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10 Mar 2009 : Column 222W—continued
Deportation: Terrorism
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which countries the United Kingdom has signed memorandums of understanding to ensure that any deported terrorism suspects will not face torture or ill-treatment on their return; and with which countries similar memoranda are currently being negotiated. [262704]
Bill Rammell: We have secured framework arrangements on assurances with Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria and Ethiopia.
The Government are pursuing possible arrangements with other countries, but it would not be appropriate to identify them until negotiations have been concluded. Copies of any new arrangements will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
EC Labour Policy
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what EU job centres are based in non-EU states; what the expected total projected costs of these offices is for 2009; and whether there are any plans to open more such offices. [258914]
Caroline Flint: There are no EU job centres in non-EU states, and there are no plans to open any such offices.
Elections: Monitoring
Mr. Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on sending secondees to the OSCE in each of the last five years. [261959]
Caroline Flint: Our approximate spending on UK secondees to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in each of the last five years is as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) Up to 28 February 2009 | |
Mr. Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) staff of his Department and (b) other UK nationals are seconded to the OSCE institutions, including Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and OSCE field missions; and how many of each have been so seconded in each of the last five years. [261960]
Caroline Flint: We currently have 14 UK secondees to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), none of whom are Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff.
Over the last five years, we have seconded the following numbers of civilian staff to the OSCE:
| Number | |
Mr. Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the Government was for election observation conducted by (a) OSCE, (b) the European Union and (c) the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in each of the last 10 years. [261961]
Caroline Flint: The cost of the UK's contribution to Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observation over the last five years is as follows:
| £ | |
Details on OSCE funding prior to 2004 is held only in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office archives and is not readily available. To find this information would incur disproportionate cost.
The European Commission funds EU election assistance and observation. The UK contributes through its overall payments to the EU, which means that we cannot provide a breakdown for each of the last 10 years. Similarly, we pay for Council of Europe election observation through our assessed contributions, and as such cannot provide a detailed indication of our costs.
Gulf of Aden: Piracy
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 169W, on Yemen: piracy, how many incidents of piracy were recorded in the Gulf of Aden in (a) November and December 2008 and (b) 2009 to date. [261000]
David Miliband: The information is in the following table.
| Number | |
India
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the Indian media coverage of his recent visit to India. [253706]
Bill Rammell: Indian media coverage of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary’s recent visit was extensive and varied.
India: Christianity
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of (a) closures of churches in India and (b) the treatment of Christians in that country; what recent representations he has made to the government of India on the matter; and if he will make a statement. [259540]
Bill Rammell: We have received reports of churches in Karnataka being temporarily closed from 24 December 2008 to 4 January 2009 following allegations of forced conversions made by groups including the Hindu Jagarana Vedike. However, on 24 December 2008, the Karnataka High Court permitted some of these churches to conduct prayers during this period. The churches have now been re-opened.
An EU delegation, which included a representative from our high commission in New Delhi, visited Orissa between 9 and 12 December 2008 to assess the latest situation. They observed that Orissa remained tense and unsettled and that some of those affected by the violence had still not returned to their homes. The Orissa state authorities advised the delegation that all measures had been taken to prevent any repetition of the widespread violence that took place in 2007 and 2008.
My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, discussed the situation with Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, and Mohammed Qureshi, Chairman of the Indian Minorities Commission, when he visited New Delhi on 17 October 2008. Our high commission in New Delhi also raised the issue of religious minorities at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue on 27 February 2009.
Iran: Baha’i Faith
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he plans to hold with the Iranian Government on the fate of the seven Baha'is who are expected shortly to be put on trial by the Iranian authorities. [261733]
Bill Rammell: We have called repeatedly for the Iranian Government to release the seven leading members of the Iranian Baha'i community. We issued a statement on 16 February 2009, backed by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, expressing our concern and calling for the Iranian Government to ensure that any trial is fair and to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings.
The Iranian authorities are reluctant to engage with the international community, and refuse to receive formal representations on human rights issues from the EU. In this context we believe the most significant impact we can have is by ensuring that international attention remains focussed on the human rights environment in Iran. Alongside our EU partners we repeatedly express our firm opposition to all forms of discrimination and oppression, and urge Iran to respect and protect its religious minorities and free all prisoners held due to their faith or religious practice.
The statement issued on 16 February 2009 is available for viewing at:
Kashmir: Diplomatic Service
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the US administration on the possible appointment of a US special representative for Kashmir. [261759]
Bill Rammell: We are not aware of any plans for the US to appoint a special representative for Kashmir. There are no plans to discuss the issue.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the government of Israel and (b) the United Nations on the loss of unexploded Israeli ordnance in Gaza. [259542]
Bill Rammell: We are very concerned about reports that unexploded ordnance has gone missing in Gaza. We fully support the UN call for the unexploded material to be returned so that it can be safely disposed of by professionals trained to do so.
The UK has been very clear about the danger this sort of material poses. For this reason we moved quickly to fund the mines advisory group to assess and clear unexploded ordnance and have called on the Israeli government to allow mines clearance personnel entry to Gaza.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel on funding for reconstruction in Gaza; and if he will make a statement. [259543]
Bill Rammell: The reconstruction of Gaza needs more than pledges of aid. The aid needs to get in; it needs to be well spent; and then it needs to be sustained. The Government continue to call on the Israeli government to improve access and to relax tough restrictions on the type of goods that are allowed across the border.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this message during the reconstruction conference in Sharm El-Sheik on 2 March 2009 as did the International Development Secretary during his visit to Gaza on 1 March 2009. Both have raised the issue directly with Israeli Minister of Welfare and Social Services, Isaac Herzog.
Palestinians: Overseas Aid
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Israeli government to allow unimpeded access to Gaza for food, fuel and medical supplies; and if he will make a statement. [262702]
Bill Rammell: We are very keenly aware that the reconstruction of Gaza needs more than pledges of aid. The aid needs to get in; it needs to be well spent; and then it needs to be sustained. The Government continue to call on the Israeli Government to improve access and to relax tough restrictions on the type of goods that are allowed across the border.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this message during the reconstruction conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on 2 March 2009 as did the International Development Secretary during his visit to Gaza on 1 March 2009. Both have raised the issue directly with Israeli Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog.
Palestinians: Politics and Government
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the political situation in Gaza. [260030]
Bill Rammell: We receive regular reports from the UN detailing the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
My right hon. Friend the International Development Secretary visited Gaza on 1 March 2009 and called for improved access and urged the Israelis to relax tough restrictions on the type of goods that are allowed across the border. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reinforced this message during the reconstruction conference in Sharm el-Sheikh on 2 March 2009.
Russia: Press Freedom
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the BBC World Service on the media situation in Russia. [258893]
Caroline Flint: The BBC World Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have had a number of discussions about Russia at working level over the last year, including on the media environment and the BBC World Service’s proposals to maximise its impact in this challenging market. I also had discussions on Russia with the BBC World Service senior management at the annual ministerial meeting with the BBC World Service on 11 December 2008.
Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the government of Sri Lanka on its compliance with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. [260163]
Bill Rammell: Our high commission in Colombo continues to lobby strongly for the UN guiding principles on internal displacement to be upheld for all the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka. The Department for International Development (DfID) and other donor organisations are prioritising messages around protection, access, safety and freedom of movement of IDPs. DfID and other donors are only considering support to projects that are temporary in nature and will review their continued collective involvement after three months, in light of the Government’s progress with the other key principles.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Prime Minister's special envoy has taken to facilitate peace in Sri Lanka in the last three months; how many times he has (i) corresponded and (ii) had discussions with the government of Sri Lanka on the political situation in that country in the last three months; what reports he has received of the number of people killed in the conflict in Sri Lanka (A) in total and (B) in the last three months; and if he will make a statement. [260196]
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