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15 Jul 2003 : Column 259W—continued

Liberia

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Liberia. [125299]

Mr. Mullin: There is a lull in the fighting in Liberia. On 10 July, the Joint Verification Team, comprising the UN, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and all sides in the conflict, began to verify and monitor the cease-fire. We continue to encourage all parties to respect the cease-fire and participate actively in the peace talks taking place in Ghana. The talks should lead to a negotiated political settlement and transitional government.

The security and humanitarian situation is of serious concern. There are reports of 250,000 displaced civilians in Monrovia alone. Fuel, water and medical supplies are in short supply and looting is rife. A cholera outbreak has already killed more than 300 people. The UK has committed £2.5 million for humanitarian activity in Liberia this year, including £1.5 million as a response to the latest fighting.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to send British military personnel to Liberia. [125300]

Mr. Mullin: There are no plans to send UK troops to Liberia at present.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assesssment he has made of the effect of the exit from power of President Charles Taylor on the stability of Liberia. [125301]

Mr. Mullin: President Taylor has been a destabilising influence in Liberia and the region. The UK does not see a political future for him in Liberia. We hope that he will stand down as he has promised to do. The cease-fire agreement, signed in Ghana on 17 June, included provision for the formation of a transitional government, not including President Taylor. Peace talks currently taking place in Ghana aim to agree a political roadmap, leading to free and fair elections.

On 4 June 2003 the Special Court for Sierra Leone unsealed an indictment for President Charles Taylor of Liberia as one of those who bear the greatest responsibility for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sierra Leone since 1996.

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The UK has called on Charles Taylor to surrender himself to the Court and continues to encourage all states, particularly those in the region, to cooperate with the Court and facilitate his arrest.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the US Administration and (b) the Liberian Government concerning (i) the situation in Liberia and (ii) the possible deployment of a peacekeeping force. [125302]

Mr. Mullin: We have ongoing discussions with the US Administration at all levels concerning all aspects of the situation in Liberia, including the possible deployment of a peacekeeping force.

There have been no discussions on the specifics of troop deployment with the Government of Liberia. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met Samuel P Jackson, Minister of State for Financial and Economic Affairs in the Office of the President of Liberia, to discuss the current situation on 26 and 27 June.

Turkmenistan

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Turkmenistan concerning raids made by the authorities on Baptist church services. [125836]

Mr. Rammell: Our Embassy in Ashgabat have made representations to the Turkmen government expressing our concern about the issue of raids on Baptist church services and harrassment of unregistered religious groups in Turkmenistan. We expressed the hope that no such further actions will be taken against peaceful congregations of an entirely religious character.

The Turkmen authorities are well aware of our concerns on religious freedom issues, including the fact that only two denominations (Sunni Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church) have secured registration, despite others having reportedly fulfilled all necessary procedures.

Uganda

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Uganda; and if he will make a statement. [125255]

Mr. Mullin: We are concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the north of Uganda following an upsurge in violence by the rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). We are particularly concerned about the impact on the local population and the recent

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abductions of school children. While we understand the Ugandan Government's aim of combating the LRA militarily, we have, through our High Commission in Kampala, encouraged them to consider all alternative methods of bringing the conflict to an end. We are also consulting with other donor partners in Uganda on ways to help resolve the conflict.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Administration Costs

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the equivalent figures for administration costs in Table 5, p173 of the Annual Report 2003 were for 1996–97. [124853]

Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 10 July 2003]: The equivalent figures for administrative costs in Table 5, page 173 of the 2003 Home Office Annual Report for 1996–97 were published in the Running Costs table, page 85 of the 1999–2000 Home Office Annual Report.

Advice Publication

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 646–47W, if he will publish the independent expert advice received by the Department. [125382]

Ms Blears [holding answer 11 July 2003]: We took advice on TETRA health and safety issues from the National Radiological Protection Board's (NRPB's) Independent Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR). The AGNIR report entitled "Possible health effects from Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)" was published as Volume 12 No. 2, 2001 in the "Documents of the NRPB" series. It is available on the NRPB web site, http://www.nrpb.org.uk.

Asbestos

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 23 June 2003, Official Report, column 595W, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos. [122966]

Fiona Mactaggart: No central records are kept on buildings, which contain asbestos. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, we can more readily provide details of buildings, which contain asbestos for certain parts of our estate. These are listed.

Asbestos is only a risk to health if fibres are released into the air and breathed in. As long as it is in good condition and is not going to be disturbed or damaged there is no risk. The Department complies with the current regulations on asbestos. This ensures the safety of staff, contractors, inmates or visitors from asbestos. Department is taking steps to ensure that we will comply with the requirements of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (which come into force in May 2004).

Central London Headquarters estate:


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National Probation Services Estate


The above Probation Service buildings were identified as having asbestos from inspections carried out this year. Further surveys are being conducted on the remainder of the probation estate.

HM Prison Service

The following establishments have been identified as containing asbestos:


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