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9 May 2008 : Column 1244W—continued
contribute to or complement longer-term national targets for recycling and composting as well as diversion of biodegradable and other municipal waste from landfill, indicating the amount of biodegradable and other municipal waste expected to be diverted from landfill over the whole life of the project;
support or complement the authorities' plans for recycling set out in their Municipal Waste Management Strategies.
5. The use of residual waste treatment options involving recovery, including energy from waste solutions, will have an integral role in treating the waste we cannot 'design out', re-use or recycle. Such options should be considered while also demonstrating that there is no future barrier to meeting reduction, reuse and recycling targets.
6. Proposals should demonstrate that other relevant authorities, the public, and interested parties have been consulted and that there is a broad consensus supporting a recognised long term waste management strategy which is reflected in the proposed solution.
10. Preferential consideration will be given to capital projects which focus on residual treatment plant only, including, but not limited to, Energy from Waste, Mechanical Biological Treatments and Anaerobic Digestion. The full criteria are available on the DEFRA website.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Anguilla: Politics and Government
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on negotiations on the constitutional future of Anguilla. [203990]
Dr. Howells: At the beginning of 2006, the Governor of Anguilla appointed a Constitutional and Electoral Reform Commission to take forward Anguilla's constitutional review process. The commission reported in August 2006. Following this, a first round of constitutional talks between Anguilla and the UK, scheduled for July 2007, was postponed at the request of the Government of Anguilla to allow for greater public consultation and for the people of Anguilla to be better informed about the constitutional options. The most recent public forum was held in April 2008. The Government are awaiting the outcome of these consultations, and are available to open constitutional talks when the Government of Anguilla are ready.
Belarus: Surveillance
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the (a) sale of covert surveillance technology by UK companies to the Belarusian security service and (b) use of such equipment by the Belarusian security service. [203959]
Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 7 May 2008]: The Government are aware of reports of meetings between UK surveillance technology companies and the authorities of Belarus. The Government are not involved in these meetings and therefore have no information about their content.
All export licence applications for military and dual use goods, including surveillance equipment, are closely examined and assessed on a case-by-case basis against Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.
Where licensable surveillance equipment is concerned, particular attention is given to Criterion 2 of the Consolidated Criteria - "The respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination". The Government will not issue an
export licence for any military or dual use goods where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.
Cameroon: Politics and Government
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the recent change to the constitution of the Republic of Cameroon altering the limits of presidential terms for the political situation in that country. [203937]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 7 May 2008]: The amendment to the Cameroonian constitution to remove presidential term limits was passed in the Cameroonian National Assembly on 10 April. The constitution now places no restrictions on the number of terms for which a president, including the incumbent, may serve. It also accords some immunities to presidents for acts committed during their tenure and allows a longer period for the organisation of elections in the case of a presidential vacancy.
As noted in my answer of 23 April 2008, Official Report, column 2121W, the Government supported an EU public statement concerning the amendment of the constitution of Cameroon on 27 March. We will continue to work with EU partners. In addition, our high commission in Yaounde has raised the constitutional amendment bilaterally with a number of Cameroonian Ministers and stressed the need for urgent action to deal with the democratic deficits and other reforms that need to be addressed.
China: Falun Gong
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of China on the Falun Gong. [204367]
Dr. Howells: We remain concerned by reports of the mistreatment of Falun Gong adherents in various provinces of China, particularly those detained in Re-education Through Labour (RTL) camps. We raise our concerns, over individual practitioners and for the need to reform RTL, with the Chinese Government at every appropriate opportunity. We did this most recently at the 16th round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing on 28 to 31 January.
Commonwealth: Scholarships
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2008, Official Report, columns 2189-90W, on the Chevening scholarships programme, how many Commonwealth scholarships were awarded in each of the last five years. [204115]
David Miliband: The following number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded Commonwealth scholarships was awarded in each of the last five years:
| Country | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Total |
Departmental Domestic Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions he has visited (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [204396]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not, as yet, visited the devolved Administrations in his official capacity.
East Africa: Peace Negotiations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the merits of convening a regional conference on East Africa and related countries to include Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya to discuss common objectives towards peace in that region; and if he will make a statement. [203500]
Dr. Howells: The Government will continue to work closely with countries in East Africa on regional as well as other issues. We have no plans to convene a conference of all these countries to discuss peace across the whole region. These countries, along with Djibouti, are the constituent members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). IGAD was created in 1996 as an intergovernmental body for development in the East and Horn of Africa. The African Union has also identified IGAD as one of Africa’s sub-regional intergovernmental organisations that can help contribute to peace and security in Africa. The Government actively support IGAD’s work to promote peace and stability across the region.
Egypt: Torture
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Egypt on the use of torture. [204361]
Dr. Howells: The Government are concerned about the use of torture by Egyptian authorities and the wider human rights situation in Egypt. I raised human rights issues directly with the visiting Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament on 21 January 2008.
In addition, on 11 March, officials from our embassy in Cairo met the Egyptian Deputy Minister for Human Rights to express our concerns over Egyptian conduct across a range of human rights areas.
We also look forward to having an active discussion with Egypt on these issues at the forthcoming EU-Egypt political sub-committee, established under the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan.
Gaza: Fuels
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip. [204191]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development issued a joint statement on 25 April 2008 expressing concern that fuel shortages in Gaza meant that the UN Relief and Works Agency was unable to continue much of its relief work. This left hundreds of thousands of people in need of food, water and medical supplies. A steady supply of fuel is essential for the provision of these basic services. We have urged the Government of Israel to ensure that, in line with their own public commitments, their actions do not result in humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This message was reiterated in a series of high-level meetings held in London on 2 May, involving Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether British personnel taken hostage in Iraq have passed into the custody of Iran's Revolutionary Guard; and if he will make a statement. [203875]
Dr. Howells: We have received no substantive evidence of Iranian involvement in the case of the British nationals taken hostage in Iraq, although we have seen speculative media reports. It is our policy not to discuss the operational details of the Government's response or analysis when we judge that doing so would not be in the interests of the hostages.
Pakistan
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistan Government on the Riaz Marsh and Muhammed Shafiq case in the Lahore Court. [203829]
Dr. Howells: We have made no representations to the Lahore Court on behalf of Mr. Muhammed Shafiq, who is no longer detained in Faisalbad jail.
We have also made no representations to the Lahore Court on behalf of Mr. Riaz Maish, who is unknown to Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials.
Russia: Human Rights
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Russia on the observance of civil liberties and human rights. [204326]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Sir Peter Ricketts, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Permanent Under-Secretary, raised rule of law issues with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Titov during his visit to Moscow on 22 to 24 April.
The UK holds annual bilateral human rights discussions with Russia. These were last held in January 2007, and the next meeting is planned for later this year. We also raise our concerns through the EU/Russia human rights consultations, which were last held on 17 April.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the observance of human rights and levels of political freedom in Russia. [204327]
Mr. Jim Murphy: We have a mature and frank relationship with Russia and do not shy away from making our concerns known on human rights and democracy. We want to see democracy in Russia deliver political pluralism and all its associated freedoms. We believe that an open and democratic Russia will consolidate Russia as a stable and reliable international partner for the global community.
During the parliamentary election in December 2006 and the presidential elections in March 2007, the UK, along with the EU and international observers, raised concerns about the degree of democracy exhibited throughout the election periods. Of particular concern were the unacceptable conditions Russia placed on international observers, limits to restrict the field of candidates and the lack of equal media access for opposition candidates.
According to recent reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, both the non-governmental organisation law and the law on extremist behaviour have been used to target and restrict certain individuals and non-governmental organisations. Media freedom and the situation facing human rights defenders are recurrent themes during both the bilateral and EU/Russia human rights dialogues. As a result, we welcome President Medvedev's focus on the need to strengthen the rule of law in Russia.
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