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26 Apr 2007 : Column 1256W—continued
Sports: Scotland
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the likely reduction in lottery funding for grass-roots sport in Scotland due to the funding requirement of the 2012 Olympics. [134133]
Mr. Caborn: Lottery money has always paid for a very wide range of sport projects from kit for local teams to investments in major stadia and sports halls. There is no accepted definition of what constitutes “grass roots” investment or otherwise in this range.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Africa: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received from the British ambassador to the United Nations following the Security Council briefing by the African Union Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare. [132586]
Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chaired an informal private meeting, bringing together all members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) with the UN Secretary-General and African Union (AU) chairperson on 16 April.
Following the meeting the UK, as UNSC president, issued a press statement on behalf of the council, welcoming the Government of Sudan’s acceptance of the heavy support package to the AU mission in Sudan. It also called on the Government of Sudan to facilitate the immediate deployment of the peacekeeping package, as agreed at the Addis Ababa and Abuja summits last November. It was agreed that the UNSC president would write to the UN Secretary-General to request funding for the package from the General Assembly. The UNSC members also called for an immediate ceasefire; a renewed political process; and an improvement in the humanitarian situation.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Angola
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the activities of Angolan military forces in territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Kahemba district; and if she will make a statement. [133158]
Mr. McCartney: Angolan forces are currently positioned in Kahemba on what they consider to be Angolan territory. The Congolese and Angolan Foreign and Interior Ministers have had discussions on the disputed territory of Kahemba and are committed to the peaceful resolution of the border dispute. An investigative commission went to Kahemba and will report to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Parliament in due course.
On 15 December 2006 Angola signed up to the Security, Stability and Development Pact for the Great Lakes region. With international partners we continue to call on the signatories to ratify the pact, resolve in a constructive manner their shared security and border problems, and ensure their territory is not used by armed groups to infringe on the sovereignty of others.
Mr. Kiyemba Mutale
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) reports she has received and (b) representations she has made to the Ugandan authorities on the assault of Mr. Kiyemba Mutale on 1 March; and if she will make a statement. [132984]
Mr. McCartney: Our high commission in Kampala is following the case of the alleged People’s Redemption Army suspects closely. We were concerned by the eye-witness and media reports of an assault on Mr. Mutale.
We have not made specific representations to the Government of Uganda about Mr. Mutale's case. However, on 5 March my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, raised our concerns about events on 1 March at the Ugandan High Court with the Ugandan high commissioner in London. Our high commissioner in Kampala, with other EU heads of mission, made representations to the acting Foreign Minister, Henry Okello Oryem, on 2 March, including on the violence used by the security forces, and again most recently with other EU heads of mission on 13 April with Foreign Minister Kutesa. We continue to press all sides to respect the rule of law, human rights and abide by the constitution.
Official Visits
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries do not receive an official welcome from the Government for their Ministers on official visits to the UK. [134091]
Mr. Hoon: Only Ministers who have been invited as guests of the Government receive an official welcome. On arrival in the UK they are met by a representative of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.
Sudan
Lynne Featherstone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department has taken to extend the arms embargo established under UN Security Council resolutions 1556 and 1591 in co-operation with the UN Panel of
Experts (a) to cover the whole of Sudan and (b) to reflect the full inventory of weapons held by all parties to the conflict. [133490]
Mr. McCartney: At a meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 April chaired by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, she made the case for further sanctions to press the Government of Sudan and rebel movements to abide by their agreements. We are discussing a draft UN Security Council Resolution with other Security Council members to extend the UN arms embargo to the whole of Sudan covering arms and related military material. If the Sudanese Government and rebels do not co-operate and fulfil their obligations, we must be prepared to take tougher measures.
Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of statements by the Sudanese Government that 3,000 United Nations peacekeepers will be allowed into Darfur; whether the deployment is to include (a) attack helicopters and (b) armoured personnel carriers to help African Union forces; under what remit these peacekeepers will serve; and if she will make a statement. [132598]
Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary welcomed the Sudanese acceptance of the UN’s heavy support package (HSP) for Darfur at a Security Council discussion on 16 April. However, it is only a step towards the full African Union (AU)/UN hybrid operation that was agreed six months ago in Addis Ababa. We are now looking to the Sudanese to ensure they honour their commitments through the speedy implementation of the HSP and hybrid force.
The HSP will include attack helicopters. Armoured personnel carriers are provided through a light support package which is already deploying. The HSP will prepare the way for a foil AU/UN hybrid force, as well as reinforce the police and civilian elements of the current AU mission.
Uganda: Armed Conflict
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of a new ceasefire agreement between the Ugandan Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA); what terms have been agreed between both parties; and what reports she has received from the United Nations Special Envoy Joachim Chissano on his meetings with the LRA leader. [132573]
Mr. McCartney: We are encouraged that the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was extended on 14 April. The parties have agreed that the LRA will assemble at a designated assembly point in southern Sudan by 25 May. The Juba peace talks are set to resume today. We call on all parties to remain focused on finding a peaceful resolution to this long-running conflict, and to implement their commitments.
The UN Special Envoy for LRA Affected Areas, former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, briefed the our high commissioner in Kampala along with other members of the international community, most recently on 15 April, following his meeting with LRA leaders on 13 April. We will continue to support his efforts.
Uganda: Human Rights
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment her Department has made of the human rights situation in Uganda; and if she will make a statement. [132987]
Mr. McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 19 January 2007, Official Report, columns 1409-410W.
We continue to raise our concerns with the Ugandan Government on the issues mentioned in my previous answer. Most recently, we have focused on:
the forced disarmament programme in Karamoja, where there have been serious allegations of human rights abuses; and
events surrounding the detention and treatment of the alleged People's Redemption Army suspects, where the violence used by the government forces at the Uganda High Court on 1 March to frustrate the decision of the High Court to grant the suspects bail had grave implications for the independence of the judiciary, respect for the rule of law and human rights in Uganda.
We will continue to press the Ugandan Government on the need to respect fully human rights.
Zimbabwe: Human Rights
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government have made to the United Nations Human Rights Council on (a) political and civil rights, (b) freedom of the press and (c) food provision in Zimbabwe. [132606]
Mr. McCartney: In my address to the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 13 March, I expressed the UK's utter condemnation of the violent repression of peaceful protesters on 11 March. The UK made a statement at the HRC on 29 March expressing our deep concern at events in Zimbabwe. We urged the Government of Zimbabwe to allow its people to express their political views without harassment, intimidation or violence and to repeal repressive legislation that curtails the freedom of the media, expression and association. We also confirmed our commitment to alleviate the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans caused by the Government of Zimbabwe's misgovernance by continuing to provide humanitarian assistance and food relief.
In addition, we urged the UN special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression and the UN special rapporteur on torture to visit Zimbabwe and report back to the HRC at its sixth session, and welcomed the commitment made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor the judicial process against Mr Tsvangirai and his colleagues.
Also on 29 March, 50 UN member states supported a statement by the EU presidency at the HRC expressing concern at the situation in Zimbabwe and, at our request, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs briefed the UN Security Council in New York on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe: Politics and Government
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations (a) she and (b) representatives of her Department have made to (i) Zimbabwean authorities and (ii) the Ugandan authorities on physical attacks on the leaders of the opposition in their countries; and if she will make a statement. [132986]
Mr. McCartney: On Zimbabwe, both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, have made statements condemning the violent and unwarranted action taken by that country's Government on 11 March and stating clearly that we hold Mugabe and his Government responsible for the safety of all those detained. The same strong message was delivered to the Zimbabwean ambassador in London when he was summoned by my noble Friend Lord Triesman on 13 March. I also condemned the Government of Zimbabwe in my address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 13 March, and both the UK and EU made similar statements of condemnation at the Human Rights Council on 29 March.
We are not aware of any recent physical attacks against leaders of the Ugandan opposition. However, in our contacts with the Government of Uganda and with Ugandan opposition parties, we continue to stress the importance of maintaining a pluralist democracy, developing civil society, and respecting the rule of law.
Constitutional Affairs
Electoral Register: Foreigners
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if the Government will take steps to require foreign individuals who register to vote to prove their nationality. [134189]
Bridget Prentice: All electors are required to state their nationality on the canvass form when registering to vote. Furthermore, electoral registers are available for public inspection and anyone who believes that an ineligible person has been included may object and notify the ERO who may then make further inquiries as to the eligibility of that individual. The Electoral Administration Act strengthened this process by:
Allowing any individual to object to another person’s registration details at any time.
Allowing an ERO to initiate and conduct a review of a person’s registration at any time.
Creating a new criminal offence of supplying false information or failing to supply information to the electoral registration officer at any time.
Giving the police more time to carry out investigations into electoral fraud (they may apply to court to have the normal one year limit for bringing prosecutions increased to two years, so long as there has been no undue delay in the investigation).
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2006, Official Report, column 1790W, on accident and emergency departments, in what format data relating to the catchment areas of accident and emergency departments are collected. [131940]
Andy Burnham: In terms of information on accident and emergency (A and E) departments, national health service trusts self-report the number of A and E services they provide against definitions set by the Department for the three types of A and E. This information is not available at the level of individual hospitals.
Population data are also available at the level of strategic health authorities.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007, Official Report, column 117W, on accident and emergency departments, what the evidential basis is for increasing consensus among professional bodies that a critical size of hospital is required to ensure that specialist facilities are available to treat all patients with emergency needs safely; and what the (a) date of publication and (b) professional body responsible is in each case. [131969]
Andy Burnham: Reports for example by Collins (1999) “Organisation of acute general services” Joint Consultants Committee, and from the Royal College of Surgeons (2006) “Delivering high quality surgical services for the future—a consultation document from the Royal College of Surgeons of England reconfiguration working party”, make reference to suggested catchment areas for hospitals and services that should be available.
Arun Community Hospital
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects rebuilding work to begin on Arun community hospital; and if she will make a statement on the Government’s policy on community hospitals. [132706]
Andy Burnham: We are committed to community hospitals where they represent the best solutions for local communities. As such we have set up a five-year, £750 million programme to support the development of community hospitals and services.
The future of Arun community hospital is a matter for the local national health service. I am informed by NHS South East Coast that the future configuration of
community hospitals, including Arun community hospital, is a key part of West Sussex primary care trust’s strategy. However, no decisions on the future of community hospitals in West Sussex will be made until the outcome of the “Creating an NHS fit for the future” consultation exercise for West Sussex is known.
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