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China

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Government policy on the embargo on arms exports to the People's Republic of China. [192635]


 
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Mr. Rammell: As I said in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 21 June 2004, Official Report, column 1449W, the European Council on 12 December 2003 invited the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) to re-examine the EU Arms Embargo on China. The issue was last discussed by EU Foreign Ministers at the 11 October 2004 GAERC, and will revert to a future GAERC.

The Government continue to implement the Arms Embargo as set out by the then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the late Derek Fatchett, in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) on 3 June 1998, Official Report, columns 246–47.

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to raise human rights concerns with Chinese representatives at the EU China Summit on 8 December; and if he will make a statement. [192636]

Mr. Rammell: The EU China Summit will be chaired by the Dutch presidency. No other EU member states are expected to attend. We do anticipate that human rights issues will be discussed.

We regularly raise human rights issues with the Chinese Government, through our biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue and through ministerial meetings. I raised human rights issues with Vice Foreign Minister, Zhang Yesui, during my visit to China in July.

Conflict Resolution (Women)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department has taken since 2000 in relation to section 21 of the European Parliament Resolution (2000–2025 (INI)) on the participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution. [192231]

Mr. Rammell: The UK strongly supports the principles laid out in European Parliament Resolution 2000–2025 (INI). The UK is systematically looking for opportunities to ensure that gender concerns are properly addressed in resolutions, mission mandates and progress reports at the UN and other international organisations.

The UK works closely with bilateral partners and NGOs that support activities in countries where there are multinational peacekeeping operations.

The UK is providing financial assistance to programmes that support victims of rape and sexual violence, for example in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and programmes to strengthen approaches to protection and assistance to women affected by conflict.

The UK is active in providing assistance to empower women so they can play a greater role in building peace and strengthen democratic justice, for example in Iraq, which focuses on strengthening women's groups at Governorate level. The UK has also hosted workshops for women on democracy and democratic values, combining women's rights with long-term conflict prevention.
 
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The UK also provides support to the United Nations Development Fund for Women's Women, Peace and Security Programme, which aims to strengthen national and international approaches to protection and assistance of women affected by armed conflict and to support their role in conflict prevention, resolution and peace building.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court gives victims, including women, a role in the Court's proceedings and the possibility of reparations. In September, the United Kingdom gave a donation of £25,000 to the Trust Fund for Victims established by the court to be used for reparations.

Consultants

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total amount is of the fees paid or incurred in each case. [193419]

Mr. Rammell: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Craig Murray

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the United States about Mr. Craig Murray's speech at Freedom House on 17 August 2002. [192933]

Mr. Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is unaware of having received any representations from the US on this matter.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and on the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee made; what action was (a) proposed and (b) undertaken by (i) the EU and (ii) the UK; and if he will make a statement; [192497]

(2) if he will list the five main (a) issues and (b) countries discussed by the Committee on the development and consolidation of democracy and the rule of law and on the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms during the Greek presidency of the EU; and if he will make a statement. [192498]

Mr. Rammell: The European Commission convenes quarterly meetings of the Human Rights and Democracy Committee to consult member states about projects it intends to fund under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and to discuss priority funding areas. The UK is represented at official level by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the
 
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Department for International Development. During the first half of 2003, meetings took place on 11 March and 18 June in Brussels.

Details of the thematic and geographical scope of the initiative, plus full details of the projects recommended by the Commission and approved by member states during this period are available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/eidhr/index en.htm

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on the arrangements for implementing Europe agreements with the countries of central and eastern Europe and free-trade agreements with the Baltic states met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; and if he will make a statement. [192493]

Mr. MacShane: Various EU bodies handled Europe agreements with countries with whom accession negotiations were under way under the Greek presidency, namely EU/Association Committees, Sub-Committees, Association Councils and Council Working Groups.

Details for EU/Association Committees under the Greek presidency were as follows:

Details for Association Councils under the Greek presidency were as follows:

Sub-Committees for each country met regularly in Brussels under the Greek presidency on a variety of topics. There was normally no attendance by HMG at these meetings.

Council Working Groups (Central Europe Working Groups) discussed the relevant Europe Agreements approximately once a week in Brussels under the Greek presidency. These were also attended by an official from the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union.

Further information on the Greek presidency can be found in Command Paper Cm6097, "Developments in the European Union, January to June 2003, the Greek Presidency", which was laid before Parliament in January 2004 and is available on the FCO website at: www.fco.gov.uk/commandpapers
 
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