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1 Jun 2009 : Column 221W—continued
Cyprus: Community Relations
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations between northern and southern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. [276496]
Caroline Flint: The international community strongly supports the efforts of the two leaders to reunify the island of Cyprus. Last month, the UN Security Council
“strongly urged the leaders to increase the momentum in the negotiations to ensure the full exploitation of this opportunity”.
We are pleased that the two leaders have since intensified their efforts, agreeing to meet more frequently. We welcome the progress already made both in the talks and in confidence building measures. We applaud the
recent launch of the bicommunal sub-committee on crime and criminal matters, which will help the fight against organised crime by sharing information. We look forward to early progress on all other confidence building measures agreed between the leaders. The leaders face many challenges but we are confident that, with flexibility and compromise on both sides, they will be able to resolve this long-standing issue, setting an example to the world and reaping the many economic, social and political benefits that a settlement will bring to all Cypriots. It is important that all Cypriots, not just politicians, come together to help create the right environment for a solution.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the detention and trial of General Nkunda; and if he will make a statement. [276703]
Gillian Merron: Our ambassador in Kinshasa has discussed the future of Laurent Nkunda, who remains in detention in Rwanda, at recent meetings with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Foreign Minister. Rwandan and DRC officials are looking at the handling of this issue, which the Foreign Minister has assured us will not impede the normalisation of relations between the two states.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Natural Resources
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo of the exploitation of and trade in minerals in that country; and if he will make a statement. [276704]
Gillian Merron: Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) natural resources have the potential to bring prosperity to the country and help improve the quality of life for people living there through better revenue collection and the creation of wealth and jobs. However, a proportion of those resources are controlled by militias and ill-disciplined members of the DRC armed forces who commit many of the abuses suffered by civilians and who fund themselves, in part, by trading minerals. This is one of a range of factors contributing to the poor standard of human rights in DRC. Better regulatory control over the trade in minerals from DRC and effective measures to discourage transactions which benefit militia groups there, will help improve the human rights situation. We are already working with our partners across Whitehall and internationally to identify ways of achieving this.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on proposed further investigations by the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo of the exploitation of natural resources to finance armed groups in that country. [276731]
Gillian Merron:
We strongly support the continued work of the UN Group of Experts. The arms embargo
and sanctions regime in place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are a necessary part of the effort to isolate illegal armed groups, limit the support they receive and reduce the threat they pose to civilians in DRC. The work of the Group of Experts is essential to monitor compliance with the terms of the embargo. Individuals and entities who support illegal militias in eastern DRC through illicit trade in natural resources may now be made subject to sanctions. It is appropriate that the UN Group of Experts should devote some of their effort to investigating such cases.
Democratic Republic of Congo: War Crimes
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has met the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Democratic Republic of Congo to discuss the indictment of Bosco Ntaganda by the International Criminal Court in the last six months. [277428]
Gillian Merron: It is the responsibility of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Government, and not of the UN mission in DRC, to bring Bosco Ntaganda before the International Criminal Court.
Our ambassador in Kinshasa discussed the arrest warrant at a meeting with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Alan Doss, in January 2009. He received assurances that the UN mission would support the DRC Government in carrying out the warrant.
Mr. Doss met my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, during his visit to the UK in May 2009. The arrest warrant was one of the issues they discussed. Mr. Doss has instructed his staff not to deal with Mr. Ntaganda.
Departmental Air Travel
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidelines his Department has in place on air travel by its officials (a) in the UK, (b) between the UK and other countries and (c) overseas. [273680]
Caroline Flint: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidelines specify ‘approved routes’ (preferred routes and carriers) for journeys by air. These are considered to offer the most efficient, safe and economical journey to the destination. They form the basis for staff entitlements for official travel. The same guidelines apply to journeys within the UK, journeys between the UK and other countries and journeys between overseas countries.
For duty travel staff fly in economy class on journeys of three hours or less. For journeys over three hours they may fly in business class.
Carbon offset arrangements are made by the FCO for all air travel originating in London. The FCO also encourage staff booking journeys from overseas to consider making a voluntary payment to reduce the impact of emissions created by journeys at public expense.
Where there is a choice about travelling by rail or air, we encourage budget holders to take a range of factors into account including value for money considerations.
Departmental Correspondence
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received (a) by e-mail, (b) by post, (c) by telephone and (d) via his Department’s website. [274524]
Caroline Flint: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) aims to respond to any complaints it receives, no matter by what route, in a full and timely manner, and to publicise our complaints procedures to our customers. Individual Departments and posts of the FCO must establish procedures for dealing with complaints (for example our guide to consular support for British Nationals Abroad includes information on how to make a complaint on the service received), while maintaining these standards of service. However, information on these different procedures is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Manpower
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many non-UK nationals his Department employs directly. [276834]
Gillian Merron: All UK-based staff directly employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are UK nationals, apart from a small number for whom exception is made under the Aliens' Employment Act 1955. Each exception must be personally approved of by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.
The FCO currently employs 5,400 UK civil servants including just under 900 staff in FCO Services, which became a trading fund on 1 April 2008.
The FCO employs 10,400 locally engaged staff at its posts overseas. We do not hold central records of the nationalities of these staff.
The nationality requirements do not apply to either locally engaged staff or to contractors as they are not directly employed by the FCO.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department since 2005. [277144]
Gillian Merron: Since June 2007 two special advisers have received training on using the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s mobile secure IT system. One special adviser has received general training on security procedures.
We have no record of what training was received by the previous special advisers before this date.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) of 15 May 2009, Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental mobile phones, what records his Department keeps on the number of communications devices lost by members of his Department. [276799]
Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office devolves the purchase and safekeeping of these items to its Directorates and Posts overseas. All users are required to sign a statement of responsibility, accepting financial liability for losses incurred through negligence. Losses are reported, recorded and managed locally. The information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Official Cars
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2009, Official Report, columns 2005-6W, on official cars, how many of the cars owned by FCO Services are over six years old. [276779]
Gillian Merron: Of the 40 vehicles currently within the FCO Services fleet, 18 are over six years old.
We are unable to provide any details concerning the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas fleet of vehicles without incurring disproportionate cost.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, on 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1489W about cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) of 15 May 2009, Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration allocation for the Jeddah post was reduced from £902,238 in 2007-08 to nil in 2008-09; how the post in Jeddah is now funded; what reductions there have been in (a) services and (b) staff numbers as a result of the change; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the change on the level of services provided to British citizens on Hajj. [276813]
Gillian Merron: The administration of all UK missions in Saudi Arabia has been centralised in our embassy in Riyadh in order to streamline support work and to improve efficiency. The budget for Jeddah has consequently been amalgamated with that for Riyadh.
The Consulate-General in Jeddah continues to offer consular assistance to British nationals in need, as well as a comprehensive trade and investment service.
The previous post of UK management officer (UK diplomatic position) is now filled by a locally engaged member of staff in line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) practice, elsewhere.
The administrative change does not affect the level of service provided to British citizens on Haj. A dedicated team of FCO officers, from our Consulate General in Jeddah, embassy in Riyadh and from the FCO in London, continue to deliver a high level of service successfully for the 2008 Haj.
Daniel Kawczynski:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) of 15 May 2009, Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration
allocation for the New York Consulate-General was reduced from £2,361,293 in 2007-08 to nil in 2008-09; how the Consulate-General is now funded; what reductions there have been in (a) services and (b) staff numbers as a result of the change; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the change on (i) services provided to British citizens in the eastern United States and (ii) Anglo-American relations. [276815]
Caroline Flint: The administration allocation for all subsidiary posts in the US including Consulate-General New York is now allocated through our embassy in Washington, as the hub of the US network of posts. No public services have been reduced in New York as a result of this change and there has thus been no effect on services provided to British citizens in the Eastern US or to Anglo-American relations.
Departmental Reviews
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) review and (b) taskforce projects his Department has commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement. [275969]
Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Stationery
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for (a) internal and (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years. [273782]
Caroline Flint: The following figures are for financial years (FYs) running from April to the following March.
| Financial year | £ |
We are not able to distinguish between branded stationery and all other stationery from our reports. The necessary research would incur disproportionate costs.
We are also not able to distinguish between internal and external use from our reports. The necessary research would incur disproportionate costs.
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