Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of the recent reprinting by her Department of guidelines for businesses outlining the new statutory dismissal procedure was; and what the reason for the reprinting was. [191608]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The information was sent out to small businesses to draw their attention to the new regulations on dispute resolution and to direct them to further guidance on implementation, which has been available since May 2004 on the Department's websitewww. dti.gov.uk/resolvingdidputes.
19 Oct 2004 : Column 651W
The reason for reprinting the material was that had the original version been read as a stand-alone document rather than, as intended, alongside the detailed guidance some of the information could have been misleading. The Government are determined that small businesses should have the clearest possible guidance on the new requirements, and I therefore decided that amended material should be produced.
The cost of reprinting was £202,965.
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on the security measures put in place ahead of the Afghan elections on 9 October. [189892]
Mr. Rammell: Detailed security arrangements for the Afghan Presidential elections held on 9 October were regularly discussed at official level. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary attended the Istanbul Summit in June at which NATO outlined the increased security support it would provide during the election period. The promised forces were put in place, with Spain and Italy providing NATO with a battalion each in Afghanistan while an 'over the horizon' force remained on stand-by.
The UN, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Coalition worked closely with the Afghan Government on providing a stable and secure environment for the elections. The Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan National Army (ANA) were responsible for front-line election security. But ISAF and coalition forces (including British forces) were available to support and assist the ANA and ANP if required. Despite fears of disruption by Taliban. al-Qaeda and other insurgents, the day went remarkably smoothly, with little violence. This was a credit to the ANA and ANP, and also to ISAF and Coalition forces.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the decision by Brazil not to allow inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. [191125]
Mr. MacShane: Brazil's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) entered into force on 4 March 1994. The IAEA is now discussing with Brazil the adoption of an Additional Protocol given Brazilian concerns regarding access to its commercial uranium enrichment facility. We believe that the IAEA's inspection arrangements adequately protect commercial confidences and have urged Brazil to conclude an Additional Protocol at the earliest opportunity.
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on economic sanctions against the Government of Burma. [190568]
Mr. Alexander: We fully support the strengthening of restrictive measures in the EU Common Position on Burma, agreed by EU Foreign Ministers on 11 October, in response to the lack of progress Burma has made, including the continued detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the continued harassment of the National League for Democracy and the failure to allow a genuine open National Convention.
Under the new measures, EU registered companies or organisations will be prohibited from making financial loans, credits or equities available to named Burmese State-owned enterprises (SOEs) which have sought to monopolise new investment in recent years. The measure allows for limited exemptions for the execution of existing obligations. To ensure transparency, member states will need to notify each other and the Commission if they grant any derogation to allow the extension of participation (stockholding) in the named SOEs, if such an extension is mandatory under an existing contract.
We believe the strengthened EU Common Position sends a clear signal to the regime that all EU partners share grave concerns about the situation in Burma and that we will continue to press strongly for progress towards national reconciliation and respect for human rights.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Colombian Government regarding the safety of (a) human rights defenders and (b) other members of civil society since the discovery of Operation Dragon. [190195]
Mr. Rammell: We are very concerned about the discovery of the alleged plot known as Operation Dragon (a showy right-wing plot to murder specific trades unionists, human rights defenders, politicians and social leaders). We have raised our concerns with the Colombian Government through our Embassy in Bogota, most recently with the Vice-President on 11 October and with the Attorney-General's office on 14 October. We have asked the Colombians to provide more information on the alleged plot, and have sought reassurances that they are taking appropriate measures to investigate it. The Embassy has also spoken to several of those whose names appear on the list of people that Operation Dragon is said to target. The Colombian authorities are conducting a thorough investigation through the Attorney-General's office. We will continue to monitor the situation. We regularly urge the Colombian Government to ensure the safety of civil society groups, including human rights defenders and trades unionists, and to involve actively such groups in the challenge of addressing the very serious problems that Colombia faces. I made this very point publicly during my visit to Colombia in June this year with Rory Murphy of the TUC. and have reinforced it in subsequent discussions with senior Colombian officials.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to consultants in each of the last five years, stating in each case (a) the name of the
19 Oct 2004 : Column 653W
consulting company, (b) the value of the contract and (c) the purpose for which the contract was awarded; and if he will make a statement. [191730]
Mr. Rammell: Expenditure on external consultants in general is reported annually in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) departmental report, available in the Library of the House and on the FCO's website: www.fco.gov.uk. Expenditure on individual contracts could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Overall expenditure on external consultants for the last five years is:
£ million | |
---|---|
199899 | 14.5 |
19992000 | 14.0 |
200001 | 17.9 |
200102 | 20.1 |
200203 | 23.7 |
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government has made of the compatibility of the Annan V Plan provisions on property with obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949; and if he will make a statement. [190434]
Mr. MacShane: We are content that the property component of the Annan Plan is compatible with the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the failure of the UN to find sufficient troops to deploy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [191126]
Mr. Mullin: Under its previous mandate the UN force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) was authorised to deploy up to 10,800 military personnel. On 1 October 2004 the Security Council adopted Resolution 1565 which authorised the deployment of a further 5,900 military personnel. The first two battalions of this increase should be in country by December 2004; the remainder, who will form a Brigade force in the troubled eastern region of the country, should be deployed by March 2005. We believe that this increase will improve MONUC's capabilities and enable it to fulfil its priority tasks over the next six months. The UN is now undertaking an assessment of the force and we will review MONUC's mandate and capabilities in the light of their report.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the alleged violation of the arms embargo in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. [191127]
Mr. Mullin:
The Group of Experts appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to investigate and monitor the UN arms embargo imposed on the
19 Oct 2004 : Column 654W
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1493 (28 July 2003), submitted its first report in July 2004. Among other information, the report highlighted how porous the eastern border of the DRC is, and pointed to apparent breaches of the arms embargo. The Government supported the adoption of UNSCR 1552 (27 July 2004), which extended the arms embargo for one year and renewed the Group of Experts' mandate for six months. The Group has been tasked with providing further evidence of alleged breaches, so that the Security Council can decide upon the appropriate action to be taken.
Next Section | Index | Home Page |