| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
20 Apr 2006 : Column 782W—continued
Jericho Prison
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what observations in relation to (a) living standards for prisoners, (b) visits to prisoners and (c) locking of doors at night were made by the British Independent Monitors at Jericho Prison. [61002]
Dr. Howells: The monitors observed a set list of conditions to determine if the six detainees were secluded continuously. These conditions did not include examining the living conditions. The monitors observed the numbers of visitors, the time of the visits and if the visitors were searched. Monitors were unable to verify if all the doors were locked at night.
Joseph Kony
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the policy of his Department to bring Joseph Kony before the International Crime Court. [64031]
Ian Pearson: Yes. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of five Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) commanders, including Joseph Kony, in October 2005. Responsibility to effect the arrest warrants lies in the first instance with the states on whose territory the five LRA commanders are believed to be, in this case Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The UK is a strong supporter of the work of the ICC in its efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. We have stressed to the Governments of Uganda, Sudan and the DRC their obligations to detain the LRA commanders facing arrest warrants.
Kosovo
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent
20 Apr 2006 : Column 783W
assessment he has made of levels of ethnic tension in northern Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and Albanians; and if he will make a statement. [64490]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The situation throughout Kosovo remains tense but broadly stable as the United Nations-led final status process continues. I strongly condemn the criminal acts that have taken place in northern Kosovo in recent weeks. The Government fully supports the efforts of the Kosovo Police Service and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo to bring those responsible for such acts to justice.
The London Contact Group Ministerial statement of 31 January 2006 made clear that a final status settlement must be underpinned by principles that promote a multi-ethnic society. A copy of the statement has been placed in the Library of the House. In the context of the final status process we expect community leaders to continue to engage in creating a climate conducive to bridging the ethnic divide not only in northern Kosovo but the entire territory.
Lords Resistance Army
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the strength of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. [64030]
Ian Pearson: There are no authoritative figures available for the current operational strength of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). It is likely that the total number has declined in recent years and current estimates put the number of combatants in hundreds rather than thousands.
The largest concentration of LRA fighters is thought to be currently based in the Garamba National Park in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Elsewhere it is thought that the LRA has a presence in southern Sudan as well as northern Uganda, where it operates in relatively small groups and is highly mobile.
Pakistan
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement. [64072]
Dr. Howells: The political situation in Pakistan is continuously evolving. Despite occasional outbreaks of sectarian and other violence, the appalling bomb explosion in Karachi on 11 April being the most recent example, the country remains generally stable and Pakistan is an important partner for achieving UK strategic objectives. Officials in both London and Pakistan meet regularly with members of the Pakistani Government, opposition parties and members of civil society to ensure that we remain abreast of developments. We continue to work towards ensuring that the 2007 elections are both free and fair, thus helping Pakistan's return to full democracy.
Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of members of the Principal Civil Service
20 Apr 2006 : Column 784W
Pension Scheme in his Department joined the scheme before the age of (a) 20, (b) 25, (c) 30, (d) 35, (e) 40, (f) 45 and (g) over 45 years old. [62015]
Mr. Straw: The information is not currently available as my Department would need to review its pension records manually and this would incur disproportionate cost. We are currently upgrading our IT systems and I will write to the hon. Member should this information become available.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Connexions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many hits the Connexions website received in each month since its inception. [64200]
Maria Eagle: The Connexions Direct website www.connexions-direct.com was launched on 21 October 2002.
The following table details monthly visits to the Connexions Direct website.
The following table shows the number of hits for the Connexions Card website from July 2002.
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will reply to the letter dated 23 February 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Dr. Arnandi Ramamudthy. [62437]
20 Apr 2006 : Column 785W
Ruth Kelly: My apologies to the right hon. Member for the delay in responding to his letter. This was due to a technical systems problem with the Department's correspondence handling system. I replied to this letter on 19 April 2006.
Departmental Policies
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will set out with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to West Lancashire constituency the effects in West Lancashire of changes to her Department's policies since 1997. [64235]
Maria Eagle: The West Lancashire constituency lies within Lancashire local authority. The most recent Key Stage 2 and GCSE and equivalent results showing information for pupils attending schools in West Lancashire are given in the following tables:
(9) Parliamentary constituency figures are based only on all maintained schools(including City Technology Colleges and, from 2003, Academies) and from 2000 onwards have been adjusted in respect of pupils recently arrived from overseas.
(10) England figures are based on all schools and have not been adjusted in respect of pupils recently arrived from overseas.
(11) From 2004 results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a wide range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only.
(12) As standard the results reported relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August, and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.
(13) Parliamentary constituency figures are based only on all maintained schools (including City Technology Colleges and, from 2003, Academies) and from 2000 onwards have been adjusted in respect of pupils recently arrived from overseas.
(14) England figures are based on all schools and have not been adjusted in respect of pupils recently arrived from overseas.
20 Apr 2006 : Column 786W
At national level, standards have improved across all key stages. The Primary and Secondary National Strategies, together with the measures we have taken to help schools in the toughest areas are continuing to deliver better results.
Further information by constituency, is provided within the Department's 'In Your Area' website available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea. Where information is not available at the constituency level it has been provided at local authority level.
This website allows users to access key facts and local information about education and skills based on postcodes. The data available within the site offers comparisons between 1997 and the latest available year and covers five geographies. These are parliamentary constituency, ward, local authority district, local authority and Government office region. England figures are also provided. The information available within the website is grouped in a number of broad categories including literacy and numeracy at age 11, literacy and numeracy at age 14, GCSE and equivalent results, pupils with special educational needs, school initiatives, school workforce, school funding and resources, children's social services, early years, class sizes, post-16, higher education and adult education.
Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department is investigating ways in which we can disseminate more information about the effects of our policies at a local level.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |