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Information Technology

Dr. Pugh To ask the Advocate-General (1) what new IT projects with a value in excess of £10,000 the Department has authorised in the last three financial years; [124246]

(2) how much the Department spent on IT (a) licences, (b) hardware, (c) maintenance and (d) software in the financial year 2002–03. [124247]

The Advocate-General: The information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

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Staff Numbers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General how many staff were employed by her Department in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [106976]

The Advocate-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 4 April 2003, Official Report, column 891W.

Staff Travel

Mr. John Bercow: To ask the Advocate-General what the cost was of travel by train by staff in her Department in 2002. [106344]

The Advocate-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Scotland.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH

Abdullah Rehmani

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to locate the file of Mr. Abdullah Rehmani, the husband of Mrs. Baluch of Leicester, a constituent, and make a determination on the application. [125778]

Mr. Mullin: I will write to my hon. Friend.

Ambassadors for British Business

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ambassadors for British Business he has appointed since 2001. [125781]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: None.

British Nationals (Military Trials)

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of (a) the evidence, (b) the sources of the evidence and (c) the charges which the US military authorities intend to use in the cases of (i) Moazzam Begg and (ii) Feroz Abassi. [124981]

Mr. Mullin: Mr. Begg and Mr. Abbasi have been designated as eligible for Military Commissions, but have not yet been charged. We have not had access to the information on which the designations have been based. We have made clear to the US authorities that we expect the process to comply with minimum fair trial standards under international law, including those relating to the examination of evidence.

Burma

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Burma on the situation in Karen; and if he will make a statement. [125806]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We regularly press bilaterally with the Burmese regime and in international fora for a rapid improvement in the human rights situation for all the people of Burma. In April this year we co-sponsored the

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United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights resolution on Burma which highlighted the disproportionate suffering of members of ethnic minorities, including the Karen. We will continue to put pressure on the Burmese military to move towards democracy and respect for human rights.

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of imports of gems and precious stones from Burma was in the past two financial years; and which companies imported these gems and precious stones. [125926]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: According to official statistics from HM Customs and Excise, no gems and precious stones have been imported to the UK from Burma in the past two financial years.

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further measures have recently been discussed by the EU in response to the recent crackdown in Burma. [125928]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: With EU colleagues we strengthened and updated the EU Common Position on Burma on 16 June 2003. We are in regular contact with EU partners and are in discussion on what further steps we will take if the regime does not provide immediate satisfactory responses.

British Detainees (Guantanamo Bay)

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much access time to (a) family members, (b) legal representatives, (c) religious representatives and (d) British Red Cross representatives is allowed to each British detainee at Camp Delta. [124632]

Mr. Mullin: The British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are not currently allowed access to family members or legal representatives but they do have access to a Muslim cleric. The International Committee of the Red Cross has access to the detainees on request.

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Foreign Office officials have visited each British detainee at Camp Delta; and how long each meeting lasted. [124637]

Mr. Mullin: British officials have visited Guantanamo Bay on five occasions. During each visit, all the British detainees who were held at that time at Guantanamo Bay were seen individually by British officials. Each meeting lasted up to one and a half hours.

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what circumstances British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay would be returned to the UK. [124232]

Mr. Mullin: We have been informed that the US authorities have not made any decision on whether or not to return the British detainees to the UK. We continue to press the United States to resolve the position of the detainees.

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Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions are being taken to determine the future of British citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay. [123938]

Mr. Mullin: Ministers and officials continue to have regular discussions with the United States authorities about the British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. Two of the British detainees have been designated as eligible to be tried by Military Commissions. We have strong reservations about the Commissions. We have raised and will continue to raise these concerns energetically with the US, including with the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

We continue to press the United States to resolve the position of all the detainees, including the other seven British nationals in Guantanmo Bay.

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his Answer of 8 July, ref.122612, on the welfare of British citizens in Guantanamo Bay, what the individual health concerns of the detainees are that the Government has raised with the US authorities; what the average delays in mail are; how much exercise the detainees are allowed; and if he will make a statement. [125800]

Mr. Straw : For reasons of confidentiality it would not be appropriate to give details of the individual health concerns of the British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. (This is reflected in Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information). We do keep in contact with the families concerned.

Mail can take up to four or five months. The detainees are allowed a minimum of two 15-minute periods of exercise outside every week and are also able to exercise in their cells and communal areas. Some of the detainees are allowed to exercise outside more frequently. Although we do not consider the amount of exercise allowed to be sufficient, we understand that the situation is improving. We continue to raise both these issues with the US authorities.

Channel Islands

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent communication he has had with the governments of (a) Guernsey and (b) Jersey; [125372]

(2) when he next plans to visit (a) Guernsey and (b) Jersey. [125373]

Mr. Lammy : I have been asked to reply.

My noble and learned Friend the Secretary of State and I have not yet had any communication with the insular authorities in Jersey or Guernsey, but we look forward to doing so and to visiting the islands when this can be arranged. However, regular content is maintained with the interior authorities by officials in my Department and continuity has been ensured.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Mr. Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the reference within the draft constitution prepared by the Convention on the Future of Europe to the European

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Union having exclusive competence over the conservation of marine biological resources under the Common Fisheries Policy covers exclusive competence within the (a) six-mile and (b) 12-mile limits. [125712]

Mr. MacShane: The European Community has had exclusive competence over the conservation of marine biological resources under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) since 1979. This includes the six and 12-mile limit.

However, under CFP Regulation EC 2371/2002 the Community permits member states to take their own measures on the conservation of marine resources within the six and 12-mile limit provided they conform with the Common Fisheries Policy. If the proposed measures are likely to have a discriminatory effect on vessels of another member state then the Commission and the relevant member state(s) need to be consulted in advance.

The draft EU Constitutional Treaty does not alter this situation.

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