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16 Oct 2003 : Column 338W—continued
Sudan
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the UK's relationship with Sudan. [132243]
Mr. Mullin: The UK has full diplomatic relations with Sudan. Through our Embassy in Sudan we are also in close touch with non-governmental groups from the north and south of the country. The UK Government pursues political, cultural, human rights and development issues. In 2002–03 we committed around £15 million to support
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both humanitarian work and the peace process. Peace is crucial to the future development of Sudan and regional stability. The UK plays an active role in the peace process, including through the UK Special Representative for Sudan and the Sudan Unit, jointly staffed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Sudanese Government about human rights abuses in Sudan. [132244]
Mr. Mullin: We monitor the human rights situation in Sudan closely. The Embassy regularly lobbies the Government of Sudan on human rights issues. In September, the Head of the FCO's Human Rights Policy Department visited Sudan to meet government officials, representatives of non-governmental organisations, academics and others, including political prisoners. We will maintain pressure on the Government of Sudan to improve its record and will continue to raise human rights violations at every opportunity both bilaterally and as part of the EU/Sudan dialogue.
Thailand
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Thai authorities about conditions for displaced Burmese minorities resident in refugee camps in Thailand. [132251]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Thai authorities have a long record of providing safe haven for those fleeing persecution by the Burmese regime. The British embassy in Bangkok and EU colleagues are in regular contact with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and the Thai authorities, to encourage them to ensure Burmese refugees are treated with compassion. I discussed Burma in broad terms with Thai Foreign Minister Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai when he visited London at the beginning of July and again on the way to the Bali ASEM conference of the same month. We have been in regular telephone contact since. In March 2003, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development (Sally Keeble) visited the refugee camp at Mae La.
Treaties
Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his statement of 16 September, Official Report, column 794, when it became Government policy that all international treaties take primacy over national law; and on what evidence he bases the statement that under the draft constitutional treaty for the first time provision is made whereby Parliament can legislate to repudiate a treaty. [131821]
Mr. MacShane: It is an established principle of international law that a state may not plead its national law to escape its international law obligations, including its treaty obligations. As a matter of UK constitutional law, international treaties have effect in UK national law to the extent that they have been implemented in national law.
Article I-59 of the draft EU Constitutional Treaty states that any member state may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional
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requirements. The Government believe it is highly unlikely that any member state would wish to withdraw, but sees a case for stating the political and legal reality of what would happen in such exceptional circumstances.
Turkey
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last had discussions with his Turkish counterpart; what matters were raised in these discussions; and if he will make a statement. [131445]
Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, in New York on 25 September. They discussed Turkey's progress towards EU accession, Cyprus and developments in Iraq. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the UK's commitment to Turkey's EU candidacy and welcomed the significant progress that Turkey has made towards meeting the Copenhagen Political Criteria. He also discussed the urgent need to work towards a Cyprus settlement on the basis of the Annan plan. The Turkish Foreign Minister gave the Foreign Secretary an update on Turkey's plans to help rebuild Iraq.
Cyprus
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with (a) representatives of the Turkish Government, (b) representatives of the Cypriot Government, (c) representatives of the Greek Government, (d) representatives of the US Administration and (e) representatives of the European Commission since April concerning re-unification negotiations in Cyprus. [131446]
Mr. MacShane: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials regularly discuss the prospects for resumed Cyprus settlement negotiations on the basis of the UN plan with representatives of the Turkish, Greek, Cypriot and US governments. We also discuss developments on the island with the European Commission and EU partners, including at monthly meetings of the Working Group on South East Europe. These contacts are too numerous to list here, but have included my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Gul in London in July and at the UN in September. I discussed the issue with the Greek officials in Greece 10–11 October.
We firmly believe that securing a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus before 1 May 2004, in enabling a re-united island to accede to the EU, would be I the best interests of all Cypriots, and the region as a whole. In addition, it would provide a boost to Turkey's own EU candidature.
West Bank and Gaza Strip
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the report on housing conditions in the West bank and the Gaza Strip, prepared last year by the United Nations Human Rights Commission's Special Rapporteur on housing; and if he will make a statement. [131629]
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Mr. Rammell: We share Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari's concerns about deteriorating housing conditions in the Occupied Territories and the wider human rights and humanitarian consequences of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are particularly concerned about the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure by the Israeli authorities. Such actions are provocative, exacerbate tension and undermine on-going efforts to bring about an end to violence and a return to negotiations. We continue to press Israel to end the disproportionate use of force, demolitions and destruction of infrastructure.
The UK Government's support to the Palestinians includes a combination of emergency and development assistance. Our humanitarian support has mainly focused on basic service provision, but we are also supporting an UN Relief and Works Agency project to rebuild housing in Jenin Refugee Camp, destroyed in 2002 during Operation Defensive Shield. While humanitarian assistance can help alleviate suffering, only a comprehensive solution to the conflict will provide the conditions for permanent improvement in Palestinian living conditions. We are encouraging Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume implementation of the Quartet Roadmap to this end.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Water Metering (Commercial Premises)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many commercial premises are being used in each constituency in Northern Ireland; how many of these commercial premises have been fitted with a water meter; and how many of these commercial premises will receive their first account during January and February 2004. [131776]
Mr. Spellar: I have asked the chief executive of Water Service to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
HEALTH
Ethnic Minority Staff
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 30 June 2003, Official Report, column 141W, on ethnic minority staff, if he will require national health service trusts to give information on the ethnicity of hospital and community medical and hospital dental staff when making their six-month reports on suspensions. [128706]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 18 September 2003]: The Department will start to collect information on the ethnicity of hospital and community medical and dental staff as part of the routine data collection exercise on long term suspension as soon as practicable.
Achondroplasia
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in each year since 1997 have suffered from achondroplasia. [132209]
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Dr. Ladyman: This information is not collected in the form requested. Hospital Episode Statistics collect data on admissions for various conditions. The table records hospital admissions for achondroplasia. This does not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 98 |
| 1998–99 | 76 |
| 1999–2000 | 83 |
| 2000–01 | 102 |
| 2001–02 | 125 |
Notes:
1. Admissions—Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2. Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)— The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
3. Grossing—Figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
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