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20 Nov 2008 : Column 747W—continued
Departmental Visits Abroad
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of overseas visits by each Minister in his Department has been since 1997. [214651]
Gillian Merron:
Since 1999, the Government have published the total cost of all overseas travel by Ministers and a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for 2007-08 was published
on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 102WS. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Information in respect of overseas visits by all Ministers for the period 1997-99 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Diego Garcia: Aviation
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who is responsible for maintaining and possessing the flight logs of aeroplanes flying in and out of Diego Garcia. [228465]
David Miliband: Records on flight departures and arrivals on Diego Garcia are held by the UK authorities on the island. Records are generally kept for a period of between three and five years. These include the Customs and Immigration Daily Occurrence Log and the General Declarations made by all aircraft on arrival. In addition to this, a seven-day rolling flight schedule is given to the UK authorities on the island by the US authorities on a daily basis. Any changes to this schedule are also notified to the UK authorities.
Diego Garcia: Detainees
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United States is required to seek permission from the UK Government to use UK-run civilian detention facilities on Diego Garcia. [228462]
David Miliband: The UK detention facility on Diego Garcia is operated and staffed by the UK authorities and there is no standing agreement between the US and the UK for use of the facility. The US would, therefore, be required to seek permission from the UK authorities if they wished to use the facility.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there is a US-administered military detention facility on Diego Garcia. [228463]
David Miliband: The US detention facility (for US servicemen within the US base) on Diego Garcia was decommissioned in August 2007. There is now only one detention facility on Diego Garcia. It is operated by the UK authorities.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been held in the police station on the island of Diego Garcia since 2001; and for what reasons in each case. [228467]
David Miliband:
Our records indicate that, since 2001, approximately 200 people have been held in the police station and/or the detention facility. A significant proportion of those were detained in connection with illegal fishing in British Indian Ocean Territory waters, assault or being drunk and disorderly. Others were held under suspicion of or having been found guilty of one or more of the following offences under British Indian Ocean Territory law: driving whilst disqualified; causing criminal damage; violations of the Visitors and Visiting Vessels
Ordinance; driving under the influence; dangerous driving; breaking and entering; importing prohibited articles; being drunk and incapable; attempted murder; drunkenness; harassment; fighting; taking a vehicle without consent; grievous bodily harm; actual bodily harm; wounding with intent; indecent assault; burglary; leaving the scene of an accident; rape; vagrancy; threatening behaviour; obtaining property by deception; affray; mooring in the outer islands without permission; possession of an offensive weapon; indecency; driving without a licence; theft; and urinating in public.
Diego Garcia: Military Bases
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been any requests put (a) to British officials based in Diego Garcia and (b) directly to his Department since 2001 to (i) change the nature of US facilities on the island, (ii) construct new US facilities and (iii) extend existing US facilities. [228524]
David Miliband: Under Section 2(b) of the 1966 Exchange of Notes, before either the US or UK Government proceeds to construct or install any facility in the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the island of Diego Garcia, both Governments shall first approve in principle the requirement for that facility, and the appropriate administrative authorities of the two Governments shall reach mutually satisfactory arrangements concerning specific areas and technical requirements for respective defence purposes.
Approval under the Exchange of Notes is only required for construction or installation of major new developments. Such developments would be of the order of an air staging base, a fleet support installation or a space tracking station. The UK authorities have received several requests from the US for upgrades to existing facilities within the Exchange of Notes since 2001. In August 2001, the UK received a request for infrastructure upgrades to the existing US Navy support facility on Diego Garcia and its designation as a “bomber forward operating location”. Further requests for infrastructure upgrades were received in July 2002. In November 2004, the UK received a request from the US to expand the existing satellite tracking station on Diego Garcia.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been any requests from the US Administration for permission to use their facilities on Diego Garcia for extraordinary purposes since 2001. [228525]
David Miliband: With thanks to the hon. Member for his subsequent clarification of the information that he seeks: there have been no requests from the United States to use Diego Garcia for purposes outside of the agreements governing their use of the island.
Georgia: Russia
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations between Georgia and Russia; and if he will make a statement. [231649]
Caroline Flint: Relations between Georgia and Russia are strained, following the conflict in August.
The EU and Organisation for Security Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ceasefire plan, brokered between President Sarkozy and President Medvedev on 12 August, included a commitment to talks on security and stability in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The first round of these talks took place in Geneva on 15 October under EU chairmanship with UN and OSCE participation. The next meeting is scheduled for 18 November. We are encouraging both Georgia and Russia to engage constructively and hope that this will lead to a lasting, peaceful solution. In the meantime we urge restraint on both sides.
Ilois: Resettlement
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has held with the Chagos islanders on their wish to return to the Chagos Islands. [235121]
Gillian Merron: In April this year discussions were held with the Diego Garcia Society about the possibility of a visit to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) by a group of Chagossians who had settled in the UK. A visit was agreed to take place from 15-22 November, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Officials have been in frequent touch with the Diego Garcia Society over the arrangements.
In August, the Chagos Refugees Group met with the Acting Commissioner of BIOT to discuss various issues of concern to Chagossians living in or hoping to live in the UK. Future visits to the territory were also discussed.
On neither occasion was the issue of a return to BIOT by the Chagossians raised. The issue was sub judice following the Government’s appeal to the House of Lords.
Our high commissions in Port Louis and Victoria are also regularly in touch with the Chagossian communities in Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Iraq: Asylum
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much it has cost to date to administer the Locally Employed Staff Assistance scheme for Iraqi nationals; and if he will make a statement. [227952]
Bill Rammell: The cost to date of administering the Iraq locally employed staff assistance scheme are as follows:
The cost of administering the scheme at our missions in Iraq is £256,000. The cost of administration at our embassy in Amman is £27,000. These costs include staff and overheads.
Administration costs are also being incurred in London by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Department for International Development (DfID), UK Boarders Agency (UKBA) and Ministry of Defence (MOD). FCO has so far incurred £75,000 costs, DfID £15,000 and UKBA £156,000. The costs incurred by MOD are not yet available and will be forwarded in an addendum to this answer.
The Government have also contributed US$80,000 to the UN high commissioner for refugees to enable the recruitment of two additional members of staff to process applications under the scheme.
This gives a total cost (excluding MOD costs) of £529,000 plus US$80,000.
These statistics represent costs to date and do not include the Gateway Resettlement programme which has allocated £12,000,000 over two years to resettle 600 Iraqi former locally employed staff and their dependents. It also excludes the financial assistance package payments of US$2,418,552 made to staff as set out in PQ 227954.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the legal basis for the presence of UK forces in Iraq will be after the expiry of the UN mandate in December 2008; and if he will make a statement. [237270]
Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
The multinational force, including British forces, operates in Iraq under the mandate of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1790 and at the request of the Government of Iraq. The UK and the Government of Iraq are negotiating a legal framework to allow us to continue to provide the assistance requested of us by the Iraqi authorities, laying the foundations for a long-term normalised bilateral relationship. Our negotiations have made good progress and we expect to conclude an agreement prior to the expiry of UN Security Council Resolution 1790 at the end of 2008.
Plain English
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many documents produced by his Department were submitted to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in each year since 2005; and how many documents achieved such status in each year. [230651]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) submitted 22 documents to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in 2005, and five in 2006. All of these documents were approved for a Crystal Mark. The FCO did not submit any documents in 2007 and 2008.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many documents produced by his Department were submitted to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in each year since 2005; and how many documents achieved such status in each year. [231118]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) submitted 22 documents to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in 2005, and five in 2006. All of these documents were approved for a Crystal Mark. The FCO did not submit any documents in 2007 and 2008.
Turks and Caicos Islands: Hurricanes
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department plans to provide to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands during the reconstruction phase following Hurricane Ike; on what basis overseas territories receive financial assistance from the Government for help with reconstruction efforts following natural disasters; and if he will make a statement. [236772]
Mr. Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for International Development (DFID), jointly with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has indicated a willingness to provide up to £5 million to support post Hurricane Ike priority reconstruction needs.
Overseas Territories receive assistance for reconstruction after natural disasters on the basis of our assessment of a range of factors. These include the scale of damage suffered, the urgency of the need, the extent of the territory's capacity to meet recovery costs itself. We also take into account the likelihood of receiving assistance from other sources, such as from insurance.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Catering
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether food and drink on sale to staff of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies at official premises is subsidised from public funds. [237413]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department subsidises the sale of food and drink at its offices at Cockspur street.
The Royal Parks, the Department’s one executive agency, does not subsidise the sale of food to staff from public funds.
Gambling
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to revise his guidance on split premises and adult gaming centres. [235651]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 13 November 2008]: In line with its responsibilities under the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission is required to provide Guidance to Licensing Authorities (GLA) and, in turn, Licensing Authorities are required to have regard to this advice.
Following a full public consultation the Gambling Commission issued revised guidance on 31 October 2008 to licensing authorities on split premises and also on the primary purpose of the gambling activity. This revision to the second edition of the GLA took immediate effect.
This guidance covers all gambling facilities, though the issues on split premises have emerged primarily in respect of adult gaming centres and bingo clubs. A copy
of the guidance can be found on the Gambling Commission website at the following link:
Licensing Laws
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to amend the legislation relating to applications for licences under the Licensing Act 2003 so that (a) right hon. and hon. Members and (b) local councillors can (i) make representations to and (ii) speak at application hearings on behalf of their constituents without the necessity of first being asked by a constituent to do so; and if he will make a statement. [227671]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 16 October 2008]: I believe that the current arrangements for making representations sufficiently protect the rights of local residents in licensing cases. Local residents and local businesses may make representations or seek a review under the Act, as can bodies acting on their behalf (e.g. residents’ associations, parish or town councils, or trade associations). Any of these individuals or groups may specifically request a representative to make a representation on their behalf (e.g. a Member of Parliament or a local ward or parish councillor). Local councillors can also make representations in their own right if they live or are involved in a business in the vicinity of the premises in question. I have received no indication from any source that these arrangements have led to significant problems. Furthermore, I think it would be inappropriate for an hon. Member or ward or parish councillor who is not personally affected by the premises in question to make representations without first obtaining the authorisation, by way of a request, of those who are.
Music: Internet
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to protect smaller music bands and record labels from illegal downloading. [233246]
Mr. McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
The problem of unlawful peer-to-peer file-sharing was addressed in the Government's consultation which closed on 30 October. This identified potential regulatory options including the Government’s preferred co-regulatory approach.
We have had a good response from individual members of the public, trade associations, Internet Service Providers and consumer groups as well as companies and organisations from the content industries (including music). These responses need to be considered and evaluated both in terms of unlawful file-sharing but also in the wider context of the Digital Britain Report.
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