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Departmental Procurement

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs
 
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what   percentage of the (a) crockery, (b) cutlery and (c) glassware procured by his Department over the last five years is of British manufacture. [170794]

Mr. Leslie: The vast majority of my Department's catering requirements are provided by contracts which include the provision of crockery, cutlery and glassware. When my Department procures these products directly it is done locally, on an ad hoc basis. Detailed information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

European Constitution Referendum

Llew Smith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what his policy is on the apportionment of public funds to the (a) No and (b) Yes campaigns on the European Constitution Referendum. [170985]

Mr. Leslie: The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 makes the Electoral Commission responsible for distributing public funds to the designated organisations that will serve as the No and Yes campaigns in any referendum. The legislation provides for grants from the Electoral Commission of up to £600,000 to be distributed to each designated organisation.

Each designated organisation is allowed to send one   referendum address free of charge; to use, on application, public rooms such as schools and libraries free of charge for holding public meetings in the 28 days ending with the day before the date of the poll; and is entitled to referendum campaign broadcasts, the length and frequency of which will be determined by the licensing body having regard to any views expressed by the Electoral Commission.

Fine Collection

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the collection of fines imposed by magistrates' courts in (a) Chorley, (b) Leyland, (c) Preston, (d) Blackburn and (e) West Lancashire. [172067]

Mr. Leslie: Data on the collection of fines is collected at Magistrates' Court Committee (MCC) level. I am therefore only able to provide data for Lancashire MCC as a whole. There has been a steady improvement in the
 
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fine collection performance of Lancashire MCC over the last year. The payment rate stood at 90 per cent. in the last quarter of the 2003–04 financial year, against the national payment rate of 76 per cent. for the same period.

Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the collection of fines imposed by magistrates' courts in Stockton South. [171463]

Mr. Leslie: Data on the collection of fines is collected at Magistrates' Court Committee (MCC) level. I am therefore only able to provide data for Cleveland MCC as a whole. There has been a steady improvement in the fine collection performance of the Cleveland MCC over the last year. The 2003–04 payment rate stands at 91 per cent. at the end of March 2004 against the national payment rate of 76 per cent. in the last quarter of the 2003–04 financial year.

Older People

Mr. Webb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what (a) initiatives, (b) campaigns and (c) advisory bodies relating to older people his Department and its predecessor (i) is responsible and (ii) has provided funding since 2001; and what the cost in each year was for each one. [166241]

Mr. Lammy: For the last two years, my Department has been a member of the Employers Forum on Age and paid a subscription of £2,115 in 2002 and again in 2003.

My Department is also responsible for policy on mental incapacity, which affects a significant number of older people, and plans to introduce legislation better to protect those affected by incapacity.

From 1 April, the Public Guardianship Office, whose role is to protect the finances of people with mental incapacity has embarked on a project to raise awareness of its services. Activities are being piloted in Dorset and will include things such as having leaflets in doctors' surgeries, as well as being available to district and practice nurses. Information will also be given to Pension Service staff running pension clinics/surgeries, as well as to relevant local authority staff

Details of other relevant initiatives are provided in the table below:
£

Name of Initiative	Funding 2001	Funding 2002	Funding 2003
Establishment of a mental Incapacity Consultative Forum involving a wide range of stakeholders including organisations representing older people.	—	5,000	5,000
Review and improvement of the procedures for creating Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) to better enable people to plan for the future by delegating decision making about financial affairs to relatives, friends or professionals in the event of loss of mental capacity.	—	No funding involved as the professionals involved in the working group did so on a voluntary basis.	No funding involved as the professionals involved in the working group did so on a voluntary basis.
Research project—The role of the Public Guardianship Office in safeguarding vulnerable adults against financial abuse (Funded by the Public Guardianship Office)	—	—	60,000
Publication of the Draft Mental Incapacity Bill	—	—	Ongoing
Making Decisions Booklet—Planning for future incapacity	—	—	10,000 approx.

 
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Brazil

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK Government has made to the Government of Brazil over its stance on international inspection access to its uranium enrichment facilities. [170864]

Mr. MacShane: As with all other states that have not done so, we regularly urge Brazil to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which covers access to facilities by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

Discussions between the Government of Brazil and the IAEA concerning access are continuing, and we look forward to a satisfactory outcome in due course.

Colombia

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the plans of President Uribe in Colombia to pass a constitutional amendment in order to allow him to run for a second term; and if he will make a statement. [170239]

Mr. Rammell: Through our Embassy in Bogota we are monitoring the on-going debate within Colombia on the question of allowing a serving or former President to stand for re-election. Clearly such a step must be agreed through the proper constitutional channels. This is an internal matter for the people of Colombia and their elected representatives to decide, and one that would involve a lengthy legislative process including approval from the country's Constitutional Court. In any event, we will continue to work with the democratically elected Government of Colombia on issues of mutual interest.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for   Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Colombian Government concerning the protection of human rights defenders in that country; and if he will make a statement. [170241]

Mr. Rammell: We make frequent representations to the Government of Colombia on human rights matters, including the important issue of the safety of human rights defenders. Human rights are at the heart of our policy towards Colombia. Our Embassy in Bogota last discussed these issues with the Colombian Government on 21 April. The need to respect human rights defenders and the work of their organisations was highlighted in the statement by the Chairperson on "the Situation of Human Rights in Colombia" at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva only last month. It was also underlined in the EU statement on Colombia at the same forum.

Cuba

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the mission in Havana concerning the commencement of the trial of the human rights dissident Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva. [170268]

 
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Mr. Rammell: Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva was tried and found guilty, at his trial on 26 April 2004, of disrespect for authority, public disorder, disobedience and resisting arrest. He was sentenced to four years. At the time of his trial. Mr. Leiva had already spent two years in jail without trial. He was released by the court on 26 April, under terms similar to parole. The trial was originally scheduled for 27 April but was brought forward by a day at short notice, presumably to avoid attendance by international observers.

The EU regularly issues statements condemning the imprisonment of human rights activists, and most recently, on 12 March 2004, we again called upon the Cuban Government to release without delay all the imprisoned dissidents.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for   Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government requested observer status at the trial in Cuba of Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva; and if he will make a statement. [170269]

Mr. Rammell: Officials of the British Embassy in Havana did not request observer status at the trial, but have followed Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva's case closely and have been in regular contact with his family. Embassy officials spoke to Mr Leiva on Tuesday 27 April, a day after his trial.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations Her Majesty's Government has made to the Cuban Government concerning the imprisonment of human rights activists in Cuba; and if he will make a statement. [170270]

Mr. Rammell: UK policy on Cuba is governed by the   EU Common Position, which has human rights enshrined as its key principle. The EU regularly issues statements condemning the imprisonment of human rights activists and other political prisoners. Most recently, on 12 March 2004 we called upon the Cuban Government to reflect on the significance of the granting of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize to Raul Rivero and again called for the release of all the imprisoned dissidents. I also raised our concerns at these imprisonments with the Cuban Ambassador in London.

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