| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
8 Mar 2004 : Column 1312W—continued
Speeding
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many motorists in Northern Ireland were convicted of speed-related offences in each police district in the last five years for which figures are available as a result of being caught by a speed camera. [157668]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Chief Constable has advised me that speed cameras are only operated by trained Road Policing Officers who are a regional resource and therefore not dedicated to a specific District Command Unit.
During the past five years 72,093 individuals were detected exceeding the speed limit and were accordingly in receipt of a Notice of Intention to Prosecute.
Statutory Registration
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of administering the Statutory Registration Scheme in Northern Ireland was in the last year for which figures are available. [157720]
Mr. Pearson: The cost of administering both the Statutory Certification Scheme and the Voluntary Classification Scheme in Northern Ireland by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board for the financial year 2002–03 was as follows:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Salaries | 216 |
| Staff expenses | 28 |
| Cost of printing and establishment signs | 9 |
| Overheads apportioned as follows(20) | |
| Premises | 29 |
| General office | 31 |
| Staff development | 5 |
| Total gross costs | 318 |
| Less income from both schemes | 176 |
| Total net cost | 142 |
(20) Based on eight staff in unit and total staff of 12 in NITB.
The split of staff time would approximate to 40 per cent. to Statutory Certification Scheme and 60 per cent. to Voluntary Classification Scheme resulting in a net overall expense of running the Statutory Certification Scheme of £57,000 for the financial year 2002–03.
8 Mar 2004 : Column 1313W
Union Flag
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current arrangements are for the flying of the Union flag on buildings owned or used by each Department and its constituent agencies in Northern Ireland. [158530]
Mr. Spellar: The current arrangements for flying the Union flag and other flags from Government buildings in Northern Ireland are set out in the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000.
Westminster Hall
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to have senior Ministers reply to debates in Westminster Hall. [159616]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to this question today by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons.
Unionist Paramilitaries
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what types of crime were directly related to the activities of Unionist paramilitary groups in the last 12 months for which records are available. [158092]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is as follows.
(21) Attribution is as perceived by PSNI based on the information available.
(22) Includes all deaths due to the security situation.
(23) An individual bombing incident may involve one or more explosive devices. Incidents recorded include explosion and defusings. Incidents involving hoax devices, petrol bombings or incendiaries are excluded.
Note:
Statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.
8 Mar 2004 : Column 1314W
Workforce (Religious Designations)
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the composition of the monitored full-time workforce (11+) was, broken down by religious designation in (a) 1992 and (b) 2002; and if he will publish this information. [157613]
Mr. Spellar: Information regarding the composition of the monitored full-time workforce, broken down by religious designation in 1992 and 2002 is as follows:
| Protestant | Roman Catholic | Non-determined | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | |||
| 235,330 | 132,694 | 18,051 | 386,075 |
| (60.9 per cent.) | (34.4 per cent.) | (4.7 per cent.) | — |
| 2002 | |||
| 230,804 | 154,218 | 18,822 | 403,844 |
| (57.2 per cent.) | (38.2 per cent.) | (4.7 per cent.) | — |
Source:
Fair Employment Commission Monitoring Report (No. 3) 1992.
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland Monitoring Report (No. 13) 2002.
8 Mar 2004 : Column 1315W
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with (a) the International Security Assistance Force, (b) NATO, (c) the UN Secretary General's Special Representative to Afghanistan, (d) the EU's Special Representative to Afghanistan and (e) other organisations and governmental representatives based in Afghanistan regarding the need to increase the number of international troops on the ground in Afghanistan in the build up to and carrying out of elections in Afghanistan. [158837]
Mr. Straw: NATO took over leadership of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in August 2003. The UK has been closely involved with other allies in discussions in NATO of plans for the expansion of ISAF beyond Kabul. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Defence and I met the NATO Secretary-General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, in London on 12 February 2004; our discussions included Afghanistan.
The UK regularly discusses preparations for elections with the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, Jean Arnault, with the EU Special Representative, Francesc Vendrell, and with the Afghan transitional administration. We also meet regularly in Kabul and London with non-governmental organisations working in Afghanistan to discuss a wide range of issues, including security and election preparations. I visited Kabul on 5 March where I had discussions with President Karzai, Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Monsieur Arnault and others.
Asbestos
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the buildings occupied by his staff, including agencies, which require (a) remedial work on and (b) the removal of asbestos; what that work will cost; what budgets are available for this work for (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and what budget is available for future asbestos surveys. [159366]
Mr. Rammell: Completed asbestos surveys of buildings occupied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK showed that no essential remedial or removal works were required. The next full survey is not due until 2012. In view of this no budget has been set aside for essential work.
None the less, budgets for interim local surveys during maintenance and project work will be allocated for 2004 and 2005. These are expected to be in the region of £20,000 pa for reactive maintenance, and £50,000 pa for project works.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of buildings occupied by (a) staff of the Department and (b) staff of the Department's executive agencies have been surveyed for the purpose of identifying the presence of asbestos prior to implementation of the control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. [159373]
8 Mar 2004 : Column 1316W
Mr. Rammell: Almost all of the building space occupied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK was surveyed prior to the implementation of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. Surveys of the remaining space are due to be completed before May 2004.
Burma
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the International Confederation of Trade Unions about the use of forced labour in Burma. [157468]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have had no discussions with the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ICFTU) on this issue. I am concerned about the use of forced labour in Burma. The ICFTU co-operates closely with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). We fully support the ILO and call upon the Burmese authorities to end permanently the use of forced labour.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conditions for the people living in relocation or concentration camps in areas of Burma controlled by the State Peace and Development Council. [157471]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am concerned about the reported poor condition of relocation camps in Burma. Most of the major relocation sites are in areas where there is still ongoing fighting, so accurate estimates and independent assessment of the conditions (or numbers involved) is not possible. From the information that we have, conditions in most of the camps are reported to be very poor—inadequate housing, medical and educational facilities. Separation of villagers from their farmlands, and lack of alternative land in or near the camps, also causes great hardship.
In areas of Karenni State where there are now cease-fires some of the former relocation sites have been largely abandoned as people have returned to their villages. Some of those remaining, particularly where the relocation site is on the edge of a town, do so (semi) voluntarily because educational and other opportunities in the town are actually better than in their village.
We provide support to the United Nation High Commission for Refugees who are working to improve the conditions in camps.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communication there has been between (a) his Department, (b) the European Union and (c) the United Nations and Aung San Suu Kyi since May 2003. [157721]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Since May 2003, the Burmese regime has repeatedly rejected my attempts to speak to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The regime has also failed to respond to repeated requests by our ambassador to call on her. The UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Burma, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, has met Aurig San Suu Kyi on three separate occasions since May 2003, most recently on 2 March 2004. The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Sergio Pinheiro, has seen Aung San Suu Kyi once since May 2003.
8 Mar 2004 : Column 1317W
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of (a) extra-judicial killings and (b) forced labour in the ethnic minority states of Burma since January. [157728]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am concerned about reports of extra-judicial killings and forced labour in the ethnic minority states of Burma since January. These issues and other human rights violations have been highlighted by successive UK co-sponsored UN Resolutions, most recently at the UN General Assembly in December 2003. These issues will remain a strong focus for the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Sergio Pinheiro and UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Burma, Tan Sri Razali Ismail. We will work to ensure that these issues are addressed at the UN Commission on Human Rights in April 2004.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of land confiscation by the Burmese Government; and what representations he has made about it. [157729]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am concerned about reports of land confiscation by the Burmese Government. The confiscation of land by armed forces and other human rights violations have been highlighted by successive UK co-sponsored UN Resolutions, most recently at the UN General Assembly in December 2003. These issues will remain a strong focus for the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Sergio Pinheiro and UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Burma, Tan Sri Razali Ismail. We will work to ensure that these issues are addressed at the UN Commission on Human Rights in April 2004.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |