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1 Feb 2005 : Column 855W—continued
Welsh Language Scheme
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department's Welsh language scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board; and on what date the scheme was implemented. [211334]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office Welsh Language Scheme was given the full endorsement of the Welsh Language Board on 14 January 2002.
The Department does abide by the principles of the 1993 Welsh Language Act and seeks to ensure that it makes Welsh language versions of published materials available whenever appropriate.
Young Offenders
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) girls and (b) boys under 18 were (i) held on remand and (ii) serving a custodial sentence in each prison service establishment in England and Wales on 1 November. [199536]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 29 November 2004]: The requested information, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system, for 31 October 2004 is provided in the following tables.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in improving women's rights in Afghanistan. [211279]
Mr. Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr.Simmonds) on 11 October 2004, Official Report, columns 209–10W.
Through the Global Opportunities Fund the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to support an ActionAid project promoting Afghan women's participation in governance—£80,000 in Financial Year 2004–05. And the UK Bar Human Rights Committee project of human rights training for legal practitioners with a specific focus on women's rights—£240,000 over three years.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the United States authorities to disclose the circumstances of the death of an Afghan at a detention site near Asadabad, in Kunar province, Afghanistan; whether any UK forces have been based at this detention site; and if he will make a statement. [211389]
Mr. Rammell: We have raised with the US on a number of occasions our concerns about the alleged maltreatment of detainees in Afghanistan. We continue to press the US for further information on its detention policy and facilities there.
No UK forces have been based at Asadabad.
Alex Boncayao Brigade
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the activities of the Alex Boncayao Brigade since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [211445]
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Mr. Alexander: The Philippine authorities have stated that the Alex Boncayao Brigade have disbanded. We agree with this assessment, although we are aware that individual members may still be responsible for violent activity in the Philippines. We will continue to monitor this situation.
British Detainees
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British (a) men and (b) women are being held in prisons in foreign countries, broken down by country. [209923]
Mr. Alexander: On 30 June 2004 there were 2,275 British men and 268 British women detained overseas. A breakdown of this information is available in the Library of the House.
Burma
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what inquiries he has made of the Government of Burma about the internally displaced people in Shweygyn Township. [209772]
Mr. Alexander: We have not made representations to the State Peace and Development Council about this specific case.
We are doing everything we can to press the Burmese authorities to begin a genuine process of reform involving all political parties and ethnic groups in Burma. A genuine transition to democracy is essential to address the underlying reasons for the displacement of people in Burma.
The UK co-sponsored the UN General Assembly resolution of 23 December which condemned human rights violations suffered by ethnic groups in Burma. The Resolution called on the regime to end the policy of systematic enforced displacement of persons and other policies leading to displacement within Myanmar and refugee flows to neighbouring countries, to provide the necessary protection and assistance to internally displaced persons and to respect the right of refugees to voluntary, safe and dignified return monitored by appropriate international agencies."
China
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons his Department supports the lifting of the EU arms embargo on China. [210470]
Mr. Rammell: The Government supported the December 2003 European Council decision to review the EU's arms embargo on China, imposed in view of circumstances in 1989. At that time there was no EU Code of Conduct, under which most refusals for arms exports from the EU to China are now made.
As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 12 January 2005 to the Quadripartite Committee, the Government could envisage embargo lift subject to satisfaction on the issues laid out in the European Council Conclusions of December 2004. This included the statement that
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the result of any decision should not be an increase of arms exports from EU member states to China, neither in quantitative nor in qualitative terms."
Until the review process is complete, the Government continues 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 on 3 June 1998, Official Report, columns 240–41.to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker)
Corporal Punishment
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether corporal punishment of children has been prohibited by legislation in each of the UK overseas territories (a) as a sentence of the courts and as a form of punishment in penal institutions for young offenders, (b) in schools, including private schools, (c) in other institutions and forms of care and (d) by parents in the home. [208164]
Mr. Alexander [holding answer 17 January 2005]: Judicial corporal punishment has been abolished throughout the Overseas Territories. The position on corporal punishment in schools, other institutions and the home is as follows:
Corporal punishment and hard labour in penal institutions have been abolished. Under the Education Act, corporal punishment is allowed in schools under controlled conditions. Corporal punishment of children in the home is allowed under common law.
The Abolition of Capital and Corporal Punishment Act (1999) abolished the use of corporal punishment on young offenders. There is no prohibition on corporal punishment in schools. Corporal punishment may not be carried out on any child in care, be it in a Children's Home or foster care. There is no prohibition on corporal punishment in the home.
British Indian Ocean Territory:
Although there are no children or other juveniles in the Territory, under British Indian Ocean Territory law, corporal punishment is not permitted under any circumstances.
Corporal punishment (including that of young offenders) is not permitted in prisons. In schools, corporal punishment can be carried out by the principal, deputy principal or by one senior teacher appointed in writing. Corporal punishment of children is not allowed in other institutions or forms of care. Corporal punishment of children is allowed within the home.
Corporal punishment (including that of young offenders) is not allowed by law in the prison system. Corporal punishment is allowed by law in all public and private schools in the Cayman Islands, only where no other punishment is considered suitable or effective by the principal, and may only be administered by the principal or any teacher appointed in writing by the principal for that purpose. An entry must be made in a
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punishment book kept in each school. The corporal punishment of children is allowed within the home. However, where there is excessive punishment of children, the parent(s) may be prosecuted for assault.
Corporal punishment of all prisoners (including young offenders) in the prison system is prohibited by law. Corporal punishment is also prohibited by law in public sector schools. There is no prohibition on corporal punishment in private sector schools (of which there are none in the Territory), in other forms of care, or by carers. However, administratively, the Falkland Islands Government forbids corporal punishment of children in the forms of care it operates. There is no prohibition on corporal punishment in the home.
Corporal punishment is not administered in prison. In both public and private educational establishments, and other institutions which care for children and young people, corporal punishment is not permitted. Although corporal punishment in the home is not expressly forbidden by law, any such punishment must be proportionate, and there have been cases in which parents have been convicted for disproportionate punishment.
Corporal punishment is not permitted for young offenders, or in schools or other institutions or forms of care for children. There are no laws to prohibit corporal punishment in the home.
Corporal punishment of prisoners below the age of majority is not allowed by law within the mainstream prison system. Corporal punishment is not permitted in schools or other institutions or forms of care for children. Striking or using force against a child for the purpose of discipline or punishment is prohibited by law.
Corporal punishment of young offenders is not allowed by law within the prison system. Corporal punishment of children is not permitted in schools, other institutions or forms of care, or in the home.
Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus:
Corporal punishment in penal institutions for young offenders is prohibited. The applicable SBA legislation governing the education of non-service children does not prohibit corporal punishment in schools. However, the education of non-service children in the SBAs is carried out on behalf of the SBA Administration by the Republic of Cyprus, whose law does not permit corporal punishment. Although this law does not have any legal status in the SBAs, the teachers in such schools are likely to consider themselves bound to follow the Republican Law when working in the SBA, and would not use corporal punishment. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) was only recently extended to the SBAs, and the Administration is currently auditing its laws to amend those which are incompatible with the ECHR. As part of this review, laws on education will be
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amended so that they are in line with those of the Republic of Cyprus: this law, once in place, will prohibit corporal punishment in schools in the SBAs. The law is expected to be enacted by May of this year. Corporal punishment in other institutions and forms of care is not expressly prohibited. This field of work is carried out on behalf of the SBA Administration by the Republic of Cyprus. At present Cyprus law. in common with existing legislation in the SBA, permits corporal punishment by those with custody of children. However, a new law under consideration in Cyprus would prohibit corporal punishment entirely. In practice, the authorities in Cyprus do not permit any form of corporal punishment to be imposed in institutions caring for children. Corporal punishment in the home is not expressly prohibited but is allowed to the extent of reasonable chastisement.
Corporal punishment of juvenile prisoners is not allowed by law. Corporal punishment is permitted in schools, provided that it is not administered in a manner which is degrading or injurious. The same laws which apply to schools would also apply to other institutions. There are however no juvenile institutions other than schools in the Territory. Corporal punishment of children in the home is permitted, provided it does not go beyond reasonable chastisement.
British Antarctic Territory; South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands:
These Territories have no settled population.
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