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8 Dec 2004 : Column 598W—continued
Eurofighter Typhoon
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has made to the Greek Government on the export of the Typhoon aircraft. [202988]
Jacqui Smith: The proposal to export Typhoon aircraft to Greece is being led by Germany, and the UK is playing a full part in supporting it as a Typhoon partner nation. The Defence Export Services Organisation leads on this for the UK.
Wind Farms
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of applications to build wind farms (a) were accepted, (b) were rejected and (c) are ongoing in the last full year for which figures are available. [201327]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: My Department is responsible for considering applications for consent under the Electricity Act 1989 for wind farm projects of more than 50MW in England and Wales and more than 1MW offshore of those countries. My Department also considers applications for Orders for wind farm developments in England under the Transport and Works Act 1992.
In 2003 which is the last full year for which figures are available, the DTI received consent applications for offshore wind farms and three onshore wind farms, each of which is still under consideration.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Burma
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU-Burmese joint ventures have been affected by Annex II of the Council Common Position on Burma 2004/730/CFSP and Annex IV of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004. [202845]
Mr. Straw: I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1778W.
We are aware that one EU company has claimed that they have been erroneously implicated through the listings of state owned enterprises in Annex II of the Common Position on Burma 2004/730/CFSP and Annex IV of Council Regulation 798/2004.
We are not aware at present that any other EU-Burmese joint ventures have been affected.
China
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Governor of Guangdong Province in China during his recent visit to the UK; what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK's bilateral relations with China of the economic growth of Guangdong Province; and if he will make a statement. [200684]
Mr. Rammell: The Governor of Guangdong, Huang Huahua, visited London from 24 to 27 October to promote business opportunities. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was unable to meet the Governor. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister met the Governor at a major business conference held at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre attended by 1,300 British, Chinese and European representatives. This event saw around £2 billion worth of contracts signed, underlining the success of commercial contracts between the UK and various Guangdong businesses. Economic growth in China and Guangdong Province offers great opportunities for UK business. The Government are working hard with business to realise this potential.
Correspondence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his target time is in 2004–05 (a) to reply to letters from hon. Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public. [200846]
Mr. Straw: The information is as follows:
Cyprus
Andrew Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it a condition of the United Kingdom's support for opening sea ports in northern Cyprus to EU trade that such ports
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adhere to (a) existing and future European ports directives and (b) health and safety requirements; and how he expects such rules will be enforced. [202785]
Mr. MacShane: The UK supports the EU's efforts to pass a regulation to enable preferential direct trade between the north of Cyprus and the EU as a way to fulfil the mandate by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 26 April to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community. The draft regulation has not, however, been passed nor has its substance been discussed in detail. When this happens, the Government will want to ensure that the UK's and EU's legitimate interests are protected.
Departmental Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years. [200836]
Mr. Rammell: The total cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for accountancy services in each of the last two years was:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 1,772,000 |
| 2003–04: | 718,000 |
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years. [200838]
Mr. Rammell: The UK Buildings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have suffered criminal damage on one occasion within the past two years: in November 2004. The cost of this damage was £2,135.25, excluding VAT.
Data regarding the cost of criminal damage to the overseas estate could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years. [200839]
Mr. Rammell: The recorded energy costs incurred by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in each of the last two years are:
| UK | Overseas | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 1,407,600 | 10,705,423 |
| 2003–04 | 2,264,018 | 10,422,585 |
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years. [200841]
Mr. Rammell:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £338,159 in 2002–03, and £745,975 in 2003–04, on refurbishment work in the FCO's properties in the UK.
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In 2002–03 we spent £2,380,000 on overseas refurbishment projects exceeding £250,000 in value. In 2003–04 there were no overseas refurbishment projects valued at more than £250,000. Responsibility for refurbishment projects overseas valued at less than £250,000 is devolved to overseas posts, and totals could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of refurbishing each Ministerial Private Office was in the last two years. [200842]
Mr. Rammell: The cost of refurbishing Ministerial Private Offices in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office during the past two years has been:
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total external spend by his Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement. [200854]
Mr. Rammell: The information requested is as follows.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has two Private Finance Initiative arrangements in place, details of which I gave in my reply to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1388W.
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