| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Oct 2005 : Column 738W—continued
Ricin Investigations
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he received the report from Porton Down regarding the analysis of substances believed to be ricin found during investigations in 2003 which concluded that no ricin was present; and when he informed the United States Government of this conclusion. [16482]
Dr. Howells: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down did not send the report of these tests to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Royal Navy Patrol Boats
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Iranian Government to return the three Royal Navy patrol boats seized in 2004. [18483]
Dr. Howells: We have pressed the Iranian authorities on many occasions to return the Royal Navy boats and equipment which they have held since June 2004. Our discussions continue.
Tibetan Students (China)
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Chinese Government have cancelled the passport of any student from Tibet granted a chemistry scholarship by his Department. [17568]
Ian Pearson:
The issue of passports to Chinese nationals is a matter for the Chinese Government. The UK Government are not in a position to know whether the Chinese Government have cancelled a passport unless it is specifically brought to our attention.
17 Oct 2005 : Column 739W
Turkey
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what acknowledgement has been (a) sought from and (b) made by the government of Turkey, in connection with the accession of that country to the EU, of the responsibility of that country or its predecessor for the Armenian genocide. [17895]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: There is no consensus among EU member states that the massacres of 1915–16 should be categorised as genocide as defined by the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide and there is no reference to the issue in the Negotiating Framework agreed by EU member states that will guide Turkey's accession negotiations. The Turkish government does not accept that there was any intention or act that constituted genocide.
We welcomed open discussion of this and related matters at a recent conference in Istanbul, and the Turkish Foreign Minister's statement to that conference expressing hope that research into the era could improve relations between Turkey and Armenia. It was also welcome that, on 9 March, the Turkish Prime Minister and the leader of the main opposition party called for an impartial investigation into the 'genocide' allegations by Turkish and Armenian historians under the supervision of an international organisation such as the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. The Armenian President, however, rejected the proposal on the grounds that establishing diplomatic relations was a necessary prior step.
Volunteering
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many volunteering positions his Department has offered in each of the last five years. [17873]
Mr. Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold this information centrally. To collate it would incur disproportionate costs.
West Papua
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of human rights abuses in West Papua. [17238]
Ian Pearson: We are concerned about reports of human rights abuses in Papua, and we raise these regularly with the Government of Indonesia, We also encourage the Indonesian Government to engage in dialogue with Papuan representatives and to proceed with full implementation of the Special Autonomy legislation.
We are encouraged by President Yudhoyono's recent statements that his Government wishes to solve the issue in Papua through dialogue,
NORTHERN IRELAND
Autism
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to provide a Province-wide autism strategy. [18423]
Mr. Woodward: Policy and services for children and adults with autism are currently being examined under the Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability (N.I.). The review will recommend how future service delivery should be organised.
Big Lottery Fund
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people work in the Big Lottery Fund for Northern Ireland. [18098]
Mr. Hanson: A total of 55 full-time equivalents are currently employed in the Big Lottery Fund's Belfast office.
Breast Screening
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his Answer of 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 191W, on breast screening, what percentage of women (a) with a disability and (b) from ethnic minority backgrounds received breast screening in each of the last five years in each health board area. [17516]
Mr. Woodward: Data on the uptake of breast screening specifically relating to the number of women with a disability or from ethnic minority backgrounds is not routinely collected.
Cervical Screening
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the percentage uptake rate was for cervical screening among women in each health board area in each of the last five years; and what the percentage was for women (a) from ethnic minority backgrounds and (b) with a disability. [17517]
Mr. Woodward: The information requested on the first part of this question is as set out in the table.
| As at March each year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | |
| EHSSB | 66.17 | 66.99 | 69.17 | 69.16 | 68.01 |
| NHSSB | 74.34 | 74.96 | 76.97 | 77.14 | 75.98 |
| SHSSB | 71.24 | 72.54 | 74.48 | 74.47 | 73.91 |
| WHSSB | 67.65 | 67.98 | 69.66 | 68.71 | 68.92 |
The present system of recording uptake rates does not allow for the collection of data relating to either ethnicity or disability.
Classrooms (Road Noise)
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines are set for the maximum level of background road noise in (a) classrooms and (b) classrooms in schools with special needs. [18224]
17 Oct 2005 : Column 741W
Angela E. Smith: At present there are no specific guidelines in Northern Ireland that set the maximum level of background road noise in classrooms.
However, when considering acoustics in schools, the Department of Education and school authorities currently follow the guidance in Building Bulletin 87, Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools", issued by the Department for Education and Skills, which states the following:
Each room or other space in a school building shall have the acoustic conditions and the insulation against disturbance by noise, appropriate to its normal use."
Criminal Prosecutions
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of criminal prosecutions in Northern Ireland resulted in a conviction in each of the past 10 years. [18248]
Mr. Hanson: The following table outlines the number of criminal prosecutions in Northern Ireland and the number and percentage of subsequent convictions for the years 1994 to 2003. Data for 2004 will not be available until early 2006.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |