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26 Jan 2005 : Column 422W—continued
Suicides
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suicides there have been in the Province in each of the last 10 years. [210028]
Mr. Pearson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland for each year between 1994 and 2003 due to suicide and self-inflicted injury" 1 and the number of registered deaths due to undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted" 2 .
1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes X60-X84, Y87.0 for years 2001–2003 and Ninth Revision codes E950-E959 for years 1994–2000.
2 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes Y10-Y34, Y87.2 for years 2001–03 and Ninth Revision codes E980-E989 for years 1994–2000.
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Theft and Fraud
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost to each of the Government Departments in the Province of (a) theft and (b) fraud in each of the last six years. [210070]
Mr. Pearson: The cost of (a) theft and (b) fraud to each Northern Ireland Department (including agencies and NDPBs) for 2003–04 is as follows:
(80) Figures include both Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and Department of Employment and Learning.
The cost of theft and fraud for the five previous years can only be shown in total for all Departments, as the cost of obtaining the information would be disproportionate.
| Cost of theft and fraud | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 494,020 |
| 2001–02 | 518,235 |
| 2000–01 | 324,829 |
| 1999–2000 | 152,042 |
| 1998–99 | 204,617 |
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Armament Sales (China)
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to consider human rights issues before permitting the sale of arms to China. [210078]
Mr. Rammell: This is already the case. Applications for licences to export arms and other goods controlled for strategic reasons are considered against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Criterion Two of the Code obliges the Government to refuse an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the US Administration in the past six months concerning the EU arms embargo on China. [210080]
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Mr. Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (John Wilkinson) on 20 January 2005, Official Report, columns 1055–56W.
Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place a copy of the United Kingdom Confidence-Building Measure return under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention for 2003 and subsequent years in the Library. [210277]
Mr. MacShane: Some States Party have now published their Confidence-Building Measure returns under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention on the internet. For example, the 2004 US return is on the US State Department website at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/32486.pdf. This is a positive development in the interests of transparency. The Government are currently pursuing with those who provide the information for the UK return whether they are prepared to make their information publicly available, including returns from 2003 and 2004.
I will write to my hon. Friend when this consultation exercise is complete and will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Burkina Faso
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the Government of Burkina Faso; what the topics of discussion were at that meeting; what the outcome was of the meeting; and if he will make a statement. [210791]
Mr. Mullin: A Foreign and Commonwealth Office official met the Burkinabe ambassador to London on 10 November 2004, and stressed the need for all Co(r)te d'lvoire's neighbours to help the international community's efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Co(r)te d'lvoire.
Burma
Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens are held in prisons in Burma. [210095]
Mr. Mullin: We are not aware of any British nationals detained in Burma.
Chechnya
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held in the past year with (a) EU governments and (b) the US Administration in connection with Russia's policy in Chechnya. [210076]
Mr. Rammell:
Russia's policy in Chechnya has been a regular and frequent subject of discussion on a range of levels with US and EU governments during 2004, and has been discussed by European Foreign Ministers, including my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, at successive General Affairs and External Relations Councils.
26 Jan 2005 : Column 425W
We also pursued action on Chechnya in international organisations, including the EU, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, and at the UN Committee on Human Rights.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian Government in the past six months concerning human rights in Chechnya. [210077]
Mr. Rammell: The UK Government remain concerned about the human rights situation in Chechnya. Most worrying are the reports of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention and torture.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary most recently raised our concerns with the Russian Government when he met Foreign Minister Lavrov on his trip to Moscow in July 2004. Other Ministers and officials have continued to raise Chechnya with the Russian authorities at all levels since then, including at the annual UK/Russia human rights talks in September.
I intend to reinforce this message during my planned visit to Moscow in February and with Mr. Lukin, the Russian Human Rights Ombudsman, when he visits London at my invitation early in 2005.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of free and fair elections being held in the Democratic Republic of Congo in June; and if he will make a statement. [210721]
Mr. Mullin: Free and fair elections are vital to a peaceful and prosperous Democratic Republic of Congo. Many challenges, both logistical and legislative, will need to be overcome if this target is to be met in the timetable laid out by the peace accords.
The UK continues to support the transitional Government's efforts to prepare for elections. We have announced a £5 million financial contribution to the United Nations administered trust fund for this financial year to support the process.
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