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23 Mar 2009 : Column 22W—continued
Burma: United Nations
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has had contact with the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on Myanmar since 1 January 2009. [265475]
Bill Rammell: Our mission to the UN in New York is in regular contact with the UN Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari and his office. This dialogue was particularly frequent before and after Professor Gambari's visit to Burma from 31 January 2009 to 3 February 2009 and after his briefing to the UN Security Council on 20 February 2009.
We continue to give our full support to the UN Secretary General's Good Offices mission.
Cambodia: Human Rights
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Cambodia on Lor Seiha and others imprisoned on charges arising from their resistence to forced evictions; and if he will make a statement. [264246]
Bill Rammell: The UK, in our capacity as the local EU presidency, arranged for EU Heads of Mission to meet with non-governmental organisation (NGOs) representatives and Dey Krahom leaders on 29 January 2009 to hear their concerns on forced evictions.
We have raised our concerns over land rights and forced evictions with the Cambodian authorities on a number of occasions, most recently with the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation in a Note Verbale sent on 2 March 2009.
Representatives from EU member states, the local Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and a local NGOs visited a site in Phnom Penh and also visited the Dey Krahom relocation site on 20 February 2009 to meet members of the local communities. They were accompanied by a representative of the Phnom Penh municipal authorities.
EU member states will maintain dialogue on these issues with the Phnom Penh authorities and have made clear to the royal government of Cambodia their support for the OHCHR’s proposal for development of guidelines to regulate evictions and relocations and a moratorium on evictions.
China: Family Planning
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of China regarding alleged abuse of those who protest against the one child policy in China since July 2008; and if he will make a statement. [259021]
Bill Rammell: We are aware of reports of mal-administration of China's one child policy, but have not received reports of protests against it since July 2008.
We remain concerned, however, about the continued imprisonment of human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng, who highlighted reports of enforced sterilisation and abortion in Linyi City, Shandong Province in late 2005. Chen Guangcheng's case was raised most recently at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in November 2008. We continue to monitor Mr. Chen's situation and that of his family.
Departmental Accountancy
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to paragraph 88 of the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second Report of Session 2008-09, HC 195, on his Department's Annual Report for 2007-08, when he expects to publish details of the cost savings accruing from his Department's co-location programmes; and if he will make a statement. [256990]
David Miliband: Various partners across Government co-locate with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). These partners base their operations within FCO missions overseas and use the support of FCO staff in management and administrative positions.
By not having to set up their own offices these Departments make efficiency savings as well as avoiding additional costs for the Department and tax payer. However we have not been informed of the cost savings made by other Departments in this manner, and cannot therefore publish details of them.
Departmental Catering
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) food and (b) drinks suppliers have been used by his Department in each of the last three years; and how much his Department paid to each such supplier in each of those years. [248385]
Gillian Merron: The two contracted suppliers of food and drink used by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are as follows:
| £ | |||
| Directors Table | Mountain Spring | ||
From 1 December 2008 the contract with Mountain Spring has been terminated.
There is a large difference between spend on Mountain Spring during the 2005-06 period and the subsequent years as there were various suppliers used in 2005-06.
Identifying these suppliers and the amounts spent would incur disproportionate cost.
The figures do not include spend by Government Hospitality, individual departmental spend or spend locally by post overseas, as this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 23 February 2009, Official Report, columns 369-73W, on the departmental internet, how many hits each of the websites maintained by his Department received in each of the last 12 months. [262836]
Caroline Flint: I will write to the hon. Member separately, as the answer is lengthy.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1523-6W, on departmental public expenditure, in what areas of expenditure the administration budget overspends in relation to (a) Afghanistan, (b) Australia, (c) Brazil, (d) Spain and (e) the United States were incurred in 2007-08. [260246]
David Miliband: The main areas of overspend in administration budgets were:
Subsistence and allowances
Other purchased goods and services
Telecommunications costs
Freight and courier costs
Other costs, including embassy catering services
Other external/contract services
Subsistence and allowances
Training costs
IT costs
Agency and casual staff
Other external/contract services
Maintenance and running costs
Locally engaged staff salaries
Freight and courier costs
Vehicle costs
Other purchased goods and services
Medical costs
Subsistence and allowances
Locally engaged staff salaries
Agency and casual staff
Maintenance and running costs
Other purchased goods and services
Other costs
Training costs
Locally engaged staff salaries
Subsistence and allowances
Telecommunications costs
Other external/contract services
Agency and casual staff
Consultancy and professional fees
Freight and courier costs
Hire of plant and machinery
IT Costs
Financial charges
Stationery
Agency and casual Staff
Subsistence and allowances
Maintenance and running costs
Telecommunications costs
Other purchased goods and services.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1240W, on departmental public expenditure, what the cost to his Department of each UK contribution to peacekeeping operations overseas (a) was in 2007-08 and (b) has been in 2008-09. [261942]
David Miliband: Peacekeeping costs—both assessed costs to international missions and UK discretionary support to international and bilateral missions—have been met through the Peacekeeping Budget which is an annual claim on the Treasury Reserve and has been managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on behalf of the FCO, Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). In 2007-08 and 2008-09, £374 million was allocated from the Treasury Reserve for Peacekeeping.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1240W, as a claim on the Treasury Reserve, the Peacekeeping Budget did not benefit from the Overseas Prices Mechanism. However, from the Peacekeeping Budget, assessed contributions to peacekeeping missions paid in foreign currencies by the FCO in 2007-08 were:
At current exchange rates, estimated assessed contributions to peacekeeping missions paid in foreign currencies in 2008-09 are:
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