingram: To date, no British-made military equipment or arms have been reported as having been discovered in Iraq that were supplied since sanctions have been in force. If any United Kingdom equipment were to be found which is proven to have been diverted or re-exported to Iraq in contravention of the UN sanctions regime, appropriate procedures would be followed.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to protect the integrity of Iraq's infrastructure against looting; and if he will make a statement. [109004]

Mr. Ingram: Coalition forces take law and order seriously and have been conducting joint patrols with local police. In Basra, several hundred police have now returned to duty and are participating in joint patrols with United Kingdom forces. These measures, supported by local leaders and community effort, have been effective in minimising looting.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preparations were made to ensure the (a) safety and (b) property of the hospitals from looters in Iraq; and when further action will be taken. [110387]

Mr. Ingram: Immediately following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime some looting of equipment and supplies from hospitals in Iraq did take place in some areas before the Coalition forces established a presence and began to secure the facilities. In Basra, the presence of joint patrols between Coalition forces and local police, and the engagement with local leaders and the community has significantly reduced the incidence of looting. Medical supplies and facilities are returning to pre-conflict levels.

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the basis on which decisions are taken to return British troops from Iraq. [110994]

Mr. Ingram: Decisions on the withdrawal or roulement of British units are taken on the basis of a range of considerations, including the requirements of the mission, the capabilities of different units, the length of time for which units have already been deployed and the availability of other units to replace them where necessary.

---