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Genocide

Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the international community is taking to prevent crimes of genocide. [151157]

Mr. Rammell: The creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 11 March 2003 is an important step forward by the international community to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court has jurisdiction over crimes committed since 1 July 2002. The UK is a strong supporter of the court. Our objective is to work for global ratification of the ICC Statute so that the court enjoys the widest possible remit.

I am attending the Stockholm Forum on the Prevention of Genocide from 26–28 January 2004, at which more than 30 states will discuss possible measures to prevent genocide. The UK is supporting the Forum Declaration, which seeks to build consensus around how the international community can best carry forward this agenda.

Gibraltar

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy on Gibraltar. [150432]

Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 1417.

Information Technology

Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what audit mechanisms are in place to determine whether information technology (a) hardware and (b) software products are being used properly in his Department. [150933]

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Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office uses a number of means to determine whether its IT is being used properly. These include:

constantly monitoring activity on the IT infrastructure system, Firecrest, including access to websites, and following up any unusual activity;

information systems audits by our internal audit department;

requiring all IT users to read and complete an annual certificate of compliance with the security operating procedures; and

checks by IT security advisers that security operating procedures are being followed.

Post implementation reviews are conducted after a project to deliver new IT has finished, to assess whether the expected benefits are being achieved. The way the system is being used is one aspect of this assessment.

Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what cost savings have been made in his Department since the introduction of the Information Technology Procurement Centre of Excellence; and how these were calculated. [151050]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Centre of Excellence was established in June 2003 in accordance with Office of Government Commerce guidelines. It has had a positive impact in improving programme and project management across the FCO, but cost savings cannot be calculated at this early stage.

International Criminal Court

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) budget and (b) UK contribution to the budget for the International Criminal Court (i) is for the current year and (ii) will be for each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [150219]

Mr. Rammell: The total International Criminal Court (ICC) budget for the calendar year 2004 is approximately £39.5 million. The UK is expected to contribute some 11 per cent. of this sum i.e. approximately £4.3 million.

The ICC budgets for the next five years have yet to be set. The Court has not yet reached its full establishment and its caseload also remains an unknown budgetary factor.

The United Kingdom nevertheless remains committed to maintaining the strictest possible budgetary control and ensuring the ICC makes the most effective use of the funds at its disposal.

The United Nations' scales of assessments, on which the UK contribution is based, are recalculated every two years and follow the general principle of capacity to pay. We would not expect great fluctuation in this rate.

Libya

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new resources he is committing to assist Libya is undertaking the disarmament and dismantling of its weapons of mass destruction and related research and production infrastructure. [147027]

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Mr. MacShane: We have made it clear that we are prepared to offer assistance with the dismantlement of Libyan programmes, but at this stage it is impossible to quantify what resources it may be necessary to commit. There are already a number of sources of funding for global co-operative threat reduction programmes. If it is necessary to allocate additional resources in order to assist Libya in the destruction of its weapons programmes we will do so, as we believe that money spent on reducing the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is money well spent.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government first confirmed that Libya was developing nuclear weapons contrary to its commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); when the United Kingdom informed the governments of the two other depository states for the NPT of its knowledge of Libya's breach of its NPT commitments; when the United Kingdom first informed (a) the Director General and (b) board members of the International Atomic Energy Agency of its knowledge of Libya's nuclear programme; and what information he has collated on the suppliers of Libya's nuclear weapons programme. [147029]

Mr. MacShane: We have had concerns for some time about Libya's nuclear programme and first raised the matter in the course of discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in late 2001, and again in mid 2002. Libya is now in contact with the IAEA and it will be for Libya to make a national declaration providing the full details of its programme to the IAEA. The IAEA will then proceed to verify the extent and nature of Libya's covert nuclear activity. Only the IAEA, acting within its remit can underwrite Libya's commitment to stop this activity. We are working in close co-operation with both the Libyan authorities and the IAEA to move this process forward.

Overseas Territories

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent communications he has had with the governments of the (a) overseas territories and (b) crown dependencies. [150424]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary addressed and exchanged views with Chief Ministers and Government leaders of the UK Overseas Territories at the annual Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting in London on 10 December 2003.

He has had no recent communications with the crown dependencies. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs is responsible for the United Kingdom's relations with the crown dependencies.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how often he communicated with the governments of Britain's overseas territories in the last three years. [150428]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Gibraltar in May 2002, and has been in direct contact with the Chief Minister on several occasions over the last three years. He communicated directly with the governments of the other overseas

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territories when he addressed Chief Ministers and their equivalents at the annual Overseas Territories Consultative Council in London on 10 December 2003.

I maintain regular contact with the overseas territories as does my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe as Minister of State responsible for Gibraltar. Governors, of course, are in constant contact with the governments of the overseas territories.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of administering Britain's overseas territories is in 2003–04. [150430]

Mr. Rammell: According to the published, audited 2002–03 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Resource Accounts, available in the Library of the House, the total cost of supporting the overseas territories in 2002–03 was approximately £21 million (ref: Objective 9, Schedule 57 FCO Resource Accounts). This is the full economic cost of supporting the overseas territories, and represents the cost of the total effort expended at post/missions and in the UK of supporting the overseas territories. The costs in 2003–04 are expected to be about the same.

It is not possible to quantify the costs to other Government Departments of their role in administering the overseas territories.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit overseas territories over the next year. [150431]

Mr. Rammell: Overseas engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel.

I visited Ascension Island and the Falkland Islands in November 2003, and I hope to visit others in the future. My hon. Friend the Minister for Europe visited Gibraltar in July 2003.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the London office of the governments of (a) the Falkland Islands, (b) Gibraltar and (c) the Cayman Islands during the last 12 months. [150433]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no direct discussions with the London offices of the governments of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar or the Cayman Islands during the last 12 months. The Foreign Secretary addressed the Overseas Territories Consultative Council in December 2003, which the London representatives attended.

I met the London representatives at the Overseas Territories Consultative Council last December. The London representative of the Falkland Islands Government also attended a meeting between myself and Falkland Island Councillor Richard Cockwell in June 2003. I will have a further opportunity to meet the representatives at a lunch prior to the UK Overseas Territories Association AGM next month.

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