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Mauritania
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to help the Mauritanian authorities to reduce the number of people attempting to enter the European Union illegally from Mauritanian (a) territory and (b) waters. [58716]
Dr. Howells:
The Government's assistance to Mauritania on migration has been channeled through the EU. We are currently engaged in dialogue with EU partners, and both source and transit countries, which will include Mauritania, on how best to meet this challenge. Mauritania will be invited to the Euro-African regional conference on Migration in Rabat in
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July. I have set out in more detail the action the UK is taking in my answer to the hon. Member on 16 February 2006, Official Report, columns 2287–88W.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will establish an embassy in Nouakchott. [58717]
Dr. Howells: At present, the Government have no plans to open an embassy in Nouakchott.
Sexual Violence
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to support the work of the International Criminal Court in investigating and prosecuting sexual violence against women. [58833]
Dr. Howells: The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) makes full provision for the prosecution of sexual violence against women. Crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC include, among others, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilisation, and other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity.
The prosecutor of the ICC has launched investigations into the situations in Northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Darfur, in Sudan. The precise details of the investigations are a matter for the prosecutor and the UK is committed to respecting the court's independence. However, the warrants issued in October 2005 against members of the Lord's Resistance Army, under the investigation into the situation in Northern Uganda, included counts relating to sexual violence.
The United Kingdom is a strong supporter, in principle and in practice, of the ICC. We will continue to support the ICC as it takes forward its investigations, and to maintain political pressure on all parties to provide full co-operation to the ICC. Besides our contribution to the general budget of the ICC (£5.8 million), the UK contributed £110,000 in 2005 to activities relating to the ICC.
UK Nationals (Overseas Prisons)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) male and (b) female United Kingdom nationals are serving prison sentences in foreign jurisdictions. [58172]
Dr. Howells: The total number of British nationals in detention overseas on 31 March 2005 was 2,764 of which 2,459 are males and 305 are females. This number includes all categories of detainees (with the exception of immigration detainees) including those who have been sentenced. It would incur disproportionate costs to establish a figure for just those who have been sentenced. 1,266 (46 per cent.) of those held in detention are there on drug related charges of which 1,068 are males and 198 are females.
UK Overseas Missions
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK overseas missions have amalgamated over the last nine years. [58627]
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Mr. Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has closed six British embassies and four British high commissions since 1997. The British embassy at Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire has remained temporarily closed since 1 April 2005. This is due to the uncertain security situation there. The following table gives details of the missions closed permanently and the missions now accredited there.
(41) High commissions.
(42) Closed to the public from 20 March 2006.
(43) Closed to the public from 14 July 2006.
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During the same period, the FCO opened six British embassies and one British high commission. This is all part of the FCO's process of realigning resources with its strategic priorities.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Alcohol (Under-age Consumption)
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted in courts in Newcastle for (a) selling alcohol to persons under 18 years for consumption on the premises and (b) selling alcohol from wholesalers to a person under 18 years in each year since 2001. [58665]
Paul Goggins: The information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is contained in the table and gives the number of defendants prosecuted in Newcastle-upon-Tyne magistrates court for the sale of alcohol to minors, from 2001 to 2004.
The offence of selling alcohol to persons aged under 18 years of age was introduced to the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme from 1 November 2004 aimed at staff working in licensed premises found to commit this offence. It is not possible to identify PNDs issued in Newcastle because centrally available data is not broken down to this level of detail.
The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005. Data for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
(44) These data are on the principal offence basis.
Source:
RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
Child Pornography
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of accessing child pornography on the internet in the West Midlands in the last 12 months. [57811]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 15 March 2006]: The court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that two people were convicted of the possession of an indecent photograph of a child in the West Midlands in 2004.
Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 26 January, reference M2213/6, from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent. [57805]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 13 March 2006]: I replied to my hon. Friend on 10 March 2006.
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