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16 Oct 2007 : Column 999W—continued
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the expenditure on Chevening Scholarships was in each year since 1997. [157556]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Details for the eight academic years from 1998-99 to 2005-06 are given in the Chevening Programme Annual Report for each year. The reports are available at: http://www.chevening.com/about/reports/. They will also be placed in the Library of the House. There was no annual report for 1997-98 and we do not have accurate financial statistics for that year, but the cost was about £29 million. In academic year 2006-07 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent £29.7 million on Chevening Scholarships and a further £3.6 million on Chevening Fellowships. The figure for Scholarships includes £3.5 million spent on Central Jointly Funded Scholarships.
Cyprus
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when an official from the British High Commission in Cyprus last visited the closed area of Famagusta; and what reports of that visit he received. [157333]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Officials from our high commission in Nicosia last visited the closed area of Varosha in 2006 in connection with properties within Varosha owned by British citizens. They reported accordingly thereafter.
David Manning: Gifts
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse was of the function organised by UK ambassador to the US Sir David Manning to mark the 50th birthday of Condoleezza Rice; and what the cost of the dress presented to her on that occasion was. [157825]
Dr. Howells: The dinner in question was held in honour of US Secretary of State Rice and attended by the President, First Lady and other senior figures. There were 111 guests and the cost was US$9,512.05.
Departments: Public Bodies
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) executive
non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), (c) advisory NDPBs, (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations in each financial year since 2005-06. [156630]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Details of these bodies are available in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Annual Reports for the relevant years, the FCO's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) website (www.fco.gov.uk/ndpbs), the List of Ministerial Responsibilities (which is published by Cabinet Office on a regular basis and lists all executive agencies) and Public Bodies 2006 (which lists all NDPBs for 2005-06). However, for ease of reference the FCO bodies are listed as follows:
The FCO had only one executive agency, Wilton Park, in 2005-06. From 1 April 2006 the FCO's list of executive agencies increased to include both Wilton Park and FCO Services.
Since 2005-06 the FCO had the following executive NDPBs:
British Association for Central and Eastern Europe;
The British Council;
Great Britain China Centre;
Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission;
Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
Since 2005-06 the FCO had the following advisory NDPBs:
Diplomatic Service Appeal Board;
Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine;
Wilton Park Academic Council.
Since 2005-06 the FCO had the following tribunal NDPB:
Foreign Compensation Commission.
The FCO does not currently have any Trading Funds.
Since 2005-06 the FCO has had only one public corporation, the BBC World Service, although the British Council is also classified as a public corporation by HM Treasury for budgeting purposes only.
Departments: Public Expenditure
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will break down in (a) near cash and (b) non-cash terms columns 1 to 8 of the subhead detail tables for his Department contained in the (i) main estimate, (ii) winter supplementary estimate and (iii) spring supplementary estimate for financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08. [155999]
Mr. Jim Murphy:
The information in the Part II: Subhead detail table of our Supply Estimates is not broken down by near-cash/non-cash. There are no other published documents that provide a near-cash/non-cash breakdown of this data, though the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) publication (copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House) provides a useful near-cash/non-cash Departmental Expenditure Limit split (DEL) (see Tables 1.6, 1.7 and 2.1 of PESA 2007 for data for years 2001-02 to 2007-08). However, we have been able to
provide a near-cash/non-cash split against the columns in the Part II: Subhead detail table in our estimate by showing the non-cash items for each estimate against the relevant column. All other columns are near-cash.
Columns 1 to 8 of the subhead detail tables for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contained in the main estimate, winter supplementary estimate and spring supplementary estimate for financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08 are all near-cash except where shown in the following table:
| £000 | |||
| Main estimate | Winter supplementary | Spring supplementary | |
| (1) No estimate taken. | |||
The aforementioned data is HM Treasury re-classifications and so will be on a different basis year on year. Detailed notes on reclassifications have been provided in the FCO Annual Reports for the years in question.
Data taken from Supply Estimates or resource accounts are not necessarily readily compatible with a near-cash/non-cash split, which is used only within the DEL budgetary controls applied by HM Treasury. The ability of Departments to provide such a split will depend partly on the extent of reconciliations between voted provision and budgetary limits.
Egypt: Prisoners
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the recent jailing and fining of independent journalists and editors-in-chief in Egypt. [157328]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this issue with his Egyptian counterpart. Our ambassador in Cairo, however, has raised our concerns with Ministers and officials in the Egyptian Government. There have been positive developments in freedom of expression in Egypt in recent years, but we are concerned by recent events. We will continue to raise this issue with the Egyptian Government when appropriate.
EU Countries: Cross Border Cooperation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to implement the European Grouping for Territorial Co-operation. [158184]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The legislation required for the European Grouping for Territorial Co-operation (EGTC) Regulation to take proper effect in the UK, Statutory Instrument 2007/1949, came into force on the 1 August 2007. Guidance on forming an EGTC is available on the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website at:
Currently there are no UK organisations participating in EGTCs or UK EGTCs registered in the UK.
Iraq: Resettlement
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement on Iraq of 8 October 2007, Official Report, columns 21-38, how many Iraqis are eligible to receive a package of financial payment for resettlement. [157121]
Dr. Howells:
I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's written ministerial statement of 9 October 2007, Official Report, columns 27-28WS. Around 260 of locally engaged staff in Iraq have worked for us for 12 months or more and would therefore be able to apply now for financial assistance, or the other options set out in the statement, should they be made redundant or be forced to resign their jobs in what we judge to be extraordinary circumstances. We expect that most if not all of our currently employed locally engaged staff in Iraq will become eligible in due course. Officials are currently
looking at the numbers of serving staff who have worked for us for 12 months or more that would be eligible for assistance. We will provide further details at the end of the month.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Iraqis worked for the British Government in each year since 2003 but do not qualify for a package of financial payment for resettlement. [157123]
Dr. Howells: We estimate that about 20,000 Iraqis have been employed since 2003. The large majority were for very short periods, especially in 2003 and 2004, and do not qualify for assistance.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the packages of financial payment for resettlement to begin to be made to Iraqi staff. [157124]
Dr. Howells: It is important to ensure that robust mechanisms are in place to administer the scheme fairly and effectively. I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary’s written ministerial statement of 9 October 2007, Official Report, columns 27-28WS, which promised a further announcement on the implementation of the scheme before the end of the month.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken to ensure (a) the safety of and (b) recognition of the contribution made by local Iraqi staff prior to 2005. [157125]
Dr. Howells: Locally engaged Iraqi staff working for our armed forces and civilian missions in Iraq have made an invaluable contribution to the UK’s efforts to support security, stability and development in the new Iraq.
At all times since 2003, we have recognised a duty of care to our serving Iraqi staff and have taken a range of measures to fulfil that.
In 2003-04, the environment in which our locally employed work force served was not the same as from 2005. The policy announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8 October in the House is about recognising our particular debt of gratitude to those who have had a sustained association with us in uniquely difficult circumstances.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the approving authority is in determining which Iraqi staff qualify for a package of financial payment to aid resettlement. [157126]
Dr. Howells: The scheme will be administered by employing Government Departments, working with the Home Office and other interested Departments. We will announce further details of the administration of the scheme by the end of October.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Prime Minister’s statement on Iraq of 8 October 2007, (1) which occupations qualify as professional staff. [157127]
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