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Russia

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from (a) Amnesty International and (b) the international community on gender-based violence in Russia; and if he will make a statement. [161944]

Mr. Rammell: We receive, and welcome representations from Amnesty International and other international and Russian NGOs on a wide range of human rights issues in the Russian Federation. During Amnesty's "Justice for All" campaign last year, which included gender-based violence in Russia, we worked very closely with the campaign manager and earlier this month we jointly hosted a successful workshop for UK and Russian NGOs which included discussion of women's rights.

Violence and discrimination against women remains a concern in Russia. The UK is currently funding the Moscow Helsinki Group to train a network of NGOs to respond to violations of women's rights. For the last 10 years, we have also supported a project in St. Petersburg, which trains NGOs and police officers in handling domestic violence.

Tibet

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) indigenous Tibetans and (b) Han Chinese in (i) the Tibetan Autonomous Region and (ii) Greater Tibet, based on the 1950 boundaries. [161732]

Mr. Rammell: Official figures for 2000 give the population of the Tibet Autonomous Region as 2.6 million of which 92.2 per cent. are Tibetans and 5.9 per cent. are Han Chinese. We have no other figures.

We continue to encourage the Chinese to ensure that economic development in Tibet does not adversely affect the Tibetan population. This includes ensuring that they benefit from economic growth including new jobs and the provision of housing, health and education facilities.

UN International Covenant on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what ways the Government is carrying forward its commitment to the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. [161413]

Mr. Rammell: The United Kingdom ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1976 and since then the Government has continued to work to improve protections for economic and social rights, in line with the international legal obligations set out in the Covenant.

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The Covenant contains a large number of rights which are properly the primary responsibility of a range of Government Departments. These include rights related to education, health, work, housing, clothing, food and culture. The role of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is primarily concerned with international processes dealing with these rights and with co-ordinating material for submission to the UN Committee which monitors treaty compliance. In this latter regard, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ensures that the recommendations of the Committee are transmitted to those Departments with responsibilities for fulfilling the Covenant's obligations.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had with the Government of South Africa on the export of electricity to Zimbabwe by Eskom; and if he will make a statement on energy supplies to Zimbabwe. [161232]

Mr. Mullin: The Government have regular discussions with the Government of South Africa about the situation in Zimbabwe. These have not included the export of electricity to Zimbabwe by Eskom.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representative of the Zimbabwe Government approached his Department to seek assistance in respect of the trial of Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai. [161495]

Mr. Mullin: Mr J. Musawaka, Director of Public Prosecutions in the Attorney-General's Office, sought assistance from the Home Office in preparing for this trial. The Zimbabwean authorities were informed that the request would not be acceded to without written assurance that Tsvangirai would not be subjected to the death penalty if found guilty. The Zimbabwean authorities have not given us that assurance, and we have not offered them any assistance. The evidence stage of the trial has now finished.

WALES

Manufacturing

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the manufacturing sector in Wales. [160262]

Mr. Touhig: Wales Office Ministers regularly discuss a range of issues with the Assembly Government, including those relating to the manufacturing sector. My most recent bilateral with Andrew Davies AM, Minister for Economic Development and Transport in the Assembly Government, was on 26 January 2004.

Project Funding

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) solely state-financed and (b) public-private partnership and private finance initiative

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projects for which his Department is responsible have been launched in each region in each of the last 10 years. [160957]

Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999. It has no such projects.

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by (a) the Government on solely state-financed projects and (b) the (i) Government and (ii) private sector on public-private and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible in each of the last 10 years, broken down by region. [160958]

Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999. It has spent no money on such projects.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

CPS

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the responsibility for oversight of the Crown Prosecution Service of (a) the Attorney-General and (b) the Home Secretary. [159297]

The Solicitor-General: Ministerial oversight of the independent Crown Prosecution Service rests solely with the Attorney-General, who has statutory responsibility for the superintendence of the Director of Public Prosecutions as Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (as provided for by section 3(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985). The Law Officers Act 1997, provides that any function of the Attorney-General, including any statutory function, may also be exercised by myself as Solicitor-General.

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans she has to change the name of the Crown Prosecution Service; and if she will make a statement. [159301]

The Solicitor-General: I would refer the hon. Member to my Statement of 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 901. The issue of a possible name change for the Crown Prosecution Service is under active consideration in the context of the changing role of the Service within the criminal justice system. The Director of Public Prosecutions is discussing this with his staff. When that process is complete, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney-General will announce their decision.

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the basis on which the Director of Public Prosecutions advises the Home Secretary on the Crown Prosecution Service. [159347]

The Solicitor-General: The Director of Public Prosecutions and the Home Secretary, as with other Ministers and relevant senior officials, meet together from time to time to discuss criminal justice matters, including matters concerning the Crown Prosecution Service. They do so on the basis of their respective responsibilities for the operation and development of the criminal justice system.

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Katharine Gun

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions the Attorney-General has had in the last 12 months with the Secretary of State for Defence on the Katharine Gun case. [158779]

The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General when considering whether or not to grant consent to the prosecution of Katharine Gun for an offence under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act conducted a Shawcross exercise. He wrote to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in view of his departmental interest and copied it to other interested Ministerial colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Defence. This exercise is designed to enable the Attorney to be informed of Ministerial colleagues' views of the public interest considerations in the case that are within their particular Ministerial responsibilities. He took them into consideration when deciding whether to give his consent. The decision to consent to the prosecution was the Attorney-General's alone.

There have been no discussions between the Attorney-General and the Secretary of State for Defence over the Katharine Gun case in the last 12 months.

Mr. Cash: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to her answer of 2 March, what the evidential deficiency was to which she refers as reason in the case of Katharine Gun for having exercised discretion not to enter a nolle prosequi; and if she will lay the papers to which this relates, including those referred to by the Attorney-General in the House of Lords on 26 February, in the Library. [159190]

The Solicitor-General [holding answer 5 March 2004]: The decision to offer no further evidence against Katharine Gun was made by the Crown Prosecution Service as an independent prosecuting authority. It was a decision taken solely on legal grounds and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. There was, in this case, a clear prima facie breach of section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989. However Senior Treasury Counsel prosecuting this case gave advice, with which the Director of Public Prosecutions fully concurred, that there was no longer a realistic prospect of convicting Katharine Gun. The evidential deficiency related to the prosecution's inability, within the current statutory framework, to disprove the defence of necessity to be raised on the particular facts of this case.

I am not sure what papers the hon. Member is referring to but counsels' advice etc are the subject of legal privilege and so it would not be appropriate for me to place them in the Library.

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