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27 Jan 2009 : Column 385W—continued
Equality Bill
9. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the effect on businesses of proposals in the forthcoming Equality Bill; and if she will make a statement. [250984]
Maria Eagle:
The Bill will help business by simplifying and harmonising discrimination law. This will make it easier for employers and employees to know their rights and responsibilities through clearer and simpler guidance. We continue to refine our
impact estimates, working with stakeholders including business. Their views will be reflected when we publish the impact assessment that accompanies the Equality Bill.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Colombia: Detainees
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Colombian Government on the extradition of Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley. [251133]
Gillian Merron [holding answer 26 January 2009]: None.
Colombia: Political Prisoners
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Colombian Government on political prisoners being held for long periods in Colombian jails without having been convicted of any crime. [250088]
Gillian Merron: With the Colombian authorities in London and through our embassy in Bogota we have raised specific cases of concern of people who have been detained for long periods without trial on the charge of rebellion.
We are aware of serious allegations that people in Colombia are being imprisoned or charged with offences because of their political views or activities, and held for long periods.
It is for the Colombian judicial system to assess any such cases, including exercise of the right of habeas corpus. We are working to facilitate improvements in the Colombian criminal justice system by supporting a project with prominent civil society organisations and the UN development programme.
Community Relations: Religion
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which places in the UK he visited in 2008 in connection with the Government's Preventing Violent Extremism strategy; on what dates he undertook the visits; what the estimated cost of such visits was for 2008; which towns or cities in the UK he plans to visit in 2009 in connection with Preventing Violent Extremism; what the cost is expected to be; and if he will make a statement. [249585]
Bill Rammell: During 2008 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited the following areas:
28 May, Tower Hamlets;
25 July, Birmingham;
8 September, Birmingham;
21 November, Bradford.
The cost of these visits was £24,802.78
In January the Foreign Secretary will visit Manchester. Further visits are being planned.
Departmental Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East, of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 220W, on departmental public relations, which firm provided the secondment; and to which division in his Department the secondee was assigned. [249381]
Gillian Merron: The member of staff referred to is seconded from Ofcom to the Communications Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East, of 13 November 2008, Official Report, column 1406W, on departmental public relations, to which external public relations and public affairs firms departmental staff are currently on secondment; and what the (a) purpose and (b) duration is of each secondment. [250316]
Gillian Merron: Of the seven Foreign and Commonwealth Office members of staff referred to in the previous answer, six remain on secondment to the organisations and positions listed below for the periods indicated.
Programme Director, Wilton Park: August 2007 - February 2009
Growth Manager, Think London Ltd: August 2007 - February 2009
Business Director, Africa Matters Ltd: June 2005 - June 2009
Director Construction and Asia Pacific, British Expertise: June 2005 - March 2009
Senior Partner, International, at Ofcom: June 2008 - February 2009
Director Trade and Government Relations, The Middle East Association: October 2006 - October 2009
Eritrea: Djibouti
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to resolve the disputes between Eritrea and Djibouti. [249351]
Gillian Merron: Since June 2008, when the current border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti arose, we have lobbied both in the UN and Eritrea and Djibouti bilaterally to seek to resolve their dispute peacefully through dialogue.
We supported the UN Security Council (UNSC) presidential statement of 12 June 2008 condemning Eritrea's incursion and urging both sides to show maximum restraint.
During a visit to the region in June, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Counter Terrorism and Immigration, (Mr. McNulty) discussed the issue with President Guelleh of Djibouti and Foreign Minister Mahamud Ali Youssouf. On his return to the UK, the Minister also met with the Eritrean ambassador to express his concern over the dispute urging both parties to seek a peaceful resolution. In December my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord
Malloch-Brown, also met the Eritrean ambassador to discuss this. Foreign and Commonwealth officials have raised their concerns with the Eritrean ambassador in London and their interlocutors in Djibouti and Asmara.
We supported the UN Security Council 1862, adopted on 14 January 2009, which urged Djibouti and Eritrea to resolve their border dispute peacefully, quickly and in a manner consistent with international law.
Iran
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on recent incidences of (a) stonings, (b) public executions, (c) torture of political and other prisoners and (d) other human rights violations in Iran. [249293]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 22 January 2009]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with EU counterparts on human rights issues in Iran. However, regular discussions take place at official level, and the EU fully shares the UK's concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, as can be seen by the large number of EU representations and declarations on this issue. The most recent EU declaration, made on 13 January 2009, condemned the stonings which took place in Mashhad on 21 December 2008, and urged the Iranian authorities to end the practice of execution by stoning and remove stoning from the Iranian penal code. On 19 December 2008, the EU made a declaration expressing concern about a mass execution on 26 November 2008, pressure on women’s rights activists including Esha Momeni, and the situations of Hussein Derakhshan, an Iranian blogger, and the trade unionist Mansour Ossanlou.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on recent instances of (a) stoning, (b) public executions, (c) torture of political and other prisoners and (d) other human rights violations in Iran. [249294]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 22 January 2009]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not met or spoken with his Iranian counterpart since April 2008, and last met the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister in September 2008.
In September 2008, the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign Office raised the issue of the death penalty, including juvenile executions, with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister. On 20 November 2008 I met the Iranian ambassador, and raised our concerns about human rights issues including the death penalty, the continued execution of juveniles, and the draft penal code, which would impose a mandatory death sentence for apostasy. I followed up this meeting by writing to the Iranian ambassador on 5 December 2008 giving details of our concern about juvenile executions. The Iranian ambassador replied denying that any juvenile executions have taken place in Iran since the head of the judiciary issued a decree against the practice in early October 2008. However, we have heard reports of
two juvenile executions since the decree—on 29 October 2008 and 30 December 2008.
The UK made 40 representations to the Iranian authorities about human rights in 2008, bilaterally and through the EU. The most recent EU declaration, made on 13 January 2009, condemned the stonings which took place in Mashhad on 21 December 2008, and urged the Iranian authorities to end the practice of execution by stoning and remove stoning from the Iranian penal code. On 19 December 2008, the EU made a declaration expressing concern about a mass execution on 26 November 2008, pressure on women’s rights activists including Esha Momeni, and the situations of Hussein Derakhshan, an Iranian blogger, and the trade unionist Mansour Ossanlou.
Israel: EU External Trade
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the human rights sub-committee set up under the EU-Israel Trade Association Agreement is next due to meet; and if he will request a special meeting of the sub-committee to consider Israel's recent human rights record in Gaza. [249636]
Bill Rammell: The proposed human rights sub-committee is part of a package of measures to be encompassed in next EU-Israel European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan which has not yet been finalised. There are therefore no immediate plans for a meeting.
The EU has raised its concerns relating to the situation in Gaza at the highest level with the Government of Israel.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the relevance of Article 2 of the EU Israel Trade Association Agreement to actions by Israel in Gaza. [248407]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 19 January 2009]: EU-Israel relations are an important part of our engagement with Israel which has at its core the goal of achieving lasting peace in the middle east. Current discussions on the EU-Israel relationship include enhancing discussion of human rights issues.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports of the use of British-supplied military vehicles by Israel in its invasion of Palestinian territories in Gaza. [248785]
Bill Rammell: We have received no such reports.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the state of Israel concerning reports of Israel’s alleged use of white phosphorus and cluster bombs in their military operation in Gaza. [249088]
Gillian Merron [holding answer 20 January 2009]: We are very concerned about reports of white phosphorus ammunition being used by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza. We have made this clear directly to both the Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.
I have also made clear to the House that Gaza is an exceptionally densely populated area where white phosphorus used as an air burst is liable to cause particularly horrific injuries to non-combatants. We consider such use in these circumstances unacceptable.
We are not aware of allegations that cluster bombs have been used in Gaza.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government had with the Governments of (a) Syria, (b) Lebanon, (c) Turkey, (d) Egypt, (e) Jordan and (f) Saudi Arabia on the situation in the Middle East between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009. [249172]
Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke at least once to his counterparts in all those countries between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government had with Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair on the situation in the Middle East between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009; and on what date the first such discussion took place. [249174]
Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in regular contact with the Quartet Envoy throughout this crisis.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what common policy positions were taken by EU members in relation to Israel’s military action against Gaza between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009. [249198]
Bill Rammell: European Union Foreign Ministers met on 30 December 2008 and agreed a statement setting out the EU’s stance on the conflict. The EU presidency also issued a number of statements on behalf of the Union.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was first informed of Israel’s intention to launch (a) an aerial and (b) a ground attack on Gaza; and whether the Government of Israel provided such information. [249199]
Bill Rammell: The increasing tension between Israel and Hamas was very clear in early December 2008. With rocket attacks increasing and the Hamas declaration that it would not renew the ceasefire on 19 December 2008, there was clearly a risk of Israeli military action. We did not however have specific prior warning of Israel’s intention to launch the aerial operation.
Similarly, while we were well aware of the likelihood of an Israeli ground operation to follow up the Israeli air operation, we were aware of preparations being made and we were discussing the conflict frequently with the Israeli authorities in our efforts to secure a ceasefire, we had no specific prior warning of Israel’s intention to launch the ground operation.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what formal representations he has made to the Government of Israel on the proportionality of its use of force in Gaza between 28 December 2008 and 5 January 2009. [249202]
Bill Rammell: As I told the House on 15 January 2009, Official Report, column 396: “the Israeli action has been disproportionate”. We have consistently urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and from the outset have called in public and private for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage the establishment of a Palestinian State. [249513]
Bill Rammell: We are at the forefront of international effort to support peace negotiations and build the institutions of a future Palestinian state. We have pledged £243 million over three years to support the Palestinian Authority and people.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters his Department has received from members of the public on the conflict in Gaza. [249520]
Bill Rammell: The number of letters received from members of the public increases constantly and is now approaching 1,000. We have already replied to over 600 letters of these letters.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the principles of the Quartet are; which countries in the Middle East have agreed to them; and if he will make a statement. [250221]
Bill Rammell: The Quartet Principles are recognition of Israel, acceptance of previous Palestinian Liberation Organisation agreements with Israel and rejection of violence. We support the Quartet in asking these things of Hamas as a basis for engagement.
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