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Eritrea

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Eritrean Government about the Christians imprisoned for their faith. [174553]

Mr. Mullin: I raised this issue with President Isaias on 15 January. Our Embassy in Asmara raises it regularly with the Eritrean Government, most recently on 18 May.

Hutu Militia

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Rwanda in connection with the gangs of Hutu militia operating in the Congo. [174988]

Mr. Mullin: The presence of armed Rwandan Hutu groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo, dating back to the Rwandan genocide of 1994, is one of the key barriers to lasting peace in the Great Lakes region because of the threat they pose to Rwandan stability.
 
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The UK has consistently pressed all parties in the region, including the Government of Rwanda, to co-operate on disarming these groups and resettling them back in Rwanda.

Iraq

Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which private security companies the UK has contracts for services in Iraq; how much was paid to each in the financial year to 31 March; and what services they provide. [175094]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employs private security companies to protect British civilian staff working at the British Office Baghdad or seconded to the FCO to work for the Coalition Provisional Authority. ArmorGroup Services Ltd. provide static guards at an approxmate cost of £l.1 million to 31 March 2004. Control Risks Group provide armed protection teams for mobile security at an approximate cost of £13.1 million to 31 March 2004.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the financial extent of the alleged corruption in the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq. [175593]

Mr. Rammell: It is not possible to assess the financial extent of the alleged corruption in the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq, pending completion of the independent UN and Iraqi investigations.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for   Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what fee income   was earned by the UN Security Council for administering the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175594]

Mr. Rammell: The United Nations Security Council earned no fee income from the Oil for Food programme (OFF). Administration of the OFF programme was undertaken by the UN Secretariat's Office of the Iraq Programme. UN administrative and operational charges amounted to 2.2 per cent. of the programme's costs.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the amount of money made by Saddam Hussein's regime as a result of the alleged corruption in the UN Oil for Food programme. [175595]

Mr. Rammell: It is not possible to assess the financial extent of the alleged corruption in the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq, pending completion of the independent UN and Iraqi investigations.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which banks were used to administer the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175596]

Mr. Rammell: The UN Treasury administered the banking arrangements of the Oil for Food programme. BNP Paribas was the only bank to issue letters of credit under the programme, and collateral to back those letters of credit was held by BNP Paribas. Funds that
 
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were not required to be used as collateral for letters of credit were invested with multiple banks based on competitive bidding.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the Coalition Provisional Authority's response to the Iraqi Governing Council's request for an independent investigation into the UN Oil for Food programme in Iraq. [175597]

Mr. Rammell: The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) has authorised the Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit (BSA) to pursue an independent investigation of the Oil for Food programme in Iraq. We welcome this investigation. Following an open tender process, Ernst & Young has won the contract to carry out the investigation on behalf of the BSA. We understand that the CPA will also co-operate fully with the UN's independent inquiry to ensure that investigators have access to the relevant information in Iraq.

Kenya

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Ministers of the present government have visited Kenya in an official capacity. [175163]

Mr. Mullin: Since the election of President Mwai Kibaki and the National Rainbow Coalition party in December 2002, the following Ministers have made official visits to Kenya:

Right hon. Clare Short, then Secretary of State for International Development, January 2003:

Right. hon. Baroness Amos, then FCO Minister of State, January 2003

Right. hon. Baroness Amos, then Secretary of State for International Development, July 2003

Hon. Elliott Morley, Minister of State for the Environment and Agri-Environment, September 2003.

I made a four day-long visit to Kenya at the end of October 2003.

Kosovo

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what travel advice his Department is issuing to NGOs and humanitarian organisations about the safety of travel to (a) Gmice and (b) elsewhere in the region of Kamenia in Kosovo. [175842]

Mr. MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice for Kosovo, which applies to the entire province and is targeted at all British citizens, reads as follows:

"Because of continuing tensions, you should avoid non-essential (including holiday) travel to Kosovo and travel within the Presevo and Bujanovac districts of Southern Serbia."

Full travel advice can be found at www.fco.gov.uk and is updated regularly.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current security situation (a) in Gmice and (b) elsewhere in the region of Kamenia in Kosovo; which cultural or ethnic group dominates the area; and if he will make a statement. [175843]

 
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Mr. MacShane: According to the information we have received the overall security situation in Gmice and the municipality of Kamenica is currently stable.

The municipality of Kamencia is predominantly Albanian with several Serb villages.

Liberia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) efficiency of the UN disarmament programme in Liberia; and if he will make a statement. [175185]

Mr. Mullin: We welcome the steps taken by the United Nations Mission in Liberia to restart the Disarmament, Demobilisation. Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) programme in April, and the improved arrangements put in place following the problems that arose in December. 16,981 ex-combatants have been disarmed since the restart of the programme.

It was agreed, at the International Contact Group on Liberia meeting in London on 11 May, that there needed to be increased focus on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration aspects of DDRR and that there should be continuity in the process. We are concerned at the disturbances of 17 May. It is the responsibility of the factions represented in the National Transitional Government of Liberia to ensure there is full co-operation with the DDRR process.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contributions the UK Government has (a) pledged and (b) delivered to the UN disarmament programme in Liberia; and if he will make a statement. [175186]

Mr. Mullin: The UK has pledged a total of £6 million to the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) process, £4 million in 2004–05 and £2 million in 2005–06. So far £l million has been transferred to the UN DDRR fund. We plan soon to decide how we commit the balance of funds for this financial year.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he and (b) members of his Department last met the UN Secretary-General's special representative for Liberia to discuss (i) the UN disarmament programme in Liberia and (ii) the security situation in Liberia; and if he will make a statement. [175187]

Mr. Mullin: I attended the International Contact Group on Liberia meeting in London on 11 May, which was also attended by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Jaques Klein. SRSG Klein and I discussed a range of issues including the security situation and the disarmament programme.

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