| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
6 Dec 2004 : Column 399W—continued
External Trade Commissioner
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to press for a review of the European Commissioner for External Trade's mandate with a view to increasing democratic accountability. [200032]
Mr. MacShane: There are no plans to press for a review of the EU Trade Commissioner's mandate. There is already significant democratic accountability. In trade negotiations, the Commissioner works within the terms of a mandate set by member states and reports to the Council of Ministers on a regular basis.
At his hearing before the European Parliament on 4 November, Mr. Mandelson, the Trade Commissioner designate, stated that he would continue the practice established by his predecessor. Pascal Lamy, of going beyond his legal obligations when informing the European Parliament on trade issues. We welcome that as we do the recent establishment of a European Parliamentary Committee on International Trade.
As with the other Commissioners, democratically elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) questioned Mr. Mandleson before voting to approve the new Commission as a whole. The European Parliament voted with a large majority to approve the new European Commission on 18 November.
6 Dec 2004 : Column 400W
In addition, throughout the Commission's term of office, it is subject to the scrutiny of the European Parliament, which examines reports sent to it by the Commission. Moreover. Commissioners are obliged to answer written and oral questions tabled by MEPs.
Falluja
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) embedded and (b) independent journalists were permitted access by the interim Iraqi Government to the Fallujah general hospital from 7 November following its capture by the Iraqi security forces. [199695]
Mr. Rammell: We are unaware of any restrictions placed on journalists entering Fallujah general hospital from 7 November.
Guantanamo Bay
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) British nationals and (b) former British residents are detained by the US Administration in Guantanamo Bay; where each was first taken into custody by US forces; how long each has been detained; what steps have been taken to obtain visitation rights for detainees' families; and how many letters each has been allowed to send in the last 12 months. [199615]
Mr. Mullin: There are four British nationals detained by the US at Guantanamo Bay, Feroz Abbasi, Moazzam Begg, Richard Belmar and Martin Mubanga. We are aware of five former British residents also in detention there but the Government is not in a position to provide consular or diplomatic assistance to them and I therefore cannot comment on their situation.
The four British detainees in Guantanamo Bay and their places and length of detention are:
We know from our frequent contact with the US authorities on the situation of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay that family visits are not permitted to those detainees not currently proceeding through the Military Commissions process. We have, however, made a request for Azmat Begg (Moazzam Begg's father), Dr. James MacKeith and Lord Rea to visit Moazzam Begg for the purpose of carrying out an independent psychiatric assessment. We await the US response.
We do not know how many letters each British detainee has written in the last 12 months. However, we are unaware of any limits on the number of letters detainees are permitted to write.
Hamas
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of
6 Dec 2004 : Column 401W
1 December 2004, Official Report, columns 174–75W, on Hamas, if he will list the Governments and other parties on the ground which conveyed soundings and impressions between the EU High Representative and Hamas stating in each case whether they acted at the specific request of (a) the High Representative and (b) his officials; and under what authority these requests were made. [202787]
Mr. Rammell: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Iran
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether during recent discussions with the Government of Iran on its compliance with obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iranian Government representatives raised the United Kingdom's obligations under Article 6 of the Treaty. [199663]
Iraq
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request that the Iraqi Ministry of Health furnish him with the (a) name, (b) location and (c) type of hospitals referred to in the paragraph Casualty Estimates in his written Ministerial Statement of 17 November, on Iraq: Casualty Estimates. [199844]
Mr. Rammell: We have requested this information from the Iraqi Ministry of Health. However it will take time for the information to be obtained, translated and compiled. Once compiled I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the list in the Library of the House.
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request that the Iraqi Ministry of Health furnish him with a breakdown of the number of civilians killed and injured, as referred to in his Written Ministerial Statement of 17 November, on Iraq: Casualty Estimates, by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) type of injury and (d) cause of death. [199845]
Mr. Rammell: The Iraqi Ministry of Health statistics on casualties do not include details of age. We have asked the Ministry of Health for a breakdown of their casualty statistics by child/adult categories as well as by gender. I will provide my hon. Friend with this compiled information and will place a copy in the Library of the House, if and when it is made available by the Ministry of Health. I understand that the Ministry of Health does not hold any further information centrally about types of injury or the precise cause of death (i.e. other than by military or terrorist action).
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what percentage of the Iraqi population are classified as Christians; and how many Christian organisations from outside Iraq are working within Iraq. [201473]
Mr. Rammell:
Estimates of the number of Iraqi Christians vary. The commonly held view is that they make up around 3 per cent. of the Iraqi population. However, an accurate estimate will have to await a new
6 Dec 2004 : Column 402W
Iraqi census. As far as we are aware, a small number of international organisations with a Christian affiliation have been involved in humanitarian work and promoting inter-faith dialogue in Iraq. There are also some long-standing links between Christian communities in Iraq and those in other countries.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Christians in Iraq; and what steps the Iraqi authorities are taking to ensure their safety. [201474]
Mr. Rammell: I refer my honourable Friend to the reply I gave to my honourable Friend, the Member for Pendle (Mr. Gordon Prentice) on 17 November 2004 (Official Report, column 1552W).
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many written questions for his Department were unanswered when Parliament Prorogued; and how many of the unanswered questions were tabled in each of the previous months of the 2003–04 Session. [201551]
Mr. Straw: Seven. Of the seven, two were tabled in October 2004. Five were tabled in November 2004.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |