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Departmental Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994–95, (B) 1996–97, (C) 1997–98 and (D) 2001–02. [168674]

Mr. Rammell: Figures for staff with Government Information and Communications Service qualifications are not available prior to 2003–04 without incurring disproportionate costs.

For details of Press Office staff between 1997 and 2002, I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), gave to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 63W. For details of Press Office staff in 2003, I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 310W. For details of special advisers costs and staff numbers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mike O'Brien) gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 467W.

For details of other staff in the communications field (Information Department) between 1997 and 2002, I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), gave to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 63W.

The salary costs of Information Directorate, including employee contributions for 2001–02 was £9.6 million of which the Press Office (News Department) was £1.1 million and Information Department was £2.3 million. For 2002–03 the figures are £4.6 million, £1.3 million and £2.2 million respectively. Figures for previous years are not readily available and obtaining them would incur disproportionate costs.

Emergency Planning

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what intra EU arrangements are in place for co-ordination between hospitals and emergency services in the event of a major civil emergency. [174684]

 
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Mr. MacShane: A community mechanism to facilitate reinforced co-operation in civil protection assistance interventions was established by a council decision of 23 October 2001 (2001/792/EC, Euroatom). The community mechanism enables a stricken nation to request all forms of civil protection assistance it requires from participating States.

In the event of a major civil emergency the EU Commission would facilitate close co-ordination and co-operation between the stricken state and states participating in the community mechanism, through the monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) established by the council decision.

EU Constitution

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list the changes made in the text of the proposed EU Constitution since it was published by Her Majesty's Government in Cm 5897; and whether the Government (a) was consulted on and (b) approves of each change; [174936]

(2) whether unanimity is required for changes to the draft Constitutional Treaty; [174947]

(3) which EU member states have (a) submitted formal amendments to the official draft of the proposed constitution of the European Union published in August 2003 and (b) have given notice that they are likely to do so; by what dates such amendments have to be tabled prior to the meeting of the European Council on 17 to 18th June 2004; and what arrangements he is making for their consideration by Parliament. [175107]

Mr. MacShane: The draft EU Constitutional Treaty proposed by the Convention on the Future of Europe has no legal status. The European Council decided in June last year that it was a good basis for starting negotiations in the Intergovernmental Conference. The Italian and subsequently Irish Presidencies of the EU have proposed changes to the EU Constititonal Treaty as drafted by the Convention, after consulting with all Member States. Their proposals (summarised in the most recent Irish papers CIG 70/04, 73/04, 75/04, 76/04 and 77/04) have been deposited in the Library of the House and are available from the Presidency website (www.eu2004.ie). They are the subject of discussion in the Intergovernmental Conference. The Government has taken part fully in these discussions. Nothing is finally agreed until everything is agreed. The EU Constitutional Treaty, like any new EU Treaty, can only be agreed by the common "accord of all Member States.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in full the Government's red lines on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe; and if he will make a statement. [174995]

Mr. Straw: The Government's policy towards the negotiations on the EU Constitutional Treaty remains as set out in the White Paper on the Intergovernmental Conference (Cm 5934), presented to Parliament on 9 September 2003.
 
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Honduras

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the Government of Honduras' recent crackdown on the Mara Salvatrucha street gang. [175114]

Mr. Rammell: The Government of Honduras has acknowledged publicly that it has a serious problem with gang-related lawlessness. Our embassy in Guatemala, responsible for our relations with Honduras, and officials in London have been monitoring the measures taken by the Honduran Government to tackle this problem, including legislation prohibiting gang membership. Since the introduction of this new law, there has been a reported reduction in gang violence. But concern has been expressed by some NGOs and members of civil society that the new legislation, which resulted in mass   arrests of gang members and those suspected of being gang members, infringed human rights. The Government of Honduras has responded to this criticism by undertaking to provide training and rehabilitation schemes for those either in prison or wishing to leave the gangs. We have made clear to the Government of Honduras, bilaterally and in the company of our EU partners, the importance we attach to respect for human rights. I raised human rights, particularly those in respect of children, with Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez, during his recent visit to the UK.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the fire of 17 May at the prison in San Pedro Sula in Honduras; what assessment his Department has made of conditions at (a) that prison and (b) other prisons in Honduras; and if he will make a statement. [175115]

Mr. Rammell: The San Pedro Sula incident has been widely reported in the UK and local media. 104 prisoners, all gang members are reported to have died and only a few injured. Our embassy in Guatemala, responsible for our relations with Honduras, is watching developments closely and the DFID representative in Tegucigalpa attended a briefing on 18 May given by the Honduran Government.

Our non-resident ambassador, who was visiting Honduras at the time, has raised this incident with members of the Honduran Government.

The Government of Honduras has ordered an inquiry that will include investigating claims that: prison wardens refused to open cell doors; the fire services arrived late: and the fire was started by wardens.

We have made no specific assessment of the conditions at the San Pedro Sula Prison or that of other prisons in Honduras but we are aware of the problem of serious overcrowding. We continue to discuss human rights concerns with the Honduran authorities, particularly those relating to children.

Iraq

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the costs deducted from oil revenues by (a) the Coalition Provisional Authority, (b) Iraqi Government
 
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institutions and (c) other parties before the oil receipts are deposited in the Development Fund for Iraq accounts; and if he will make a statement. [173910]

Mr. Straw: United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1483 of 22 May 2003 decided that all proceeds from the export sale of Iraq's oil should be deposited into the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI). The only exception to this is that 5 per cent. of proceeds from oil should be deposited into the United Nations Compensation Fund for Kuwait established in accordance with UNSCR 687 of 1991 and subsequent relevant resolutions. As outlined in UNSCR 1483, this latter requirement will be binding on an internationally recognised sovereign government of Iraq unless that government and the Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission decide otherwise. Neither the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), Iraqi Government institutions, nor any other parties deduct costs from oil revenues. The CPA meets its own costs from coalition funding, and Iraqi Government Departments and agencies are funded through the Iraqi budget.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175409]

Mr. Rammell: Figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN, confirm that the Oil for Food programme (OFF):

reduced the incidence of chronic malnutrition in children under five from 32 per cent. in 1996 to 25 per cent. in 2002 (WHO);

reduced the mortality rate of children under five in northern Iraq from 80 per 1,000 in 1989 (i.e. before UN sanctions were imposed) to 72 in 1999 (UNICEF);

increased the Iraqi ration (first introduced during the Iran-Iraq war) from 1,300 kCal to 2,215 kCal per day (UN); and

reduced the incidence of tuberculosis from 78.5 cases per 100,000 in 1989 (i.e. before UN sanctions were imposed) to 43.3 cases per 100,000 in 2001 (UN).

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has seen the list of names discovered by the Iraqi Governing Council in respect of the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175410]

Mr. Rammell: The Government have received copies of documents alleging corruption in the Oil for Food programme. These documents include a list of names. The documents have been passed to the appropriate investigative authority.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department has taken in respect of the Iraqi Governing Council's demand for an inquiry into the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175411]

Mr. Rammell: The UK supports both the UN and Iraqi inquiries into the allegations of corruption of the Oil for Food programme. The Secretary of State for    International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met Paul Volcker, head of the independent UN inquiry, on 6 and 7 May. Ernst
 
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and Young have won the contract to carry out the Iraqi investigation on behalf of the Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit. We will co-operate fully with both investigations.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for   Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department first received (a) representations on and (b) reports of concerns about the conduct of the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175412]

Mr. Rammell: Over the life of the Oil for Food programme, we and other UN member states became aware of attempts to breach the Iraq sanctions regime. The Government took action in response in a range of ways according to the circumstances. These included approaches to other Governments and the UN Secretariat, and action through the United Nations Security Council to counter attempted corruption.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the number of (a) countries and (b) individuals involved in alleged corrupt practices in the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq. [175413]

Mr. Rammell: The Government have received copies of documents alleging corruption in the oil-for-food programme. These documents include a list of names. The documents have been passed to the appropriate investigative authority.

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