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29 Jan 2008 : Column 216W—continued
Proceeds of Crime: Durham Police Force
John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was received by the Durham police force from confiscation of the proceeds of crime in 2007; and if she will make a statement. [183030]
Mr. Coaker: A total of £115,501 of recovered criminal proceeds was paid to Durham police authority in 2007 under the asset recovery incentive scheme. A further payment to reward the force's performance in the final quarter of 2007 will be made shortly
Road Traffic Offences: Fraud
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were successfully prosecuted for (a) illegally clamping vehicles on private land and (b) fraudulently issuing penalty tickets in each year since 2004. [180642]
Mr. Coaker: There is no specific offence of illegally clamping a vehicle on private land or fraudulently issuing a penalty ticket for parking on private land. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 provides for the regulation of vehicle immobilisers carrying out licensable activities and for a range of offences which include using an unlicensed wheel-clamper. The most common offence prosecuted under the Act is “conduct prohibited without a licence”. This would include carrying out, without a licence, not only wheel-clamping and related activities but also the other types of activity which are licensable under the 2001 Act, such as manned guarding and door supervision. Numbers of prosecutions and convictions for 2004 to 2006 for these offences and for the offence of carrying out conduct prohibited without a licence are shown in the following table. The data for the second and third categories do not break down further the licensable activities to which the prosecutions are related.
Security Industry Authority: Scotland
Mr. Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those issued security industry authority licences who were not entitled to work in the UK were employed in Scotland in the last five years. [182537]
Mr. Coaker: This information is not available.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Bangladesh: Elections
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical support he is offering to Bangladesh ahead of the elections scheduled for December 2008. [182104]
Dr. Howells: Credible elections in 2008 that can sustain democracy in the longer term are essential for Bangladesh. The UK is playing its part and offering practical support. Through the Department for International Development (DFID), the UK has contributed £10 million to the voter registration programme in Bangladesh and we have seen encouraging progress to date. A further £1.1 million from DFID is being spent, through the Asia Foundation, on the promotion of accountability, issues-based campaigning and non-violence. This is in addition to our funding of a country-wide scheme to motivate vulnerable groups to register to vote.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress of the interim government of Bangladesh on holding elections in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement. [182107]
Dr. Howells: We support a return to healthy and sustainable democracy in Bangladesh, through the creation of the conditions for credible elections. When he met the Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK (Mr. Shafi U Ahmed) on 22 January, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, welcomed the Caretaker government’s assurance that elections will take place in 2008 and underlined the need to adhere to the election roadmap. We also welcome remarks by the Chief Adviser and the Chief Election Commissioner that those elections could be brought forward should voter list and electoral reforms be completed earlier than planned.
Bangladesh: Human Rights
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement. [182103]
Dr. Howells: There are legitimate concerns about human rights in Bangladesh. The caretaker Government's announcement of a Human Rights Commission is a step in the right direction. We welcome the separation of the judiciary and the Executive. We continue to urge the Government, army and law enforcement agencies to act impartially and proportionately, with respect for public safety, human rights, media freedoms and the rule of law.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the imprisonment of three professors at Dhaka University in Bangladesh for two years for taking part in protests which contravened the emergency rule of the government of Bangladesh; and what assessment he has made of such reports. [182106]
Dr. Howells: On 22 January 2008, three teachers from Dhaka university were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for taking part in protests that contravened the emergency rules. On the same day, the teachers were released following a Presidential decree of clemency. Throughout our engagement with the caretaker Government, we have consistently emphasised that, in creating the conditions for credible elections and sustainable democracy, it is necessary to retain respect for individuals’ rights and democratic and judicial processes.
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Bangladesh on the detention without trial of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Mr. Moudud Ahmed; and if he will make a statement. [182374]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the Government of Bangladesh on this case. Mr. Ahmed is currently in detention pending a procedural court ruling in relation to the charges laid against him on 16 September 2007 by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh.
We welcome the recent separation of the Judiciary and the Executive in Bangladesh, and continue to urge the Caretaker government, the army and law enforcement agencies to act impartially and proportionately, with respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Bangladesh: Politics and Government
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress of the interim Government of Bangladesh towards lifting restrictions on political activities in Bangladesh. [182102]
Dr. Howells: We support the restoration of full democratic processes in Bangladesh at the earliest opportunity. We believe that the lifting of the ban on indoor political activities was an important step towards this. We would like to see a dialogue between the caretaker Government and the political parties that includes discussion of further moves towards lifting the remaining restrictions.
Cyprus
Mr. Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with the Turkish government on removing Turkish troops from Cyprus. [182662]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The issue of Turkish troops in Cyprus is raised during regular bilateral discussions with the Turkish government, where we encourage Turkey to work hard towards the normalisation of relations with Cyprus.
We believe that a reduction in the number of Turkish troops in northern Cyprus would build trust on the island, and inject momentum into the UN's efforts to make decisive progress towards a comprehensive settlement in 2008. The wider issue of security in Cyprus is one of a number of crucial issues that can only be fully solved through a comprehensive settlement.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the progress of the North Kivu Peace Conference convened by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [179487]
Meg Munn: The conference resulted in commitments on a cease-fire in the region, the creation of demilitarised zones, an amnesty for combatants who have committed acts of insurrection, the liberation of political prisoners, the lifting of road blocks and the return of refugees. This was possible because of the constructive and co-operative approach taken by the groups represented there. All parties will need to continue to work together to ensure lasting peace.
The UK firmly supports the outcome of the conference as a constructive step towards stability in the region.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Peace Negotiations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of the proposed ceasefire in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with particular reference to the position of General Nkunda. [182226]
Meg Munn: I congratulate the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and all the participants on the successful outcome of the Conference on Peace, Security and Development in the provinces of north Kivu and south Kivu. The agreements reached offer a good opportunity for peace and stability in the region. All parties will need to continue to work together to secure a lasting peace.
I strongly support a political solution to issues in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The constructive approach of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo towards General Nkunda has allowed his organisation, the National Congress for People's Defence, to contribute to efforts towards such a solution.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1609W, on departmental internet, what proportion of (a) visits and (b) page views to the blogging platform came from computers with Government IP addresses. [182620]
Meg Munn: Collating the information requested by the hon. Member would incur disproportionate cost. Even then it would not be possible to guarantee a complete answer because lists of IP addresses for Government Departments are not readily available.
Diplomatic Service: EU Nationals
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1610W, on the diplomatic service: EU nationals, how many times non-UK EU citizens have received services from British embassies under Article 20 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community, broken down by (a) year and (b) nationality since 1998; and if he will make a statement. [182391]
Meg Munn: From 2003 onwards, as part of our annual survey of consular operations overseas, we have collected information from overseas posts on the number of unrepresented EU nationals who have received assistance from consular services (not including general inquiries and requests for advice). We do not break this information down by nationality.
We are unable to provide figures before 2003, as between 1996 and 2002 figures for EU and Commonwealth nationals were collated together.
The following table shows the number of these assistance cases where support was given to EU nationals with comparative figures against UK missions globally.
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