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21 May 2008 : Column 322W—continued
Eritrea: Refugees
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the safety of refugees returned to Eritrea. [204341]
Mr. Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
Conditions in Eritrea are continuously monitored from a wide range of reliable sources including intergovernmental organisations (such as the UN), governmental sources (including Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts abroad) and human rights organisations (for example Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch). This information is published in Country of Origin Information (COI) reports on the Home Office website. The latest COI report on Eritrea was published in February 2008 and can be found at the following link:
http://w ww.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/country_reports.html
Iraq: Asylum
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Iraqis formerly employed by the British government are excluded from resettlement under the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme when they do not qualify as refugees under the 1951 Convention. [205909]
David Miliband: I refer to my statement to Parliament on 30 October 2007, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. To be eligible for resettlement under the Gateway Protection Programme, former staff must be recognised as refugees by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which occupations constitute a similarly skilled or professional role necessitating the regular use of written or spoken English for those Iraqis formerly employed by the British Government as interpreters in Iraq. [205910]
David Miliband: Staff assessing applications for assistance under the scheme treat each case on its merits, based on the roles or duties of the individual concerned while employed with us. Some employing Departments, such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, employ or have employed local staff who are not specifically designated as interpreters, but who operate alongside UK-based colleagues in skilled or professional roles which require the regular use of English and may involve some interpretation or translation duties. We do not, however, maintain an exhaustive list of occupations that would necessarily qualify or disqualify an individual, but seek to make fair and reasonable judgments which meet both the letter and the spirit of the relevant criterion.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Iraqi citizens (a) serving and (b) employed formerly by the British Government in Iraq are eligible for one of the places set aside under the UK’s Gateway refugee resettlement programme. [205915]
David Miliband: I refer to my written statement to Parliament on 30 October 2007, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. Provision for up to 600 places has been made within the Gateway programme over the next two years for staff and their dependants who meet the criteria. The 600 spaces are open to both former and serving staff (including dependants) as defined by the scheme. In practice, however, we expect most serving staff who are eligible and wish to come to the UK to avail themselves of exceptional leave outside the immigration rules and travel directly to the UK from Iraq.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether former Iraqi employees of the British Government who have been rejected by the Gateway programme will be offered a one-off package of financial assistance. [205916]
David Miliband: If an individual who had been assessed as eligible for assistance under the scheme were subsequently determined not to be eligible for resettlement in the UK under the Gateway programme, in principle there would be no obstacle to that individual receiving the one-off package of financial assistance instead. We would, however, need to consider carefully the circumstances of the case, in particular the reasons for ineligibility under Gateway.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether former Iraqi interpreters and their families accepted onto the Locally Employed Staff Assistance scheme will receive the package of financial assistance available to those being considered under the Gateway refugee resettlement programme. [205917]
David Miliband: I refer to my written statement to Parliament on 30 October 2007, Official Report columns 30-33WS. Financial support is provided to all those staff who are considered for resettlement under the Gateway programme specifically in order to allow them to support themselves during the screening process in a third country. This is separate from, and less than, the one-off package of financial assistance offered to all staff as an alternative to resettlement in the UK.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long Iraqi interpreters accepted on to the Locally Employed Staff Assistance scheme have waited on average before applications under the Gateway programme are determined. [205918]
David Miliband: There are a number of stages in the process of considering applications from former Iraqi locally engaged (LE) staff for resettlement under the Gateway programme. Applicants must first be assessed as eligible in principle for assistance under the LE staff assistance scheme. Those who are still in Iraq then need to move to a third country, a process which involves obtaining the consent of the country concerned, and then be screened by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to determine whether they should be recognised as refugees in need of resettlement. Finally, they are screened by the UK Border Agency for admission to the UK under Gateway. The length of time needed for each of these stages can vary according to the circumstances of each case.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many former Iraqi employees have been admitted to the UK under the Locally Employed Staff Assistance scheme. [205924]
David Miliband: No former staff, as defined by the scheme, have yet been admitted to the UK for resettlement. The UK Border Agency is working with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to process the first group of staff who have moved to a third country to undergo the screening process.
The first group of serving staff and their families (three principal applicants and 15 dependants) were welcomed to the UK in April under the scheme with indefinite leave to enter, outside the Immigration Rules.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applicants under the Locally Employed Staff Assistance scheme were awaiting determination of their applications for resettlement at the latest date for which figures are available. [205925]
David Miliband: Applications for assistance under the scheme are assessed in line with the eligibility criteria which are set out in my statement to Parliament on 30 October 2007, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. Once applicants have been informed they are eligible they declare which type of assistance they would like. At 8 May there were 80 applications where a decision on eligibility had not yet been taken.
Eligible applicants who choose the opportunity to be resettled in the UK under the Gateway programme must undergo screening by both the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to determine that they qualify as a refugee under the 1951 Convention, and by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to ensure that any individual who might pose a threat to the UK, or whose presence here is undesirable, is prevented from entering the country. Eligible serving staff (as defined under the scheme) who opt for exceptional leave to enter the UK directly also need to undergo screening by UKBA. At 8 May, 185 principal applicants were being considered under these processes.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the degree of risk faced by former Iraqi employees is relevant to (a) admittance to the locally employed staff assistance scheme and (b) the determination of who should be allocated a resettlement place. [205926]
David Miliband: Eligibility for assistance is determined by whether the applicant meets the objective criteria which I announced on 9 October 2008, Official Report, columns 27-28WS and 30 October, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. These do not include the degree of risk faced by an individual. But the introduction of the scheme was grounded in a recognition that the circumstances in which our Iraqi locally engaged staff have served have been uniquely difficult.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Iraqi nationals who are serving employees of the British Government in Iraq who apply for resettlement under the locally employed staff assistance scheme are accorded priority over Iraqi former employees. [205927]
David Miliband: It is our general policy to process applications for assistance under the scheme from former and serving staff on a first come first served basis. Neither group is given priority over the other.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many places have been allocated to date under the locally employed staff assistance scheme for Iraqi refugees in third countries. [205928]
David Miliband: We have received around 20 applications for assistance under the scheme from staff in third countries that have been assessed as eligible. To qualify for consideration for resettlement to the UK under the Gateway programme, former staff must by definition first be recognised by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as refugees in need of resettlement.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether dependants of successful applicants to the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme will count towards the total of 600 places on the scheme. [205929]
David Miliband: I refer to my written statement to Parliament on 30 October 2007, Official Report, columns 30WS-33WS. The 600 Gateway places are for both former staff and their dependants.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria his Department uses to prioritise applications received under the locally employed staff assistance scheme. [205930]
David Miliband: Our general policy is to treat applications for assistance under the scheme on a first come first served basis. However, we are willing to consider expediting applications where there are specific reasons for doing so.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the management of applicants who qualify for the Gateway programme but apply after the 600 places on the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme have been allocated. [205931]
David Miliband: There is no indication at this stage that the 600 places that have been allocated under Gateway over the next two years will be oversubscribed.
Employing Departments and the UK Border Agency are carefully monitoring the number of staff who are eligible and the option they have chosen. Current statistics show that over half of former staff eligible for assistance have opted for the financial package of assistance.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications have been received under the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme; how many have been rejected; and how many have been accepted. [205932]
David Miliband: Our latest figures (at 8 May) show that we have received 1,138 applications for assistance under the scheme. Of those, 503 of our former and current staff have been assessed as eligible for assistance and 555 have been assessed as ineligible. A decision is pending in the remaining 80 cases.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of those former employees of the British Government in Iraq accepted under the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme have opted for the Gateway resettlement programme. [205933]
David Miliband: At 8 May, 383 former staff had been assessed as eligible for assistance under the scheme. Of those, 158 have asked to be considered for resettlement via the Gateway Programme.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the time required to process and determine all applications under the Locally Employed Staff Assistance Scheme. [205934]
David Miliband: Staff across Government are working assiduously to ensure applications are processed and eligible staff receive assistance as rapidly as is practicable. In many cases eligibility can be assessed very quickly but in some cases more information may be required from applicants or checks may be required to substantiate individual claims, particularly if staff left our employ some time ago, before effective decisions can be taken.
Piracy
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance his Department issued to (a) UK-registered and (b) Royal Navy ships operating in or passing through areas where there is a risk of piracy on (i) intervention in and (ii) taking active steps to prevent acts of piracy in the five years prior to the transfer of responsibility for the issue to other Departments. [206886]
Meg Munn [holding answer 20 May 2008]: Consistent with past practice, it is for the Ministry of Defence to give guidance and instruction to commanders of Royal Naval vessels and for the Department for Transport to give advice to masters of merchant ships registered in the UK.
Sudan: Human Rights
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the safety of non-Arab ethnic Darfuris in Khartoum. [204336]
Mr. Byrne: Conditions in Sudan are continuously monitored from a wide range of reliable sources including intergovernmental organisations (such as the UN), governmental sources (including Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts abroad) and human rights organisations (for example, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch). This information is published in Country of Origin Information (COI) reports on the Home Office website. The latest COI report on Sudan was published in February 2008 and can be found at the following link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/country_reports.html and is available in the Library of the House.
UN Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which people have been nominated by the Government for the UN Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women since 1982; and if he will make a statement. [204965]
Meg Munn: The Government have not nominated any candidates to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) since 1982.
The UK strongly supports CEDAW and believes that an effective treaty monitoring body is one of the best mechanisms to promote and protect the human rights of women around the world. We also welcome the positive contribution that other nationals from UN member states have to make in strengthening UN bodies and promoting gender equality internationally.
International Development
Africa: Malaria
Mr. Stephen O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to the public purse will be of the provision of the recently
announced 20 million bed nets to tackle malaria in Africa; what the cost per bed bet is; what estimate he has made of the expenditure that will be incurred in (a) administering the programme and (b) distributing the bed nets; whether the Government will meet all the associated costs; and from what budget such funding will be drawn. [206672]
Gillian Merron: On the basis of current prices the Department for International Development (DFID) anticipates that the total costs for the 20 million bed nets over the three-year period 2008-10 will be in the region of £90 million. This estimate is based on a bed net cost of around £2.50 and a further £2 per net for costs of programme administration, distribution and delivery. DFID will support delivery through its country programmes.
In some countries the overhead and delivery costs may be met by other organisations or the recipient Government. The UK’s contribution is additional to its contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and UNITAID which should play a central role in supporting provision of bed nets and other essential health commodities and drugs. We also look to these organisations to play a catalytic role in pushing down on prices.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which individuals and organisations were consulted prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement of the provision of 20 million bed nets to tackle malaria in Africa; and what (a) his Department’s and (b) the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit’s role was in the development of the policy. [206673]
Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) consulted several organisations prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement on the provision of 20 million bed nets, including Malaria No More, experts at UNICEF and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Simultaneously DFID sought the views of its health advisers based in country offices in Africa and Asia.
Responsibility in Whitehall for UK support to developing countries in responding to malaria rests with DFID. The Prime Minister’s office was consulted throughout. The Delivery Unit was not involved in the development of the policy.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations his Department plans to work with in distributing bed nets to tackle malaria in Africa; what steps his Department plans to take to ensure efficient delivery; who will determine where the bed nets are to be distributed and on what criteria; which countries he expects to be the primary beneficiaries; and according to what timetable delivery will take place. [206674]
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