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6 Jun 2008 : Column 1196W—continued
We will continue to work with our EU and US partners to raise our concerns and push for improvement.
The recent crackdown on civil society is worrying. We are particularly concerned by the Belarusian government's actions against protesters involved in the demonstrations on 25 March and 26 April and the severe sentencing of two more political prisoners, Sergei Parsyukevich and Andrei Kim on 22 April and 23 April for their participation in demonstrations in January 2008. The recent re-arrest of five individuals recognised by the EU as political prisoners soon after their release is also very worrying.
Democracy
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of states with a majority Muslim population that are likely to become democracies within the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [207735]
Meg Munn: We have not made a recent estimate but in his speech—“The Democratic Imperative”—in Oxford on 8 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary argued that
“we should back demands among citizens for more freedom and power over their lives—whether that is reforming established democracies or supporting transitions to democracy; from Botswana to Indonesia, there are striking examples of successful representative democracies that demonstrate how universal values can be applied to diverse cultural, social and economic contexts.”
We support democratic processes in all states and work through the UN and the EU to extend the implementation of democratic rights through multilateral processes. Through the Human Rights and Democracy programme fund, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office works with all governments and civil society to promote better electoral processes, the role of civil society and the freedom of expression.
Iran: Sanctions
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the European Union to agree new sanctions on (a) Iranian oil and gas and (b) the Iranian financial sector. [207812]
David Miliband:
We are pressing for a new EU Common Position to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1803, including a provision on increased vigilance over the activities of Iranian financial institutions. We are pursuing additional EU listings of entities and individuals based on the previous EU Common Position. We are also discussing a range of possible EU measures which would go beyond the scope of Security Council resolutions should Iran continue to fail to implement its international
obligations. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has signalled, this could include a ban on investment in Iranian liquefied natural gas.
Lebanon: Politics and Government
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the contribution of recent mediations of the Arab League to peace and stability in Lebanon. [207831]
Dr. Howells: The announcement of an agreement for Lebanon, ‘the Doha Accord’, on 21 May and the subsequent election of President Suleiman on 25 May are important steps forward for Lebanon. The UK pays tribute to Qatar and the Arab League whose efforts, both in Beirut and Doha, did so much to make the agreement possible. It is now important for Lebanon's future peace and stability that the agreement is implemented. We will continue to support the government and people of Lebanon over this important period.
Sudan: Peace Negotiations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the work of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission on a settlement for the Abyei region of Sudan. [208190]
Meg Munn: Following the fighting of 14-21 May in Abyei, the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC), chaired by Sir Derek Plumbly, has been engaging with all the parties. There was an extraordinary plenary meeting of the AEC in Khartoum on 25 May to discuss Abyei. An AEC Working Group visited the area on 28 May to assess the situation and to urge both sides to resolve the conflict in Abyei.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on progress on the formation and integration of joint integrated units in Sudan under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. [208191]
Meg Munn: We monitor closely the formation and integration of the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), which were established under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to improve security in disputed areas between north and south Sudan. The JIUs are made up of equal numbers of the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. We are encouraging donors to provide resources to the JIUs in order to improve their effectiveness.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the issue of Abyei with the other international guarantors of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [208192]
Meg Munn:
Since the fighting in Abyei broke out on 14 May, we have discussed Abyei frequently with the other international guarantors of Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). We support the work of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission as a suitable
international body to monitor the implementation of the CPA and to broker a resolution for the dispute over Abyei.
Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role played by the UN force in Abyei in trying to bring peace to that area of Sudan; and what representations he has made to the UN to bolster the effectiveness of that force. [207923]
Meg Munn: Observers from the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) were in Abyei during the fighting of 14-21 May and UNMIS senior officers played a supporting role in the brokering of a ceasefire. UNMIS has restricted movement within the Abyei region. The UK worked with UN Security Council partners to ensure that UN Security Council Resolution 1812, which renews the UNMIS mandate, makes reference to Abyei and calls on the parties to allow unrestricted access and operations in the disputed area.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides on the facilities each NHS accident and emergency department should have. [208423]
Mr. Bradshaw: The services it is appropriate for any national health service organisation to provide is a matter for local, not central decision. What is key is that patients have timely access to high quality, safe care, as close to home as is compatible with clinical safety.
Departmental Compensation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much compensation has been awarded by his Department to its staff since May 1997; and what the reason for compensation was in each case. [206160]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department awards compensation to staff for a variety of reasons. The total value associated with each reason and the period this covers are presented in the following table. Figures are not available prior to 1 October 2003.
| Reason | Period | Amount (to the nearest £000) |
Health Services: Newcastle upon Tyne
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Newcastle City Overview and Scrutiny Committee has asked him to consider (a) the transfer of the Sir Martin Roth Unit, Newcastle General Hospital to Prudhoe and (b) the closure, and partial transfer to Prudhoe, of the Nuffield Unit, Newcastle upon Tyne. [206723]
Ann Keen: The North East strategic health authority reports that a joint committee of the Newcastle City Overview and Scrutiny Committee is considering these transfers. However, referral has not yet been made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Medical Records: Databases
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2008, Official Report, column 1990W, on medical records: disclosure of information, where each of the NHS care records service registers are held; whether each is held electronically; whether each is accessible through the internet or N3; what security measures are in place to protect them; and on how many occasions they have been illegally accessed. [207657]
Mr. Bradshaw: The National Electronic (‘spine’) Database of Patient Information that forms the core of the national health service care records service (NHS CRS) is hosted in secure data centres. The location of data centres is not made public to avoid compromising security arrangements and potential criminal exploitation of the information they hold.
Data centres must conform to the British Standards Institution information security management code of practice, referred to internationally as ISO17799:2005 and
ISO27001:2005, and must meet strict standards in terms of both the structure of, and control of physical access to, the buildings. There is a contractual requirement for staff employed in data centres to be security cleared. Regular review arrangements exist to ensure compliance with the relevant standards, and other contractual information security requirements.
To date there have been no identified breaches of the physical security at any of the ‘spine’ data centres, and no identified cases where unauthorised access to the database has been gained electronically from outside the NHS.
All patient-identifiable data transmitted to, from and via the spine travels exclusively over the N3 secure electronic network, which is protected using various network security controls and encryption. Access requires the use of a smartcard with a linked username and alphanumeric pass code. Smartcards are issued by a NHS CRS registration authority only when satisfactory evidence of identity and residence is provided in person by NHS staff.
Regular reviews of the end-to-end security infrastructure are undertaken to identify where industry best practice has changed or technologies improved so that these can be incorporated into the overall system.
In addition, the NHS maintains an effective liaison with the United Kingdom's information security authorities and others for the sharing of relevant advice and guidance on known information security threats and vulnerabilities.
Together these safeguards provide high levels of security assurance.
Mental Health Services: North East
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average waiting times were for (a) adult, (b) adolescent and (c) child psychiatry in each mental health trust in the North East in each year between 2002 and 2007; and how many people were on waiting lists in each category in each year. [206719]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
NHS: Databases
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which trusts have (a) completed mapping and reviewing of all person-identifiable data flows, (b) made movements of data secure and (c) identified risk areas in data security. [207116]
Mr. Bradshaw: Effective information governance is the responsibility of individual national health service bodies. The NHS chief executive received assurances on 31 March from all trust chief executives that they had identified data security risk areas and were either meeting appropriate security standards or were actively managing risks whilst necessary improvements are made.
Information is not held centrally on which trusts have completed work on mapping and reviewing all person-identifiable data flows.
NHS: Finance
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the weighted capitation formula figure is for each primary care trust in England in terms of (a) per capita target and (b) per capita allocation for 2008-09. [206721]
Mr. Bradshaw: The following table provides the target allocation per head and the allocation per head of unweighted population for all primary care trusts (PCTs) in England for 2008-09.
| £ | ||
| PCT | 2008-09 allocation per head | 2008-09 target allocation per head |
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