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29 Apr 2009 : Column 1336W—continued
Torture
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what procedures his Department follows when notified of allegations that a British national has been tortured overseas; [270395]
(2) whether his Department’s staff receive training on (a) the identification of instances of torture being used against British nationals overseas and (b) the procedures to be adopted in such circumstances; and if he will make a statement. [270396]
Gillian Merron: All consular staff are specifically trained on what action to take in response to any allegation of mistreatment. They can also draw on professional support, including from legal advisers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. All our consular staff work under clear internal guidelines which cover the identification of possible signs of torture and mistreatment, as well as the procedures to be adopted in such circumstances.
The first step when a British national is detained overseas is to seek and secure access by our consular staff. Our staff are instructed to ask our nationals whether they have suffered abuse or mistreatment, and to look out for signs of mistreatment even where an individual does not raise it. They are required to follow up all reports of mistreatment whether they come from the individual themselves, from their friends, family or representatives, or from other sources. What form this follow up action will take will depend on the individual circumstances of the case. Most obviously, we can raise our concerns with the relevant authorities. Whatever action we take however, the objective remains the same: to end the mistreatment, and have the incident investigated and the perpetrators of any abuse brought to justice.
In many countries, we also raise more general concerns around the mistreatment and abuse of detainees as part of our wider human rights dialogue.
United Arab Emirates: Foreign Relations
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations with the United Arab Emirates; and if he will make a statement. [254488]
Bill Rammell: The UK has an excellent relationship with the United Arab Emirates and I had the opportunity to discuss this most recently with the Minister of Foreign Affairs His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 9 February 2009. I visited the United Arab Emirates on 24 November 2009 and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister also visited from 3-4 November 2009 when he met His Highness the President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer question 246292, tabled on 17 December 2008, on Florence Chitauro. [271073]
Gillian Merron: This question was answered on 23 April 2009, Official Report, column 808W.
The delay in replying was due to an administrative error.
Duchy of Lancaster
Death: Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many death certificates mentioning the terms (a) hepatitis A, (b) hepatitis B and (c) hepatitis C were issued in each of the last five years; [271725]
(2) how many death certificates mentioning the terms (a) gonorrhea and (b) syphilis were issued in each of the last five years. [271726]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
(1) How many death certificates mentioning the terms (a) hepatitis A, (b) hepatitis B and (c) hepatitis C were issued in each of the last five years. (271725)
(2) How many death certificates mentioning the terms (a) gonorrhea and (b) syphilis were issued in each of the last five years. (271726)
Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to death to be recorded on the death certificate. Medical practitioners and coroners are not supposed to record all of the diseases or conditions present at or before death. Whether a condition contributed is a matter for their clinical judgement.
The table attached provides the number of deaths where the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes recorded indicate that any of the following conditions were mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor, in England and Wales, for 2003 to 2007 (the latest year available):
1) (a) hepatitis A, (b) hepatitis B, (c) hepatitis C
2) (b) syphilis
No deaths mentioning gonococcal infection were recorded across this period.
| Table 1. Deaths where certain named causes were mentioned anywhere on the death certificate,( 1) England and Wales,( 2) 2003-07( 3) | |||||
| Deaths (persons) | |||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised in Table 1, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the following box. Deaths were included where one of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. Some death may be counted in more than one category as more than one of the requested conditions could be mentioned. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||||
| Box 1 . Causes of death codes use — International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (I CD-10) | |
| Cause of death | ICD-10 code(s) |
Employment
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the employment rate was for (a) 19 to 24 year-olds and (b) those aged between 25 years and retirement age in each quarter since 1 January 2004. [270927]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 29 April 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the unemployment rate was for (a) 19 to 24 year olds and (b) those aged between 25 years old and retirement age in each quarter since January 2004. (270927)
The attached table provides estimated unemployment rates for the age categories requested, for each quarter since 2004.
The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. The sampling variability of the overall unemployment rate at the end of 2008, measured by the ‘95 per cent. confidence interval’ was + 0.2 percentage points. The sampling variability for specific age groups will be larger, because the estimates are based on smaller samples.
The figures have been derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. Consequently, the figures from quarter 3 2006 are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
Local Government: Manpower
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were employed in local government in each of the last four quarters. [271224]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated April 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people were employed in local government in each of the last four quarters. (271224)
Estimates of employment for local government are available from the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES).
The requested data are attached at Annex A.
| Annex A: Local government employment in each of the last four quarters; Headcount( 1,2) , United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted | ||
| Headcount (thousand) | ||
| (1) Local government covers those types of public administration that only cover a locality and any bodies controlled and mainly financed by them. It includes police forces and their civilian staff. (2) Police (England and Wales) based on projections. Source: Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey | ||
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