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Africa (Departmental Groups)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding has been allocated to support his Department's Africa research team in each of the last 10 years; and how many members of staff were employed in it in each year. [219414]
Mr. Straw: Records are only available for the last nine financial years including the current year. Allocations for and numbers of staff in the Africa Research Group for these periods were as follows:
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Financial information for the current year is incomplete at this stage.
Running costs exclude salaries and related costs but include official travel, office equipment and stationery, library expenditure, IT maintenance and official entertainment. Travel costs for research visits were the largest element in each year. The increase from 2000–01 reflected the arrival of additional analytical staff to cover French speaking West Africa (in the context of Franco-British co-operation on Africa). Additional funding was allocated in 2000 for IT upgrades and a major look ahead seminar Africa 2020".
Brazil
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Brazil regarding (a) extrajudicial killings of Brazilian street children and (b) commercial sexual exploitation of Brazilian children. [219720]
Mr. Rammell: We have made clear to the Government of Brazil, bilaterally and with our European Union partners, the importance we attach to human rights, including those of children. We closely monitor developments on this issue and, in particular, on bringing those responsible for the murders of street children to justice.
The chronic and well-documented situation faced by street children in Brazil is a matter for concern and forms a regular part of our human rights dialogue with the Brazilian Government. The UK supports a number of practical projects in Brazil including human rights training for the Brazilian police and prison services; a small arms project in the slum areas of Rio de Janeiro, and work in Rio on giving people alternatives to involvement in violent and organised crime. While not exclusively focused on street children, these projects are relevant to many of the problems they face.
Burma
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Burma regarding (a) persecution of the Chin people and (b) the destruction of crosses and churches in Chin state. [219719]
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Mr. Alexander: I met the Burmese ambassador on 29 November 2004 and pressed for political reform, full respect for human rights and the need for all groups in Burma, including ethnic groups, to play a full part in national reconciliation.
Discrimination and persecution on the basis of religious or ethnic background has been condemned in successive highly critical UK co-sponsored UN Resolutions on Burma, most recently at the UN General Assembly on 23 December 2004. The EU statement issued before the National Convention to draw up a new constitution reconvened on 17 February emphasised the need for the regime to enter into a constructive dialogue with ethnic groups to achieve lasting national reconciliation.
Our ambassador in Rangoon has drawn to the attention of the Burmese Foreign Minister the serious concerns expressed by hon. Members and peers of both houses about the question of religious freedom in Burma.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Burma regarding the detention and treatment of NLD member U Soe Han; [220215]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Burma regarding the detention and treatment of NLD member U Saw Naing Naing. [220216]
Mr. Alexander: We have not made representations about these particular cases.
I met the Burmese ambassador on 29 November and called for the release of all political prisoners in Burma. My statement on 30 November also called for the release of all political prisoners. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.
We hold the Burmese regime responsible for the health of all political prisoners in Burma.
Cambodia
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Cambodian Government regarding (a) the forced repatriation of Montagnard refugees in Cambodia to Vietnam and (b) the payment of bribes by the Vietnamese authorities to Cambodian officials to conduct such repatriations. [219723]
Mr. Alexander: We regularly raise with the Cambodian authorities the importance of fulfilling their obligations under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its related 1967 Protocol. We also continue to reiterate to the Cambodian authorities the need for close co-operation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Our embassies in Phnom Penh and Hanoi have been in regular contact with the Cambodian and Vietnamese Governments, the local UNHCR representatives, and resident EU partners about this issue. The issue has also been discussed at official level in Brussels.
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We welcome the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on resolving the Montagnards presence in Cambodia by the Cambodian and Vietnamese Governments and the UNHCR on 25 January.
We believe such a tripartite agreement is the best way of resolving this issue.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government abroad have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and (A) Angola, (B) Zambia, (C) Tanzania, (D) Burundi, (E) Uganda, (F) Sudan, (G) Central African Republic and (H) the People's Republic of the Congo regarding the (1) possibility, (2) viability and (3) desirability of the implementation of Joint Border Verification Mechanisms between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and each of the above mentioned countries along the model of the Joint Border Verification Mechanism between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda for the amelioration and stabilisation of the (x) security and (y) humanitarian situation of the border regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement. [220291]
Mr. Mullin: A Joint Verification Mechanism (JVM) is already in operation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. We have discussed with the DRC government the possible extension of the JVM to include Burundi. We supported international efforts which brought Burundi into the Tripartite Agreement on Regional Security in the Great Lakes.
We have not discussed the further extension of the JVM but we support the Great Lakes Conference process. At its summit in Dar Es Salaam in November 2004 the heads of state of Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia made a declaration containing guarantees on security and good neighbourliness. Senior UK officials were involved at the summit, and the Department for International Development has contributed over £250,000 to the costs of the Conference so far.
Departmental Budget
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budget was allocated to his Department's (a) Europe Directorate and (b) Public Diplomacy Unit in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) the current year. [218785]
Mr. Straw:
The Europe Directorate General of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has evolved over the period in line with developments in Europe and as more countries join the EU. The budgets allocated cover operational running costs at home and overseas (i.e. in British embassies and other Missions and including locally engaged staff salaries), capital investment and programme expenditure.
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In financial year 2001–02 it was responsible for the UK's engagement with the EU institutions and our bilateral relations with the other 14 EU member states. The budget allocated was £65,633,886.
In financial year 2002–03, the responsibilities remained the same. The budget allocated was £64,673,659.
In financial year 2003–04 it additionally took on responsibility for Gibraltar and our bilateral relations with Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the 10 Accession countries. The budget allocated was £113,012,445.
In the current financial year it has additionally taken on responsibility for our bilateral relations with the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. The budget allocation is £127,473,000.
The budgets for the Public Diplomacy Group of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the four years ending in the current financial year have been as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 21,665,053 |
| 2002–03 | 13,960,641 |
| 2003–04 | 15,534,494 |
| 2004–05 | 15,768,100 |
The structure of the Group and the ambit of its work have changed during the period.
Not included in the amounts in the table are the BBC World Service and British Council grants in aid, and the programme allocation for BBC Monitoring. Also not included are the FCO's total allocations for Chevening Scholarships.
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