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Mr. McCartney: The Government has the Chinese Government’s assurance that prisoners agree to the donations voluntarily and that, in some cases, their families are paid. We are not privy to the way these donations are agreed and therefore not in a position to make any form of assessment. We continue to be concerned about the use of prisoners’ organs and to raise these concerns with the Chinese Government.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2006, Official Report, column 628W, on organ harvesting (China), what further representations she plans to make to the Chinese government following the implementation of regulations relating to the sale of organs in China on 1 July. [79217]
Mr. McCartney: The Government remain concerned about the use of organs from executed prisoners in China. At the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in May 2006, delegates discussed the detail of China’s new regulation to ban the sale of organs and introduce medical standards for organ transplants, and the importance of adhering to World Medical Association standards for organ transplants. We will continue to pursue these issues with Chinese interlocutors.
Outer Space Treaty
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the Outer Space Treaty. [79085]
Dr. Howells: The Outer Space treaty (1967), to which the UK is a depository, entered into force on 10 October 1967. The treaty places important constraints on the use of space, including prohibiting the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space and military activity on the moon and other celestial bodies. Since 1967, there has been growing support for the Outer Space treaty: 98 states have now ratified the treaty and an additional 27 are signatories. The Outer Space treaty has become the cornerstone of international space law and the UK continues to be a firm supporter and to abide by each of the treaty's principles.
Radovan Karadzic
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the hunt for (a) Radovan Karadzic, (b) General Ratko Mladic and (c) Vlastimir Djordjevic; and if she will make a statement. [79928]
Mr. Hoon: In her address to the UN Security Council on 7 June, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Carla Del Ponte, was critical of the Serbian authorities’ efforts to arrest Ratko Mladic and the other remaining fugitive indictees. She noted that there was serious political and administrative resistance from within the Serbian system, and underlined that strong political will was required to overcome these obstacles.
The Chief Prosecutor also stressed that the Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) had to increase its efforts to locate and arrest fugitives. It was unclear where Radovan Karadzic himself resided, but part of his network and his family remained in BiH. She also expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in locating Vlastimir Djordjevic. She believes he may be in Russia but investigations by the Russian authorities have failed to produce results.
As we
regularly make clear to the countries of the region, full co-operation
with the ICTY remains a fundamental requirement for progress towards
the EU and NATO. We supported the decision in May of EU Enlargement
Commissioner Olli Rehn to disrupt Serbia’s Stabilisation and
Association Agreement negotiations because of Belgrade’s failure
to co-operate
fully with the ICTY. The Commission has made clear however, that they
stand ready to resume the talks as soon as full co-operation is
achieved.
Renditions
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any (a) known and (b) suspected al-Qaeda operative found in the UK since 1997 has been rendered to the US. [79318]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to my right. hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary's (Mr. Straw) written ministerial statement of 20 January 2006, Official Report, columns 37-38WS, which summarises the position in respect of renditions through UK territory or airspace since May 1997.
Secretary General of the United Nations
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions Ministers in her Department have had with candidates for the position of Secretary General of the United Nations. [79431]
Dr. Howells: Ministers and officials have held a number of meetings in recent months with candidates who have declared an interest in the position of United Nations Secretary General. They have met all four declared candidates, Ban Ki-Moon, Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, Jayantha Dhanapala and Shashi Tharoor. These discussions focussed on a wide range of issues including UN reform.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government will be supporting any candidate in the forthcoming selection of the new Secretary General of the United Nations. [79432]
Dr. Howells: It is long standing UK policy not to reveal publicly our voting intentions for the election of the UN Secretary-General. The Government will carefully consider the merits of each candidate. We believe the successful candidate needs to have the political skills and management experience to carry forward necessary reforms to the UN.
Sierra Leone
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written statement of 15 June 2006, Official Report, columns 69-70WS, on Sierra Leone, who will bear the costs if Charles Taylor is sent to prison in the United Kingdom. [79437]
Dr. Howells: If Charles Taylor were convicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone and imprisoned in the United Kingdom, the UK would meet the cost. This is in line with established policy for commitments arising from sentence enforcement agreements with international criminal tribunals.
It is judged preferable for the UK to meet directly the costs associated with prisoners held in the UK system than to take on the more general, and possibly greater, financial commitment that would arise if all sentence enforcement costs, relating to imprisonment in any state of those convicted by an international criminal tribunal, were added to the tribunal running costs, to which the UK contributes.
Somalia
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking towards ensuring the safety of British citizens based in Somalia. [79010]
Mr. McCartney: Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice continues firmly to advise British citizens against all travel to Somalia. We keep that advice under review and have updated it to take account of the most recent developments. We have no diplomatic representation in Somalia and very little capacity to assist any British citizens based there.
Sri Lanka
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the situation in Sri Lanka following the bombing on Thursday 15 June and the subsequent government attacks on Tamil forces; and what role the UK is playing in seeking to stabilise the country. [79370]
Dr. Howells: We remain deeply concerned at the violence in Sri Lanka and, again, offer our condolences following last week’s attack in Kebitigollawe. Such barbaric acts have no place in the search for a solution to the conflict. I issued a statement on 15 June condemning this attack unreservedly along with all forms of violence and intimidation. That statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1150379181467%20&year=2006&month=2006-06-01&date=2006-06-15.
There is a real need for political will on all sides to change the dynamics of the conflict. Violence can never be an answer to Sri Lanka’s problems; all sides need to understand this. It is vital that both sides, which were at the Geneva talks in February, live up to their commitments. This includes the Sri Lankan Government acting constructively to ensure that paramilitaries or others are not able to operate, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) calling a halt to acts of violence against civilians, the security forces and police, and both sides ensuring that intimidation, acts of violence, abductions and killings cease. We continue to believe that dialogue is the only way to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict, which takes full account of the legitimate demands of all communities and promotes a democratic and stable Sri Lanka. All sides need to exercise restraint and act constructively.
We fully support the Norwegian peace facilitation efforts. We welcome the recent statements of commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE and continue to do what we can to encourage both sides to return in good faith, to face-to-face talks. We make this clear in our regular contacts with the Sri Lankan Government, Members of Parliament, including representatives of Tamil political groups, and civil society. We also actively contribute to the EU’s work, not least in its role as one of the Tokyo co-chairs to the Sri Lankan peace process.
Staff Absenteeism
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many working days have been lost to the Department and its executive agencies in each year since 1997 due to staff absenteeism, expressed as the average annual number of absent days per employee; and what the estimated cost to the Department and its agencies of absenteeism was in each year. [77755]
Mr. Hoon [holding answer 19 June 2006]: The average number of working days lost through sick absence since 2000, the year from which reliable records were held, and the estimated cost to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is as follows:
| Days | Cost (£) | |
Data for 2005 is not yet available.
Syria/Iran
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent discussions between the Syrian and Iranian Governments on strategic and military co-operation; and if she will make a statement. [79923]
Dr. Howells: Syria and Iran reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence issues during a visit to Tehran by the Syrian Defence Minister, Hassan Turkmani, on 15 June. We continue to have serious concerns about the role of Syria and Iran in the region, including their support for Hizbollah and Palestinian rejectionist groups that continue to espouse violence. Further military co-operation between Syria and Iran is unlikely to build international confidence. We urge both countries to fulfil their obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680.
Turkey
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in accession negotiations on Turkey's membership of the European Union; and if she will make a statement. [79927]
Mr. Hoon: Since opening accession negotiations on3 October 2005, the Commission has been assessing Turkey's existing legislation against the 35 chapters of the EU acquis and has now published its reports on five. We were pleased that on 12 June the EU and Turkey opened and provisionally closed negotiations on the first chapter, Science and Research. As both the EU and Turkey recognise, much remains to be done before accession.
West Papua
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Department has received on behalf of the people of West Papua; and what representations she has made on their behalf to the Government of Indonesia. [79429]
Mr. McCartney: In recent months, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received a small number of letters from members of the public and hon. Members about Papua. There have also been a few parliamentary questions tabled. My hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) held a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Papua on 16 March. Some civil society representatives interested in Papuan issues also attended that meeting.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations about Papua to the Government of Indonesia. However, our embassy in Jakarta discusses Papua with the Indonesian authorities. During his visit to Indonesia on 29-30 March, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister expressed the UK’s support for dialogue between the central Government and representatives of the Papuan people. The UK supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia. We believe that full implementation of existing Special Autonomy legislation is the best way to proceed towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous Papua.
Northern Ireland
Age Positive Campaign
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent per head of population on the Age Positive campaign in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06; and how much has been spent in 2006-07. [78881]
Maria Eagle: The total costs associated with the Age Positive campaign for the period requested are:
| £ | £ per head of population | |
| (1)
No costs have yet been incurred during the current financial
year | ||
Assets Recovery Agency
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been investigated by the Assets Recovery Agency. [77368]
Paul Goggins: The Assets Recovery Agency is not a prosecuting authority and does not investigate individuals, but rather investigates assets. In terms of caseload since the agency's inception, ARA has adopted and investigated the following case levels for civil recovery and tax:
| Referrals( 1) | Adoptions( 2) | |
| (1)
Referrals include all cases referred including cases under assessment
for adoption, adopted cases, completed cases and rejected/withdrawn
cases. (2 )Adoptions include cases under investigation and completed cases. This does not include cases that were adopted and subsequently withdrawn. | ||
Breath Testing
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were breathalysed in (a) West Belfast, (b) East Belfast, (c) South Belfast, (d) North Belfast and (e) Castlereagh District Command Units in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [78742]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following table:
| East Belfast | West Belfast | South Belfast | North Belfast | Castlereagh | |
| (1)
Earliest date for which information is
available. | |||||
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