---

19 Dec 2005 : Column 2496W—continued

Travel Costs

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the additional cost of (a) his and (b) his officials' early return from Moscow to permit him to vote in the proceedings in the Terrorism Bill. [28110]

Mr. Douglas Alexander [pursuant to the reply, 16 November 2005, Official Report, c.1268W]: Regarding the total cost of the charter aircraft, the charter company has now informed us that the total cost of the charter was £96,400, which included an additional £28,200 for diverting through the UK on 9 November, £2,000 less than given in my reply.

UN Convention Against Corruption

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2005, Official Report, column 881W, on the UN Convention Against Corruption, if he will list the organisations his Department met to discuss the convention; and on what dates each meeting took place. [36842]

Ian Pearson: Discussions on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) have formed part of the regular contact between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a wide range of external stakeholders with an interest in anti-corruption issues. It would be impossible in practice to provide a comprehensive list of all such contacts with every stakeholder since the negotiations for UNCAC began. The principal contacts on this issue have been with the Department for International Development, the Home Office, Transparency International and business associations such as the Confederation of British Industry and the International Chamber of Commerce.
 
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2497W
 

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2005, Official Report, column 881W, on the UN Convention Against Corruption, if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meetings his Department held with the International Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry at which the convention was discussed. [36843]

Ian Pearson: Discussions on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) have formed part of the many contacts between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the International Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry, as well as with NGOs and many other interested parties. Even where fully recorded, it would be inappropriate to reveal the content of contacts that were intended to remain confidential between the parties involved.

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the representations he has received from (a) businesses, (b) business organisations and (c) non-governmental organisations on the UK signing and ratification of the UN Convention Against Corruption. [36847]

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply Igave today (UIN 36843).

UN Firearms Protocol

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will ratify the UN Firearms Protocol. [36849]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Government remains committed to ratifying the United Nations (UN) Firearms Protocol. However the UK and other EU member states believe that, as first step, the European Weapons Directive needs to be amended to bring it into line with the UN Firearms Protocol. We are working with the European Commission and EU member states to achieve this.

UN Security Council

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken during the UK presidency of the EU to promote European consensus on reform of the UN Security Council. [37920]

Dr. Howells: At the United Nations (UN) World Summit in September, the EU agreed on the need to reform the main UN bodies, including the Security Council, to enhance the representativeness, transparency and efficiency of the UN system. Given strongly held views among EU partners on how the Security Council should be reformed, there is no EU consensus on a particular model of reform.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on reform of the UN Security Council. [37921]

Dr. Howells: At the United Nations (UN) 2005 World Summit, all 191 member states agreed that reform of the Security Council was an essential element of the overall
 
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2498W
 
UN reform agenda. The UK has long-supported such reform to ensure that the work of the Security Council is more representative, effective and transparent. At a Foreign and Commonwealth Office event marking the 60th anniversary of the UN in June, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, reiterated the Government's position that

we want to see a Security Council which reflects today's world and the contributions of the UN's members to its objectives. The UK therefore supports the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent membership, with permanent representation for Japan, Germany, India and Brazil, and for Africa".

The UK is also committed to enhancing the Security Council's working methods, including holding more Council discussions in public, expanding the involvement of interested countries, and holding more frequent meetings with troop contributing countries.

UN Standing Fund

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had regarding the establishment of a standing fund within the UN to allow it to respond more effectively to emergencies. [35763]

Mr. Thomas: I have been asked to reply.

At the UN Millennium Review summit (MRS) in September (2005 in New York), my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) argued for support from other donor countries for a revised and expanded UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF), and along with the UK, six other countries pledged annual donations (Sweden $40 million, Netherlands $12 million, Ireland $12 million, Switzerland $4 million, Luxembourg $4 million, and Norway $30 million over two years).

Since the summit, my right hon. Friend and I have raised this in a number of meetings including the EU Informal Humanitarian Aid Committee in October.

The Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting in November, and the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers in Leeds in October.

Senior officials have discussed the CERF during meetings in recent months with interested donors such as the US (in October) and New Zealand (in November). My right hon. Friend has also written to non-traditional donors. British embassies have lobbied for support from Argentina, Brazil, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico and Qatar. The CERF was discussed when my right hon. Friend met the NGO consortium British Overseas Aid Group recently, and officials have covered the CERF during recent wider discussions on the reform package with the NGO community.

Venezuela

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between Venezuela and Bolivia, with particular reference to reports of Venezuelan interference in Bolivian domestic politics. [36830]

 
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2499W
 

Mr. Douglas Alexander: We are aware of recent allegations of Venezuelan interference in Bolivian domestic politics, including comments made by the Venezuelan Charge" d'affaires in Bolivia, and continue to monitor the situation. We consider this issue is first and foremost a bilateral matter between the two countries.

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of Venezuela selling oil to Caribbean and Central American countries at concessionary rates; and if he will make a statement. [36831]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: We are following Venezuela's oil agreements with a number of countries and other parties with close interest. It is up to those involved to assess whether the terms involved make sense or not—some have chosen to accept the terms, others have not. It will be some time before the full economic and political impact of these agreements is seen.

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of Venezuela offering free medical treatment to patients in a number of Caribbean countries; and if he will make a statement. [36832]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: We welcome any constructive efforts to enhance the delivery of healthcare in the Caribbean region where there are a number of real needs. In this respect, free medical treatment is most welcome.

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between Venezuela and the United States of America, with particular reference to the sale of discounted heating oil to Massachusetts by Venezuela. [36833]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: Bilateral relations between Venezuela and the United States (US) are a matter for the two countries concerned.

We understand that Citgo Petroleum Corporation, a US registered company owned by the Venezuelan Government, is providing discounted oil to low-income communities in the US, including in New York and Massachusetts. A US State Department spokesman has recently commented that the US regards this as an

issue of an American company helping American people, which is good and right and proper".

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of (a) relations between Venezuela and Jamaica and (b) the implications of those relations for (i) UK-Venezuela relations, (ii) UK-Jamaican relations and (iii) the wider region. [36834]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: We understand that relations between Venezuela and Jamaica are good and have recently been enhanced by an agreement signed between them under the PetroCaribe Agreement". We do not believe that this relationship has made any significant difference to the good relations we have with Jamaica or Venezuela, or to relations within the Caribbean.
 
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2500W
 

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the Venezuelan agricultural sector of Venezuela joining Mercosur; and if he will make a statement. [36835]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: Although an announcement on Venezuelan membership of Mercosur has been made, it is not yet clear what the practical implications of this will be. Therefore, we cannot at this stage make any judgments about specific sectoral impact, namely the agricultural sector. We understand that the European Commission, on behalf of the EU, is currently reviewing the situation, and will continue to do so as more information becomes available.

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effect of Venezuela's membership of Mercosur on the Free Trade Area of the Americas. [36836]

Mr. Douglas Alexander: Although an announcement on Venezuelan membership of Mercosur has been made, it is not yet clear what the practical implications of this will be. Therefore, it is not currently possible to make an assessment of the effect of Venezuelan membership of Mercosur on the proposal for a Free Trade Area of the Americas.

---