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5 Jun 2007 : Column 454W—continued
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate has been made of the value of the Department’s property portfolio. [139378]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s estate was valued at £1.2 billion as at 31 March.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [139458]
Mr. Hoon: The total amount paid in rent for office space, residential accommodation and other buildings for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Wilton Park Executive Agency for the last five financial years for which figures are available are listed in the table. FCO Services became an Executive Agency of the FCO on 1 April 2006 and is included in the FCO figures.
| £ | |||
| FCO Overseas | FCO UK | Wilton Park | |
Departments: Recruitment
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much her Department and its agencies paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997. [140036]
Mr. Hoon: The following costs relate to services provided by consultants to both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and FCO Services (an executive agency of the FCO):
| Costs (£) | |
Information on recruitment consultants costs prior to April 2001 have not been provided as this would incur disproportionate cost.
Egypt: Politics and Government
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the ability of opposition political parties in Egypt to be able to operate freely in accord with accepted international standards. [140144]
Dr. Howells: The picture is mixed: while there have been some positive developments, opposition parties are in practice considerably more constrained than the ruling National Democratic party.
Specifically, several new parties were licensed in 2004 and 2005 and in May this year a licence was granted to the new Democratic Front party. But applications from a number of other parties were refused earlier in the year on the grounds that they did not meet the technical requirements. Most political parties operate their own newspapers. All licensed parties were allowed to put forward a candidate in the presidential elections in 2005. Other political movements have managed to secure election to the People’s Assembly as “independents”. A number of parties have declined to run candidates in the Shura Council elections this June.
Estonia: Russia
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the Estonian government on Estonia's relations with Russia. [140081]
Mr. Hoon:
The Estonian Foreign Minister briefed my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other EU Foreign Ministers on Estonia's relations with Russia at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 14 May. Our ambassador in
Tallinn has held more detailed discussions with the Estonian Government on relations with Russia.
Global Opportunities Fund
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries were eligible for human rights projects funding under the Global Opportunities Fund in each of the last five years. [139948]
Mr. Hoon [holding answer 4 June 2007]: The current Foreign and Commonwealth Office global opportunities fund human rights programme is global. Priority countries are identified through strategies on the key human rights issues the programme addresses: abolition of the death penalty, child rights, criminal justice and freedom of expression. In 2007-08, over 50 countries are eligible as priorities for one or more of the key issues. A full list can be found in the GOF human rights strategy at:
The GOF sustainable development programme (2005-07) had 30 eligible countries for human rights projects. The GOF human rights, democracy and good governance programme (2004-05) targeted countries under each of its thematic priorities, but did not establish a list of eligible countries.
All GOF programmes have the flexibility to be able to respond to project proposals from any country, if the proposal has a clear regional impact or can act as a pilot project.
Several other GOF programmes such as Reuniting Europe and Engaging with the Islamic World also support some human rights projects. Funding for human rights related activities is also provided from our public diplomacy fund, Chevening programme, the global conflict prevention pool and directorate programme budgets. The FCO also provides grant-in-aid to organisations that carry out human rights related activity such as the BBC World Service, the British Council and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
Ilois: Resettlement
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will review the Government’s policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory in the light of the recent Appeal Court decision concerning the Chagos islanders; and if she will make a statement. [140123]
Mr. Hoon: Ministers will consider the 23 May judgment of the Court of Appeal carefully and have in this regard asked officials for further advice. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reserves the right to petition the House of Lords to grant permission to appeal, as she is entitled to do within one month. The Government’s policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory therefore remains the subject of possible ongoing legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Chagossians will be permitted to return to the Chagos islands. [140481]
Mr. Hoon: The effect of the 23 May judgement of the Court of Appeal is that the Chagossians may return to the Chagos islands without prior authorisation, with the exception of Diego Garcia.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the inhabitants of the Chagos islands who were deported will be given the opportunity for (a) compensation and (b) other remedy. [140482]
Mr. Hoon: The Chagossians have already received compensation to the value of £14.5 million at today’s prices through two payments made in the early 1970s and 1982.
In 2004, the Court of Appeal accepted these payments as being in full and final settlement of all claims.
Iraq: Capital Punishment
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the government of Iraq on its use of the death penalty. [139779]
Dr. Howells: Since the Iraqi interim Government re-introduced the death penalty with effect from 7 August 2004, the United Kingdom, together with the European Union, has regularly raised our policy of opposition to the use of the death penalty at the highest level, including with the Iraqi President and Prime Minister. Most recently we have pressed the government of Iraq regarding the cases of a number of women sentenced to death and following Amnesty International's 2007 report (published in April) which highlighted the increasing use of the death penalty in Iraq.
Iraq: Internally Displaced Persons
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to assist Iraqis who are currently displaced inside and outside Iraq. [139780]
Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
We are very concerned about the increasing number of people displaced by the Iraq conflict. We are working closely with the UN and the Red Cross to ensure that humanitarian agencies are adequately resourced.
In 2007, DFID has provided £10 million in support of humanitarian relief efforts to help vulnerable groups, including those displaced in Iraq and across the region. This includes a £7 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross;a £1 million contribution to the International Organization for Migration to support internally displaced people; a £1.5 million contribution to the UN High Commission for Refugees'
appeal to support displaced Iraqis in the region; and a £500,000 contribution towards the setting up of a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordination office in Amman and Baghdad, to help support the Iraqi government's efforts and facilitate a coherent international response to the situation. Since 2003, we have contributed over £125 million for humanitarian assistance to Iraq.
Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the United States Administration on the future of Ashraf city, Iraq. [139226]
Dr. Howells: Officials from our embassy in Baghdad have discussed the future of Camp Ashraf in the course of regular contacts with their US counterparts. We have made it clear both to the US and to the Government of Iraq that any future action taken in relation to the camp should respect the rights of the individuals involved.
Japan: Dolphins
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she last spoke to her Japanese counterpart about the killing of dolphins by Japanese fishermen in Taiji; and if she will make a statement. [140390]
Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with her Japanese counterpart about the killing of dolphins by Japanese fishermen in Taiji.
Japan: Whales
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she had about whaling and the forthcoming International Whaling Commission meeting with the Japanese government during her recent visit to Japan; and if she will make a statement. [139925]
Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had no discussions about whaling during her recent visit to Japan.
Kashmir
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with European counterparts on the recent European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee report on Kashmir. [140321]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the European Parliament Report with any of her European counterparts. The report represents the views of the European Parliament.
Kosovo
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Serbian counterpart on the future of Kosovo. [140217]
Mr. Hoon: I discussed the Kosovo status process with President Tadic, Prime Minister Kostunica and Foreign Minister Draskovic in Belgrade on 7 February. I also spoke to President Tadic following the formation of Serbia's new Government on 15 May. The political director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office discussed Kosovo with President Tadic, Prime Minister Kostunica and several of Serbia's new ministerial team during a visit to Belgrade on 21 May.
Nuclear Weapons: Treaties
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government plan to sign up to the draft nuclear weapons convention lodged with the UN. [140243]
Dr. Howells: The Government consider the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) to be the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the framework for nuclear disarmament. The UK has an excellent record in implementing its disarmament obligations under article VI of the NPT and is committed to working towards a safer world in which there is no requirement for nuclear weapons. The Government do not support any new process, including a nuclear weapons convention, which could risk cutting across the existing NPT regime.
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