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Departmental Expenditure (Entertainment)

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest estimate is of the amount spent by his Department on official entertainment in each year from 1996–97 to 2004–05. [169007]

Mr. Rammell: Comparable information is available only for the years 2000–01 to 2004–05. The following figures show the actual spend on entertainment within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the first three years, with a forecast for 2003–04 and 2004–05 based upon expenditure to date.

	£
2000–01	8,337,306
2001–02	8,708,262
2002–03	8,612,247
2003–04	(14)8.135,315
2004–05	(14)7,687,873

⁽¹⁴⁾ Estimated.

All expenditure on entertainment within the Department is carefully monitored to ensure that it is made in accordance with departmental guidance that is   based on the principles set out in "Government Accounting".

Fingerprinting (USA Entry)

Mr. Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State   for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received from the travel industry regarding the fingerprinting of British citizens wishing to travel to the United States; and if she will make a statement. [168918]

Mr. Mullin: There have been no formal representations by the travel industry, although the finger-scanning of British citizens on arrival in the United States has been discussed in our regular meetings with the industry.

Indonesia

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department is making to the reconciliation process in Sulawesi. [168575]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK's Global Conflict Prevention Pool is used in Indonesia to facilitate inter-faith dialogue. DFID has also committed over £4 million to help establish the United Nations Development Programme Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The unit will help build up capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in provinces torn apart by religious conflict, such as Sulawesi and Maluku.

Iraq

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the
 
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Government are giving to the tribunal and its staff investigating crimes by Saddam Hussein; and if he will make a statement. [168934]

Mr. Rammell: Our secondees in the Coalition Provisional Authority Office of Human Rights and Transitional Justice have provided assistance with the drafting of the Statute, Rules of Procedure and Elements of Crime for the Iraq Special Tribunal (IST). They have also developed the investigations strategy and mass grave action plan for the IST. We have agreed to Iraqi requests to provide further assistance, possibilities for which include: forensic expertise; judicial training; judicial advisers; and public education and outreach. And we have agreed to provide the IST Administration Department with a list of international investigators and analysts to support Iraqi capacity. We are also encouraging other EU partners to consider favourably requests for assistance from the Iraqis.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what period of production is represented by the $7,855,209,215.35 received from oil proceeds by the Development Fund for Iraq up to 16 April 2004; and if he will make a statement. [169157]

Mr. Straw: The $7,855,209,215.35 received from oil proceeds by the Development Fund for Iraq up to 16 April represents the period of production from 28 May 2003 to mid-March 2004.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future role of the International Advisory Monitoring Board in monitoring and auditing the Development Fund for Iraq after 30 June 2004. [169158]

Mr. Straw: The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB), as specified in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 and the IAMB Terms of Reference, wall cease to be responsible for the auditing of the Development Fund for Iraq once a fully sovereign Iraqi Government has been established. The UK Government would like to see arrangements put in place acceptable to the Iraqi interim administration for the independent and credible audit of Iraqi's oil revenues following the transfer of sovereignty. We are currently in discussion with the Iraqi authorities, the UN international financial institutions, and other countries on how this objective might be best achieved.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed appointment of voting Iraqi members to the Board of the International Advisory Monitoring Board. [169159]

Mr. Straw: We are not aware of voting Iraqi members being appointed to the Board of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB). The IAMB comprises voting members from the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development and the World Bank.

The IAMB, after consulting with the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator, may appoint up to five observers to IAMB meetings, including Iraqi nationals nominated by the Governing Council of Iraq.
 
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The IAMB in its press statement of 24 April 2004 welcomed Iraqi Governing Council observer Professor Mahdi Hadi Al-Kafari, and Mr Ihsan Ghanim representing the Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit, to the IAMB. Other Iraqi observers have been invited to IAMB meetings in the past. IAMB observers are not members of the IAMB and have no voting rights.

Small Grants Scheme

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much is available this year for distribution under the small grants scheme by the UK Ambassador or High Commissioner in each country in which the scheme operates; and how much was distributed in each country in each of the last three years. [168813]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not operated a Small Grants Scheme (SGS) in the past three years. However, an SGS is run and managed by the Department for International Development (DFID). A proportion of DFID's SGS is disbursed through FCO Posts but is not charged to the FCO budget.

South Africa

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) South Africa's Defence Minister, Mosiuoa Lekota, and (b) other members of the Government of South Africa concerning the proposed creation of a South African standby force by 2005; and if he will make a statement. [168557]

Mr. Mullin: The African Union aims to establish an African Standby Force (ASF) for peace support operations on the continent. The ASF will be set up in two phases. Phase one is due to be completed by 2005 and phase two by 2010. It will be based on five regional brigades, including one from southern Africa.

We regularly discuss this initiative with the South African authorities, who are playing a key role. The UK is providing practical assistance, including through training by the British Peace Support Team in Pretoria.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence met South African Defence Minister, Lekota, on 8 March. They discussed a range of subjects, including the African Union.

United Arab Emirates

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what joint activity the UK undertakes with the United Arab Emirates on counter-terrorism. [168572]

Mr. MacShane: We have a close and high-level counter-terrorism dialogue with the UAE authorities. The Government currently supplies training and advice on money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as extensive customs training. We are also developing a range of capacity building initiatives in the counter terrorism area.
 
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