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6 Apr 2005 : Column 1491W—continued
Sri Lanka
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government have provided to the Government of Sri Lanka in relation to peace talks and negotiations with the Tamil Tigers. [224482]
Mr. Alexander:
We are encouraged that the ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) remains in place three years after it was signed. But we are
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concerned that there have been no direct peace talks since April 2003. We fully support the work of Norway as facilitators of the peace process. We work closely with other international partners to encourage all parties to maintain the ceasefire and to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. The British Government have not provided any assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka directly in relation to peace talks with the LTTE. We do support wider peace-building efforts in Sri Lanka, including through projects in areas such as access to justice and human security, and by working with other donors to encourage the development of an environment supportive of a sustainable peace process.
Sudan
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has discussed with (a) Government colleagues and (b) international counterparts providing UK police officers for civilian protection in Darfur. [224325]
Mr. Mullin: We support the African Union (AU) civilian police mission in Darfur. Around 200 police officers are currently deployed, with more expected soon. We have provided more than £14 million and loaned technical expertise to the AU mission. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's chief police advisor helped the AU in Addis Ababa to develop the plan for the policing mission. There are currently no plans to deploy UK police officers for civilian protection in Darfur and the AU has not requested any.
Syria/Lebanon
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Syria regarding the presence of its intelligence apparatus in Lebanon. [224124]
Mr. Rammell: Through our embassy in Damascus we have made several representations to the Syrian Government regarding the need for a complete and early withdrawal of all Syrian troops and intelligence personnel from Lebanon. My right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, made the same points when she saw the Syrian ambassador on 7 March.
Terrorism
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the Governments which his Department assesses as (a) sponsoring and (b) having links with terrorist organisations, indicating in each case the (i) nature and (ii) effectiveness of representations made to end these activities. [224294]
Mr. MacShane: The British Government do not compile lists of state sponsors of terrorism.
We have serious concerns about the approach of 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.
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My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary 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. Most latterly, my right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, reiterated our concerns to the Syrian ambassador on 7 March. Senior officials have also raised it with their Syrian and Iranian interlocutors.
Ukraine
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance has been offered to the Government of Ukraine as part of his Department's counter-proliferation strategy and cooperative threat reduction programme (a) to secure the existing Ukraine military rocket programme and (b) to assess whether cruise missiles missing from the Ukraine missile inventory can be recovered. [224188]
Mr. MacShane: We are in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities on a range of counter-proliferation matters including in relation to missiles. We shall continue as part of this process to evaluate whether the UK could provide relevant assistance to Ukraine in the context of cooperative threat reduction.
UN Security Council
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of India being granted permanent membership of the UN Security Council. [224485]
Mr. Rammell: The UK has long supported the expansion of the UN Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent seats. We want it to become more inclusive of the international community it represents. Indian membership of the Security Council will help achieve this goal.
We therefore support India's bid and have done so with cross party support. It is the obvious candidate for membership from its regional grouping, considering its contribution to UN assessed budgets, participation in peace operations, voluntary contributions to UN activities in security and development, and general support for the UN's objectives and mandates.
Vienna Convention
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the United States regarding its decision to withdraw from the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations; and if he will make a statement. [224622]
Mr. Alexander:
The UK Government have not made representations to the United States following its decision to withdraw from the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. We note that the US Government has stated that it will continue to fulfil its obligations under the Convention and that it remains committed to its principles and provisions.
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Consular relations between the UK and the United States are principally governed by the 1951 UK-US Bilateral Consular Convention.
War Criminals
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact the lawsuit brought in the federal court of Alexandria (VA) against Mohamed Ali Samatar and Yusuf Abdi Ali in November 2004 (a) has had and (b) will have on the prosecution of alleged war criminals resident in the US; and if he will make a statement. [224653]
Mr. Alexander: This is a private matter for those involved. The UK strongly believes there should be no impunity for the most serious international crimes, including war crimes.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Antisocial Behaviour Orders (North Yorkshire)
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in North Yorkshire in 2003–04; how many were breached; and how many of those breached were prosecuted in courts. [224560]
Ms Blears: The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued in North Yorkshire, at all courts, as notified to the Home Office, from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 is seven.
ASBO breach data are currently available up to 31 December 2003 only. Six ASBOs were issued in North Yorkshire from 1 April 2003 to 31 December 2003. Of these, one person breached their ASBO during the period.
Askham Grange Prison
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reason one of the mother and baby units at HMP Askham Grange is to be closed; and if he will make a statement; [220610]
(2) how many mothers with babies have been moved to establishments (a) closer to and (b) further from, their homes following the closure of the Mother and Baby Unit at HMP Askham Grange; and if he will make a statement; [220611]
(3) what financial savings will be made from the mothballing or closure of the Mother and Baby Unit at HMP Askham Grange; and if he will make a statement; [220612]
(4) how many mothers have been refused places on mother and baby units due to lack of availability of places in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement; [220613]
(5) how many places are available in each mother and baby unit within prison establishments; and what the occupancy levels of each are. [220614]
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Paul Goggins [holding answer 8 March 2005]: The demand for mother and baby places at Askham Grange has declined over the last 12 months. A decision was therefore made to reduce the number of mother and baby places available at that establishment. The change was carried out through natural reductions without the need to relocate mothers and babies. The decision was taken in order to match supply more closely to demand and provide more flexible use of existing accommodation. It was not taken to achieve savings and no estimate has been made of any reduction in mother and baby unit costs.
The decision to reduce capacity at Askham Grange was taken as part of a wider review of all mother and baby places. No women have been refused admission because of lack of capacity in the units. The new capacities and occupancy figures at 14 March 2005 are set out in the following table.
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