| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Oct 2007 : Column 1307W—continued
Alexander Litvinenko
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in Government efforts to seek the extradition from Russia of Mr Andrei Lugovoy in connection with the murder of Mr Alexander Litvinenko. [157529]
David Miliband: Since I made my statement to the House on 16 July 2007, Official Report, columns 21-22 on a package of measures in response to Russia’s failure to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, I have raised the matter on a number of occasions both with my Russian counterpart and with other partners. We continue to demand the Russian authorities co-operate with the Crown Prosecution Service’s request for the extradition of Mr. Lugovoy so that he can stand trial in the UK.
Andrei Lugovoy: Extradition
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place between his Department and the Russian Government on the extradition of Andrei Lugovoy; what recent progress has occurred on the matter; and if he will make a statement. [158028]
Mr. Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) today (UIN 157529).
Arab League
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to attend the next meeting of the Arab League. [159167]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary currently has no plans to attend the next meeting of the Arab League.
BBC External Services: Finance
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the planned (a) near cash departmental expenditure limit, (b)
non-cash departmental expenditure limit and (c) capital departmental expenditure limit is for the (i) BBC World Service and (ii) British Council for financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11. [159024]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The British Council and BBC World Service (BBCWS) are not given separate departmental expenditure limits but are included in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) limits as ring-fenced amounts.
The BBCWS grant-in-aid limit will be £234,043 million, £241,043 million and £240,043 million per annum between financial years (FYs) 2008-09 and 2010-11 (not including capital). It does not have a non-cash departmental limit as it is treated as public corporation. Its capital grant for the period in question will be £31 million per annum.
The British Council’s grant-in-aid limit will be £188,003 million, £193,003 million and £189,003 million per annum between FYs 2008-09 and 2010-11 (not including capital). It does not have a non-cash departmental limit as it is treated as public corporation. Its capital grant for the period in question will be £7.8 million per annum for the period in question.
Burma: Arms Trade
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the EU arms embargo on the (a) sale and (b) re-sale of military equipment and technology from EU member states to the Burmese regime. [159174]
Dr. Howells: The EU annual report for 2006 listed only three military related sales to Burma from the EU. Those three items were from the UK. However, all these items were deemed to fall outside the EU Ban and with a full explanation given in the UK strategic export controls annual report of 2006. The items were pharmaceutical equipment, an armoured four-wheel drive vehicle for our embassy in Rangoon and hydrophones.
The EU Common Position includes a ban on all arms sales to Burma, directly or indirectly. Any act to breach this ban knowingly would be illegal. However, if we subsequently learn that military products or components are re-exported to Burma, we would make representations to the relevant foreign government.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his statement issued on 15 October, said that we would review the implementation of the embargo with our partners to address any risk that arms or their components might be diverted or re-exported to Burma.
Burma: Politics and Government
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met his Indian and Chinese counterparts to discuss the situation in Burma. [158438]
Mr. Jim Murphy: We have had intensive contact about Burma recently with international partners, including China and India. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Burma with the Indian Minister for External Affairs on 3 October and the Chinese Foreign Minister on 29 September. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised the situation in Burma with Prime Minister Singh on 11 October.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether a further date has been set by the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in Burma following its discussions on 5 October 2007; and if he will make a statement; [159172]
(2) pursuant to his statement of 15 October 2007, what further measures he expects the UN Security Council to consider taking against Burma if it does not take clear steps towards the return of democracy. [159173]
Dr. Howells: The UN Security Council remains focused on the situation in Burma. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari has returned to the region and will return to Burma shortly. We would expect the Security Council to review progress in the light of Professor Gambari’s further visit.
On 15 October my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement welcoming the UN Security Council’s statement on Burma and making clear that the Burmese regime must end the violence, release political detainees and take clear steps towards the return of democracy. He also said that the Security Council should meet again to review progress made in Burma. If progress is insufficient, the council will need to consider further measures. We shall discuss possible further measures with our Security Council partners.
Chevening Scholarships Programme
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Chevening scholarships were awarded in each year since 1997, broken down by country of origin of recipients. [157557]
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:
They will also be placed in the Library of the House. There was no Annual Report for 1997/98, but the details for that year are provided in the following table below. For information on academic year 2006/07 I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Chelmsford West (Mr. Burns) on 16 October 2007, Official Report, columns 996-999W.
| Country | 1997-98 scholars |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |