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International Atomic Energy Agency

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed special committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency dedicated to safeguards verification, following the G-8 agreement at the Sea Island summit on nuclear safeguards and proliferation controls; and what additional resources the United Kingdom has earmarked in support of the proposed committee. [180608]

Mr. MacShane: At the Sea Island summit, the G-8 agreed to work together to establish a Special Committee of the Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which would be tasked to provide advice on safeguards and verification. The Government believe that such a committee could play a valuable role in investigating possible ways of strengthening the capability of the IAEA to ensure that nations are compliant with their safeguards obligations. The establishment of such a committee is a decision for the IAEA board, and the UK will play an active role in negotiations on its mandate and funding. A decision on the allocation of UK resources will be made once these negotiations are complete.

Israel

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) conditions and (b) practices in prison facilities in (i) Israel and (ii) Israeli controlled territories; and if he will make a statement. [180507]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not carried out an assessment of the conditions and practices in Israeli prison facilities. However, various NGOs, the Israeli state comptroller and the ICRC have. The ICRC regularly visits prisons and raises issues with the Israeli Government: further details of the work of ICRC can be found on their website at www.icrc.org.
 
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Consular staff regularly visit British citizens who are in Israeli prisons. Where the UK has humanitarian and human rights concerns we raise them with the Israeli Government. We did so in the specific case of Mordechai Vanunu.

Iran

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with counterparts in (i) Germany and (ii) France on Iran's co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency; and if he will make a statement. [180547]

Mr. MacShane: In the weeks leading up to the meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors at which the latest Resolution on Iran was adopted, Ministers and senior officials were regularly engaged in discussion of Iran with their French and German counterparts. The Resolution itself, adopted unanimously by the IAEA Board of Governors on 18 June, was jointly drafted by senior officials of the UK, French and German Governments.

The issue was also discussed in some depth at the recent G8 Summit at Sea Island.

United States

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his role as Chair of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Relations with the USA. [181278]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Details of DOP(UK/US), the ministerial committee on relations with the United States, including its membership and terms of reference, are available on the Cabinet Office website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk and in the Library of the House.

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the UN special rapporteur on executions' statement of 13 June regarding the integration of Janjaweed members into the regular armed forces of Sudan and the Popular Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement. [179745]

Mr. Mullin: We welcome President Bashir's announcement of 18 June of his intention to disarm all outlaws, Janjaweed and armed militias in Darfur. We have consistently urged the Sudanese Government to act quickly to rein in the Janjaweed and are encouraging them to translate their recent statement into action. We have raised concern that reintegrating Janjaweed members into the regular armed forces will not help allay the fears of the affected civilians or encourage the IDPs to return home.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposals of the Government of Sudan to neutralise their Janjaweed militia and on whether that proposal is being delivered. [180730]

 
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Mr. Mullin: We welcome President Bashir's announcement of 18 June of his intention to disarm all outlaws, Janjaweed and armed militias in Darfur. We have consistently urged the Sudanese Government to act quickly to rein in the Janjaweed and are encouraging them to translate their recent statement into action.

UK Passport Holders

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK passport holders died abroad in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99, broken down by country. [180396]

Mr. Mullin: British posts overseas are not necessarily notified of the death of a British passport holder. As a result the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold comprehensive details on the deaths of all British Citizens overseas during the years in question. However, our records show that we were notified of the deaths of 1,827 British Citizens in 1997–98 and of 2,020 British Citizens in 1998–99.

To provide a break down of how many British passport holders died overseas in 1997–98 and 1998–99 by country could only be provided at disproportionate costs. However, for the 1997–98 period, the largest numbers of British Citizen deaths abroad were in Spain (405), followed by France (84) and the USA (72). For 1998–99, the largest numbers of British Citizen deaths abroad were in Spain (558), followed by Germany (265) and France (90).

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Teachers (Abuse Allegations)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what sanctions are available against individuals who falsely accuse teachers of sexual abuse; [180013]

(2) whether teachers found innocent of sexual abuse allegations are able to sue the complainant for damages. [179999]

Mr. Miliband: Anyone who makes false statements in evidence in court proceedings may be liable to be charged with an offence of perjury. A pupil who makes false allegations against a teacher, or other member of school staff, may be subject to disciplinary action by the school, and exclusion may be appropriate in some circumstances. Teachers also have the same right as anyone else to sue for damages for defamation.

Bicton College

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans his Department has to encourage the Learning and Skills Council to pay all funding owing to Bicton College. [180926]

Alan Johnson: We have recently agreed to add £130 million to the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) budget to enable allocations for 2004–05 to be kept on track for all Further Education colleges that are performing to target. The details and timings of payments from the LSC to colleges are operational matters and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark
 
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Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support the Learning and Skills Council is giving to the management of Bicton College in achieving its full funding entitlement. [180928]

Alan Johnson: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Allocating funding to individual colleges and determining the level of support for colleges' managers to assist them achieve agreed plans is an operational matter and the responsibility of the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Civil Service (Relocation)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants and what percentage of the total civil service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the west Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire. [180183]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave on Tuesday 22 June regarding the outcomes of the Lyons Review.

I am pleased to report that my Department has a good record on location outside the south east, with the majority (70 per cent.) of posts in DfES and its partners already outside London and the south east. My Department made proposals, contained in the Lyons Report, to review the locations of our non-departmental public bodies in London. We will also look at the scope for relocation of our own functions as part of our departmental change programme.

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