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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

EU Constitution

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals were put forward by the United Kingdom during the negotiations on the European Constitution in respect of the reform of Euratom. [180584]

Mr. MacShane: The UK did not put forward any proposals with respect to the reform of Euratom during the IGC on the Constitutional Treaty.

Chagos Islands

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the British Government's agreement in principle to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius when they are no longer needed for defence purposes; and if he will make a statement. [180517]

Mr. Rammell: The assurance that the Chagos islands will be ceded to Mauritius when they are no longer needed for defence purposes was first given to the Mauritius Government in September 1965, at the same time as the Mauritius Government agreed to the detachment of the islands from Mauritius for the purpose of their incorporation into the British Indian ocean territory. The assurance has since been repeated on numerous occasions, both direct to the Mauritius Government, and in the United Nations and other fora, most recently by the United Kingdom representative in the General Assembly of the United Nations on 24 September 2003. I am placing a copy of the statement in the Library of the House.

Colombia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 18 May 2004, Official Report, column 872W, on Colombia, how his Department assessed the causal link between the Government of Colombia's policies and the decline in internally displaced people in Colombia in 2003 apparent in the Government of Colombia's statistics; and if he will make a statement. [175502]

 
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Mr. Rammell: The decline in numbers of new displacements in 2003, rather than in numbers of internally displaced people as a whole (the latter continues to rise year upon year), can be contributed in part to the success of the Government of Colombia's democratic security policy. This policy has resulted in an expansion of the state security presence throughout the country. The armed forces have had marked success in their offensives against illegal armed groups since the change of Government in 2002, which saw a stronger commitment to tackle such groups head on. Research by independent human rights observers in Colombia indicates that the illegal armed groups caused the vast majority of displacements in 2003. The problem, however, persists; more needs to be done until overall numbers of internally displaced people can actually start to drop.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2004, Official Report, column 872W, on Colombia, what his Department (a) plans to do and (b) is doing to address the problems of internally displaced people in Colombia. [175523]

Mr. Rammell: The UK's response to international humanitarian crises is the responsibility of the Department for International Development. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) seeks to help bring an end to the severe problems Colombia is facing, including that of its internally displaced people (IDPs), by engaging with the Colombian Government and international partners to address human rights issues and in working to encourage a peace process. We also actively support with FCO funds a number of grass roots projects and local NGOs assisting IDPs and indigenous communities. We do so in partnership with development agencies such as the UNHCR.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Colombia regarding the treatment of international human rights organisations in that country operating within Colombian laws which promote peace and civil society. [180253]

Mr. Rammell: The UK attaches great importance to international human rights organisations being able to carry out their work in Colombia without undue hindrance on the part of the Colombian authorities. During my visit to Colombia on 21 and 22 June, I was able to raise these issues with Vice-President Santos and other Colombian Ministers, and seek clarification about recent statements by President Uribe on this matter. I reiterated our view that such NGOs have a key role to play in helping to tackle Colombia's problems, and urged the Colombian Government to work constructively with them.

Correspondence

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for West Chelmsford will receive a response to his letter of 6 February to Mr. Jonathan Powell, transferred to his Department on 20 February, concerning his constituent Mr. Raplty. [180605]

 
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Mr. Rammell: My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, replied to the hon. Member's letter on 25 June 2004.

EU Constitutional Treaty

Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) representatives of EU institutions and (b) counterparts in other EU member states regarding an abbreviated title for the draft Constitutional Treaty for the EU. [180722]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held any discussions with my EU counterparts or with representatives of the institutions on an abbreviated title for the new Constitutional Treaty.

EU Policy (Voting Method)

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister's statements of 21 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1091 and 1094, in answer to the hon. Members for Tiverton and Honiton and for Congleton (Ann Winterton), what voting method will be used to determine policy on the co-ordination of EU economic policy. [180601]

Mr. MacShane: Article 1–11.3 of the draft constitutional treaty provides that member states coordinate their economic policies within arrangements as determined by Part III.

Gibraltar

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guarantees he has obtained from the Spanish Government that cruise ships will not be denied entry to Spanish ports if they call at Gibraltar first. [180936]

Mr. MacShane: We have received no such guarantees to date. We continue to seek a permanent solution to this issue in contacts with both the Spanish Government and the European Commission. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the Spanish Foreign Minister, Senor Moratinos, on 20 May that we regarded Spanish interference as unacceptable and illegal. I can report that, since 21 May, there have been no further incidents that have come to the Government's attention. The Foreign Secretary has also written to Senor Moratinos to underline the need to avoid any repetition of these actions.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the Government have received from the EU Commission to its representations about the denial of entry of cruise ships to Spanish ports when they also call at Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement. [180937]

Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 23 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1449–50W. We continue to press for a permanent solution to the problem.
 
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Israel/Palestine

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of Israeli civilians killed since the beginning of the intifada in September 2000; and how many were under the age of 18. [180074]

Mr. MacShane: We estimate that 944 Israeli civilians have been killed since the beginning of the intifada in September 2000. This estimate is based on a variety of sources, including the UN, NGOs and the media. We do not hold figures for those killed under the age of 18 years.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with members of the Quartet on sanctions against Israel to encourage compliance with the road map. [180197]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed sanctions against Israel with members of the Quartet (UN, EU, US, Russia). The Government believe that, as a friend of Israel and the Palestinians, we can best exert influence and encourage both sides to take the steps needed for progress through close engagement and negotiation. We do not believe that sanctions would bring the parties any nearer to a peaceful resolution.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel regarding the plans they recently announced to build more homes in west bank settlements to house people evacuated from the Gaza Strip. [180198]

Mr. MacShane: The UK was party to the European Council statement of 17–18 June reaffirming the earlier statement of 17 May setting out the principle that withdrawal from Gaza could represent a significant step towards the implementation of the roadmap provided that a number of conditions are adhered to. One such condition is that withdrawal should not

"involve a transfer of settlement activity to the west bank".

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning targeted assassinations of Palestinians in Ariel and Nablus. [180199]

Mr. MacShane: We have repeatedly made clear to the Government of Israel that their policy of targeted assassinations, regardless of where they occur, is illegal, unjustified and counter-productive. Both Israel and the Palestinians must refrain from actions that may further escalate tensions, including any more such killings.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel concerning the construction of the security wall east of Ariel in the occupied territories since the USA and UK agreed to the plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. [180200]

Mr. MacShane: Building the barrier on occupied territory is unlawful. We have consistently made our opposition to the route of the barrier clear to the Israeli Government. We will continue to do so.
 
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Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sanctions the Government have applied to (a) the state of Israel and (b) Palestine for breaches of international law since September 2000. [180087]

Mr. MacShane: The Government have not applied any sanctions to the state of Israel or Palestine for breaches of international law since September 2000. The Government believe that, as a friend of Israel and the Palestinians, we can best exert influence and encourage both sides to take the steps needed for progress through close engagement and negotiation. We do not believe that sanctions would bring the parties any nearer to a peaceful resolution.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid the Government have given (a) directly and (b) through non-governmental organisations to Palestine in each year since 1997. [180088]

Hilary Benn: The information is as follows.
UK West Bank and Gaza Strip bilateral expenditure: 1996–2004

Financial year	Total expenditure (£ million)	Percentage support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) 1	Percentage support to civil society(56)
1996–97	5.0	(57)—	(57)—
1997–98	6.0	(57)—	(57)—
1998–99	5.2	27	73
1999–2000	8.0	34	66
2000–01	9.0	36	64
2001–02	14.5	26	74
2002–03	15.2	51	49
2003–04(58)	16.2	58	42

⁽⁵⁵⁾ The vast majority of these funds have been provided through independent project managers. Recent financial management reforms in the PA have meant we now provide some funding directly to the PA's budget.
⁽⁵⁶⁾ Includes funding to NGOs and through independent project managers.
⁽⁵⁷⁾ Accurate data to calculate the breakdown of expenditure for 1996–97 and 1997–98 is not readily available.
⁽⁵⁸⁾ Figures for 2003–04 are provisional.

In addition the UK also provides funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for support to Palestinian refugees in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
UK UNRWA expenditure 1996–2004

Financial year	Total expenditure (£ million)
1996–97	8.0
1997–98	10.0
1998–99	3.5
1999–2000	13.0
2000–01	19.0
2001–02	25.0
2002–03	19.0
2003–04	23.6

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of Palestinian civilians killed since September 2000; and how many were under 18. [180090]

 
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Mr. MacShane: We estimate that 3,242 Palestinian civilians have been killed since the beginning of the intifada in September 2000. This estimate is based on a variety of sources, including the UN, NGOs and the media. We do not hold figures for those killed under the age of 18 years.

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