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5 July 2006 : Column 1149W—continued
Electoral Commission Committee
Mayoral Referendum
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance the Electoral Commission has issued on the classification of expenditure on (a) gathering signatures for a mayoral petition and (b) campaigning for or against a mayoral referendum. [82995]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not issue guidance on the classification of expenditure for mayoral referendums as it has no statutory remit in respect of such referendums.
Party Accounts
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Commission is taking to ensure compliance with the law on publication of party accounts; and how many constituency parties or associations of (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrats complied in the last year for which information is available. [82534]
Peter Viggers
[holding answer 4 July 2006]: The Commission informs me that it regularly communicates with registered political parties to ensure that both they and their registered accounting units comply with the law on submission of accounts. This includes the provision of information, sending out reminder letters and arranging meetings wherever necessary. Where the Commission feels further action is necessary, officers from the Commission work with
individual parties in enhancing their financial reporting systems to improve their ability to comply with the law.
Any registered accounting unit whose gross income or total expenditure in a financial year exceeds £25,000 is required to submit a statement of accounts to the Commission within three months of the year end if these are not required to be audited, and six months if they are. The Commission has no means of knowing, in advance, which accounting units will exceed the £25,000 reporting threshold in any given year.
In the year to 31 December 2004 (the last year for which information is available), the number of constituency parties or associations that submitted accounts were:
| Total submitted | Submitted on time | Submitted late | |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the composition is of the British Provisional Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province. [82476]
Dr. Howells: The UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, consists of representatives of UK armed forces, the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and our embassy in Kabul’s drugs team. In addition, there are UK-funded advisers working in the fields of governance, police reform, and justice/rule of law. Multinational elements include military and civilian elements from Denmark and Estonia and the US Agency for International Development, US Department for Agriculture and US State Department officials. The Afghan Government are represented by an official from the Ministry of the Interior.
Belarus
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance the UK Government are giving to establish a free Belarus radio. [81847]
Mr. Hoon [holding answer 4 July 2006]: Since 1 November 2005, the UK, together with EU partners, has funded independent radio broadcasts into Belarus. The most recently launched project by the European Commission is to last for two years at the cost of €2 million. The project comprises TV and radio broadcasts from Poland, Lithuania and Germany into Belarus. It also provides funding for internet print media and training of journalists.
Bulgaria/Romania
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions Ministers from her Department have visited (a) Bulgaria and (b) Romania in the last 12 months. [82119]
Mr. Hoon: The then Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire, South (Mr Alexander), visited Bulgaria and Romania on 5-6 February and visited Bulgaria again from 27-28 April to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also visited both countries on 8-10 May. I hope to visit later this year.
Burma
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the percentage of the world’s uranium supplies which are in Burma. [82538]
Dr. Howells: The International Atomic Energy Agency online database of world uranium deposits lists no entries for Burma. The Burmese Government have identified five sites of uranium ore deposits, located at Magway, Taungdwingyi, Kyaukphygon (Mogok), Kyauksin, and Paongpyin (Mogok). Their official reporting can be found at: www.energy.gov.mm. The total quantity of uranium is unknown, but is likely to be very limited.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of whether the uranium produced and exported by Burma is the kind that can be used in the development of (a) nuclear weapons and (b) dirty bombs. [82539]
Dr. Howells: We are not aware of any exports of uranium from Burma. Burma maintains that its limited uranium production is for ongoing studies into the peaceful use of nuclear power.
Any uranium ore would have to be processed before it could be used in a nuclear facility. In particular, to be used in a nuclear weapons programme, uranium would have to be enriched to more than 90 per cent. U235. We are not aware of any enrichment facilities being operational in Burma.
Uranium is not an effective material to use in the construction of a radiological weapon, or “dirty bomb”.
Corporal Gilad Shalit
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s policy is on Israel’s actions to secure the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit; and if she will make a statement. [82621]
Mr. McCartney: Israel has the right to take steps to secure the release of Corporal Shalit. Any military steps taken should avoid civilian casualties, abide by international law and observe the principle of proportionality. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the current situation in Gaza with Palestinian President Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 25 June. We are in regular contact with the Palestinian President and his office. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Corporal Shalit.
As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 25 June
“I was very disturbed to learn of this serious terrorist attack at Sufa. I send my condolences to the families of those Israeli soldiers who have died. Such continued violence makes the prospect of a negotiated, peaceful resolution more distant”.
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations (a) she and (b) her officials have made to the Palestinian Authority regarding the abduction and detention without trial of Corporal Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants. [82171]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the current situation in Gaza with Palestinian President Abbas on 25 June. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are in regular contact with the Palestinian President and his office. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Corporal Shalit.
As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 25 June
“I was very disturbed to learn of this serious terrorist attack at Sufa. I send my condolences to the families of those Israeli soldiers who have died. Such continued violence makes the prospect of a negotiated, peaceful resolution more distant”.
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 16 May 2006 on Afghanistan and Iraq. [81452]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade (Mr. McCartney), replied to the hon. Gentleman’s letter of 16 May on 29 June.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UN peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [82058]
Mr. McCartney:
The UN peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), MONUC, is the largest and most complex mission that the UN has managed to date. Its key tasks are to facilitate political transition and power sharing
arrangements, deal with armed groups outside the political process and to protect civilians.
MONUC chairing aided the peace process since 2002 by brokering cease-fires and peace deals and the International Committee in Support of the Transition, which engages with the Congolese Government. Following MONUC’s support for a successful referendum last December, the country is set to hold its first elections since the 1960s. UN expertise and MONUC’s logistical support for this process have been crucial to making this possible.
MONUC operates in a dangerous and complex environment and has been mandated by the UN Security Council, under chapter VII of the UN charter, to support the Congolese Army to disarm those groups that are a threat to the peace process and to protect civilians from rebel attack. There has been considerable progress in dealing with armed groups, but attacks on civilians remain at an unacceptable level.
In 2004 a number of cases of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers and staff in the DRC came to light, raising serious concerns about MONUC’s management. After a thorough investigation by the Secretary-General’s special representative on the issue, a series of measures were introduced to combat the problem of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers across all UN missions. MONUC has stringently imposed these measures on UN staff and peacekeepers. We continue to keep MONUC’s performance under close review in all areas of its activity, through our Embassy in Kinshasa and through regular Security Council discussions.
Departmental Premises (Security)
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that no illegal immigrants are employed in the manned guarding of her Department’s premises. [80799]
Mr. Hoon: Only British nationals can work as security guards in Foreign and Commonwealth Office premises in the UK. To ensure illegal immigrants are not employed the pre-employment checks require the following:
proof of nationality with photo ID (passport);
photo ID (passport or driving licence);
application form completed and checked;
four personal references;
and
five year employment history.
Departmental Staff
Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many disabled staff in her Department received support through the Access to Work scheme (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. [82227]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have a complete record of the number of officers who have received support through the Access to Work scheme. Staff who seek such support contact the Department for Work and Pensions directly and are under no obligation to notify the FCO. However, we are aware of 15 staff who are currently receiving support.
Departmental Travel
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to ensure that all flights undertaken by Ministers and officials in her Department are carbon neutral; and if she will make a statement. [81408]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) offsets the carbon dioxide and other emissions generated by the air travel of Ministers and officials based in the UK. Each year we offset the previous year’s air travel emissions, so in 2005-06 we offset our 2004 emissions. An agreement was signed with the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) at the end of 2005 to offset our 2004 emissions, one year ahead of the requirement for Government Departments to offset air travel by April 2006. Through REEEP we offset our emissions by investing in projects which provide carbon credits from renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes. Investment is concentrated in developing countries, which are highly dependent on fossil fuels and inefficient energy technology.
We are also running a travel management campaign to encourage staff to consider and use means other than travelling to communicate with their colleagues overseas wherever practical e.g. videoconferencing.
East Timor
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answers of 15 June 2006, Official Report, column 470W, on East Timor, what assessment she has made of whether precautions to ensure the security of (a) Serious Crimes Unit files on crimes committed in 1999 and (b) other files, including those on the UN investigation into the deaths of Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters in 1975, were along lines requested by her Department of the UN and of the Government of Timor-Leste; and if she will make a statement. [81724]
Mr. McCartney: We have informed the UN Mission to East Timor and the East Timorese Government of the importance that we attach to the security of all case files. All Serious Crimes Unit files have been copied digitally and are held by the UN. However, as yet, due to the recent civil unrest in East Timor and resulting lack of personnel within the local government, it has not been possible for the UN to establish the location of the UN investigation files relating to Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters. We will continue to press for this information.
Ethiopia
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations her Department has made to the Government of Ethiopia on the human rights situation in that country; and if she will make a statement. [82056]
Mr. McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to her on 29 June 2006, Official Report, columns 574-75W.
EU (Qualified Majority Voting)
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials in her Department first became aware of EU Commission proposals to extend qualified majority voting over police and judicial affairs. [82307]
Mr. Hoon [holding answer 4 July 2006]: The possibility of extending qualified majority voting to police and judicial affairs was provided for in the Amsterdam and Nice treaties. Article 42 of the treaty on European Union (TEU)—the passerelle—allows for areas governed by title VI (third pillar) to be transferred to title IV (first pillar) by unanimous Council decision. It is likely, although not inevitable, that this would mean a move to qualified majority voting and co-decision, which is the norm in the first pillar.
The European Commission’s plans to put forward proposals for exploiting Article 42 TEU and changing the decision-making arrangements in the field of police and judicial affairs were raised, in general terms, in its communication “A Citizens’ Agenda: Delivering Results for Europe” on 10 May 2006. In this communication, the Commission announced its intention to
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