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1 Jun 2009 : Column 216W—continued
Spaceflight: EU Action
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his policy is on participation in EU Space policy. [277191]
Mr. Lammy: The UK is committed to working with the EU so as to maximise the potential economic and strategic benefits of space for its citizens, and plays a full role in all forums relating to space.
Trade Marks: EU Law
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect of Council Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 on the Community trade mark, on UK trade mark institutions; and if he will make a statement. [277088]
Mr. Lammy: Council Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 on the Community trade mark makes no changes that have legal effect. Instead it renumbers the regulation on trade marks, and brings into one place the amendments previously made to it. This codification therefore makes it easier for the regulation to be read. We have been told that the codification will necessitate the rewriting of some legal texts and guidance referring to the previous version of the regulation.
Vocational Training
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many persons who passed reskill courses were unemployed one year after the end of the course in each of the last three years. [274057]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 8 May 2009]: Information on the destinations of learners upon completion of their training is not available. This type of information will in future be collected using the Framework for Excellence learner destination survey with the first results for all FE colleges and work based learning providers available later in the year.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Arctic
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of recent statements by the Russian Government on the potential for future conflict over resources in the Arctic; and if he will make a statement. [277289]
Caroline Flint: The Russian Security Council published its Arctic strategy, the ‘Foundations of Russia's Arctic Policy until 2020 and beyond’, on 23 March 2009. It is important to note that the Russian strategy is not just about militarisation. It also includes plans for social and economic development, ecological security, science and technology and international cooperation. With climate change making the region increasingly accessible we support continuing dialogue on this issue between Russia, US, Canada, Denmark and Norway, through the Arctic Council and other international institutions and within international law, most significantly the UN convention on the law of the sea, which provides the framework for the delineation of the Arctic continental shelf.
Aung San Suu Kyi
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations (a) he and (b) the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Burma have made to the Burmese regime on the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi’s physician, Dr. Tin Myo Win; and if he will make a statement. [276350]
Caroline Flint: Dr. Tin Myo Win, Aung San Suu Kyi’s regular doctor, was detained by the authorities on 7 May 2009. We understand that he has now been released but we are not aware that he has been able to see Mrs. Suu Kyi since her arrest.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in ASEAN countries on the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi; and if he will make a statement. [276675]
Bill Rammell: We are in regular contact with Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) countries regarding Burma's actions, including on Mrs. Suu Kyi’s arrest. We support the strong statements issued by a number of member countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
My European colleagues and I attended the EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Phnom Penh on 27-28 May 2009, where I raised Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest and our collective response with our Asian counterparts.
BBC External Services: Manpower
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has mechanisms in place to ascertain whether the BBC World Service employs former Soviet military intelligence personnel. [274675]
Caroline Flint: The BBC World Service (BBCWS) is operationally, editorially and managerially independent of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as stated in the Broadcasting Agreement between the BBC and the FCO for the provision of BBCWS. It is not for the FCO to ascertain the credentials of BBCWS staff or veto their appointment.
Bermuda: Solar Power
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2009, Official Report, column 560W, on British Overseas Territories: electricity generation, what assessment he has made of the outcome of Bermuda's trialling of solar power stations; and if he will make a statement. [276788]
Gillian Merron: We understand from the Government of Bermuda that trials of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to provide power for homes have produced favourable results. Trials have not begun for commercial buildings; although suitable Government buildings have been identified for them. Discussions are under way to allocate land for a small solar PV power station, which will be preceded by a commercial trial.
In order to encourage solar power adoption, customs duty has been waived on solar PV systems and the Bermuda Government is introducing a rebate programme with a “cash back” scheme for customers who install and operate them, and making the approval process easier and faster.
British Overseas Territories: Borders
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to the UK Overseas Territories in respect of border (a) patrol and (b) enforcement in the last 12 months. [276810]
Gillian Merron: In the last 12 months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has provided funding through its Overseas Territories Programme Fund to the UK Overseas Territories (OTs) towards the costs of the following projects linked to border patrol and enforcement:
An aviation/maritime security supervisor's workshop to provide management training and threat/technical updates to supervisors of international sea-port and airport check point operations
A Caribbean Regional Maritime Training Co-ordinator whose remit covers interdiction and border management training
A multi agency threat and risk assessment programme to identify and mitigate risks from criminal activity and terrorism in the OTs. The programme led to the creation of a committee and subsequently a risk register for each Caribbean OT, together with action plans to reduce areas of significant risk that include sea and airports
A Chief Immigration Officers’ Regional Conference to educate and foster close working relationships, improve and enhance information and intelligence exchange between the Overseas Territories Chief Immigration Officers and regional partners
The Overseas Territories Regional Criminal Intelligence System (OTRCIS); a networked computer system that provides the police, customs and immigration departments of the UK's Caribbean OTs with a crime intelligence and information analysis secure data system.
In addition, the Overseas Territories Programme Fund supports an Overseas Territories Law Enforcement Adviser and Regional Prison Reform Co-ordinator based in Miami and Southern Ocean Police and Prison Advisers.
The FCO did not assist Gibraltar in respect of her border patrol or enforcement.
British Overseas Territories: Crimes of Violence
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many violent crimes were committed against British tourists in (a) Bermuda, (b) the Turks and Caicos Islands and (c) the Cayman Islands in each of the last five years. [276785]
Gillian Merron: The Bermuda Police Service and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service do not record crime statistics according to nationality and are therefore unable to supply this information. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force recorded one violent crime against a British citizen in 2008. He had been resident in the territory for more than three years before the incident.
British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which international environmental treaties bind one or more UK Overseas Territories; and what targets each British Territory is required to meet in terms of emissions under the terms of each treaty. [276790]
Gillian Merron: Details of the international environmental treaties to which the UK Overseas Territories are bound are publicly available through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website:
Texts of the treaties to which the UK is party can be found on the same website at:
The text of the one environmental treaty to which the Overseas Territories are bound but the UK is not party can be found through the UN website at:
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009, Official Report, column 357W, on British Overseas Territories: environment protection, what projects were funded from the Overseas Territories Environment programme in (a) Montserrat and (b) Bermuda. [276796]
Gillian Merron: The following projects were funded from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme in
Establishing a botanical garden
Increasing Montserrat's capacity to manage protected areas and conserve biodiversity
Environmental education project
Economic valuation of Centre Hills
Strengthening capacity for species action planning
Conservation and Environmental Management Act implementation
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species implementation
Somerset Long Bay Nature Reserve restoration, enhancement and long-term management plan
Development of Species and Habitat Recovery Plans, and Capacity Building for Implementation
Environmental education and woodland conservation
Develop and populate map-based interactive global biodiversity information dissemination for Bermuda
Habitat and native species restoration in Bermuda National Trust nature reserves
Saltus Island Project
Bermuda environmental evaluation
Development of an invasive species action plan for Bermuda.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2009, Official Report, column 358W, on British Overseas Territories: environment protection, what steps are planned to be taken in the British Territories in the Caribbean under the project to enhance capacity for adaptation to climate change. [276797]
Mr. Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
This DFID-funded project is managed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).
It is expected that by the end of the project the five UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands) will have developed national climate change adaptation strategies and public awareness and outreach programmes, and initiated the implementation of these.
It is also expected that each participating territory will have developed the capacity to engage with regional and international climate change programmes, and to benefit from and contribute to the work of the relevant regional institutions.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK Overseas Territories are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol. [276807]
Gillian Merron: This information is publicly available through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
and also on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change website:
British Overseas Territories: Human Trafficking
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to counter human trafficking in the UK Overseas Territories. [276811]
Gillian Merron: Some of the UK assisted projects relating to border controls and enforcement would also assist the Overseas Territories' efforts to counter human trafficking. In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) organised and funded a training course for Overseas Territory and FCO immigration staff held in the British Virgin Islands in February 2009. The aim of the course was to enhance the officials' immigration knowledge and experience, and it included training about human trafficking.
British Overseas Territories: Young Offenders
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the personal records on the Overseas Territories Regional Crime Intelligence System relate to persons aged 18 and under. [276817]
Gillian Merron: The number of records on the Overseas Territories Criminal Intelligence System that relate to persons aged 18 and under is 4,376.
Council of Ministers
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many A points were approved in the Council of Ministers in 2008. [277095]
Caroline Flint: The total number of A points adopted by the various Council formations during 2008 is 1099. These figures come from the Council Secretariat and can be broken down as follows:
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