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16 July 2007 : Column 29Wcontinued
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to publish a record of his activities on the Department's website; what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) staff time involved; and if he will make a statement. [148207]
Mr. Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's key activities are published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website on a regular basis. Costs for this are covered as part of the general maintenance of the FCO website; a specific breakdown of which is not available as it would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information. There are also plans to publish a blog on the same website.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of advertising commissioned by his Department in the last 12 months. [148519]
Mr. Jim Murphy: In 2006, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) conducted a review of recruitment procedures, which identified the most effective advertising media. At the end of each recruitment competition, information from applicants is assessed to determine the performance of each advertising medium and determine the most appropriate publications for advertisements.
The FCO makes use of cost savings offered by the Central Office of Information.
In accordance with Cabinet Office and Civil Service Commissioners' guidance, the FCO is moving towards placing the majority of job adverts online, although there will still be a need for press advertisements as not all the potential candidate pool will have access to the internet.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which his Department is responsible have been (a) investigated and (b) upheld in the last 12 months. [149253]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Informal complaints of any sort are dealt with through the line manager in the first instance and central figures are not held for those. Only if the issue cannot be resolved through the informal route are they logged centrally and dealt with as part of the formal grievance process.
There have been no formal complaints by Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff of racial abuse in the last 12 months.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on cyber-warfare. [149300]
Mr. Jim Murphy: This issue has not been raised by NATO Foreign Ministers, but it was discussed by NATO Defence Ministers at their meeting on 14-15 June, who agreed to work to enhance the ability to protect infrastructure systems of critical importance to the Alliance from cyber-attacks. Cyber-defence is also the subject of discussion at official level in NATO.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance is given to embassies and consulates on dealing with requests from people wishing to enter the UK. [149410]
Dr. Howells: All guidance given to embassies and consulates on dealing with applications from people wishing to enter the UK is published on the following websites:
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1034241195847.
The best practice guidance is currently under review and will be published through the same channels in due course.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Portuguese counterpart on the EU constitutional treaty. [148179]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The treaty establishing a constitution for Europe, on which the Government proposed a referendum, is now defunct. The mandate for a reform treaty agreed by the European Council states clearly:
The constitutional concept, which consisted in repealing all existing Treaties and replacing them by a single text called Constitution, is abandoned.
As my right hon. Friend the then Prime Minister (Mr. Blair) set out in his statement to Parliament on 25 June, the reform treaty will differ fundamentally from the constitutional treaty in its substance.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed a range of issues with his Portuguese counterpart, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, including EU institutional issues.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on counter-terrorism operations in Indonesia. [149175]
Dr. Howells: We have regular discussions with international partners who share our commitment to countering the terrorist threat in Indonesia. I visited Indonesia in March this year and had the opportunity to discuss these issues with Foreign Minister Hasan Wirajuda and Indonesian National Police Chief Sutanto.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he and Ministers in his Department have had with the EU on internet censorship; and what was discussed. [148444]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 10 July 2007]: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers have not, to date, had any EU meetings on internet censorship.
We are aware of the European Commissions plans to publish a proposal, in the autumn, to make it a criminal offence to place bomb-making instructions on the internet. A conference was held by the European Commission in March to discuss these proposals, at which officials from the Home Office and the FCO participated.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to Arab Governments to secure an end to attacks on Israel; what response has been received; and if he will make a statement. [149355]
Dr. Howells: The UK holds regular discussions with Arab Governments on ways to reduce violence in the Middle East, including attacks against Israel. These are often focused on efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), including those aimed at preventing attacks on Israel. In May we lobbied a number of regional Governments, drawing their attention to the provisions of UNSCR 1747 and seeking their support in implementing the provisions more effectively. Among other things, this resolution imposed a legally binding embargo on the export/transfer of all arms from Iran, including to Hezbollah and Palestinian rejectionist groups. We also regularly raise the implementation of UNSCR 1701, which brought an end to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. We enjoy the support of many Arab partners in our efforts to implement relevant UN Resolutions.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Pakistani authorities on the treatment of lawyers and the families of lawyers who defend those accused of apostacy, with particular reference to the Lahore area; and if he will make a statement. [149655]
Dr. Howells: We have not made any representations to the Pakistani authorities about the treatment of defence lawyers. We do receive regular updates from legal aid groups in Pakistan, including in Lahore, on the progress of their cases and the difficulties faced by the lawyers representing those accused.
In our latest representation to the Pakistani authorities in June, together with the EU, we raised our concerns about the proposed Apostasy Bill. The UK strongly supports freedom of religion and condemns
instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief, wherever this occurs and whatever the religion of the individual or group concerned.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Pakistani Government on the conflict at the Red Mosque in Islamabad. [149656]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the crisis in the Red Mosque in Islamabad with Pakistans Foreign Minister Kasuri on 4 July. Officials from our high commission in Islamabad have also had regular discussions with the Ministry of Interior, the National Crisis Management Cell and the police forces, to be briefed on the situation.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he has put in place to ensure that there is a Darfur-Darfur dialogue in place before the forthcoming peace talks in Mombasa. [149374]
Meg Munn: The peace talks in Mombasa are intended to bring together factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) to agree a common position on the Darfur political process. Not all factions have agreed to attend the Mombasa meeting.
The Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement has scheduled a meeting of all the rebel groups, including the SLM, and Darfuri civil society to take place in south Sudan in August. This will build on the Darfur-Darfur dialogue.
We, and our partners, are pressing all sides to commit to this renewed political process and to implement their commitments to the international community.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on Venezuela's oil supply offer to Iran. [149176]
Dr. Howells: On his recent visit to Iran, President Chavez signed a large number of co-operation agreements with the Iranian Government, including a number in relation to oil exploration and petrochemical production. It appears that the two Governments are now working on the exact detail of those agreements.
Our embassies in Caracas and Tehran will continue to monitor what emerges from this partnership.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has sought clarification of the policy of the Government of Portugal on whether to invite Robert Mugabe and other representatives of the Government of Zimbabwe to attend the EU-Africa summit in Portugal in December 2007. [149102]
Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Socrates of Portugal on 9 July and discussed the EU-Africa summit. They agreed that a diplomatic solution was needed regarding the matter of Zimbabwean representation.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what incentives she has considered to encourage staff to use public transport. [148807]
Mrs. McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
The main incentive the Department offers are interest-free loans for season tickets for travel to work. Use of public transport is encouraged by departmental policies including limited car parking, flexible working, using public transport during the course of travel and making use of travel websites and information services, such as Transport Direct. Staff are also informed about local transport initiatives and promotions. Where the location or nature of the work makes public transport use impractical for staff, car sharing is encouraged.
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the future role of (a) the Committee on Standards in Public Life and (b) the Business Appointments Committee. [149231]
Edward Miliband: Both the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments continue to play important roles in upholding standards in public life. The Ministerial Code published on 3 July strengthened the provisions relating to business appointments, making clear that Ministers must seek the advice of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and that they will be expected to abide by its advice. The Committee on Standards in Public Life is currently in discussion with Government about its forward programme of work.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will estimate how many faith-based organisations (a) received grants and (b) were contracted to deliver (i) local authority and (ii) central Government services in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [148710]
Phil Hope:
This information is not held centrally. The Government recognise the role which faith-based organisations play in delivering public services through grants and contracts with central and local government. The Government want to ensure that the range of community-based organisations, including faith-based groups, can access the support available to perform
their multiple roles of providing voice to citizens and in building communities. The Office of the Third Sectors Strategic Partners programme includes funding to some faith-based organisations to enable them to provide representative voice for the third sector, or an element of third sector activity, at national level, including on public service delivery issues.
The Third Sector Review, conducted jointly by HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office, as part of the 2007 comprehensive spending review, looking at the future role of the third sector in economic and social regeneration, held targeted events for faith groups as part of its consultation process in 2006. The review also received written representation from faith groups. The Government will seek to ensure continued dialogue with these and other groups and that all of the measures in the Third Sector Review, including the £80 million small grants fund announced in the Budget, will be as accessible as possible to a wide range of organisations.
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people in the former Deputy Prime Ministers Department were (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in the last 12 months. [149198]
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the requests made to the Cabinet Office under the (a) Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and (b) Environmental Information Regulations in the last six months; and what the (i) FOI case reference number, (ii) request summary, (iii) request outcome and (iv) where appropriate, reason for exemption was in each case. [148868]
Edward Miliband: Information relating to Freedom of Information and Environmental Information requests is published on a quarterly basis by the Ministry of Justice. Information for JanuaryMarch 2007 was published on 25 June 2007, Official Report, column 10WS. Copies of the document are in the Libraries of the House. Information for AprilJune 2007 is due to be published in the autumn.
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