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27 Feb 2009 : Column 1195W—continued
Democratic Republic of Congo: Asylum
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Kinshasa and Bas Congo; what guidance he has issued to the UK Border Agency on the safety of unsuccessful asylum seekers removed to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement. [255513]
Gillian Merron: We continue to monitor the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) closely. Though there have been recent occasions on which human rights standards have not been upheld in Kinshasa and Bas Congo, we are not aware of any systematic persecution by the DRC authorities there. Our guidance to the UK Border Agency on the return of failed asylum seekers to DRC from the UK sets this out. There continues to be no general reason why failed asylum seekers should not be returned to Kinshasa or Bas Congo, although each application must be treated on its own merits.
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) display energy certificates and (b) advisory reports for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies. [256048]
Gillian Merron: I will place in the Library a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each qualifying property occupied by the Foreign and Commonwealth office and its agencies.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 371W, on departmental buildings; at what rate council tax is being paid in respect of the residential apartments in the composite hereditament of 1 Carlton Gardens. [257456]
Gillian Merron: Council tax is currently being paid at the City of Westminster's company property rate of 90 per cent., the rate chargeable for an empty furnished property. The charge for the financial year 2008-09 is £1,237.72.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 12 January 2009, Official Report, column 371W, on departmental buildings, whether his Department is seeking to (a) extend the lease or (b) terminate the lease in its negotiations with the Crown Estate. [257457]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is conducting negotiations with a view to extending the lease.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a copy of his Department's website accessibility plan. [257217]
Caroline Flint: No, as there is not a departmental accessibility plan. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices's accessibility statement is available at:
Our accessibility plan is to address the priority issues raised in the accessibility report produced for our website by Bunnyfoot in March 2008. This report is an internal document and as such has not been published on our public website.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the maximum monthly allowance in addition to basic salary is for civilian employees of his Department working in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. [254920]
Gillian Merron: UK civil servants employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Iraq and Afghanistan receive a series of allowances.
Some of these allowances, principally cost of living allowance, are paid to civil servants serving in many countries overseas to compensate them for the actual extra costs of living and working overseas. These costs are based on indicators produced by Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA).
Other allowances, particularly the hardship element of Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance (DSCA), are paid to staff in difficult and dangerous posts to compensate them for the security threat they face, the lack of basic facilities, risks to health, and frequently lengthy separation from their families. ECA indicators, and security advice, are used to calculate this allowance.
The current monthly rates of DSCA hardship allowance paid to staff at posts in Iraq and Afghanistan are:
| £ | |
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256325]
Gillian Merron: The following table records the number of civil servants employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office whose periods of sick leave continued beyond 30, 50 and 100 days.
| 30 days | 50 days | 100 days | |
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days sick leave on average each member of staff in his Department took in 2008. [256494]
Gillian Merron: The average number of sick days taken by UK-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff during 2008 was 3.6 days. We do not keep records centrally of sick leave taken by locally-engaged staff members. This information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years. [256630]
Gillian Merron: The following statistics record the number of Officers who were on sick leave for more than 12 months since 2004.
| Number | |
Diplomatic Service
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times his Department has appointed a Special Representative to a particular region since 1997. [256614]
Gillian Merron: Special Representatives have been appointed by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, to the Great Lakes (1998), Sierra Leone (2002), Iraq (2003), South Caucasus (2003), Sudan (2003), Nepal (2003), Darfur (Peace Talks) 2006, Middle East (and Special Projects) 2007, Afghanistan and Pakistan (2009).
In addition, Special Representatives and Special Envoys are appointed by the Prime Minister.
EU Satellite Centre
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are employed by the European Union Satellite Centre in Torrejón, Spain. [257066]
Caroline Flint: There are currently six UK citizens employed by the European Union Satellite Centre in Torrejón, Spain
Gao Zhisheng
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the arrest of Mr. Gao Zhisheng by the Chinese authorities; what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart about Mr. Zhisheng’s detention; and if he will make a statement. [257348]
Bill Rammell: We remain concerned at the case of Gao Zhisheng. We have received reports that he was taken from his parents’ home in Shaanxi Province on 4 February 2009 and has not been seen since. We have consistently raised the case of Mr. Zhisheng with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We raised it at the 2008 UK/China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing as part of an individual case list. After co-ordination among EU member states, the EU presidency raised the case with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 January 2009. We will continue to monitor his case and raise it at every appropriate opportunity.
Government Communications Headquarters: Manpower
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of the Government Communications Headquarters are currently (a) seconded to and (b) otherwise deployed at the United States National Security Agency. [256836]
Gillian Merron: It is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on operational intelligence matters, including details of staff deployments.
Guantanamo Bay: Detainees
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether US officials have acceded to the request to return Mr. Shaker Aamer to the UK; and if he will make a statement. [256382]
David Miliband: We maintain a close dialogue with the US regarding Mr. Aamer's case and his welfare. The US government have not agreed to his release and return to the UK. We have made clear in recent contacts with the new administration that our request for his release and return stands should their position have changed.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money his Department gave to Hazard Management Cayman Islands in 2008; and what sum has been budgeted for 2009. [256760]
Gillian Merron: None. Hazard Management Cayman Islands is a public authority which is funded by the Cayman Islands government.
International Organisations
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much expenditure his Department incurred in paying subscriptions to each international organisation in 2007-08; what projection he has made of such costs for each organisation in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [256963]
David Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
| Subscriptions to each international organisation in 2007-08 | |
| Subscription | £000 |
| Source: FCO Resource Accounts 2007-08 | |
| (a) Subscriptions to each international organisation in 2008-09 | |
| Subscription | £000 |
| Source: FCO Supplementary Estimates 2008-09, 27 January 2009 | |
( b) Subscriptions to each international o rganisation in 2009-10
The projected costs for 2009-10 are around £146 million but are uncertain. In negotiating with international organisations as they set their budgets for 2009-10, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will endeavour to limit budget increases to zero real growth. The fall in sterling will have an impact on subscriptions paid in US Dollars and Euros. The FCO shares the burden of exchange rate movements on international subscriptions with the Treasury under the arrangement whereby the Treasury fund 60 per cent. of any increase above a baseline of £102 million. Our foreign currency forward purchase contracts do include an element for our international subscription costs intended to help offset any further falls in sterling.
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