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10 Jan 2007 : Column 584W—continued

Departmental Hospitality

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her Department’s expenditure on hospitality and entertainment was in (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2005-06. [114074]

Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not keep centralised records of its overall expenditure on hospitality and entertainment worldwide.

The Government hospitality section of FCO services organises all official ministerial hospitality for the Government as a whole. In 1996-97 its costs amounted to approximately £430,000. In 2005-06 its costs amounted to £809,000, a figure which reflects increased activity due to the joint presidencies of the EU and the G8.


10 Jan 2007 : Column 585W

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the budget of the Government hospitality section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was in each year since 1997-98. [114076]

Mr. Hoon: The budget for Government hospitality’s service is drawn from the grant in aid payment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) that funds both Government hospitality and VIP visits section, FCO services. This figure has not changed since 1997-98 and remains at £1.8 million.

Embassies and High Commissions

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which UK (a) embassies and (b) high commissions cases involving the fraudulent diversion of public funds were discovered in 2006; and on what dates the discoveries were made. [113711]

Mr. Hoon: In accordance with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Fraud Policy, the following frauds committed at embassies, high commissions, consulate generals, and deputy high commissions were reported to the FCO’s Financial Compliance Unit in 2006:

Location Amount (£)

January

British Embassy Tirana, Albania

6,500

February

British Consulate General Ekaterinburg, Russia

1,200

April

British Embassy Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

17,000

June

British Consulate General Osaka, Japan

25,000

July

British Embassy Santo Domingo, Dominic Republic

186,000

August

British Consulate General Sao Paulo, Brazil

<1,000

November

British Embassy Moscow, Russia

<1,000


Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) embassies and (b) high commissions were visited by her departmental internal audit teams in 2006; and on what dates such audits were carried out. [113712]

Mr. Hoon: The following Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas posts were subject to internal audit in 2006:


10 Jan 2007 : Column 586W
Location

January

Brasilia, Port of Spain, Rabat, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

February

Brussels, Casablanca, Panama City, Ljubljana, San Jose, Santo Domingo

March

Athens, Kinshasa, Sofia

April

None

May

Kabul, Tallinn, Harare, Kampala, Addis Ababa, Lusaka

June

Moscow, Paris, Copenhagen, Luxembourg

July

Zagreb

August

Stockholm

September

Accra, Kiev, Baku, Belgrade, Nicosia, Dushanbe

October

Lagos, Bratislava, Luanda, Minsk

November

Hanoi, Manila, Maputo, Port Louis, Taipei, Gaborone

December

Jeddah, Mexico City, Riyadh


John Foulkes

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has raised the case of the death of John Foulkes in Malta with the authorities in that country. [113939]

Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot interfere in the judicial processes of other countries nor does it have any investigative function. However, consular officials have, at the request of Mr. Foulkes’ family, been in regular contact with the police authorities and the Attorney-General’s office in Malta. Most recently, consular officials spoke with the police officer who is leading the investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Foulke’s death on 30 November 2006. On the same date our officials enquired about a letter that had been sent to the Attorney-General’s office by the Foulkes family.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance has been provided to Emily Foulkes of Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency in relation to the death of a family member in Malta. [113940]

Mr. Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave him today (UIN 113939). Consular officials have been in regular contact with Emily Foulkes and have provided her with all the information that they can. We have advised that it will be necessary to appoint legal representation in Malta to act on the family’s behalf. We have also been able to obtain and return some of Mr. Foulkes’ personal effects to his family.

South Africa

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the South African Government since South Africa’s accession to the United Nations Security Council. [113852]

Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary congratulated the South African Government shortly after South Africa’s election to the UN Security Council for 2007-08. A South African delegation subsequently visited London in October 2006 for useful discussions with senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on a range of Security Council issues. We will keep in close touch with South Africa throughout their membership of the Council.


10 Jan 2007 : Column 587W

Staff Grievances

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date her Department received the Report of the National Audit Office of 4 December 2006, into Handling Staff Grievances at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and what the reason was for the delay in placing the report (a) on her Department’s intranet site and (b) in the Library. [113706]

Mr. Hoon: A paper copy of the report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Grievance Procedures was received on 5 December. The NAO was also asked to supply an electronic version for the FCO’s intranet site. This was received on 18 December and added to the intranet on 19 December. The report was made available to staff through the weekly bulletin the next day.

Copies of the NAO report were placed in the Library of the House on 20 December, the date on which it was announced to FCO staff through the intranet.

Treasury

Budget: Polling

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public opinion research was
10 Jan 2007 : Column 588W
undertaken for the 2006 (a) Budget and (b) pre-Budget report; what the cost was of each poll; and which company conducted each one. [109990]

John Healey: HM Treasury has not undertaken any public opinion research to the Budget 2006 or the 2006 pre-Budget report.

GDP

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what gross domestic product per capita was in each local authority area in (a) 1979, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) the latest year for which figures are available. [108167]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 January 2007:


10 Jan 2007 : Column 589W

10 Jan 2007 : Column 590W

10 Jan 2007 : Column 591W

10 Jan 2007 : Column 592W
Gross Domestic Product by county at factor cost: current prices
Gross Domestic Product per head (£)
1977 1979 1981 1984 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995

United Kingdom( 1)

2,256

2,955

3,626

4,611

6,160

7,585

8,481

9,282

10,199

North East

2,134

2,684

3,436

4,119

5,280

6,468

7,229

7,963

8,683

Cleveland

2,484

3,098

3,794

4,531

5,688

7,217

7,581

8,262

9,174

Durham

1,816

2,364

3,228

3,553

4,787

6,062

6,618

7,217

8,001

Northumberland

1,795

2,216

3,153

3,918

4,860

6,062

6,365

7,143

8,294

Tyne and Wear

2,215

2,768

3,445

4,268

5,451

6,423

7,617

8,436

8,913

North West (GOR) and Merseyside

2,181

2,841

3,525

4,414

5,847

7,045

7,720

8,458

9,277

North West (GOR)

2,200

2,863

3,555

4,539

6,122

7,376

8,094

8,827

9,737

Cheshire

2,443

3,136

3,832

4,975

6,630

8,166

8,781

10,195

11,403

Cumbria

2,172

2,751

3,739

4,978

7,320

8,272

9,199

9,682

10,650

Greater Manchester

2,238

2,939

3,554

4,519

6,081

7,101

7,801

8,479

9,279

Lancashire

1,976

2,573

3,302

4,126

5,430

7,025

7,774

8,228

9,110

Merseyside

2,113

2,763

3,412

3,965

4,834

5,812

6,317

7,060

7,513

Yorkshire and the Humber

2,145

2,749

3,393

4,272

5,764

6,962

7,764

8,348

9,300

Humberside

2,149

2,762

3,228

4,281

5,978

7,385

8,055

8,699

9,587

North Yorkshire

2,019

2,600

3,387

4,876

6,141

7,348

8,584

9,481

10,242

South Yorkshire

2,197

2.828

3.448

3,905

5,143

6,106

6,864

7,077

7,719

West Yorkshire

2,152

2,741

3,429

4,299

5,939

7,189

7,922

8,602

9,832

East Midlands

2,189

2,842

3,474

4,541

6,062

7,449

8,273

8,978

9,791

Derbyshire

2,143

2,711

3,305

4,264

5,579

6,866

7,673

8,114

9,183

Leicestershire

2,217

2,939

3,710

4,918

6,742

8,168

8,835

9,687

10,791

Lincolnshire

2,120

2,673

3,235

4,278

5,351

6,740

7,757

8,651

9,288

Northamptonshire

2,146

2,771

3,157

4,689

6,351

7,957

8,711

9,855

10,642

Nottinghamshire

2,267

3,011

3,735

4,534

6,155

7,477

8,384

8,837

9,265

West Midlands

2,198

2,844

3,322

4,191

5,630

7,009

7,861

8,615

9,567

Hereford and Worcestershire

1,957

2,493

2,844

3,925

5,153

6,366

7,311

8,137

9,823

Shropshire

1,920

2,501

2,838

3,946

5,086

6,557

7,643

8,528

9,826

Staffordshire

1,957

2,555

3,102

4,010

5,372

6,774

7,124

7,474

8,374

Warwickshire

1,670

2,339

3,181

3,981

5,847

7,404

8,422

9,004

10,288

West Midlands (Met. county)

2,469

3,171

3,628

4,400

5,896

7,265

8,228

9,139

9,800

Eastern

2,168

2,841

3,371

4,522

5,957

7,463

8,180

81891

9,773

Bedfordshire

2,266

2,913

3,361

4,625

6,091

7,977

8,552

9,143

9,936

Cambridgeshire

2,310

3,004

3,521

5,424

6,905

8,492

9,172

10,243

11,864

Essex

1,941

2,711

3,149

3,914

5,220

6,589

7,092

7,769

8,728

Hertfordshire

2,427

3,109

3,803

4,953

6,616

6,079

8,937

9,573

10,297

Norfolk

2,109

2,673

3,266

4,361

5,773

7,227

8,063

8,704

9,065

Suffolk

2,155

2,704

3,211

4,526

5,859

7,430

8,423

9,128

9,963

London

3,165

4,346

5,482

6,530

8,975

11,017

12,162

13,432

14,250

South East (GOR)

2,055

2,761

3,358

4,515

6,046

7,663

8,672

9,545

10,602

Berkshire

2,611

3,492

3,953

5,388

7,464

9,476

11,153

12,757

13,644

Buckinghamshire

2,020

2,684

3,088

4,954

6,534

6,595

9,621

10,479

11,933

East Sussex

1,634

2,212

2,812

3,726

4,742

5,946

6,463

6,981

7,709

Hampshire

2,236

3,121

3,778

4,825

6,226

7,567

8,758

9,569

10,852

Isle of Wight

1,729

2,231

2,580

3,712

4,841

5,673

6,256

6,269

7,002

Kent

1,984

2,584

3,156

4,002

5,419

6,925

7,811

8,181

9,441

Oxfordshire

2,122

2,745

3,213

4,755

6,256

6,002

9,091

10,510

11,097

Surrey

1,875

2,602

3,479

4,574

6,272

6,207

9,261

10,467

11,046

West Sussex

1,969

2,567

3,116

4,291

6,102

7,756

8,312

9,180

10,505

South West

2,078

2,693

3,266

4,387

5,625

7,170

8,074

8,837

9,792

Avon

2,307

3,001

3,675

4,814

6,437

7,857

8,983

9,786

10,790

Cornwall

1,719

2,191

2,665

3,512

4,616

5,747

6,087

6,733

7,511

Devon

1,938

2,496

3,096

4,064

5,112

6,483

7,344

8,128

6,966

Dorset

1,992

2,592

2,948

4,162

5,656

6,916

7,877

8,345

9,207

Gloucestershire

2,231

2,996

3,629

4,780

6,556

7,883

8,663

9,489

10,623

Somerset

2,027

2,558

3,194

4,346

5,807

7,217

7,711

8,452

9,349

Wiltshire

2,209

2,847

3,451

4,865

6,562

6,031

9,487

10,519

11,730

Wales

1,966

2,517

3,045

3,966

5,222

6,562

7,234

7,676

6,601

Clwyd

1,748

2,227

2,577

3,994

5,654

7,055

7,891

8,349

9,579

Dyfed and Powys

1,914

2,644

2,992

3,901

4,927

5,879

6,441

7,051

7,384

Gwent

1,947

2,443

2,965

3,926

5,367

6,659

7,198

7,960

6,979

Gwynedd

1,802

2,243

2,795

3,611

4,979

6,066

6,591

6,883

7,772

Mid Glamorgan

1,734

2,244

2,806

3,339

4,561

5,712

5,871

5,770

6,864

South Glamorgan

2,426

3,029

3,704

5,236

6,622

6,166

9,518

10,502

11,649

West Glamorgan

2,232

2,764

3,516

3,831

5,345

6,544

7,438

7,536

8,247

Scotland

2,190

2,802

3,589

4,440

5,826

7,113

8,269

9,148

10,224

Borders

2,274

2,684

3,316

3,902

5,466

6,079

6,949

7,870

9,003

Central

2,255

3,054

3,797

4,033

5,351

6,760

7,329

7,880

9,265

Dumfries and Galloway

2,210

2,671

2,496

4,248

5,337

6,556

7,513

8,776

9,555

Fife

2,249

2,836

3,615

4,368

5,307

6,375

7,333

7,497

8,314

Grampian

2,489

3,269

4,206

6,026

7,338

9,059

11,952

12,982

13,566

Highlands and Islands

2,222

2,738

3,595

4,268

5,504

6,098

7,529

7,742

8,298

Lothian

2,249

3,008

3,839

4,994

6,766

8,451

9,637

11,367

12,656

Strathclyde

2,099

2,662

3,403

4,083

5,472

6,670

7,549

8,254

9,483

Tayside

2,150

2,630

3,367

4,213

5,504

6,736

7,676

8,781

9,611

Northern Ireland

1,805

2,335

2,813

3,702

4,784

5,832

6,930

7,620

8,423

(1) Excluding the Continental Shelf region and the statistical discrepancy of the income based measure
Note:
Data published in January 1998 and consistent with National Accounts Blue Book 1997

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