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Middle East Peace Process

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Syria about the Middle East Peace Process. [182043R]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with Syrian interlocutors focusing on the Middle East Peace Process. However, my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean discussed a wide range of issues, including the Middle East Peace Process, with the
 
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Syrian Government during her visit to Damascus on 8 to 9 June. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are also in regular contact with the Syrian Government on this issue.

Ministerial Air Travel

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each year since 1997 the number of miles flown by each Minister in his Department on official departmental business. [181874]

Mr. Straw: There is no central record of miles flown by each Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister, on official departmental business.

All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Mordechai Vanunu

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government regarding continuing speech and travel restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu; and if he will make a statement. [181978]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the Israeli Government about the restrictions placed upon Mordechai Vanunu. However, my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean has raised our concerns with the Israeli Chargé d'Affaires, as has our Ambassador in Tel Aviv with the Israeli Government. We recognise that Israel has a right to protect its national interest but we are concerned that the restrictions may be excessive and punitive.

Mordechai Vanunu was released on 21 April 2004. He is subject to limitations on his movements: he cannot leave Israel; he must inform Israeli authorities of his residence; and he cannot have any contact with foreigners. The restriction on foreign travel will be reviewed after a year, the other restrictions after six months. Mr. Vanunu is challenging these restrictions through the Israeli courts. Mr. Vanunu is currently staying at the Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem.

Nepal

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what position was taken by the British Government on Nepal at the 2004 meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights; and what the text was of the chairperson's statement on Nepal. [182959]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK welcomed the Chairman's statement on the need to improve the human rights situation in Nepal, which was issued with the backing of the Royal Nepalese Government. We will be working to support the Nepalese Government in its implementation of its commitments mentioned in that statement. The full text of the Chairman's statement has been placed in the Library of the House.
 
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Occupied Palestinian Territories

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Israeli soldiers have been charged with unlawfully killing unarmed civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. [181932]

Mr. Rammell: To the best of our knowledge, four Israeli Defence Force soldiers have been charged with the unlawful killing of unarmed civilians in the Occupied Territories.

Oil for Food Programme

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations are taking place into possible misuse of the UN Oil for Food Programme; and what UK Government involvement is in those investigations, including forensic audit work by UK citizens and enterprises. [182108]

Mr. Rammell: In April 2004 the UN Secretary-General appointed a high-level independent inquiry into allegations of misadministration and corruption of the UN's Oil for Food Programme. The inquiry was unanimously endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 1538 adopted on 21 April 2004. The Government supports the inquiry into these serious allegations, and is co-operating fully through all appropriate means with the inquiry. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met the Head of the UN inquiry, Paul Volcker, in London in May.

Separately, before the hand-over of authority in Iraq on 28 June, the Coalition Provisional Authority called for an investigation into the allegations under the auspices of the Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit. In May 2004, auditors Ernst and Young won the contract to undertake the Iraqi investigation.

The Government are aware that committees of the US Senate and Congress have also made inquiries into the allegations, and UK officials have met committee representatives in London, Washington and New York. The Government continues to follow developments in the UN inquiry, and any information received by the Government are being passed to the appropriate authorities for their consideration.

Pay Systems

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the most recent review of (a) his Department's pay systems, (b) the pay systems of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible and (c) the departmental equal pay action plan. [181347]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: In 1999 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) introduced a new pay and grading structure covering all but the most senior grades. Copies of the short documents setting out the results of this review will be placed in the Library of the House. No such documents exist for the non-departmental bodies for which the FCO is responsible, but they broadly follow the same system.
 
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In 2004, the FCO introduced a new pay system for the Senior Management Structure, in line with arrangements introduced in 2002 for the Senior Civil Service. A copy of the guidance issued to staff will be placed in the Library of the House.

The FCO's Equal Pay Action Plan was submitted to the Cabinet Office in 2003. When discussion on it has been completed it is our intention to place it in the Library of the House.

PFI/PPP Contracts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many contracts have been let by his Department in each financial year since 2001–02 to (a) PriceWaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts; and what fees were paid in each case. [182263]

Mr. Rammell: Five contracts for advice on PPP and PFI contracts were awarded to ATOS KPMG during the period in question. These are set out as follows:

Financial Year	Project	Amount (£)
2003–2004	(1) Value For Money review of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Telecommunications Network	45,000
2201–2002 2002–2003 1 April 2003 to date	(1–4)Development of 'Future Firecrest', the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's next generation network computer system (four separate contracts).	1,120,000 1,450,000 2,959,000

No contracts have been let to the other companies mentioned.

Polisario Front

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with the Polisario Front about proposals to seek prisoner release. (181377)

Mr. Rammell [pursuant to his reply, 1 July 2004, Official Report, c. 432W]: Due to an administrative error, an incorrect answer was given to my hon. Friend's question. The answer should read as follows.

Ministers and officials regularly call upon the parties to the Western Sahara dispute to take action on human rights issues.

We have, along with our EU partners, made recent representations to the Polisario Front through the Irish EU Presidency urging the immediate release of the remaining Moroccan prisoners of war in their custody.

The United Kingdom continues to seek a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute that provides the people of the Western Sahara with an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

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