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8 Mar 2004 : Column 1321W—continued

Hong Kong

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of democracy in Hong Kong; and what recent discussions have taken place with China on Hong Kong. [157566]

Mr. Rammell: The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), a Chinese law which was promulgated in Beijing in April 1990, states that the methods for selecting the chief executive and forming the Legislative Council

"shall be specified in the light of the actual situation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and in accordance with the principle of gradual and orderly progress".

The "ultimate aim" is the selection of the chief executive and election of all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage.

Our position is consistent: we hope to see early progress towards the Basic Law's ultimate aims of the selection of the chief executive and the election of all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage, at a pace in line with the wishes of the people of Hong Kong. We most recently re-stated this position in the latest Report to Parliament on Hong Kong, which was published on 24 February (Cmnd 6125).

Ministers and officials regularly discuss Hong Kong matters when meeting members of the Chinese and Hong Kong SAR Governments. I did so with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and with Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa when I visited China and Hong Kong in December.

Internet Child Abuse

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives he has taken to tackle international internet child abuse. [158997]

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Mr. Rammell: Since 2002, in conjunction with the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, we have provided law enforcement agencies in 14 countries with specialised software, computers and training to detect paedophiles using internet chat rooms, and to target organised criminals who produce child pornography. Last year, we co-sponsored an international conference in the UK on combating on-line child abuse. We are co-sponsoring a follow-up conference this month. We are working with our G8 partners on the development and implementation of a strategy, including projects, to improve the exchange of information to combat on-line child abuse. This work includes outreach to non-G8 partners.

Iraq

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to safeguard Iraq's electricity infrastructure from vandalism; and if he will make a statement. [157651]

Mr. Rammell: Iraq's electrical infrastructure has been subject to looting for profit from the sale of copper and aluminium from transmission lines and pylons, and some sabotage attacks perpetrated by those intent on frustrating the reconstruction of Iraq.

Significant operational measures are being taken to combat both crimes, and these are proving successful. Iraqis are involved through private contractors in guarding electricity lines and installations, and this has succeeded in preventing much damage being done. Steps are also being taken to increase patrolling, introduce air surveillance and ensure the rapid repair of damage when it occurs.

Nepal

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial support his Department has provided to Nepal in each year since 2000; and how much support it plans to provide in 2004.[R] [158858]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: In financial year 2000–01 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided in total £63,600 in financial support to Nepal; in 2001–02 this figure was £80,700; in 2002–03 £144,500, and in 2003–04 £59,400.

Recruitment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996–97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. [158188]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is as follows:

Financial year	Cost of recruitment (£)
1997–98	995,293
1998–99	1,622,811
1999–2000	1,999,803
2000–01	2,543,387
2001–02	2,791,659
2002–03	2,276,708
2003–04 (To date)	1,341,832

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The figures in the table include money spent on recruitment in its widest sense. This includes general marketing via careers fairs, as well as targeted marketing and newspaper advertising aimed at under-represented groups such as minority ethnic communities and women. Recruitment agencies are involved in most of our recruitment campaigns. A break down of the figures for money spent on contracted recruitment procedures and for money spent directly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the period requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Serbia

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the decision by the Serbian Government to try war crime suspects before domestic courts in Serbia. [159229]

Mr. MacShane: We welcome the establishment of a domestic war crimes court in Serbia. However, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) assessed that the Serbian national judiciary lacked the capacity to conduct fair war crimes trials in accordance with universally adopted standards. We welcome OSCE recommendations and urge the Serbian authorities to ensure effective domestic trials through adapting legislation and providing for the protection of victims and witnesses of war crimes. The first major trial, beginning in March, will be an important demonstration of the Serbian authorities' commitment to tackling war crimes allegedly committed by Serbian citizens. It is vital that the accused receive a fair trial and that justice is seen to be done.

The transfer of lower level war crimes suspects for trial in domestic courts is an important part of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Completion Strategy. However such transfers can only take place where the Tribunal is satisfied that the trials will be conducted in accordance with universally adopted standards. In order for ICTY cases to be transferred to a domestic tribunal, Serbia must first co-operate fully with the ICTY and allow the domestic judiciary to work independently and impartially.

We continue to urge the new Serbian government to fulfil the international obligation of full and complete co-operation with the ICTY. In order for Serbia and Montenegro to realise her European aspirations, Belgrade must assist in the apprehension and transfer of all ICTY indictees and allow the ICTY full access to documents and witnesses.

Sudan

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sudanese Government regarding the situation in Darfur. [158697]

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Mr. Mullin: We have lobbied at the highest levels in Khartoum on this matter, and our ambassador in Khartoum has discussed the situation with the First Vice-President on a number of occasions in recent weeks. Through our embassy in Khartoum and the UK Special Representative for Sudan, we are in almost daily contact with the Government of Sudan and the various Darfur groups. The EU issued a statement on 25 February appealing to the parties to ensure the protection of the civilian population and to allow humanitarian access to all those in need.

Taliban

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current numeric strength of the former Taliban regime of Afghanistan in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Pakistan. [158791]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is not easy to distinguish former Taliban and their sympathisers from other groups hostile to the current political process in Afghanistan. We believe that at any given time the number of former Taliban sympathisers in Afghanistan and Pakistan is in the very low thousands. But the remoteness and geography of the Pakistani border region with Afghanistan, the difficulty of maintaining border controls, and the movement of people across the border makes it difficult to give an accurate assessment.

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current level of co-operation between members of the Pakistani Army and members of the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan. [158792]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Pakistan is a key ally in the war against terror. We strongly support the efforts of the Pakistani Army to round up members of al-Qaeda and extreme elements of the former Taliban regime. The recent military operations into the formerly inaccessible tribal areas bordering Afghanistan are a good example of the commitment of the Pakistani Army in taking action against these groups.

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