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4 Dec 2006 : Column 70W—continued
A number of definitions of conflict, including of civil war, have been proposed by academics, usually as the basis for statistical analysis of the incidence and effect of conflicts. We have made some use of statistics based on particular definitions of conflict, for example in relation to the 2002 Public Service Agreementfor the joint FCO-Ministry of Defence-Department for International Development Conflict Prevention Pools. Measurement of success in delivering this Public
Service Agreement was based on data produced by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, both of which use a definition of ‘major armed conflict’ referring to the use of armed force resulting in more than 1,000 battle-related deaths in a year. These statistical measurements were found to be unhelpful in determining the success of policies within the Conflict Prevention Pools and were not carried over into the 2004 Public Service Agreement.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received on the discovery by a United Nations human rights team of a mass grave in an army camp in eastern Ituri district in the Democratic Republic of Congo; what steps the UK is taking to aid the military prosecutors in their investigations; and if she will make a statement. [106738]
Mr. McCartney: Our embassy in Kinshasa has been in touch with the MONUC UN peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) team who are investigating the discovery of three mass graves in Ituri district, eastern DRC. Our mission in New York is also in touch with the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations. MONUC’s investigations are at an early stage and ongoing.
MONUC is providing logistical support to Congolese military prosecutors to aid their investigations. Two people have already been arrested in connection with these deaths. We will urge the Congolese political and military authorities to ensure that full investigations and prosecutions can be carried out.
Departmental Staff
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001. [104465]
Mr. Hoon: Data on the disabled status of civil servants, for the years requested, are available on the civil service website. The latest available data are, at April 2005, together with previous years' data, found at the following website addresses:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls
for data as at April 2004; and
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/index.asp
for previous reporting periods.
Declaration of a disability is voluntary.
Although figures for 2006 are yet to be published, figures produced internally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for 1 April 2006 record 186 staff who have declared a disability. This represents 3 per cent. of the FCO workforce.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in encouraging applications for jobs in her Department from the widest possible range of backgrounds. [106957]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to employing a diverse workforce which fully reflects the society it serves. To achieve this, we have adopted a more extensive recruitment outreach strategy during 2006, which has included attending large-scale national careers events; taking part in community business events; hosting an annual in-house careers open day; and operating a range of work experience schemes.
This new strategy has lead to a substantial increase in applications at Bands Al (administrative assistant) and B3 (executive officer). Recruitment campaigns are staged throughout the year but recent recruitment statistics show that applications at both levels have more than doubled during the course of the period.
| Applications received | |
The FCO plans to build on this in 2007 by increasing the number of work experience places from 45 to 68 and by expanding the number of in-house careers events from one to three per year.
Food Intervention Stocks
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which organisations received supplies of food from intervention stocks under Commission Regulation 1539/2006 in the last year for which data are available. [101128]
Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.
The UK withdrew from the scheme in 1996 and we do not hold the information requested.
India
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had recently with the Indian High Commissioner on strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links between the United Kingdom and India; and if she will make a statement. [105948]
Dr. Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in regular contact with the Indian High Commissioner and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed these and other issues with the Prime Minister of India and other Indian Government Ministers during her visit to India in November and during the UK India summit in London in October.
Commercial, cultural and educational links play a crucial role in maintaining and developing the bilateral relationship. Strengthening these links will also play a key role in pushing forward the economic growth of both the UK and India.
Indian Subcontinent
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many spouses and fiancé(e)s from each of the countries of the Indian sub continent were given entry clearance to the UK in each year between 2000 and 2005. [107050]
Dr. Howells: The information requested by the hon. Member is set out in the following table. UKvisas cannot produce relevant statistics for 2000 and 2001 owing to insufficient data from the UKvisas Central Referencing System.
| Spouse and fiancé(e) visas issued between 2002 to 2005 in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal | |||
| Calendar year | Wives | Husbands | Fiancé(e) |
| Source: 2002-03 Central Referencing System 29 November 2006 2004-05 MSR screen on CRS | |||
Kashmir
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the death of Sohail Faisal on the peace process in Kashmir. [107104]
Dr. Howells: Following the death of Sohail Faisal, I have seen Indian media reports suggesting that he was involved in exploring ways to call a militant ceasefire in Kashmir. I cannot comment on the accuracy of these reports.
The Government welcome all efforts aimed at establishing sustainable peace in Kashmir.
Kimberley Process Plenary Meeting
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether UK officials attended the recent Kimberley Process Plenary meeting; and what assessment she has made of the outcome of the meeting. [106886]
Mr. McCartney: Botswana hosted this year's Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) plenary meeting on 6-9 November. Representatives of the 47 participants and observers from industry and civil society attended. The Manager of the Government Diamond Office (GDO), represented the UK. The GDO is a section within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The principal outcomes of the Plenary were as follows:
acceptance that there might be credible indications that Ghana had not complied with its Kimberly Process (KP) obligations. It must take immediate steps to ensure its internal controls are fully compliant. A report must be made to the KP Chair by 15 January 2007 on their progress in this, and a KP review mission will take place in Ghana by 28 February 2007 to assess the level of compliance of internal controls (Mali is not a participant in the KP);
agreement to a request that Venezuela ask for a review visit from the Working Group on Monitoring by the end of 2006 to consider the level of compliance of internal controls; and
election of India as Vice-Chair for 2007, becoming Chair in 2008.
The Government consider that this was a very successful plenary meeting, which concluded in an optimistic atmosphere of strong co-operation between Government, business and civil society. The decisions on Ghana and Venezuela demonstrate the seriousness with which the KPCS takes allegations of non-compliance, and that we will work to address any problem areas.
Kosovo
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the decision by United Nations special envoy Martti Ahtisaari to delay his recommendations on Kosovo's future until after the Serbian elections; and if she will make a statement. [103409]
Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), the Minister for Europe, released a statement, supporting United Nations Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's decision to present his proposals to the parties without delay after parliamentary elections in Serbia, shortly after that decision was announced. I will place a copy in the Library of the House and will also send a copy to the right hon. Member.
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