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Iraq

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nominees are serving in the Iraq Survey Group. [173427]

Mr. MacShane [holding answer 17 May 2004]: As at 13 May, there were 49 British personnel (both military and civilian) serving with the Iraq Survey Group.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make available to (a) the United States Administration and (b) Mr. Paul Bremer a copy of the report prepared for his Department entitled "A Human Rights Approach to   Prison Management" launched on 20 November 2002. [173862]

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has provided a copy of the handbook, "A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management", launched by him on 11 November 2002 to the Coaliton Provisional Authority. [174331]

Mr. Rammell: Copies of "A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management" were sent to the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, the National Institute of Corrections. Commissioners of the Department of Corrections in every state and the American Correctional Association by the International Centre for Prison Studies who produced the handbook. A copy has not been passed directly to Paul Bremer. However a senior prison governor who has been seconded to CPA(South) from the UK Prisons Service to advise and mentor the Iraqis
 
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on running their penal system was given copies of the handbook in Arabic. We hope that the handbook will be used as a basic training tool in the future Iraqi prison service.

Julie Ward

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) discussions concerning and (b) involvement in the further inquiries that are to take place into the Julie Ward murder in Kenya his Department plans; with whom discussions are to take place; and if he will make a statement. [173292]

Mr. Mullin: I discussed the Julie Ward murder case with the Kenyan Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Kiraitu Murungi, during his visit to London on 29 April. Mr. Murungi assured me that the Kenyan Government would take all necessary steps to ensure that justice is done if new evidence relating to the murder came to light. During a meeting with our Acting High Commissioner in Nairobi on 7 May, Mr. Murungi further confirmed that any new information relating to the case should be passed to the Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is ready to offer assistance, if requested, but has not been asked by Julie Ward's family to take action relating to any further inquiry.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) other Ministers from his Department (i) have met and (ii) intend to meet Mr. John Ward to discuss the murder of his daughter, Julie Ward, in Kenya; and if he will make a statement. [173293]

Mr. Mullin: Mr. Ward met my right hon. Friend the   then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (Mr. Hain) in 2000. FCO Ministers would be happy to meet Mr. Ward again, should he request a meeting.

Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he raised (a) the issue of the search for peace in Darfur, (b) human rights abuses and the implementation of sharia law and (c) the future of Dr. al-Tarubi in discussions with the Foreign Minister of the Sudan, during his recent visit to London. [173785]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 17 May 2004]: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development, and I registered strongly our concerns about the situation in Darfur during our meetings with the Sudanese Foreign Minister on 11 May. He accepted that progress was now needed. I also raised our concerns about human rights and the implementation of sharia law. We did not discuss Dr. al-Turabi.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether the Government have addressed the concerns of the UN Human Rights Commission following its recent session
 
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on the Sudan; and what work he is undertaking with the EU to highlight human rights abuses (a) in Darfur and (b) elsewhere in the Sudan; [173786]

(2) whether the report of the United Nations Human Rights Commission following its recent session in Sudan was available to the meeting of the UN session on the human rights situation in Sudan. [173907]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 17 May 2004]: We are in   close contact with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the situation in Darfur. We are working to ensure that the Independent Expert, mandated by the 23 April UN Commission on Human Rights decision on Sudan, is appointed as soon as possible.

The advance version of the report of the recent OHCHR mission to Sudan was only issued on 10 May, so it was not available for consideration during the recent UN Commission on Human Rights.

We raise the human rights situation in Sudan on a regular basis, both bilaterally and as part of the EU-Sudan dialogue. The humanitarian and human rights situation in Darfur was discussed at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 26 April, and in the Political and Security Council on 27, 30 April and 11 May.

Thailand

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom citizens have been arrested while on holiday in Thailand in each year since 1997; if he will list the five most common charges United Kingdom citizens were arrested for; how many United Kingdom citizens were sentenced in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [173457]

Mr. Mullin: The information requested is in the form of a table.
UK citizens arrested in Thailand per annum since 1997

	Number
1997–98	251
1998–99	113
1999–2000	165
2000–01	430
2001–02	161
2002–03	185
2003–04	315

These figures include British nationals both resident and on holiday in Thailand. We do not hold figures for the number of British nationals sentenced in Thailand. The most common charges, listed in order, are for visa   and work permit irregularities, drugs, motoring offences, assault, and theft.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on human rights abuses committed by the Government of Zimbabwe. [173411]

 
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Mr. Mullin: The Government of Zimbabwe continues to commit serious human rights abuses. It has repeatedly harassed, intimidated and attacked the opposition, independent media and wider civil society. We and the rest of the international community have made our condemnation clear. With our partners we are helping to provide help for those who have suffered and support to human rights lawyers and others working to end these abuses.

CABINET OFFICE

e-Government

23. Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how the United Kingdom compares with other OECD member countries in the provision of internet access to Government services. [173516]

Mr. Woolas: The OECD has not conducted its own e-Government benchmarking study. Other reports indicate that the UK is closely behind Scandinavia and among the other leading countries worldwide in the delivery of e-Government services.

Directgov, the new one-stop internet and DTV service for citizens, is a world-leading service which is attracting significant interest from other OECD governments.

Better Regulation

24. Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress has been achieved towards better regulation. [173517]

Mr. Woolas: The UK remains well-placed in international comparisons of regulatory burdens and regulatory reform.

Recent progress on better regulation includes delivery of over 300 of the measures in the Regulatory Reform Action Plan. 23 Regulatory Reform Orders have been laid before Parliament. Compliance with the Regulatory Impact Assessment process measured at 100 per cent. in   November 2003. A revised Code of Practice on Consultation was issued in January 2004.

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