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Departmental Ministers

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ministers there were in his Department in each year since 1996. [120997]

Mr. Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 661W.

BAE Systems

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department first received allegations of corrupt practice by BAE Systems regarding the possible sale of Gripen jets and the decision by the Government of the Czech Republic to buy supersonic aircraft. [123012]

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Mr. MacShane: We have not received any substantiated allegations of corrupt practice by BAE Systems over the possible sale of Gripen jets to the Czech Republic.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the United States Government first made complaints of alleged corrupt practice by BAE Systems regarding the possible sale of Gripen jets and the decision by the Government of the Czech Republic to buy supersonic aircraft to his Department; and which United States Government Department made this complaint. [123013]

Mr. MacShane: Various Departments of the US Administration have raised allegations against BAE Systems, on a number of occasions, since the US industry decision in May 2001 not to continue participation in the Czech Republic's fighter aircraft competition, but we have been unable to find, nor have we been given, any evidence whatsoever to substantiate them.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings have been held since 1 January 1999 between Ministers in his Department and the United States administration in which allegations of corrupt practice by BAE Systems regarding the possible sale of Gripen jets and the decision by the government of the Czech Republic to buy supersonic aircraft were discussed; when each of these meetings was held; where each of these meetings was held; and which United States Administration departments attended each of these meetings. [123015]

Mr. MacShane: No allegations of corrupt practice have been discussed in any meetings between FCO Ministers and the US Administration.

Hong Kong

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the proposed amendments before the legislative chamber of Hong Kong regarding article 23 are compatible with the basic rights and freedoms that were laid down in the Joint Declaration; and if he will make a statement. [123025]

Mr. Rammell: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government announced several proposed changes to their draft Article 23 legislation on 3 and 6 June. We welcome this further demonstration of their willingness to take account of views expressed and to improve the wording of this sensitive piece of legislation.

There has, however, been no substantive change to the proposed new provisions on the proscription of organisations that have links with groups banned in the mainland on grounds of national security.

The Joint Declaration and Basic Law provide for Hong Kong to have a legal system separate from that on the Mainland. The proposed new provisions on proscription blur the dividing line between the two autonomous legal systems by introducing into Hong Kong legislation linkages to mainland law. We share the view of many in Hong Kong that this is inconsistent

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with the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, which underlies the Joint Declaration. We have made this point to the SAR Government.

I issued a press statement expressing these views on 30 June.

Human Trafficking

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK lorry drivers have been arrested in EU countries for offences related to drug smuggling and human trafficking in each of the last three years; and what proportion of these have claimed to be innocent. [121454]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 7 July 2003]: We do not have the statistics for the last three years on the points raised by my hon. Friend. It would incur disproportionate cost to provide this information. However, we are aware of 82 British lorry drivers currently detained in EU countries for drug smuggling or human trafficking offences.

We do not make judgments on the innocence or guilt of British nationals detained overseas.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction produced in March 2002 was not published at that time. [122503]

Mr. Rammell: There was work going on in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on a document which covered four countries and WMD in consultation with other Government Departments and the JIC. A large part of that was on Iraq and could have been published separately. However, once it was decided that the intelligence material on Iraq should be referred to more explicitly the process was taken over by the JIC Chairman and the JIC and a new draft was produced.

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (a) membership, (b) previous positions held by members, (c) terms of employment, (d) responsibilities, (e) line management and (f) funding of (i) the Coalition Information Centre and (ii) the Iraq Communications Committee; and what access each is given to intelligence and security information. [122685]

Mr. Rammell: The Coalition Information Centre (CIC) was based in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and it was under the direction of the Prime Minister's Director of Communications. It was staffed by officials from a wide range of Whitehall Departments and, when appropriate, secondees from other Governments. Most of those involved had previously worked in the field of Government Communications and Information. They remained on the normal employment terms of their home Departments. Their responsibility within the CIC was to contribute to the co-ordination and dissemination of cross-Government information and communications.

When delivering their day-to-day objectives within the CIC, staff were managed by a senior FCO official, but their personnel management remained with their home Departments. The funding of the CIC for

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infrastructure (IT etc.) was covered by the FCO. Home Departments covered staffing costs. Those members of the CIC who were authorised to have access to intelligence and security information did so through the appropriate channels.

The Iraq Communications Group is comprised of senior officials from Downing Street and other Whitehall Departments.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his statement of 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 31, on Iraq, when he will make a written statement on the disruption of the INDICT conference in Paris in 2000. [123984]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 7 July 2003]: We are still looking into this issue, which relates to newspaper reports concerning documents obtained in Iraq. We are seeking to establish whether the claims made about the content and importance of a number of such documents have any foundation. It will take some time for the documents to be examined and there is no guarantee that it will be possible to publish the findings. If it transpires that the Government can make public any new insights, we will do so.

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states have offered to become engaged in the stabilisation of Iraq following Resolution 1483, passed by the UN Security Council on 22 May; and what role each state will play, together with the commencement date. [124351]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 8 July 2003]: At least 17 states are expected to contribute military forces and personnel to work alongside UK and US troops in the multi-national stabilisation force in Iraq. These states are Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Thailand, and Ukraine. New Zealand will provide engineers for humanitarian and reconstruction tasks. Other nations are also expected to contribute. The multi-national force will be responsible for internal and external security in Iraq, until new Iraqi forces are capable of taking on these roles. Some forces have already deployed and we expect all to deploy over the next few months.

Morocco

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Moroccan authorities on the jailed Saharani human rights activist Ali Salem Tamek. [123849]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 7 July 2003]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the then Under-Secretary of State on 7 May 2003. Officials and Ministers regularly call upon the parties to the Western Sahara dispute to take action on human rights issues.

In April this year officials brought our concerns over the trial, sentencing and prison conditions of Ali Salem Tamek to the attention of the Moroccan authorities in Laayoune and Rabat. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and will take action with the appropriate authorities where necessary.

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Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the impact on the Saharawi people of changed restrictions on their civil rights by the Moroccan authorities. [123850]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 7 July 2003]: We continue to monitor the situation in Western Sahara and raise specific cases with the relevant authorities where appropriate.

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