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15 Jan 2007 : Column 823W—continued

On 29 December 2006 we issued a further statement following reports of human rights abuses committed by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), urging the RFMF to respect their citizens’ human rights and reiterating a call for a return to democracy.

We have made no representations for elections to be held, but have urged the military, and the interim government, to return to democracy as quickly as possible.


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We continue to discuss the situation in Fiji with our high commissions in Suva, Canberra and Wellington on a regular basis. We are also liaising closely with our EU partners and the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and the US in support of efforts to bring about a restoration of democracy and constitutional government in Fiji.

Gibraltar

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what request has been received from the Israeli Government for permission for Israeli military aircraft (a) to enter airspace over and (b) to land at Gibraltar. [115907]

Dr. Howells: The Government have not received any requests from the Israeli military to enter airspace over and land at Gibraltar.

India

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK Government’s position is on the recent US nuclear deal with India; what assessment she has made on whether the deal has any implications for nuclear proliferation; and if she will make a statement. [115277]

Dr. Howells: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 2 March last year, we warmly welcome the agreement on civil nuclear co-operation, as announced by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Singh. We believe that the deal can make a significant contribution to energy security, development, economic and environmental objectives for India and the international community, as well as represent a net gain for the non-proliferation regime.

We believe this agreement will bring India further into, and thereby strengthen, the broader nuclear non-proliferation framework, which is underpinned by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Bringing India towards the non-proliferation mainstream also allows us to engage with India on a full range of non-proliferation and arms control issues.

Intercepts

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have (a) asked for and (b) received from foreign Governments data from intercept activities on (i) elected UK representatives and (ii) members of the Royal household since 1 May 1997. [114894]

Margaret Beckett: I will reply to the hon. Member shortly.

Iraq

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK Government have made to the Government of Iraq on the circumstance of the application of the death penalty in respect of (a) Mr. Saddam Hussein and (b) other convicted Iraqi prisoners. [114526]


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Dr. Howells: We have expressed our serious concern about the unacceptable behaviour at Saddam Hussein’s execution on several occasions to Iraqi officials at the highest level in Baghdad, including the Iraqi Prime Minister. We have made clear the UK’s principled objection to the death penalty and stressed that any further executions that are implemented should be carried out with respect and dignity.

Libya

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Libya since 19 December 2006 on the sentencing to death of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor in relation to children being infected by HIV. [114779]

Dr. Howells: The presidency of the EU issued a statement in reaction to the verdict of the Libyan court on 19 December, reflecting UK concerns about this issue. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made separate representations to the Government of Libya about this. However, Ministers and senior officials raise the issue regularly with the Libyans and have done so throughout the trial process. I last did so with the Libyan Europe Minister on 28 November.

We remain concerned about the case, which is a tragedy for both the medical staff and the infected children and their families. We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue our efforts to encourage a solution to this case leading to the release of the medical staff.

Malta

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid and assistance she has provided to the Foulkes family in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency in relation to the return of property left in Malta following the death of a member of the family in that country. [114980]

Mr. Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 10 January, Official Report, column 588W. At the request of the Foulkes family, consular officials have liaised with the Maltese authorities to obtain and return personal items that belonged to Mr. Foulkes. The police authorities withheld some items of a technical nature to assist with their investigation. Once these are released we will seek to return them to the Foulkes family as soon as we are able.

Morocco

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on relations between Morocco and the United Kingdom. [115805]

Dr. Howells: The UK’s relations with Morocco continue to grow stronger.

The Government are committed to further broaden and deepen UK/Morocco co-operation. This includes supporting the Moroccan Government’s plans for economic and social development, and developing co-operation in areas of shared interest and concern,
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e.g. tackling the threat from international terrorism and the challenges presented by regional migration.

In order to take forward these objectives the UK and Morocco have set up an annual Ministerial Dialogue Forum between the two countries. I co-chaired the inaugural session in Rabat in June 2006 and look forward to a second round of the Forum in London later this year.

Nuclear Weapons

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the agreement with the US under which the UK acquires nuclear submarine-related technologies required by way of reciprocation the UK to support the US in armed conflicts under certain circumstances. [114892]

Mr. Hoon: No.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals her Department will present at the May 2007 Preparatory Committee meeting of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; and if she will make a statement. [115555]

Dr. Howells: The Government are strongly committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), which is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The UK is determined to make every effort to ensure that this review cycle results in a positive and substantive final document. We look forward to working with states parties, including allies and EU partners, before and during the May 2007 NPT Preparatory Committee where the groundwork for this can be laid. The UK statement to the Preparatory Committee will be placed in the Library of the House once it has been made.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she will attend the forthcoming preparatory committee meeting of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in Geneva in May; which (a) other ministers and (b) officials will attend; and if she will make a statement. [115556]

Dr. Howells: The UK delegation to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee in Vienna in May will be headed by Ambassador John Duncan, the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. He will be accompanied by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Trade and Industry. No decision has yet been made on Ministerial attendance. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (UIN 115555).

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) foreign policy and (b) diplomatic considerations support the Government's decision to commence the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system in 2006; and if she will make a statement. [115619]


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Dr. Howells: The foreign policy and diplomatic considerations relevant to the decision to maintain our deterrent are detailed in the December 2006 White Paper “The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Weapons”. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library of the House.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals her Department will present to the May 2007 Preparatory Committee meeting of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to reduce the arsenals of the declared nuclear weapons states. [115620]

Dr. Howells: The Government are strongly committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), which is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The UK is determined to make every effort to ensure that this review cycle results in a positive and substantive final document. We will work with allies and EU partners at the May 2007 NPT Preparatory Committee to lay the groundwork for this. We have already made a contribution by announcing, in the White Paper on the Future of the UK's Nuclear Deterrent, a further 20 per cent. cut in our warhead stockpile.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice she has received from her officials supporting the view that it is necessary to make a decision on Trident replacement in 2006; and if she will make a statement. [115641]

Dr. Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence jointly produced the White Paper on the Future of the UK's Nuclear Deterrent. FCO officials were closely involved in all the preparatory analysis, including the realistic life of the Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines and the time required to develop replacements. The outcome of these discussions was that if we were to maintain unbroken deterrent capability, decisions needed to be taken now on whether to replace those submarines.

OECD Anti-bribery Convention: UK Compliance

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the UK's record of compliance with the 1999 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti Bribery Convention; and what enquiries have been made by the OECD regarding UK compliance since the beginning of December 2006. [115164]

Mr. McCartney: The Working Group on Bribery (WGB) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) monitors implementation of the Anti-Bribery Convention through a system of peer review.

In its December 1999 “phase 1” evaluation of the UK's legislative compliance with the convention, the WGB said that it was


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The OECD conducted a follow-up review after the introduction of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, whose part 12 amended the scope of UK law as it relates to bribery. The WGB's “phase 1bis” evaluation, published in March 2003, concluded:

In a separate cycle of reviews, the WGB assesses all aspects of parties’ implementation of the convention—from awareness-raising to administrative processes and legal enforcement. The “phase 2” report on the UK was published in March 2005. It commended a number of aspects of our anti-bribery framework, such as employee whistleblower protection, the ability of the tax authorities to make spontaneous disclosures of suspicious information to law enforcement agencies and the wide scope of the “regulated sector” in our anti-money-laundering reporting regime. The report also noted the Government's support provided to a range of private sector and civil society anti-corruption initiatives. In addition, the report made a number of recommendations for further action, for example in our awareness-raising efforts, on investigation and prosecution and on working with the Crown dependencies and overseas territories. In line with the standard procedure, the UK gave an oral progress report to the WGB in March 2006 and we will be submitting a written report in March this year. I will place a copy of this report in the Library of the House after the WGB plenary discussion in March.

The chair of the working group wrote in December 2006 to explore the reasons for the Serious Fraud Office's decision to discontinue its investigation into bribery allegations against British Aerospace with respect to Saudi Arabia. Contacts with the chair continue and the UK delegation will discuss questions other delegations may have at the next plenary meeting on 16-18 January 2007.

Overseas Convictions and Arrests

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place for British consular staff to inform (a) the Home Office and (b) British police of convictions of British citizens (i) when they have been involved in a case and (ii) if they are notified locally of a case. [115877]

Dr. Howells: If we become aware, either through providing consular assistance or notification from the local authorities, that a British national has been convicted of a serious crime overseas, we notify the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which is a non-departmental body of the Home Office.

Palestine

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the Israeli Occupation Authority meets its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to ensure access of Palestinians to education in the Occupied Territories. [113022]


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Dr. Howells: We are concerned about the current movement restrictions placed on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. This includes the impact these restrictions have on Palestinian students. We regularly raise our concerns about freedom of movement restrictions in and between the West Bank and Gaza with the Government of Israel. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about this with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 2 January 2007.

Reframing the Debate

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated cost will be of the initiatives set out in the paper Reframing the Debate, prepared by the Government's Head of Communication, broken down by (a) programme, (b) staff and (c) other costs. [113831]

Mr. Hoon: There is no new budget or staff resource to implement these recommendations. The Government have always been committed to engaging with the UK public to generate greater awareness and a mature debate about EU issues. These recommendations are designed to improve the effectiveness of the Government's work in this area. They will be taken forward within existing staff and financial resources in the range of Government Departments whose work relates to the EU. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office budget for EU communications in financial year 2006-07 is £200,000.

Somalia

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made in response to calls from Somalia’s interim President for a speedy deployment of international peacekeepers; what discussions she has had with (a) the UK ambassador to the UN, (b) her counterparts from Security Council nations, (c) the British embassy in (i) Addis Ababa and (ii) Asmara and (d) British high commission in Nairobi. [114201]

Mr. McCartney: We support regional and African Union efforts to take forward the question of a Peace Support Mission in Somalia.

We are in constant contact directly, and via our posts in the region: The United Kingdom Mission to the UN in New York; and the UK Permanent Mission to the EU in Brussels; with African and other governments addressing the situation in Somalia.

We have discussed Somalia extensively with other members of the UN Security Council, which held a formal meeting on Somalia on 10 January.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made urging Somalia’s neighbour states to respect Somali sovereignty. [114207]

Mr. McCartney: We have urged all of Somalia’s neighbours to respect its sovereignty and to play a constructive role in bringing peace and stability to Somalia. We believe that the deployment of a regional force along the lines of United Nations Security
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Council Resolution 1725 will help to create the conditions for sustainable security in Somalia.

We have continually made it clear to all parties that we do not believe there can be an exclusively military solution to the situation in Somalia. Consequently we have consistently called for discussions to create a broad and representative government.


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