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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on (a) relations within the ruling military Junta in Burma and (b) the position of the Junta leader Than Shwe. [215760]

Mr. Alexander: Our embassy in Rangoon closely monitors developments in Burma. There have been no changes announced in the senior leadership since October 2004, with the departure of the then min Minister Khin Nyunt.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Burmese regime on reported unrest within the region. [215761]

Mr. Alexander: None.

However, I last met the Burmese ambassador on 29 November and pressed for political reform, full respect for human rights and the need for all groups in Burma, including ethnic nationalities, to play a full part in national reconciliation.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the future of democracy in Burma. [215762]

Mr. Alexander: It is essential that the National Convention to draw up a new constitution, which reconvened on 17 February, is an inclusive and transparent process, involving all political parties and ethnic groups in Burma, Without their participation, the process lacks all credibility and the prospects for democracy in Burma will be bleak.

We remain willing to support a genuine process of national reconciliation leading to the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights in Burma and we will respond positively to tangible progress.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the statement of the Workshop of ASEAN Parliamentarians in November on the Myanmar Issue. [215763]

Mr. Alexander: We fully support the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Parliamentarians' efforts to promote national reconciliation in Burma.

We believe that all Burma's regional neighbours have a key role to play in encouraging substantive change in Burma.
 
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We shall continue to work closely with our partners in the region to press the regime to begin a genuine process of reform involving all political parties and ethnic groups. That is the only way to achieve lasting peace and national reconciliation. The prospect of Burmese chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006 makes the need for change all the more pressing.

I met ambassadors from ASEAN on 29 November and underlined the need for political reform and full respect for human rights in Burma.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the UN Human Rights Commission regarding the Government of Burma's treatment of (a) Muslim Rohingya, (b) Christians among the Chin, Kachin, Karen and Karenni ethnic nationalities and (c) Buddhists who do not support the regime. [215764]

Mr. Alexander: The UK works closely with its UN partners to promote human rights in Burma, and fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Professor Sergio Pinheiro, with whom officials remain in close contact.

Discrimination and persecution on the basis of religious or ethnic background has been condemned in successive UK co-sponsored UN Commission on Human Rights Resolutions on Burma, most recently in April 2004.

Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letters dated 1 June 2004, 8 September 2004 and 25 November 2004 from the hon. Member for Brent, East regarding Indonesian Christians and the Indonesian Government's draft Bill on Religious Harmony. [215627]

Mr. Alexander: I replied to the letters on Indonesia on 1 February 2005.

Departmental Costs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money his Department has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years. [213715]

Mr. Straw: The guidance note Travel by Ministers", makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/private charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
 
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All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and the guidance on Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [204356]

Mr. Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not separately record the information requested by the hon. Member. Analysis of records to produce the information requested could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost. However, we do record the total amount spent on entertainment.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 565W, for entertainment costs for 2000–01 and 2001–02. Costs for the years 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2002–03 and 2003–04 are shown as follows. Figures for 1997–98 have not been included, as they were not recorded on the same basis as subsequent years.

	£ million
1998–99	5.69
1999–2000	8.46
2002–03	8.61
2003–04	8.39

Design

Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the ministerial design champion for his Department is. [215648]

Mr. Straw: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Rammell) is the Ministerial Design Champion for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Diplomatic Bags

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of the Department's diplomatic bag service was in 2003–04; and what proportion of that cost is estimated to be related specifically to the delivery of sensitive documents. [214247]

Mr. Rammell: The cost of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) diplomatic bag service from London to its diplomatic missions overseas for the financial year 2003–04 was £6,317,417 of which 39 per cent. was spent on the classified bag service.

4.3 per cent. of the total (£269,754) was spent on sensitive documents sent by air freight bag.

Information on the cost of inward diplomatic bags from our overseas missions to the FCO in London could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. Each mission holds a local budget for this expenditure.
 
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EU Intelligence Sharing and Co-ordination Service

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 13W, on EUIntelligence Sharing and Co-ordination Service, if he will list those documents, with security grading and caveat, that have been supplied to the EU Intelligence Sharing and Co-ordination Service by his Department; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the nature of departmental material that may be supplied. [216510]

Mr. MacShane: There is no EU Intelligence Sharing and Co-ordination Service". The EU's Joint Situation Centre does not share or co-ordinate intelligence. The Situation Centre produces analyses and risk assessments, to help formulate EU policy, based on inputs from member states including nationally-assessed material. The Government's policy on release of material was set out in my answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 13W: UK information is released to the Situation Centre on a strict need-to-know basis at classifications up to and including secret.

It would not be appropriate for the Government to give details of the information which has been released to the centre. Parallel exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act would likely be section 23 (information supplied by, or related to, bodies dealing with security matters), section 24 (national security) and section 27 (international relations).

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