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18 Dec 2007 : Column 1354W—continued
Aviation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many air miles were travelled by Ministers in his Department in each year since 2000; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result. [172237]
Meg Munn: Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the “Ministerial Code”.
All central Government ministerial and official air travel has been offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
In addition, offsetting the flights of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for International Development and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been backdated to 1 April 2005, and in the case of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the calendar year 2004.
A list of Government Carbon Offsetting Fund members, their emission figures and what activities they have offset through the fund is available online at:
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many air miles were travelled by (a) him and (b) Ministers in his Department on short haul flights over the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result of these flights. [172456]
Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN 172237).
Bangladesh: Entry Clearances
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the working holidaymaker scheme is available to applicants from Bangladesh. [175375]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The working holidaymaker scheme is available to applicants from Bangladesh, having been re-introduced on 1 August 2007, following a temporary suspension.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirements for medical screening are being applied to visa applicants from Bangladesh. [175402]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Applicants from certain countries, including Bangladesh, applying for a visa with more than six months validity, now require a certificate to show that they are free from infectious pulmonary tuberculosis (TB).
Certificates are not required for children under 11-years-old, diplomats and their families, this exemption does not include other members of diplomats’ households such as domestic staff, or returning residents.
Burma: Constitutions
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK has made to the Burmese authorities on the inclusion of members of the opposition and other democratic and ethnic minority leaders in the process of drafting a national constitution. [173701]
Meg Munn: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and I have repeatedly made clear our support for Aung San Suu Kyi's statement of 8 November calling for a genuine national reconciliation including the military, opposition parties and ethnic groups in Burma.
I underlined this point in my speech to the European Union/Association of South East Asian Nations Summit of 22 November, at which Burma was represented.
Our ambassador in Rangoon regularly presses the case for progress on democratic change in Burma. His most recent representation to the Burmese Foreign Ministry was on 11 December.
Departmental Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff work in his Department’s parliamentary branch; and what proportion of their time is spent on dealing with (a) Parliamentary Questions and (b) correspondence from hon. Members and Peers. [174969]
Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Parliamentary Relations Team consists of 11 officials. The team, managed by a head and deputy head, is split into two sections, ‘Floor of the House’ section, five officials, and ‘Select Committee’ section, four officials. Parliamentary questions are estimated to take up 75 per cent. of the floor of the house section.
A separate Ministerial Support Unit, 13 officials, deals with correspondence from hon. Members, Peers and members of the public.
Detainees
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other Council of Europe member states on the Secretary-General’s proposals on secret detention and detainee transfers; what his position is on the future discussion of these proposals by the Committee of Ministers; and if he will make a statement. [175401]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Discussions in the Committee of Ministers and between delegations to the Council of Europe on the Secretary-General’s recommendations are ongoing. However, the Government believe that domestic legislation and international legal instruments already exist to deal satisfactorily with the concerns he has raised.
Diplomatic Service
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether plans have been developed for future closures of (a) embassies, (b) consulates and (c) British High Commissions in the financial years (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [174792]
David Miliband: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has no plans to close any Posts in the financial years 2008-09 to 2011-12.
We continue to manage the FCO’s overseas network to reflect changing demands and challenges, ensuring that our resources are aligned with our priorities, and that the UK has a cost-effective and flexible network of overseas representation.
EU Reform: Treaties
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the latest dates are by which each member state is required to ratify the draft EU Reform Treaty, according to their constitutional requirements, to allow it to enter into force by June 2009. [167067]
Mr. Jim Murphy: [holding answer 3 December 2007]: The Lisbon treaty will enter into force on the first day of the month following the deposit of the instrument of ratification by the last signatory state to take this step, and not before 1 January 2009.
Instrument of Pre-Accession
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2007, Official Report, columns 567-8W, on The Instrument of Pre-Accession, what criteria have been used in determining the level of financial assistance allocated within the Instrument to (a) Bosnia-Herzegovina, (b) Serbia and (c) Croatia in each financial year from 2007 to 2010. [175494]
Mr. Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
The criteria used in allocating funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) include:
The Commission’s commitment to ensure that no country will receive less funding under IPA in 2007 than they did in 2006 under previous instruments;
Capacity of the beneficiary government to absorb the funding allocated, including implementation of the necessary systems for management of funds; and
Per capita allocations.
For pre-candidate countries in the Western Balkans such as Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the allocations will increase to reach €23 per capita (in 2004 prices) by 2010. As candidate countries, Croatia and Macedonia will receive at least €30 per capita by 2008.
Further detail on the allocations and the criteria used is set out in the 2009-11 Multi-Annual Indicative Financial Framework, which is available at:
Iran: Nuclear Power
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2007, Official Report, column 562W, on Iran: nuclear power, what decisions have been made about the publication of the report by the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy on discussions with Iran. [172278]
David Miliband: Javier Solana made clear to the media following his discussions with Sa'id Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, that he had been disappointed with his discussions. A representative of Dr. Solana reported orally to E3 plus 3 Political Directors on his behalf on 1 December, and confirmed that he was not able to conclude that his talks had led to a “positive outcome”, which was the test set in the statement from E3 plus 3 Foreign Ministers in New York on 28 September 2007. Dr. Solana does not plan to submit a written report.
Iran: USA
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of violations of Iranian airspace by US airforce fighter jets around Khorramshahr on 13 November; and if he will make a statement. [175392]
Dr. Howells: We have not received any reports of violations of Iranian airspace by US fighter jets around Khorramshahr on 13 November, although we are aware of media reports that similar incidents occurred twice in 2004.
Iraq Neighbours Conference
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1054-55W, on Iraq Neighbours Conference, whether dates have been set for the next meeting of the working groups on (a) energy, (b) security and (c) refugees. [172787]
David Miliband: Dates have not yet been set for the next meetings of the Iraq Neighbours Working Groups.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will provide a substantive response to the letter of 30 October 2007 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the EU Treaty. [175488]
Meg Munn: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member. A reply was sent on 18 December.
Palestinians: West Bank
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on Palestinians of the restrictions on movement within the West Bank. [175400]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The ability of Palestinians to move within the west bank has deteriorated due to continued or increased use of: checkpoints; curfews; roadblocks; a permit system; and the barrier. Permit and checkpoint restrictions have isolated residents of the west bank from East Jerusalem and from each other. In September 2007, the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 563 obstacles were present in the west bank.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about movement and access issues with his Israeli interlocutors during his recent visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories from 17 to 19 November. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development also raised our concerns on this issue during his meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Israel on 10 December.
The implementation of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access stalled following the election of Hamas in January 2006. We continue to call on both parties to implement the agreement. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about movement and access issues with the Government of Israel.
Papua: Human Rights
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indonesian government on the seven West Papuans arrested for raising the Morning Star flag in the Catholic church compound at Kwamki Baru village, Timika, West Papua on 1st December; and if he will make a statement. [175378]
Meg Munn:
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made representations on this case. Flying the Papuan national “Morning Star” flag is currently illegal under Indonesian law. Special Autonomy legislation allows for the use of Papuan symbols and anthems but the local legislation that is required to confirm the chosen symbols and anthems
has yet to be passed. The UK supports the territorial integrity of Indonesia and therefore does not support independence for Papua.
Papua: Politics and Government
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in West Papua, with particular reference to (a) human rights, (b) press freedom and (c) the independence of the judiciary there. [175377]
Meg Munn: We are aware of reports of human rights abuses in Papua, but the isolated nature of some areas of Papua makes it difficult to establish a clear picture. However, we investigate any credible reports of human rights abuses in Papua. Our Embassy in Jakarta regularly discusses human rights issues, including in Papua, with the Indonesian government.
We encourage the Indonesian Government to allow access to Papua for the media. We were therefore pleased that the BBC correspondent based in Jakarta was given permission to visit Papua in September this year. We will continue to press the authorities to permit other journalists to visit. We recognise that, overall, Indonesia has a flourishing free media and an increasingly liberal and plural political environment.
We have a general concern about corruption in Indonesia, particularly in the judiciary. The Indonesian government is committed to addressing the issue and has made some progress in tackling the problem. In December 2003, it established the Corruption Eradication Commission to investigate and tackle corruption past and present. We continue to work with the Indonesian government in order to promote good governance.
Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific processes the Government are proposing to ensure that reconstruction follows peacekeeping as referred to in the Prime Minister's Mansion House speech of 12 November; and how these proposals will be taken forward. [166137]
David Miliband: For reconstruction to follow peacekeeping, UN peace support operations need to be more integrated. UN bodies and other international agencies need to work towards common strategic interests and behind a common operations plan. The Peacebuilding Commission was established in 2005 as an advisory body to direct this integrated approach. The UK plays a key role in it. The international community also needs to have the right capabilities at its disposal and the procedure and funding in place to be able to deploy them quickly. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister proposed as a starting point that UN Security Council Resolutions should not just mandate and direct the peacekeeping response to a given conflict, but also the longer term peace-building effort. He also proposed enhancing international capacity through a standby mechanism to deploy civilian reconstruction experts quickly.
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