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15 Nov 2004 : Column 1060W—continued
Unexploded Ordnance
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unexploded cluster munitions deployed by UK forces there are worldwide; and if he will make a statement. [152747]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 3 February 2004]: It is not possible to quantify how many unexploded cluster munitions deployed by UK forces there might be worldwide. Air-delivered cluster munitions have been used in a number of recent conflicts. Their rates of failing to explode as designed can vary considerably depending on a variety of factors, including the terrain conditions on impact. By contrast, the modern artillery-delivered cluster munitions used in Iraq have secondary fuses that ensure a far smaller proportion is left unexploded. The quantity of unexploded munitions has also been greatly reduced by extensive clearance efforts in, for example, Kosovo and Iraq.
US Interceptor Missiles
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the existing US-UK agreements allow for the siting of US interceptor missiles in Britain. [198035]
Mr. Hoon:
None. United States/United Kingdom basing agreements are a matter for joint decision making between the two Governments, and any new proposals for basing would be the subject of negotiation before any agreement was made.
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Warrior-equipped Battalions
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Warrior-equipped battalions will be deploying on operations in the next three months; and to where. [197885]
Mr. Hoon: We have no plans to deploy any further Warrior-equipped battalions on operations in the next three months.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) civil servants and (b) military personnel requested an impact assessment of the effect of weapons of mass destruction on (i) the physical well-being of allied troops and (ii) the morale of British troops. [191151]
Mr. Ingram: There is no universally accepted definition of the phrase "weapons of mass destruction", but it is generally held to refer to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Planning for operations takes account of all relevant factors, including the weaponry that may be used against United Kingdom forces.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the viability of aerial crop spraying on areas of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan; and what impact this is likely to have on (a) the environment, (b) human health and (c) animal health. [196425]
Mr. Rammell: The UK supports the Afghan Government's National Drug Control Strategy. The viability of aerial eradication of the opium poppy crop is a matter for the Afghan Government. There are a number of issues to consider before a country decides to go down this path.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to publish figures for the poppy harvest in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [197619]
Mr. Rammell: We understand that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is planning to publish the results of its 2003–04 Afghan Opium Survey on 18 November.
Anguilla
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Anguilla's draft constitution. [197492]
Mr. Rammell:
A Constitutional and Electoral Reform Committee in Anguilla was appointed and the review formally launched in February 2002. Public consultation was extensive but work is now on hold pending the general election due in March 2005.
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Athens 2004
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK ambassador to Greece has been commissioned to write a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic games. [196959]
Mr. MacShane: Her Majesty's ambassador to Greece has, over recent months and years, reported in detail on aspects of the 2004 Olympics relevant to the Government.
Bahá'i Community
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iran on the treatment of the Bahá'i community; and if he will make a statement. [197368]
Mr. Rammell: We have serious concerns about the situation of the Bahá'i community in Iran, and have raised these concerns with the Iranian authorities on many occasions. With our strong support, the rights of Iran's religious minorities including the Bahá'is have been an important theme of the EU/Iran human rights dialogue, including the most recent round in June.
Colombia
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Colombia; and if he will make a statement. [198079]
Mr. Rammell: Human rights form an integral part of our policy towards Colombia. We keep the human rights situation in the country under constant review. We recognise that there have been some improvements but much still needs to be done. We work closely with the Colombian Government, EU and other partners, including civil society, to try to achieve this further improvement. We regularly urge the Colombian Government to meet UN recommendations on human rights and are working with them to achieve this goal. As part of this co-operation, we were pleased to host the meeting of international support for Colombia held in London in July 2003. This resulted in the London Declaration, a key text that guides international support. We are working with the Colombians and other partners in the run-up to the follow-up meeting to the London meeting to be held in Colombia in February 2005.
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many units of the Colombian military receive British training; and whether this training includes (a) education in respecting human rights and (b) training in humanitarian policing. [198080]
Mr. Rammell: British military training is predominantly provided to selected individuals from the Colombian military. However, we do provide explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) training to Colombian EOD units.
Professional training provided to Colombian officers routinely incorporates human rights education. Under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights
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Project Fund, we recently had a project to raise awareness of the armed forces on their role in the prevention of displacement and the protection of the rights of the internally displaced population. We also have an ongoing project on human rights training for the military through the Colombian military justice school.
The Colombian military receives no direct policing training from the UK although two Colombian officers attended a UK International Peace Support Briefing Programme which included humanitarian policing issues.
Correspondence
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons his Department has not replied to the letter of 7 July to UKvisas from the hon. Member for Aylesbury about the case of Mr. S. M., husband of Mrs. S. K. of Aylesbury (reference numbers M1232921/3 and PO 4649/04); and when he expects to send a substantive reply. [198083]
Mr. Mullin: UKvisas replied to the hon. Member on 11 November.
Departmental Advertising/Estate
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 1997–98, broken down by contractor. [197291]
Mr. Straw: As set out in my reply to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 171W, in FY 2002–03—the most recent year for which audited figures are available—separately identifiable expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on UK advertising totalled £743,783. Of this, £716,234 related to media spend on advertising for recruitment purposes. The balance related to consular media advertisements, which aimed to raise awareness among the British public of the importance of being properly prepared before travelling overseas and to advertising of the FCO's public open days.
The FCO does not maintain separate records of expenditure for the creative, media, and administration components of its advertising activity. The FCO's overseas posts and its non-departmental public bodies also incur advertising costs. Information about these costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The FCO's records of expenditure on advertising for the financial years from FY 1997–98 are not held centrally. Figures for these years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the properties occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004, showing (A) for each and (B) in aggregate the area; and what in aggregate the annual rental value was. [196369]
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Mr. Rammell: The details given relate only to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) estate in the UK. The work involved in assembling similar data for all the properties that our posts lease overseas would incur disproportionate costs.
(31) Owned properties.
(32) Unavailable.
(33) Owned properties.
| m(35) letting area | Rent per annum £ | |
|---|---|---|
| (i) Properties occupied by agencies in 1997: | ||
| Wiston House | (34)1,696 | (35)62,500 |
| (ii) Properties occupied by agencies in 2004: | ||
| Wiston House | (34)1,696 | (35)80,000 |
(34) Figure used for non-domestic rating purposes.
(35) Excluding VAT.
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