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15 Sept 2004 : Column 1608W—continued

Truancy

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in (a) Suffolk county council and (b) Bury St. Edmunds constituency played truant from school in each of the last five years. [187179]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is as follows:
Suffolk county council

Academic year (September to May)	Compulsory school age	Number of pupils that missed at least a half day due to unauthorised absence	Average sessions missed per pupil due to unauthorised absence	Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence	Attendance (Percentage)
Primary
2003	40,340	3,783	8	0.3	95
2002	40,686	3,826	8	0.3	95
2001	41,317	3,414	8	0.2	95
2000	40,358	2,994	8	0.2	95
1999	39,058	3,002	8	0.2	95
Secondary
2003	49,322	10,382	15	1.1	92
2002	48,668	8,001	16	0.9	92
2001	47,925	6,352	14	0.6	92
2000	47,180	4,529	14	0.5	93
1999	45,750	4,545	18	0.6	93

Bury St. Edmunds

Academic year (September to May)	Compulsory school age	Number of pupils that missed at least a half day due to unauthorised	Average sessions missed per pupil due to unauthorised absence	Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence	Attendance (Percentage)
Primary
2003	5,193	463	7	0.2	95
2002	5,253	439	6	0.2	96
2001	5,201	243	7	0.1	95
2000	5,191	220	9	0.1	95
1999	4,632	223	7	0.1	96
Secondary
2003	9,714	1,444	13	0.7	94
2002	9,722	957	14	0.4	94
2001	9,588	727	13	0.3	93
2000	9,392	644	11	0.3	94
1999	9,163	692	10	0.2	94

 
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the level of voter registration necessary for the October 2004 and April 2005 elections in Afghanistan to ensure a credible democratic mandate for the resulting President and Government; what progress towards that level has to date been made; and if he will make a statement. [188073]

Mr. Rammell: The UN/Afghan official Joint Elections Management Body reports that over 10.5 million voters have been registered in Afghanistan; voter registration is now closed. Although there is no current detailed census information for Afghanistan, this figure clearly represents the overwhelming majority of those eligible to vote. This is a significant achievement and a clear demonstration of the desire of the Afghan people to participate in the democratic process.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Afghan Transitional Administration on the timing of elections in Afghanistan. [188355]

Mr. Rammell: We regularly discuss arrangements for the elections with members of the Afghan Transitional Administration (ATA) at official level. My hon. Friend the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mike O'Brien) last discussed this subject with President Karzai and other members of the ATA in Berlin on 1 April.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department is providing to the Afghan Transitional Administration on voter registration. [188359]

Mr. Rammell: Voter registration in Afghanistan has been conducted by the joint Afghan/UN Joint Elections Management Body. The UK was not asked to provide advice on voter registration and has not done so. We have contributed £11 million to the UN voter registration programme.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will break down funding that has been pledged by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other United Nations member states
 
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for the electoral process in Afghanistan by main category; and how much of that funding has been delivered. [188360]

Mr. Rammell: The UK has contributed approximately £11.8 million to assist with voter registration for the elections in Afghanistan, as well as approximately £3.125 million for the holding of the presidential elections themselves. These funds have been delivered.

Detailed and up-to-date information on the elections, including figures for funding pledged and received by all the relevant donor countries is available on the website of the Afghan/UN Joint Elections Management Body: http://www.elections-afghanistan.org.af.

Anglican Church Property (Algiers)

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what stage the negotiations with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Mouneer Anis of Egypt concerning the Anglican church property in Algiers have reached; and if he will make a statement. [188324]

Mr. Rammell: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met Bishop Mouneer in London on 28 June to discuss the Holy Trinity Church in Algiers. We agreed that we should work together over the coming months to agree a way forward. Work on this has already begun and will continue until a solution is found. We last contacted the Bishop on 3 September to inform him that we have gathered the relevant documentation, and to ask him to nominate a legal adviser. We await his reply.

Departmental Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the latest available 12 month figures are for the proportion of the Department's redundant documentation, waste paper and card that is recycled; and if he will make a statement on the Department's recycling policy. [188688]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's policy is to recycle all of its paper waste and thin card, generated in the UK. In 2003–04, 240.76 tonnes of this material were disposed of to recycling. This represents a high proportion of the total. An exact proportion cannot be given as small amounts of paper and card can be inadvertently disposed of in general waste which is not, at present, further sorted and measured.
 
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EU Commission

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the National Assembly for Wales will be consulted by the Government before the EU Commission publishes proposals relevant to its powers; and if he will make a statement. [188976]

Mr. MacShane: The Government are in continual contact with the devolved Administrations about European proposals in their areas of interest, including at Ministerial level, through the Joint Ministerial Committee on Europe (JMC(E)), The Government seeks to reflect the views of the devolved Administrations in the UK negotiating position, which balances the interests of all parts of the UK. In general, the Government are in frequent contact with the devolved Administrations and other relevant parties when responding to specific Commission proposals.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for the devolved Administrations of the United Kingdom to have representation (a) on relevant United Kingdom delegations in the EU Council of Ministers and (b) in preparatory meetings of COREPER; and if he will make a statement. [188980]

Mr. MacShane: Ministers from the devolved Administrations attend meetings of the EU's Council of Ministers when there are items on the agenda within their devolved responsibilities.

Officials from the devolved Administrations are accredited to the delegation of the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union and attend meetings of relevant Council working groups. They are in regular contact with the officials who represent the United Kingdom on these working groups.

During the UK Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2005 an official from the Scottish Executive will chair a Transport Working Group and an official from the Welsh Assembly Government will chair the Culture Working Group. These officials will brief the United Kingdom's Permanent Representative for meetings of COREPER.

Other officials from the devolved Administrations will sit in the United Kingdom seats on a range of other Council working groups during the UK Presidency of the EU.

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