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17 July 2008 : Column 689W—continued
Travel Restrictions
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008, Official Report, columns 770-71W, on UN resolutions: frontiers, how many further notifications have been received by the UN Security Council Committee established pursuant to UN Resolution 1737 (2006) from states reporting the entry into or transit through their territories of designated persons. [217393]
David Miliband: No further notifications have been received by the UN Security Council Committee from states reporting the entry into or transit through their territories of designated persons.
Turks and Caicos Islands: Human Rights
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will investigate allegations of corruption and intimidation of citizens in the British overseas territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. [218635]
Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 15 July 2008, Official Report, columns 13-14WS.
Uganda: Armed Conflict
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking against sources of funding for the Lord's Resistance Army, including from the Ugandan diaspora in the UK. [218298]
Meg Munn: The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is not a proscribed organisation in the UK or internationally and as such the Government are limited in what action they can take against those in the UK who support or profess membership of the LRA, if they have not broken British law.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the strengthening of the UN Mission in the Congo to act against the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader Joseph Kony. [218504]
Meg Munn: We support a political solution to end the conflict between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda. International backing for a peaceful solution will be vital.
UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1794 in December 2007 renewed the mandate for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (MONUC). It included a call for militia groups present in eastern
DRC, including the LRA, to lay down their arms. MONUC works alongside the Congolese armed forces to contain the threat of the LRA and ensure the protection of civilians.
We note the UN Secretary-General's analysis in his report of 3 July to the UNSC that a strengthening of MONUC's capacity would be required, should the mission be tasked beyond its current activities against the LRA. In its discussions with UNSC partners and the UN on the mandating of peacekeeping missions, the Government carefully weighs political needs and capacity and budgetary implications. We believe that MONUC has the necessary resources to fulfil its current mandated tasks.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer Question 201936 on China, tabled by the hon. Member for Southend, West on 22 April; what the reason for the time taken to respond is; and if he will make a statement. [216201]
Meg Munn: A reply was prepared but owing to an administrative error it was not transmitted to Parliament. A response to parliamentary written question 201936 has been sent today.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer Question 199081, on Iran sanctions, tabled on 1 April 2008. [216296]
David Miliband: A reply was prepared but owing to an administrative error it was not transmitted to Parliament. A response to parliamentary written question 199081 has been sent today.
Zimbabwe: British Nationality
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals who have left Zimbabwe since the March 2008 elections. [218328]
Meg Munn: We estimate the number of British nationals currently resident in Zimbabwe to be approximately 14,000. We know from our network of consular correspondents in Zimbabwe that there has been a steady trickle of British nationals leaving the country since the March elections. During this period 70 British nationals have informed our embassy in Harare that they have left Zimbabwe, but many others could have left without informing either our embassy or their consular correspondent.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Broadband: Elderly
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will hold discussions with industry representatives on measures to increase the affordability of access to broadband for (a) people with a disability and (b) older people. [184358]
Malcolm Wicks: Ofcom’s report “The UK Communications Market 2007” shows that developments in technology have seen broadband reaching the majority of households and businesses in the UK and this has been reflected in widespread take-up (there are now over 16 million broadband connections in the UK). The UK has one of the fastest growing broadband markets in Europe and continues to have the most extensive availability, with 99.8 per cent. of households able to access broadband.
Statistics show that 53 per cent. of all UK adults lived in households with a broadband internet connection in Q4 2006—up from 39 per cent. in 2005 and seven times the 2002 penetration level.
The rising take-up of bundled services has contributed to the falling costs of all telecommunication services. The UK’s 16 million broadband households are paying 36 per cent. less than they were four years ago, while headline connection speeds are up to 16 times faster—although actual speeds are often far slower than advertised. Competition has seen service providers differentiating in terms of price, speed, quality and in terms of product bundles.
52 per cent. of people in the UK with broadband purchased it in conjunction with another communications service, often receiving heavy discounts on the price of stand alone broadband. Some suppliers now offer standalone broadband for under £10 per month, while others provide free broadband when customers buy additional communication service, the cost of the broadband being subsidised by other services in the bundle. Prices for broadband will continue to fall as competition for subscribers intensifies.
I would be delighted to hear from industry about any plans they have to make broadband more affordable, including for the elderly or disabled.
Cambridge Online Learning Ltd
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) if he will investigate the circumstances surrounding the transfer of funds related to EU Objective 1 from KMI Offshore Trust to Cambridge Online Learning Ltd; [218273]
(2) if he will investigate the role of the Federal Trust Bank, Guernsey in the transfer of EU Objective 1 funding from Cambridge Online Learning Ltd to KMI Offshore Trust; [218274]
(3) if he will investigate the loss of EU Objective 1 funding following the entering into administration in February 2006 of Cambridge Online Learning Ltd; [218294]
(4) if he will direct Yorkshire Forward to investigate the sale of assets of Cambridge Online Learning Ltd funded from EU Objective 1 funding; [218296]
(5) if he will investigate the circumstances surrounding the payment of EU Objective 1 funding to Cambridge Online Learning Ltd. [218322]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
Implementation of the South Yorkshire Objective 1 programme for 2000-06 is the responsibility of Communities and Local Government as the managing authority for the European regional development fund in England. The Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber will investigate the circumstances leading to the award and potential loss of EU objective 1 funds in this case.
Economic and Monetary Union
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2008, Official Report, column 1274W, on economic and monetary union, for what reasons he is not willing to place a copy of his Department’s euro transition plan in the Library. [217442]
Mr. Thomas: The BERR Euro Transition Plan is to be updated. A copy of the updated plan will be placed in the Libraries of the House when this work is completed.
Internet: Privacy
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the implications for the privacy of British internet users of the requirement for Google to disclose to a third party the viewing log of people who have its YouTube service. [217419]
Malcolm Wicks: BERR officials made contact with the company on this issue and this is an unfolding situation which we are regularly monitoring. Although the US federal court granted Viacom's petition for disclosure of traffic log data including computer IP addresses, against Google, who own YouTube, the court has specified that Viacom cannot use the disclosed data for any commercial purposes, or to pursue individual users for copyright infringement whose computers might be identifiable from the log data. There is a protective order in the case that prevents information designated as highly confidential from disclosure to anyone but Viacom's lawyers and experts.
Manufacturing Industries: Shoes
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many and what proportion of shoes purchased in the UK had been manufactured in the UK in each year since 1997. [181748]
Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to determine precisely from official statistics how many shoes produced in the UK are sold in the UK market as footwear exports exceed UK production. The following table shows an implied figure if all UK produced footwear were sold in the UK market. However the British Footwear Association estimates that UK companies export up to 90 per cent. of production.
| Sale of goods (£ million)( 1) | Imports (£ million)( 2) | Exports (£ million)( 2) | Implied UK consumption of UK production (percentage) | |
| (1) ONS-ABI (2) BOP basis ONS-MQ10 | ||||
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letters of 4 March and 15 May from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean, on BT payment charges. [216764]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 7 July 2008]: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member. My noble Friend the Minister for Business and Competitiveness is currently reviewing Government policy on this issue, a response will be sent shortly.
Public Telephones
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has made to BT on its observance of its universal service obligation in its proposed payphone removal programme. [218203]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 14 July 2008]: No such representation has been made to BT. The Universal Service Obligation is administered by Ofcom (the independent regulator). Ofcom requires BT to ensure that there is adequate provision of public call boxes (PCBs) to meet the reasonable needs of end-users in terms of numbers, geographical coverage and quality of service.
Ofcom has set rules which ensure that BT cannot remove the last PCB from an area if the local authority objects. In its guidelines Ofcom has identified lack of mobile coverage as one of the reasons why the local authority might wish to consider objecting.
Radio Waves: EC Action
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what EU legislation on the regulation of radio band waves has been agreed since 1997. [217987]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the following list that summarises the legislation affecting the use of radio spectrum. Further details can be found at the following websites:
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/radio_ spectrum/ref_documents/index_en.htm
EU legislation decisions and directives on the regulation of radio spectrum (band waves) since 1997
30 June 2008: Decision 626/2008/EC on the selection and authorisation of systems providing mobile satellite services.
13 June 2008: Decision 2008/477/EC on the harmonisation of the 2500-2690 MHz frequency band for terrestrial systems providing electronic communications services in the Community.
23 May 2008: Decision 2008/432/EC on harmonisation of the radio spectrum for use by short-range devices ‘SRD’. ‘Amending Commission Decision 2006/771/EC as below’.
21 May 2008: Decision 2008/411/EC on the harmonisation of the 3400 -3800 MHz frequency band for terrestrial systems capable of providing electronic communications services in the Community.
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