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15 Sep 2008 : Column 2177W—continued
China: Politics and Government
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Chinese Government to ensure that it uses the name Taiwan, in Chinese, Chinese Taipei, instead of Taipei, China, and that English and Chinese versions used are the same. [221424]
Meg Munn: This is a matter for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But the name used by Taiwan in international sporting events has been agreed by the IOC, Taiwan and China and we would expect all parties involved to abide by this agreement. The Chinese authorities have stated that the form “Chinese Taipei”, and the agreed equivalent in Chinese, will be used in all official venues and in official correspondence, as required.
Commonwealth Scholarships
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from other Commonwealth countries on his decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Scholarship Fund. [221415]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Canadian Government expressed regret at the decision and asked us to reconsider it. We have explained the steps we are taking to identify additional funding for scholarships for Canada, in addition to the existing allocation of Chevening scholarships, once we stop funding new awards through the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan after the 2008-09 academic year. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not received any representations from other Commonwealth Governments.
The Government's overall contribution to Commonwealth scholarships will increase over the next three years—from £16.9 million in 2007-08 to £17.9 million in 2008-09; about £18 million in 2009-10; and over £17.5 million in 2010-11—because the Department for International Development is increasing its contribution for scholars from developing Commonwealth countries.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Diplomatic Service
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will make representations to seek to ensure that the salary arrears of former diplomats from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are now British citizens are paid by the Government of the DRC. [220595]
Meg Munn:
We have raised the issue of the payment of outstanding debts, including salary arrears, owed by the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on a number of occasions and will continue to press the embassy to settle them. We have been advised by the embassy that the issue of salaries owed to former
diplomats at the embassy should be pursued by the former diplomats themselves directly with the Government of the DRC.
Departmental Alcoholic Drinks
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place in his Department to monitor expenditure on alcohol for hospitality purposes. [219600]
Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Hoon) on 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1638W. Government Hospitality is part of the Protocol directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and, as such, is subjected to the same monitoring procedures as other Departments.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what purchasing process is used by his Department for the procurement of alcohol for hospitality purposes. [219953]
Meg Munn: Government Hospitality in Protocol directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), is advised in its wine purchasing by the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine (GHACPW). The GHACPW offers advice according to the requirements of the Government cellar, wine market prices, the availability of individual wines and vintages and their quality. The level of expenditure on wines and spirits is the responsibility of the Head of Government Hospitality. The GHACPW offers its advice based on ‘blind’ tastings of samples acquired from a range of British wine merchants.
The GHACPW does not provide advice on expenditure for the purchase of wine for other hospitality carried out by the FCO.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of (a) the number of computer devices left on overnight in his Department when not in use and (b) the cost of leaving computer devices on overnight when not in use in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [217868]
Meg Munn: The instruction to leave personal computers switched on, referred to in my reply to the hon. Member on 16 June 2008, Official Report, columns 665-66W, applies to all Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff. There are approximately 12,000 personal computers in use in FCO offices around the world. Allowing for exceptions and shared use by shift workers, an estimate of 10,000 machines left on overnight is reasonable, but untested.
In 2007 power consumption tests based on the range of personal computers then in use suggested an average of 80 watts for each personal computer—(assuming 14 idle hours per day for each of the 10,000 personal computers gives an overall estimate of approximately four million kilowatts per hour per annum). This cannot readily be converted to a cash equivalent, as different tariffs apply in the countries around the world in which the FCO is represented. This level of consumption
would have been broadly constant during the past five years. It has been our assessment that the risk of lost productivity and the risk to national security that this policy avoids outweighed its cost.
As explained in my earlier answer, the consumption is expected to fall substantially as old equipment is replaced. To date, approximately 3,500 new machines have been installed in offices in the UK. Under current plans all 12,000 machines worldwide should have been replaced by 2009. In addition to this, we will be applying global policies to ensure a reduction in power consumption.
Departmental Furniture
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) chairs, (b) desks and (c) other office furnishings have been purchased by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; and at what cost in each case. [211767]
Meg Munn: Records for how many chairs, desks and other office furnishings purchased by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its agencies are not held centrally. It would not be possible to obtain this information without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in his Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years. [221179]
Meg Munn: The amount claimed in reimbursable expenses (travel, accommodation and official entertainment) by staff working in the press office at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London in each of the last three financial years is shown in the following table:
| £ | |
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to monitor the cost of its mail services in the last 12 months. [221481]
Meg Munn: Mail charges are checked monthly by managers of departments. These details are forwarded to the appropriate finance management unit who monitor usage.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) listening exercises and (b) public forums his Department has held in each of the last two years; what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost was in each case; and who the private contractor was and how much it was paid in each case. [221351]
David Miliband: As part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Strategy Refresh, we invited members of the public to contribute their views on “three big questions”: where should the UK concentrate its global effort; where are we most needed; and where can we most effect change. The replies to these questions, and other stakeholders’ views, were fed into the deliberations of the FCO’s Strategy Refresh exercise.
Engaging with stakeholders is an important part of FCO policy formulation and delivery and we are developing new methods of enhancing dialogue with the public in the UK and overseas.
We also use our FCO web platform
to seek views from the public, for example on new forced marriage guidelines, on next year’s human rights report and on the FCO’s Engagement publication. In addition our web log (blog), available at
offers an ongoing chance for members of the public to contribute to our thinking, sending their comments directly to the official or Minister responsible for the policy. All of these exercises are run using FCO resources.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) reviews and (b) public consultations have been initiated by his Department since 27 June 2007. [221379]
David Miliband: I launched a refresh of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s strategy on 19 July 2007 in my speech at Chatham House. This was not a formal review but an exercise undertaken internally, drawing on input from the general public and key stakeholders. The input from these groups did not constitute a formal consultation but a listening exercise (my answer to written parliamentary question 221351 refers). I announced the outcome of the strategy review to the House on 23 January 2008.
Departmental Research
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of his Department’s budget was used for research within its areas of responsibility in each of the last 10 years. [218063]
Meg Munn: Research in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is primarily undertaken by FCO research analysts, who provide analysis and advice to Departments. The proportion of the FCO’s budget spent on research analysts for the last four financial years is shown as follows:
| Percentage of the FCO budget | |
Data for years preceding 2004-05 is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Research is also conducted by individual directorates, Departments and posts and funded from devolved budgets. Information relating to the proportion of these budgets used for research is not held centrally and can therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which projects his Department has commissioned from (a) think tanks and (b) charities in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the aim of each project was; which think tank or charity was commissioned; and how much was paid. [221608]
David Miliband: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has regular contacts with think tanks and charities and often works with them to deliver our objectives. The specific information requested is not held centrally and to gather it would incur disproportionate costs. However, figures for the total project spend on each of the Departmental Strategic Objectives are freely available in the FCO’s Annual Report (pages 118-140).
Departmental Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have had more than two periods of sickness absence of less than five days in each of the last three years. [218723]
Meg Munn: Thirty-nine UK civil servants employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and FCO services have had two or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in each of the last three years up to 31 July 2008. This represents 0.7 per cent. of the FCO’s UK-based work force.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years. [218967]
Meg Munn: In the period 1 January 2005 to 31 July 2008, 45 UK civil servants (0.75 per cent. of UK-based staff) employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) or FCO services had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of these years.
The FCO does not hold records of sickness absence before 1 January 2005.
We monitor sickness absence closely. Long periods of sick leave trigger a reduction in pay (of 50 per cent.) and eventually loss of salary altogether.
Developing Countries: Charities
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance his Department provides to charitable organisations on the direction of their operations in third-world countries. [220699]
Meg Munn: Our diplomatic missions regularly provide specific advice to charitable organisations wishing to work in their host countries. We are most commonly consulted for general travel and security advice but also regularly advise on the general political conditions, including the most efficient and effective means of delivering aid to the country. Beyond this, we would also encourage non-governmental organisations to carry out their own independent checks in line with industry best practice.
This advice would normally be delivered by the Department for International Development, but where they are not represented, this role is played by our embassy or high commission. More general information is also accessible through our website on a range of issues that may affect them, including travel advice, political structure, security environment and economic conditions.
Non-governmental organisations are, of course, not obliged to seek this advice or to stay in close contact with our embassy or high commission and some choose not to do so. Although we maintain a good relationship with non-governmental organisations overseas, we are careful to respect their independence and are not in a position to dictate the way in which they deliver their aid.
Where projects are funded or part funded by the Government, however, we have considerable say in how aid is directed. In some cases the Government use non-governmental organisations as conduits for essential UK aid, particularly in countries where we lack confidence in the host Government’s ability or willingness to distribute aid to the most needy. It is, in general, difficult for host Governments to divert aid administered through non-governmental organisations for political or military purposes.
Diego Garcia: Detainees
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2008, Official Report, columns 932-33W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, what investigation his Department has carried out into the allegations relating to the USS Bataan and the USNS Stockholm. [220879]
Dr. Howells: Pursuant to my answer of 7 May 2008, Official Report, columns 932-33W, during the course of our most recent exchanges, the US have confirmed to us that they have not held any detainees on ships within the territorial waters of Diego Garcia since 11 September 2001. They have also informed us that they do not operate detention facilities for terrorist suspects onboard ships. US naval vessels were used in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan to screen and temporarily hold a very small number of individuals pending their transfer to land-based detention facilities. The US has informed us that these ships were not located within the territorial waters of Diego Garcia. We are not aware of any of these ships being supplied from the island.
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