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9 Mar 2006 : Column 1685W—continued
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Legal Services Commission
Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the decision by the LegalServices Commission to withdraw funding for access to specialist and complex legal advice in Wirral South. [56964]
Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission's (LSC) specialist support services provide support to front-line advice and not directly to vulnerable people in any specific part of England and Wales.
Given the pressure on the limited legal aid budget and the number of clients needing legal advice, the LSC has concluded that the costs of this would be better redirected to fund direct legal advice in the next financial year. This will increase access to legal aid services for vulnerable people.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Extraordinary Rendition
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what co-operation British officials have provided to the United States on (a) international rendition and (b) individual terrorist suspects who have been subject to rendition. [56689]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to him on 6 February 2006 by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, Official Report, columns 784–85W.
Falkland Islands
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Royal Air Force personnel are based in the Falkland Islands; and how many were based there in each of the last five years. [55499]
Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
The numbers of personnel posted to each location abroad are shown in Tri-Service Publication 6, Global Location of UK Regular Forces (TSP 6).
TSP 6 is published quarterly; the most recent publication shows the numbers of Service personnel at 1 October 2005.
Copies of TSP 6 are held in the Library of the House and are also available at www.dasa.mod.uk
Guantanamo Bay
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK officials have provided information to the US which has led to an individual being transferred to (a) Guantanamo Bay and (b) other US overseas detention facilities. [56259]
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Dr. Howells [holding answer 6 March 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to him on 6 February 2006, Official Report, columns 784–85W, by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report by the UN Commission on Human Rights on the situation of detainees at Guantanamo Bay; and if he will make a statement. [57164]
Dr. Howells: The report submitted on 15 February by five holders of mandates of special procedures of the UN Commission on Human Rights raises a number of serious concerns about the situation of detainees in Guantanamo Bay. We are aware that the US Government, by means of its Permanent Representative's letter of 31 January to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, has expressed reservations about the report, and does not feel that accurate account was taken of information provided by the US Government. It is clearly important that the US Government and the UN continue to engage on this issue.
We have made it clear that we regard the circumstances under which detainees continue to be held in Guantanamo Bay as unacceptable. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said that Guantanamo Bay is an anomaly that should come to an end sooner rather than later. The US Government are fully aware of our views.
However, it is important to remember the circumstances which led to Guantanamo Bay. Nearly 3,000 people were killed during the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. We remain determined to work with our allies to defeat the scourge of international terrorism.
International Arms Trade Treaty
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) funds and (b) staff the Government have allocated for the promotion of an international arms trade treaty; and if he will make a statement. [55191]
Dr. Howells:
To support our work towards an international treaty on the trade in all conventional arms, we have created the Arms Trade Unit within the Counter Proliferation Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This unit deals with our overall policy on conventional arms exports controls, including within the EU. While the whole Unit is involved in the treaty initiative, in support of this work it has been strengthened with one additional member of staff (at First Secretary level). In addition, our ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva now acts as our roving ambassador for the treaty initiative. Furthermore, a wide range of FCO and other Government Department staff are actively engaged in pursing the initiative. In 2005 we funded a number of events to promote the treaty. We plan more such events in 2006. Additional funds have been provided for these activities and for travel, by reprioritisation within our existing budgets. As decisions are taken on specific events as our campaign evolves, it is not possible at this stage to provide an overall figure.
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Iran
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Russian authorities about the stance of the Iranian Government on uranium enrichment. [56712]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials are in frequent contact with their Russian counterparts concerning Iran's nuclear programme. Senior FCO officials met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kisylak to discuss Iran on 3 March.
The Russian authorities share our concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. We have been working closely together to encourage Iran to address the requests of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors. Russia, like the European Union, has called on Iran to reinstate a full suspension of all uranium enrichment related and reprocessing activities, which the IAEA Board has called essential for confidence.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Iran about its use of the death penalty. [56713]
Dr. Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 3 March 2005, Official Report, column 1026–27W.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK supplies military equipment to Iran in support of its counter-narcotics operations; and if he will make a statement. [57201]
Dr. Howells: All applications to export military equipment to Iran are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria and other policies taking into account the prevailing circumstances at the time.
We will not issue an export licence if approval would be inconsistent with national embargoes observed by the UK. The then Foreign Secretary (Lord Hurd) and the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister's (Tony Lloyd) statements of 1 March 1993 and 28 September 1998 respectively, set out our approach in respect of Iran. We will not issue licences for the export to Iran of goods or technology on the Military or Nuclear List, except for goods essential for the safety of civil aircraft and air traffic control systems and certain radioactive substances for medical use. No licences will be approved for any equipment where there is knowledge or reason to suspect that it will go to a military end-user or be used for military purposes. On very rare occasions and with parliamentary agreement, exceptions are made where denying an export or gift would be against the spirit of the embargo.
In 2005, we agreed to license a gift of 50 sets of body armour to the Iranian Counter-Narcotics border police who work with HM Revenue and Customs officers to fight the trafficking of heroin and opiates. Notice of our intention to do this was placed before Parliament for 14 sitting days in February 2005 and no objections were
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raised. Details of the gift were also recorded in a Written Ministerial Statement of 15 March 2005, Official Report, column 13–14WS.
We assess that around 60 per cent. of all heroin entering the UK transits Iran. Iran is actively involved in the fight against drug trafficking and seizes far more opiates than any other country in the world. We have regular constructive co-operation with Iran on counter-narcotics.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which European countries provide military equipment to Iran for use in its counter-narcotics operations; and if he will make a statement. [57203]
Dr. Howells: Each EU member state applies the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports in respect of the export of all licence applications for all destinations, including Iran. Implementation of the Code is a matter for individual member states. In the case of Iran, the UK also applies a national policy, set out in the statements of the then Foreign Secretary (Lord Hurd) and the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister (Tony Lloyd), of 1 March 1993 and 28 September 1998 respectively.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provisions have been put in place by the EU to limit the export of arms to Iran for the purpose of counter-narcotics programmes; and if he will make a statement. [57204]
Dr. Howells: Each EU member state applies the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports in respect of the export of all licence applications for all destinations, including Iran. The Code includes provisions whereby member states will not issue export licences where there is a clear risk that the exported items might be used for internal repression, or diverted to an undesirable end-user or end-use. The Code applies to the export of strategic goods to Iran for all purposes including counter-narcotics programmes, and is set out in detail on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether Iran's Government has made a political decision to acquire a nuclear weapons capability; and if he will make a statement. [57205]
Dr. Howells: The Iranian authorities state that they have no intention to develop nuclear weapons. But the nature of Iran's nuclear programme, its history of concealment and inadequate co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the unexplained involvement of the Iranian military in the nuclear programme, and its failure to take confidence-building steps have all contributed to international concern that the intentions of the programme may not be exclusively peaceful.
In his most recent report, the IAEA Director-General said that the Agency was not in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran". He also said that this conclusion can
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be expected to take even longer than normal to arrive at in light of the undeclared nature of Iran's past nuclear programme, the inadequacy of information available on Iran's centrifuge enrichment programme, the existence of a generic document related to the fabrication of nuclear weapon components, and the lack of clarification of the role of the military in Iran's nuclear programme".
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress by Iran towards uranium enrichment since its cessation of the suspension in January; and if he will make a statement. [57202]
Dr. Howells: The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) report of 27 February notes that
on 3 January 2006, Iran informed the Agency that it had decided to resume, as from 9 January 2006, those R&D on the peaceful nuclear energy programme which had been suspended as part of its expanded voluntary and non-legally binding suspension"".
on 11 February 2006, Iran started enrichment tests by feeding a single P-l machine with UF6 gas. At that time, other single P-l machines were ready for operation and a 10-machine cascade was undergoing vacuum tests. The feeding of the 10-machine cascade was begun on 15 February 2006, and, on 22 February 2006, a 20-machine cascade was subjected to vacuum testing".
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