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3 Feb 2005 : Column 1103W—continued
Pensions
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 54 years and over were contracted out with an appropriate personal pension or stakeholder pension into which age-related rebates were paid in the 2002–03 tax year. [213517]
Malcolm Wicks: At the end of the 2002–03 tax year there were 133,000 people aged 54 and over who qualified for an age-related rebate to be paid into their appropriate personal pensions, (including stakeholder pensions). These rebates would have been paid in the following tax year.
Second Tier Pension Provision" published by the Department for Work and Pensions using the Lifetime Labour Market Database which uses a 1 per cent. sample of national insurance records.
Training (Rural Areas)
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what initiatives his Department has introduced since 2001 to promote training in rural areas. [213132]
Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions has not introduced any initiatives since 2001 to promote training solely in rural areas. In line with Government policy, DWP ensures that customers in rural areas are not disadvantaged through the design or delivery of programmes and initiatives. The use of mobile units, outreach offices and payment of travel costs over the first £4 are examples of initiatives that help ensure people in rural communities have equality of access to information, training and services.
Unallocated Expenditure
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of his Department's unallocated expenditure has been (a) spent and (b) carried over to the following year in each of the last five years. [213514]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security (DSS), the Employment Service (ES) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) were added in 2002–03. The information requested has been provided from 2001 when the Department came into existence.
All of the Department's funding is allocated over the Spending Review period with the exception of a relatively small departmental unallocated provision (DUP). The Department follows Treasury Public Spending Guidance in maintaining this contingency fund from which unforeseen demands on resources can be met. The amounts set aside for the DUP at the beginning of each year, the amounts expended during the year and the amounts carried forward to the following year are shown in the following table.
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| Unallocated provision at start of year | Expended during year | Provision carried forward at the end of year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 56 | 9 | 47 |
| 2002–03 | 94 | 0 | 94 |
| 2003–04 | 105 | 103 | 2 |
Welsh Language Scheme
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's Welsh language scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board; and on what date the scheme was implemented. [211336]
Maria Eagle: The Welsh language scheme for the Department for Work and Pensions was approved by the Welsh Language Board on 13 July 2004 and has been fully operational since that date.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
China
Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects a decision to be made on whether to lift the European Union's arms embargo on China. [213874]
Mr. MacShane: EU leaders discussed this issue at the European Council in December 2004. Luxembourg, as incoming EU Presidency, was invited to
No date has yet been set for a decision. But as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the Committee on Strategic Export Controls on 12 January, it is more likely than not that this will be decided under this Presidency.
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
Mr. MacDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he is making to secure the arrest of indicted war criminals (a) Ante Gotovina, (b) Ratko Mladic and (c) Radovan Karadzic. [212016]
Mr. MacShane: The UK remains fully committed to bringing Ante Gotovina, Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic to trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. Their continued presence at large is an obstacle to justice and reconciliation, and to the region's political and economic development.
The UK Government continue to pursue diplomatic, political and operational efforts to bring about the detention and transfer to The Hague of all fugitive indictees. The UK urges all the countries in the region to fulfil their international obligations, especially full co-operation with the ICTY. Failure to do so will continue to delay their progress towards closer integration into Euro-Atlantic structures. I raised the Gotovina case with President Mesic of Croatia on 27 January and the
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two serb indictees was discussed with Vuk Draskovic, the Foreign Minister of Serbia and Montenegro on 1 February.
Mr. MacDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the French Government about Ante Gotovina. [212030]
Mr. MacShane: I raised the issue of Ante Gotovina with senior French officials at the UK-France summit on 18–19 November 2004.
The UK continues to work closely with all EU and international partners, e.g. the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), EUFOR, through diplomatic, political and operational efforts to bring about the detention and transfer of all fugitive indictees, including Ante Gotovina, for trial at the ICTY in The Hague. Their continued presence at large is an obstacle to justice and reconciliation, and to the region's political and economic development.
Mr. MacDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with EU member states on the failure by Croatia to hand over indicted war criminals to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. [212014]
Mr. MacShane: The Heads of State and Government of all 25 EU member states agreed at the December European Council that Croatia should start accession negotiations on 17 March, provided there is full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The UK and EU partners have also made clear that, for Croatia, full co-operation with ICTY requires all necessary steps to be taken to transfer the fugitive indictee Ante Gotovina to The Hague.
Iran
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of the practice of the Iranian Government not to keep documentary records of complaints of ill-treatment by Baha'is to Iranian police and security services; what conclusions he has drawn; and if he will make a statement. [211284]
Mr. MacShane: We have received reports about this practice from Baha'i representatives. We judge the reports to be credible, but do not have sufficient information to assess the extent of the practice.
We have serious concerns about the situation of the Baha'i community in Iran and the approach of Iran's law enforcement forces towards religious minorities, which we have raised with the Iranian authorities on many occasions.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the threats to withdraw the protection of the law from the Baha'i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement. [211288]
Mr. MacShane:
We have serious concerns about intimidation of the Baha'i community in Iran, apparently at official behest. We have discussed
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discrimination against the Baha'is with the Iranian authorities on many occasions, including through the EU/Iran human rights dialogue.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the UN, with particular reference to the Commission on Human Rights, concerning the position of the Baha'i community in Iran; and if he will make a statement. [211299]
Mr. MacShane: We continue to make clear at the United Nations our serious concern about the situation of the Baha'i community in Iran. In December 2004, the UK and other EU countries co-sponsored a resolution at the UN General Assembly on human rights in Iran, which expressed serious concern at the increased discrimination against the Baha'is. There was no country resolution on Iran at the Commission on Human Rights in 2004; the UK strongly supported a resolution on the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Iran regarding its demand that Baha'is cease communal activities; and if he will make a statement. [211301]
Mr. MacShane: We have serious concerns about the situation of the Baha'i community in Iran, which we have raised with the Iranian authorities on many occasions, most recently on 24 November 2004. In December 2004, the UK and other EU countries co-sponsored a resolution on human rights in Iran at the United Nations General Assembly which expressed serious concern at, among other subjects,
the increased discrimination against the Baha'is, including ... the denial of free worship or of publicly carrying out communal affairs ... and the suspension of social, educational and community-related activities".
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