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29 Nov 2006 : Column 742W—continued

Minister for Europe

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what areas of responsibility the Minister for Europe speaks for the Government in the House. [102570]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 23 November 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Simpson) on 6 November, Official Report, column 847W.

Nigeria

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the current situation in Plateau State, Nigeria, with particular reference to the position of the State Governor. [102377]

Mr. McCartney: Joshua Dariye, Governor of Plateau State, was impeached by the Plateau State Assembly on 13 November, based on a report submitted by a panel set up by the State’s Acting Chief Judge to investigate allegations of corruption against the Governor. Joshua Dariye’s whereabouts is currently unknown. Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has issued a warrant for his arrest. He has been replaced by his Deputy, Chief Michael Botmang.

Serbia

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on the Italian proposal for talks with Serbia on an EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement to be restarted. [103475]

Margaret Beckett: Foreign Ministers discussed Serbia at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meetings on 16-17 October and 13-14 November in Brussels. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Europe, (Mr. Hoon), and I have also discussed Serbia in bilateral meetings with European counterparts.

The EU’s position, shared by the UK, remains as set out by the October GAERC, at which the Council expressed its


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Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s policy is on the Italian proposal for talks with Serbia on a EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement to be restarted. [103798]

Margaret Beckett: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (UIN 103475).

Serbia/Kosovo

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of the political and security situation in (a) Serbia and (b) Kosovo; and if she will make a statement . [103407]

Margaret Beckett: Our assessment is that the security situation in Serbia and Kosovo remains stable. Security in Kosovo is kept under constant review by NATO and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and will remain so throughout the final status process.

Sudan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her most recent assessment is of the situation in Darfur; and what discussions she has had with UN Representative Jan Egeland on his recent visit. [105867]

Mr. McCartney: We remain appalled at the situation in Darfur. The conditions described by UN Under Secretary-General Jan Egeland in his report to the UN Security Council on 22 November must not be allowed to continue. As agreed at the high-level meeting in Addis Ababa on 16 November, there needs to be an immediate ceasefire; a resumption of the political process; and the deployment of a hybrid UN-AU force in Darfur. My right. hon. Friend the Prime Minister telephoned President Bashir on 22 November to make these points.

My right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development telephoned Mr Egeland on 22 November, to discuss the latter's visit to Darfur and to brief on our efforts to ensure government of Sudan agreement to the Addis Ababa package.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will investigate the end-use of portable helipads supplied by Vaughans of Leicester to the government of Sudan. [105882]

Dr. Howells: The UK adheres rigorously to the UN and EU Arms Embargoes on the Sudan. We are aware of reports of UK-supplied helipads being used in the country and are looking into the details of this export. It would be inappropriate to comment further until we have the full details.

Officials will write to my hon. Friend when we are in receipt of the information.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force to enter Darfur; what she expects the size of the force to be; what discussions she has held with the British embassy in Khartoum regarding the
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requirements of such a force; what discussions she has held regarding the selection of a commander for the force; and if she will make a statement. [102320]

Mr. McCartney: A joint African Union (AU)/UN high level meeting in Addis Ababa on 16 November agreed in principle to a joint UN-AU peacekeeping force as the third phase of a UN support plan for the existing force. The timing of its deployment has not been finalised. It will build on two phases of increasing support that will enhance command and control and infrastructure in advance of troop expansion.

We support the UN proposal for a force of 17,300 troops and 3,000 police, and for a Special Representative to the Secretary-General to be appointed by both the AU and UN. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to accept this.

The AU and UN will determine the requirements for the future of the peacekeeping force in Darfur. Our embassies in Khartoum, Addis Ababa and other key countries, as well as our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, are in constant contact on this subject with UN and AU member states.

Uganda

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will request a special session at the Commonwealth meeting to discuss the human rights situation in Uganda; and if she will make a statement. [102611]

Mr. McCartney: The Government keeps the human rights situation in Uganda, and in all countries, under constant review, and will judge the merit of pursuing such issues in various for a on a case-by-case basis. We continue to emphasise the importance of upholding human rights, respecting democratic principles and promoting the rule of law in our discussions with the Ugandan government.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the 6 April 2006 Supreme Court judgment on Dr. Kizza Besigye’s election petition; and if she will make a statement. [102669]

Mr. McCartney: On 6 April, the Ugandan Supreme Court’s judgment highlighted many of the concerns raised by independent election monitors. But in a majority verdict they also concluded these problems did not substantially affect the election result. The detailed opinions underlying their judgment have not been released.

In July 2006, the EU election observer mission released its final report on the February 2006 elections. The report concluded that the elections fell short of full compliance with international principles for genuine democratic elections. However, the report also said that despite some shortcomings on election day, voting was generally well administered, transparent and competitive.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the report by HE Sir Ketumile Masire,
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Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, on Uganda; and if she will make a statement. [102670]

Mr. McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) on 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 91W.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials continue to stress the importance of maintaining a pluralist democracy and developing civil society in their contacts with Ugandan Ministers and officials, including in a meeting with President Museveni on 20 November.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will meet Dr. Kizza Besigye while she is in Uganda. [102671]

Mr. McCartney: My right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary looks forward to visiting Uganda in November 2007. Her programme has yet to be decided.

Senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met with Dr. Besigye on 5 October during his recent visit to the UK.

Whales

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to Iceland on the commercial hunting of whales. [104198]

Mr. Hoon: The Government have led international condemnation of Iceland's decision to resume commercial whaling. On 1 November, our ambassador in Reykjavik led a multinational demarche of 25 countries plus the European Commission, on the Icelandic government, making clear the extreme disappointment felt by those parties at Iceland's decision, and urging Iceland to abandon its current operations. In addition, my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare (Mr. Bradshaw) summoned the Icelandic ambassador on 17 October to protest in the strongest possible terms against Iceland's activities.

Culture, Media and Sport

2012 Olympics

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the impact on levels of London council tax of the 40 per cent. increase in costs since 2005 of the estimated costs of the London Olympic Games in 2012. [103188]

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the community charge premium paid by London residents towards the cost of the 2012 Olympic Games will increase in absolute terms if the projected cost of the games increases in line with current estimates. [103495]


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Tessa Jowell: The 2003 Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London provides for cost overruns to be met in a sharing arrangement to be agreed as appropriate between them. The memorandum makes no presumptions about the use of council tax, which is the responsibility of the Mayor of London. We are currently exploring a range of options and will report to Parliament when a resolution has been reached.

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the additional funding for the Olympic Games will be met by (a) national taxation, (b) London council tax payers, (c) the National Lottery and (d) reallocation of expenditure within her Department. [103477]

Tessa Jowell: Discussions to determine how additional costs are to be funded are ongoing. However, the 2003 Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London provides for cost overruns to be met in a sharing arrangement to be agreed as appropriate between them. The memorandum makes no presumptions about the use of council tax, which is the responsibility of the Mayor of London. I will report to Parliament when a resolution has been agreed.

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the community charge premium paid by London residents towards the cost of the 2012 Olympic games will be reflected in (a) preferential access and (b) discounted ticket sales. [103494]

Tessa Jowell: The ticketing policy for the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games will be developed over the coming years. The policy will take into account the objective that tickets should be accessible and affordable.

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings (a) she and (b) ministerial colleagues have had with organisations responsible for the 2012 Olympics. [103809]

Tessa Jowell: My Ministerial colleagues and I meet 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games stakeholders on a regular basis, including at monthly meetings of the Olympic Board which I co-chair.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what costs associated with the policing of the 2012 Olympics fall within the budget of the games. [101948]

Tessa Jowell: The budgets of the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games contain allowances for security, principally associated with site security. These costs are being reviewed, in parallel with the ongoing review of wider costs for security associated with the London 2012 games.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the total cost of holding the Olympics in 2012. [101951]


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Tessa Jowell: Costs of staging the Olympic games and Paralympic games are estimated at £2 billion. These costs will be incurred by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games. The estimated cost of building the Olympic park is £3.3 billion. This does not include associated infrastructure costs as part of the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley. Other costs associated with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games including, security, contingency and Olympic infrastructure are still under review. I will report these to Parliament when they have been agreed.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will provide a breakdown by main budget heading of the funding announced for the Olympic Delivery Partner. [104518]

Tessa Jowell [holding answer 28 November 2006]: Within the costs outlined at the Select Committee hearing on 21 November are not only the costs of the delivery partner but also the costs of site mobilisation, i.e. the costs of getting the team on site, including site accommodation, and the costs of new teams required by the ODA itself. The use of a delivery partner will help to ensure the highest levels of programme management and cost control.

Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that the 2012 Olympics benefit as many parts of the UK as possible in terms of (a) increased take-up of sport, (b) improved transport facilities and (c) increased tourism. [105994]

Tessa Jowell [holding answer 28 November 2006]: The Government are committed to ensuring that the whole of the UK benefits from the London 2012 Games. We are working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games which chairs a group of representatives from every Nation and region. Each Nation and region is developing plans to maximise the impact of the Games in their area. Specifically:

Olympic events will take place across the UK, as the Candidature File makes clear.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by her Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available. [104444]


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Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has never spent money on television advertisements.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her written ministerial statement of 21 November 2006, Official Report, column 27WS, on departmental expenditure limits and administrative costs limits for 2006-07, how many flagpoles were purchased; where the flagpoles have been erected; and if she will make a statement. [106109]

Mr. Lammy: The Department purchased 40 steel flagpoles in 2006-07 costing £186,296 (including VAT). These have been erected in the Mall. The 13.5 m poles are required to fly flags for ceremonial events such as state visits and trooping the colour The original timber poles were replaced for health and safety reasons as they were showing significant signs of decay.


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