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30 Apr 2007 : Column 1393W—continued
Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what steps her Department is taking to reach agreement on the proposed deployment of 20,000 UN peacekeeping troops in the Darfur region of Sudan; and if she will make a statement; [134141]
(2) what steps she is taking to facilitate Stage 3 of the agreement between the government of Sudan and the United Nations; and if she will make a statement. [134142]
Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chaired an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 April which welcomed the Sudanese Government’s agreement to the UN’s Heavy Support Package (the second stage of the agreement between the UN and the Government of Sudan). We are pressing them to agree to a joint African Union (AU)/UN Hybrid Force (the third stage). If the Sudanese Government and rebels do not co-operate, we will move to tougher sanctions.
We have seconded staff into the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations and are supporting their work through political lobbying. We are also a major contributor to the AU Mission in Sudan to keep it going until a joint AU/UN Hybrid Force can be deployed.
Sudan: Peace Negotiations
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has (a) made to and (b) received from the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan on the implementation of the revenue sharing commitments made in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. [134944]
Mr. McCartney: We continue to urge the joint North-South Government of National Unity to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in full. This was a key message for our intervention at the Sudan Consortium in Khartoum (19-21 March). The UK is also a member of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC). The AEC is tasked with monitoring CPA implementation and has four sub groups including one focused on wealth sharing. It is the main mechanism for dialogue between the international community and the CPA parties, and meets every month. We also engage both parties regularly on all elements of CPA implementation, including wealth sharing, through our bilateral representation in Khartoum and Juba.
On wealth sharing, I note that over US$1.8 billion of national oil revenue has been transferred to the Government of Southern Sudan. The Fiscal and Financial Monitoring and Allocation Commission has
also begun work on determining the division of revenues between the different tiers of government. But much more needs to be done.
Turkey: Ethnic Groups
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received on persecution of the Christian minority in Turkey. [134218]
Mr. Hoon: Our Embassy in Ankara reports regularly on human rights, including freedom of religion. We also receive reports from the European Commission and other international organisations. We are aware of attacks affecting Christian minority groups, including the murder of Father Andrea Santoro, a Catholic priest, in February 2006 and the attack on 18 April on three Christians at a publishing house in Malatya.
The Turkish Government have strongly condemned this recent attack and we continue to urge them to keep up momentum in human rights reforms and encourage them to ensure implementation of EU standards is full and consistent. This of course includes freedom of religion.
Uganda: Armed Conflict
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Ugandan authorities on the declaration by President Museveni and his Security Minister Amama Mbabazi that the People’s Redemption Army suspects will only be released if they apply for amnesty; and if she will make a statement. [134235]
Mr. McCartney: We continue to raise our wider concerns about the continued detention of the People’s Redemption Army suspects with the Government of Uganda. Most recently, our High Commissioner in Kampala, with other EU Heads of Mission, made representations about this issue to Foreign Minister Kutesa on 13 April.
We will continue to make representations until the Government of Uganda abides by the constitution and respects the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.
Uganda: Peace Negotiations
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department plans to take to help achieve a successful outcome to the peace talks between the Lord’s Resistance Army and Ugandan Government representatives due to commence in the week beginning 30 April; and if she will make a statement. [134139]
Mr. McCartney: Following interventions by UN Special Envoy Joaquim Chissano, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan Government have agreed to resume peace talks in Juba on 26 April. This is encouraging, as is the extension of the cessation of hostilities agreement until the end of June.
We believe that the peace talks in Juba between the LRA and the Government of Uganda offer the best
chance for many years to achieve peace. Through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool the UK has provided £250,000 to a UN fund set up to support the talks process and we have made it clear that we will consider any further requests for assistance very carefully.
Work and Pensions
Departments: Databases
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how often databases within his Department are updated with records of the deaths of individuals; and if he will make a statement. [133003]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions updated its databases with dates of death approximately 575,000 times in 2006. We have processes in place where we receive death notifications from Registrars on a weekly basis in order to update records. However, many notifications are received from the next of kin in advance of the notification from the Registrars.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has received from data suppression industry experts regarding data suppression technologies; and if he will make a statement. [133004]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Department's IT group has had no direct engagement with the data suppression industry regarding data suppression technologies.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on database suppression technology in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005 and (d) 2006; and if he will make a statement. [133005]
Departments: Planning
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are taken by his Department to include (a) older people and (b) people with disabilities in strategic planning, policy making and the delivery of the services they use. [132908]
Mrs. McGuire: The Government's strategy on older people and ageing, “Opportunity Age” was first published in March 2005. A series of consultation events at which the views and ideas of older people were sought has been invaluable in shaping that strategy.
DWP is piloting a “LinkAge Plus” programme, to test ways of building fully integrated services from health and benefits to leisure and learning. Eight pilots (led by local authorities) have been looking at ways of joining up government for older people. LinkAge Plus puts older people at the heart of the process in identifying effective models that meet their needs and aspirations and involves them in their design.
DWP also sponsors “Better Government for Older People”, comprising approximately 200 voluntary elected members from older people's forums and groups across the UK, which works to reflect the views of older people in policy making.
DWP engages in a range of ongoing involvement activities with disabled people to ensure that their needs and views are reflected in both policy making and service delivery. These are outlined in our disability equality schemes published on 1 December 2006.
The Department sponsored the creation of Equality 2025, a new non-departmental public body providing a mechanism through which disabled people can have direct communication with central Government to influence, at an early stage, Government policies and service delivery that affect disabled people's lives.
We also consult with disabled people to obtain their feedback on new policy proposals or changes as part of our diversity impact assessment process. The findings from such consultation help to influence the final decision on those proposals or changes.
Disability Living Allowance: Greater London
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals claimed disability living allowance in each London borough for each of the last five years. [133788]
Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
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