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18 Mar 2008 : Column 1028W—continued
Higher Education: Overseas Students
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely cost to universities and colleges of (a) becoming licensed to sponsor migrants and (b) issuing certificates of sponsorship to migrants. [172977]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
The proposed fee levels for sponsorship registration and for issuing a certificate of sponsorship to migrants will be set out in regulations before Parliament in the new year, including appropriate impact assessments to support our proposals.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Baluchistan: Capital Punishment
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the death sentence handed down to Mr. Yaqub Mehrnehad by the authorities in Baluchistan; and if he will make a statement. [191976]
David Miliband: The EU presidency, on behalf of all EU member states, raised Mr. Mehrnehad's sentence with the Iranian authorities on 4 March. The EU called on Iran to commute Mr. Mehrnehad's sentence, to guarantee the security of all human rights defenders, and to ensure that they are given fair trials in accordance with international standards.
Civil Service Appeal Board
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of appeals by employees of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies were (i) heard and (ii) upheld by the Civil Service Appeal Board in each of the last 10 years; how much was awarded in compensation by the Board to each successful appellant in each year; what the reason was for each compensation award; how many appellants were reinstated by the Board in each year; and what the reason was for each (A) dismissal and (B) reinstatement. [192513]
Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) has records from 2004 onwards of appeals taken to the Civil Service Appeal Board (CSAB). CSAB records show a total of eight appeals from home civil servants in the FCO from 1997 to 2004.
| Number | |
Details of the outcome in each case are no longer available.
From 2004 to March 2007, four appeals were lodged by FCO home civil servants to the CSAB:
| Number | |
Three of the appeals concerned dismissal on misconduct grounds. One was settled following conciliation. The other two were not upheld. The fourth appeal concerned unfair dismissal and was not upheld.
The Diplomatic Service Appeal Board considers appeals from Diplomatic Service officers against dismissal. In 2007 two such appeals were considered. One was upheld and the other was not upheld.
Due to the small number of cases involved, further requested details have not been provided to avoid identification of individuals.
Colombia: Borders
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation along Colombia’s border with Ecuador and Venezuela; and what representations have been made to all three governments on the recent escalation in regional tension. [192244]
David Miliband: Following the events of 1 March, in separate discussions with Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela and other international partners, we expressed our concern about the growing tension and deployment of armed forces along Colombia’s borders and encouraged all parties to show restraint. We also fully supported the European Union declaration of 5 March, which said:
“The European Union is concerned about the growing tension and the deployment of armed forces between Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. It urges all parties involved to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation of the current situation. The European Union encourages all countries involved to seek, through dialogue, a political solution.”
We welcome the outcome of the Rio Group summit in Santa Domingo on 7 March, which has diffused tensions between the Governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Together with other members of the Rio Group, they reiterated a commitment to peaceful co-operation in the region. We also welcome the start of a process to help resolve outstanding issues related to the border incident, through the Organisation of American States (OAS), including the commission which reported to OAS Foreign Ministers on 17 March.
Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedure is in place to appeal against decisions of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. [193794]
Meg Munn: The committee's role is to provide agreed interdepartmental advice to the Sovereign, so the question of an appeal does not arise.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will (a) follow the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) guidelines and (b) display ICRA's label on the websites for which it is responsible. [191777]
Meg Munn: The Government are committed to safety online for all users, including children. The Central Office for Information is preparing a new set of guidance for many aspects of the Government web estate and we will implement what they mandate.
Diego Garcia
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether passports and immigration documents for the personnel and aircraft involved in the rendition of two suspects through Diego Garcia in 2002 were presented to British Indian Ocean Territory imports and exports control officers on Diego Garcia; and if he will make a statement. [191042]
David Miliband: Procedures on Diego Garcia dictate that all passport and immigration details of passengers disembarking are presented to Customs and Immigration officials on the island. The US authorities have confirmed that the two individuals rendered through Diego Garcia in 2002 did not disembark. Consequently, their details would not have been presented or recorded.
Diego Garcia: Rendition
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have received representations from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the alleged use of Diego Garcia by the United States for the purposes of rendition; and if he will make a statement. [192464]
David Miliband: On 5 March my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, spoke to Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, in the margins of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Minister encouraged Mr. Nowak to provide the Government with any evidence he may have regarding allegations that detainees had been held on Diego Garcia between 2002 and 2003.
Iran
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) officials from his Department have held discussions with their EU counterparts on revising the 6 June 2006 E3+3 proposals to Iran; and if he will make a statement. [191151]
David Miliband: I held discussions with my E3+3 colleagues on 22 January where we agreed that following the vote on another sanctions resolution at the UN we would look at ways to present the 2006 offer once again to Iran, to make it clear that the offer was generous, wide-ranging and a very good deal for Iran. In our joint statement on 3 March, after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1803, we reconfirmed the proposals we presented to Iran in June 2006 and said that we were prepared to develop them further. Discussions on this will now be taken forward.
Iran: Inspections
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether detailed criteria have been agreed that would trigger the inspection of cargoes to and from Iran as stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (2008) or whether this is a matter for the judgment of individual states. [192789]
David Miliband: UN Security Council resolution 1803 (2008) requires states to inspect the cargoes to and from Iran, of aircraft and vessels, at their airports and seaports, owned or operated by Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line, where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the aircraft or vessel is transporting embargoed goods. It is up to states to decide when they believe the criteria is met.
Iran: Nuclear Power
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the further concrete measures on exploring an overall strategy for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiation, referred to in UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (2008), are expected to be formally presented to Iran as a revised version of the June 2006 proposals; and if he will make a statement. [192791]
David Miliband: My E3+3 colleagues and I agreed on 22 January that following the vote on another sanctions resolution at the UN, we would explore ways to present the 2006 offer again to Iran, to make it clear that the offer was still on the table. It is generous, wide-ranging and a very good deal for Iran. In the E3+3 statement on 3 March, after the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 1803, we reconfirmed the proposals we presented to Iran in June 2006 and said that we were prepared to develop them further. Work on this is now under way with our E3+3 partners.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for a meeting between representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany and Iranian nuclear negotiators to discuss further concrete measures on exploring an overall strategy of resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiation, as referred to in UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (2008). [192792]
David Miliband: There are no such meetings scheduled at present. We have been clear with Iran that our offer of dialogue remains open and that Javier Solana will continue to make himself available for a meeting, on behalf of the E3+3, at any time when Iran is ready to discuss that offer and to comply with its international obligations.
Iraq Neighbour Conference
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1358W, on the Iraq Neighbour Conference, what progress has been made in the working groups on (a) energy, (b) security and (c) refugees; and when each of these groups last met. [191946]
David Miliband: The working groups have each met once: the energy working group on 28 to 29 June 2007; the refugees working group on 26 July 2007 and the security working group on 8-9 August 2007. For details of these meetings, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 3 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1054-55W.
Iraq: Foreign Relations
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2007, Official Report, column 50W, on Iraq: foreign relations, what progress has been made in the establishment of a permanent UN secretariat in support of regional co-operation; and what the UK role within this secretariat is. [192240]
David Miliband: The Iraq Neighbours Conference in Istanbul on 4 November 2007 agreed that the Iraqi Government—with UN support—would form an ad-hoc support mechanism for the expanded neighbours process, to be based in Baghdad.
Terms of reference for the support mechanism were jointly circulated to all expanded neighbours participants by the Government of Iraq and the UN in December 2007 and have since been adopted. The support mechanism has now been formed within the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the UN dedicating staff within its mission to provide assistance. The UK has no formal role within the mechanism.
Israel: Human Rights
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2008, Official Report, column 2024, on Israel: human rights, what criteria are used in determining whether Israel’s actions are compliant with human rights provisions in EU trade agreements. [193198]
Dr. Howells: There are no formal criteria used by the EU Commission. The Commission draws on its own observers on the ground, non-governmental organisations, and member states’ posts to determine the compliance of Israel’s actions in accordance with Article 2 and in the context of Article 76 of the EU/Israel Association Agreement.
I share, and frequently raise, many of my hon. Friend’s concerns over Israeli actions. However, on balance, I support the Commission’s assessment that Israel is not in breach of the terms of the agreement. As stressed in the response I gave to my hon. Friend on 29 February 2008, Official Report, column 2024W, I remain strongly of the opinion that active engagement with Israel through the EU provides a valuable forum through which to continue to raise human rights concerns. In 2007 the EU-Israel human rights working group, established under the framework of the Association Agreement, provided the opportunity to discuss: inter alia minorities; respect for human rights including respect for religious freedom and belief; Israeli settlement expansion; administrative detention including individual cases; international humanitarian law; as well as questions related to the UN Human Rights Council; and thereby established a closer bilateral dialogue on these issues.
We look forward to building on this dialogue at the next working group session on 15 April 2008.
Latin America: Foreign Relations
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the governments of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia on the situation in their border areas. [193721]
Dr. Howells: We have had contacts with representatives of the Ecuadorian, Colombian and Venezuelan governments since the events of 1 March. In these discussions, we have expressed our concern about the tension and deployment of armed forces along the Colombian border. We have urged all parties to show restraint, to avoid any further escalation of the situation, and to seek, through dialogue, a political solution.
We welcome the outcome of the meeting of the Rio Group summit in Santa Domingo on 7 March, which has diffused tensions between the governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, who with other members of the Rio Group reiterated a commitment to peaceful co-operation in the region. We also welcome the initiation of a process through the Organisation of American States (OAS), including the commission which reported to OAS Foreign Ministers on 17 March.
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