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Burma

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Department's
 
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assessment is of (a) the Burmese Government's seven point road map to democracy and (b) the proposed national constitutional convention. [172511]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We are encouraged by the State Peace and Development Council's plans to reconvene the National Convention on 17 May to draft a new constitution, the first step of the road map outlined by Prime Minister Khin Nyunt on 30 August 2003. But it is essential that the National Convention is an inclusive, transparent process with a clear time frame. All political parties and ethnic groups should be invited to join the Convention, and to select their representatives freely. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other National League for Democracy (NLD) members should be released immediately to allow them to prepare their approach to the National Convention.

Without the participation of the NLD, the Convention will lack all credibility. There must be full freedom of debate and speech in the Convention and freedom of activity and association for political parties and ethnic groups. This includes ensuring that the 104   principles of the previous National Convention (1993–1996) are open for debate. Freedom from prosecution for views expressed on the Convention must be guaranteed.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Department has had with the Burmese Government regarding the (a) recent opening of the National League for Democracy's headquarters in Rangoon and (b) the continued closure of its other offices. [172513]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We welcome the recent opening of    the National League for Democracy's (NLD) headquarters in Rangoon. We have repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to re-open all NLD offices throughout Burma.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with the Burmese Government regarding the possible release of Aung San Suu Kyi. [172515]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to fully release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners and to allow them to play an active role in national reconciliation in Burma.

Correspondence

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 6 April with regard to Mr. Mehrat Din and Muhammed Aqdas Din. [172250]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied on 28 April.

Departmental Staff

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of policy entrants to his Department in each of the last five years attended public or independent schools. [172116]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is in the following table.
 
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Policy entrants

	Percentage from independent schools
1999	60
2000	64
2001	48
2002	24
2003	37

The recruitment section records school information as "independent" (which includes public schools) or "comprehensive".

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the members of the Departmental Board are, broken down by (a) gender, (b) race or ethnicity, (c) whether they attended public or independent school and (d) whether they attended Oxford University or Cambridge University; and how long each has been in post. [172117]

Mr. Straw: The Data Protection Act prevents us from providing information about the ethnicity or race of   individuals. The members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Board, and the background information requested, as published in Who's Who, is as follows:

Sir Michael Jay—Sir Michael has been in his current post for two years. He was educated at Oxford and London Universities, and Winchester College.

Sir Stephen Brown—Sir Stephen has been in his current post for two years. He was educated at Sussex University, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Leeds Grammar School.

John Sawers— John Sawers has been in his current post for one year. He was educated at Nottingham University, and Beechen Cliff School, Bath.

Kim Darroch—Kim Darroch has been in his current post for one year. He was educated at Durham University, and Abingdon School.

Martin Donnelly—Martin Donnelly has been in his current post for two months. He was educated at Oxford University and Saint Ignatius College.

William Ehrman—William Ehrman has been in his current post for two years. He was educated at Cambridge University, and Eton.

Richard Stagg—Richard Stagg has been in his current post for   one year. He was educated at Oxford University, and Winchester College.

David Warren—David Warren has been in his current post for three months. He was educated at Oxford University, and Epsom College.

Simon Fraser—Simon Fraser has been in his current post for two years. He was educated at Cambridge University, and St. Paul's School.

Simon Gass—Simon Gass has been in his current post for three years. He was educated at Reading University, and Eltham College.

The Board also has two non-executive members, Allan Gormly, Chairman of BPB Industries, and Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Director of Corporate Affairs, Tesco plc.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office needs to be, and to be seen to be, representative of the diverse UK population as a whole; we are committed to achieving this and now have 21 female and two minority ethnic heads of posts. But we are aware that we have some way to go.
 
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Iraq

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports the establishment of a United Nations mediator to Iraq. [171810]

Mr. Rammell: The Government supports a vital and developing role for the United Nations in Iraq. The UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, is already playing an important role building an Iraqi consensus on the formation of an Interim Government by 30 June. We welcome his proposals and look forward to working with him and the people of Iraq on developing them. We also welcome the role of Carina Perelli, Head of the UN's Elections Assistance Division, whose proposals for the preparations for elections in early 2005 have been agreed by the Iraqi Governing Council.

Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage those responsible for the final Iraq constitution to amend the constitution so that the target of 25 per cent. of women in political positions in the interim constitution becomes a minimum requirement. [172201]

Mr. Rammell: The Transitional National Assembly will be formed by democratic elections by early 2005. The Transitional Administrative Law stipulates that the electoral law shall aim to achieve the goal of having women constitute no less than one quarter of the National Assembly. The members of that Assembly will draft the Iraqi constitution, which will then be ratified by a referendum. We would expect democratically-elected members to ensure appropriate representation of women and we will ensure they are fully aware of the Government's policy of encouraging this.

Libya

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the Libyan Government concerning the sentencing to death of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor for allegedly infecting children with HIV; what discussions the Government has held with European partners on this matter; what plans the Government has to raise this matter at the UN Commission on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement. [172667]

Mr. Straw: My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean telephoned Libyan Foreign Minister Shalgam on 9 May to express our concern at the verdict. The EU Troika met Mr. Shalgam during the EuroMed Ministerial in Dublin on 6 May to highlight the EU's concern at the court's decision and underline that a satisfactory resolution to this case is a factor in the further improvement of Libya's relations with the EU. I spoke immediately after the verdicts were handed down to Bulgarian Foreign Minister Passy to offer our support. The next session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights will take place in spring 2005. The Government will consider nearer the time whether action in that forum is appropriate.
 
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