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17 Jun 2008 : Column 813W—continued
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on private contractors providing protection services for his Department in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in 2007. [210498]
Dr. Howells: The information is as follows:
| £ | ||
| Country | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| (1) For 2007. | ||
The information in the table covers contracts put in place by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London with private security companies and reflects the contract values concerned and not the actual spend. All of these contracts cover other Government Departments, with the costs thereof being shared out accordingly.
The FCO ensures that all contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what private contractors provided protection services for his Department in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in 2007. [210499]
Dr. Howells: In Iraq, Control Risks have provided mobile security and GardaWorld static security since both contracts were re-tendered in early 2006.
In Afghanistan, Armorgroup have provided both static and mobile security since the contract was re-tendered in late 2006.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) ensures that all contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take at the United Nations with regard to the rocket attack on Kibbutz Nirim by the Izz al-Din and al-Qassam brigades; and if he will make a statement. [210508]
Dr. Howells: We have made clear on a number of occasions, including at the UN, that we condemn all rocket attacks into Israel and we will continue to do so. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv has condemned this specific attack.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with (i) governments of Arab states and (ii) the Government of Israel on rocket attacks on Israel by (A) the Izz al-Din and (B) al-Qassam brigades; what response was received from each; and if he will make a statement. [210509]
Dr. Howells: Rocket attacks against Israel, including those by this group, are a regular part of our dialogue with the Government of Israel and Arab states. This includes at ministerial level at the recent Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meetings in London on 1 May and 2 May and during my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the region.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of (a) men, (b) women and (c) children in Israel who have been (i) killed and (ii) injured by rocket attacks from (A) Gaza and (B) the Lebanon in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [210510]
Dr. Howells: We do not keep a breakdown of the number of Israelis killed and injured by rocket attacks. However, we understand from the Israeli Government that in the last five years 14 Israelis have been killed and 638 Israelis injured by rockets fired from Gaza.
The vast majority of rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel came during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict which ran from 12 July 2006 to 14 August 2006 and, according to Israeli Government figures, resulted in 44 Israeli civilians being killed and hundreds being injured. There have been other incidents of rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel during the last five years, but we do not have detailed figures.
South Africa: Immigrants
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of South Africa on attacks on immigrants and refugees in South Africa. [209302]
Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not to date discussed this specific issue with the Government of South Africa. However, he plans to visit the country soon and will do so then during discussion on a wide range of bilateral and other issues.
In a speech made on 5 June in South Africa, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development condemned the violence and announced a £500,000 (7.5 million Rand) funding package to provide assistance to migrants in temporary shelters affected by the recent violence. The money will be split between the South Africa based Treatment Action Campaign in the Western Cape, which will receive £200,000 and Oxfam's programme in Gauteng, which will receive £300,000.
Sudan: War Crimes
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage EU and UN targeted sanctions against Sudanese officials responsible for Sudan's non-co-operation with the International Criminal Court. [207150]
Meg Munn: The UK continues to press the Government of Sudan to comply with the requirements of the International Criminal Court (ICC). We have raised Sudanese compliance with the ICC with the Government of Sudan and with UN and EU partners, including in the UN Security Council. The UK has regularly raised with partners the need to be prepared to impose further sanctions where the relevant criteria are met. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Lord Malloch-Brown, raised the need for Sudan to comply with the ICC in their meetings with the Sudanese Foreign Minister and other Sudanese officials on 28 April.
Zimbabwe: Financial Institutions
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) representations and (b) requests for assistance his Department has received from the European Commission on the activities of British financial institutions in Zimbabwe. [210477]
Meg Munn: We have received no representations or requests for assistance from the European Commission on the activities of British financial institutions in Zimbabwe.
Northern Ireland
Crimes of Violence: Teachers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of (i) assault and (ii) sexual assault on teachers in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [211345]
Paul Goggins: The information as requested is not available. Assault or sexual assault on teachers in Northern Ireland do not constitute separate offences in legislation and court proceedings and sentencing data do not currently record the relationship between those who have been convicted of these offences and their victims.
Departmental Manpower
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of his Department's employees are (a) male, (b) female, (c) from an ethnic minority, (d) disabled and (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement. [208398]
Paul Goggins: Within the Northern Ireland Office, as at the end of April 2008, the number of (a) male staff was 800 and the number of (b) female staff was 1,288.
Declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary. The number of staff recorded by the Northern Ireland Office as having declared that (c) they are from an ethnic minority is 18, and, (d) they have a disability is 80.
Sexual orientation is not currently monitored in the Northern Ireland Office.
Homosexuality: Belfast
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what decisions were taken at the meeting held on 30 January 2008 between the organiser of the Belfast Pride parade and the Parades Commission. [207675]
Paul Goggins: I am informed that the Parades Commission undertook to continue to liaise with the parade organiser and other stakeholders.
Racial Hatred
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of racially-motivated crimes in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) police command unit and (b) council district. [211338]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available. Legislation for racial hatred is provided for by way of The Criminal Justice (No.2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004. Under this Order, penalties for conviction for specified violent offences can be increased by the court if racial hatred, sexual orientation, gender or disability was an aggravating factor. Court conviction datasets do not contain background information in relation to the commission of an offence and it is therefore not possible to separate out convictions for offences with a racial motivation.
Information on the incidence and impact of hate incidents and crimes is collected and is available from PSNI statistics at
http://www.psni.police.uk/3. hate_incidents_and_crimes-4.pdf.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Adult Education: Merseyside
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of his Department’s budget was spent on adult education and training in Merseyside in 2007. [211263]
Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has responsibility for the funding of providers of post-16 further education (FE) and training.
Around £77 million was spent on adult participation programmes in Merseyside for the financial year 2007-08. This includes expenditure on FE participation, work based learning/adult apprenticeships, Train to Gain and Adult Safeguarded Learning.
Total departmental spend on adult participation spend for 2007-08 is not yet available. However as set out in the 2008-09 LSC Grant Letter (published November 2007) the comparable budget for adult participation through the LSC for 2007-08 was £2.84 billion.
Departmental Postal Services
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company. [208518]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of Machinery of Government changes in June 2007. The Department does not hold records at this level of detail. To provide accurate details of spend on sending mail overseas, broken down by delivery company, would be at disproportionate cost.
Higher Education: Admissions
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many residents of (a) Cleethorpes constituency, (b) North East Lincolnshire and (c) North Lincolnshire entered higher education in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those were (i) mature and (ii) part-time in each of those years. [211849]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in January 2009.
| Entrants( 1) to undergraduate courses from Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire local authorities—UK higher education institutions—academic years 1997/98 to 2006/07 | |||||||||
| Cleethorpes | North East Lincolnshire | North Lincolnshire | |||||||
| Of all entrants( 2) | Of all entrants( 2) | Of all entrants( 2) | |||||||
| Academic year | All entrants | Mature( 3) | Part-time | All entrants | Mature( 3) | Part-time | All entrants | Mature( 3) | Part-time |
| (1) Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December to maintain a consistent time series across all years and are rounded to the nearest five. Figures include the Open University but exclude those on writing up, sabbatical or dormant mode of study. (2) Breakdowns for mature and part-time students contain double counting (i.e. part-time students over 21 years of age will be included in both columns). (3) Mature undergraduate students are aged 21 and over. Figures include a small number of students whose age was unknown. (4) Figures for 1997/98 exclude the Open University because there are no figures available for entrants to undergraduate courses at the Open University by local authority for this year. (5 )As a consequence of a problem identified with data submitted by the Open University (OU) in the 2004/05 academic year, a number of students were not returned as entrants although included in the total enrolments figure. However as a result, the increase in entrants between 2004/05 and 2005/06 appears greater than in reality, particularly in respect of undergraduate entrants. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | |||||||||
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