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10 Feb 2005 : Column 1711W—continued

Freedom of Information

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is in respect of the publication (a) on the departmental website and (b) by placing copies in the Library of (i) all or (ii) a selection of the information disclosed in response to Freedom of Information requests since January. [215218]

Mr. Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is mounting on its website a selection of the information released in response to access requests under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act since January 2005. A dedicated FOI website for the FCO will be going live later this month. Meanwhile, the information can be found on the FOI pages of the main FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk). This week, for example, information is being displayed concerning the International Criminal Court and meetings of the European Council in 1979 and 1984.
 
10 Feb 2005 : Column 1712W
 

It would not be appropriate to place on the website or in the Library of the House copies of all the information released, some of which has relevance and significance only to the individual who requested it. Where the information concerned is of broader and more general interest and importance, it will be placed on the FCO website. Copies of significant documents may also be placed in the Library of the House.

Guidance on Publication Schemes, issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in July 2002, recommended that where information is disclosed to an individual in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, Departments and non-departmental public bodies should consider whether the information disclosed is of general interest and include released information in the Publication Scheme where appropriate.

Intelligence Gathering

Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 940W, on torture-obtained information, on how many occasions in the last three years concerns have been expressed to him regarding the means by which the intelligence it received had been obtained. [215146]

Mr. Straw: There have been a number of parliamentary questions and some correspondence from hon. Members and members of the public on this issue. We hold no exact figures on such correspondence.

The UK strongly opposes torture as a matter of fundamental principle. The British intelligence and security services operate strictly in accordance with statutory provisions and requirements laid down by Parliament. Those requirements take full account of obligations under international law.

Iran/Syria

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports of support for terrorist groups by the governments of (a) Iran and (b) Syria; and if he will make a statement. [215539]

Mr. Straw: We have serious concerns about the approach of both the Iranian and the Syrian governments to terrorism. We have pressed both countries to co-operate fully with international efforts to combat terrorism and not to support groups trying to undermine peace in the Middle East by violent means.

I raised these concerns with the Syrian Foreign Minister in October 2004, and with the Secretary General of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rouhani, in December 2004; and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and Officials continue to do so.

Ministerial Stationery

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997. [214939]

 
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Mr. Rammell: The cost of business cards, headed paper and compliment slips comes out of the general stationery budget and we do not have a breakdown for these individual items.

Northern Cyprus

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what commitments he has given to decoupling the proposed EU aid and direct trade regulations for northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [215098R]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no commitment to decouple the proposed EU aid and direct trade regulations. The European Commission presented these regulations as a comprehensive package designed to put an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus. These measures would facilitate trade from the northern part of the island and strengthen its economic integration through financial assistance of €259 million. The UK supports efforts to obtain agreement on this package as soon as possible.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what opposition within the EU there is to the proposed regulation (a) for aid to and (b) on direct trade with northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [215178R]

 
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Mr. MacShane: Meetings within the EU are confidential in nature. It is therefore not possible to comment here on the position of individual member states regarding this issue. However, we very much regret that it was not possible for the EU Financial Aid and Direct Trade regulations for north Cyprus to be put forward for agreement at the November General Affairs and External Relations Council. The Government will support any efforts to obtain agreement on the package as soon as possible.

Special Advisers

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) on how many occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost; [202258]

(2) when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Chichester on 1 December 2004, ref 202258. [210493]

Mr. Straw: I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying.

Between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 special advisers in my Department travelled to the following places. The cost of each visit is included. All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Michael Williams

Dates	Places visited	Travel	Accommodation	Subsistence	Total (£)
10 April 2003	Brussels	£405.00	Nil	£35.16	440.16
13–15 April 2003	Bahrain		£109.25	44.90
	Kuwait	RAF	Nil	Nil	277.02
	Qatar		£70.48	£52.39
	Saudi Arabia		Nil	Nil
4–6 May 2003	Athens	£1,091	£214	£149.11	1,454.11
29 June to 2 July 2003	Iran		Nil	Nil
	Afghanistan	RAF/Charter	Nil	Nil	52.38
	Kuwait		Nil	£52.38
	Iraq		Nil	Nil
28–29 August 2003	Geneva	£427.80	Nil	£76.31	504.11
22–25 September 2003	New York	£3,793.40	£937.40	£157.94	4,888.74
9–12 November 2003	China	£2,428.82	£325.41	£260.42	3,014.65
27 November	Ditchley Park, Oxford	£48	Nil	Nil	48
20–21 January 2004	Davos	RAF	£126.57	£3.35	129.92
2–5 March 2004	Istanbul	Charter	£113.00	£27.35	140.35
	Pakistan		Nil	Nil
15–17 March 2004	Saudi Arabia		Nil	£33.00
	UAE	Charter	£84.74	£39.71	157.45
	Oman		Nil	Nil

Ed Owen

Dates	Places visited	Travel	Accommodation	Subsistence	Total (£)
8–9 April 2003	Paris	Charter	Nil	£17.52	17.52
	Madrid		Nil	Nil
13–14 May 2003	South Africa	£3,148.60	£78	£42.77	3,269.37
19 May 2003	Brussels	RAF	Nil	£17.84	17.84
19–21 June 2003	Greece	RAF	Nil	£85.11	85.11
29 August 2003	Italy	RAF	Nil	Nil	Nil
16 December 2003	Dublin	RAF	Nil	Nil	Nil
16 January 2004	Cheltenham, Gloucestershire£84		Nil	Nil	84.00
22–23 March 2004	Brussels	RAF	Nil	£17.86	160.13
	Copenhagen		£88.84	£53.43

 
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Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [207188]

 
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Mr. Straw: Between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003, special advisers in my Department travelled to the following places. The cost of each visit is included. All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Michael Williams

Dates	Places visited	Travel	Accommodation	Subsistence	Total (£)
18 April 2002	Geneva	RAF	Nil	£22.88	22.88
27–29 May 2002	Berlin		£66.30	Nil
	Pakistan	Charter	£70.00	£22.01	173.18
	India			£14.87
13–21 July	China		£329.43	£113.13
	Japan	£2,464.40	£141.14	£95.02	3,163.48
	Hong Kong		Nil	Nil
	India		Nil	£20.36
10–16 September 2002	New York	£2,448.30	£1,414.17	£335.91	4,198.38
7–10 October 2002	Paris		Nil	Nil
	Cairo1/2		Nil	£4.68	1/2
	Amman	Charter	Nil	Nil	£59.81
	Kuwait1/2		Nil	£55.13	1/2
	Tehran		Nil	Nil
5–6 November 2002	Belgrade		£95.41	£29.04
	Pristina	RAF	Nil	Nil	124.45
	Sarajevo		Nil	Nil
7–11 January 2003	Singapore		£82.95	£48.15
	Indonesia	£4,844.70	Nil	£46.18	5,021.98
	Malaysia		Nil	Nil
15 March 2003	Belgrade	RAF	Nil	Nil	Nil

Ed Owen

Dates	Places visited	Travel	Accommodation	Subsistence	Total (£)
22–23 April 2002	Valencia	RAF	£98.55	£45.51	144.06
3 May 2002	Gibraltar	RAF	Nil	Nil	Nil
7–8 May 2002	Washington	£2,771.70	£147.42	£53.15	£2,972.27
27 May 2002	Berlin	Charter out	Nil	Nil	£348.60
		Return £348.60	Nil	Nil
29–30 August 2002	Helsingborg, Sweden	RAF out	£97.49	£45.00	513.93
		Return £371.44
14–15 October 2002	Washington and Chicago	£3,584.00	Nil	£74.37	3,658.37
2–4 December 2002	Bonn		Nil	Nil
	Berlin	RAF	Nil	£11.38	15.38
	Ankara		Nil	£4.00
	Slovenia		Nil	Nil
22–23 January 2003	Washington	£2,594.30	£110.24	£48.54	2,753.08

 
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