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17 Jun 2009 : Column 302W—continued
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 19W, on speed limits: cameras, whether he has established a regular programme of evaluation of speed cameras. [280073]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport seeks to identify and disseminate examples of good practice across the road safety field generally. In addition, the Department's guidance on the use of safety cameras recommends that speed and collision data are collected by the partnerships and the contribution cameras make to casualty reduction monitored and reviewed, at least annually.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance his Department issues to safety camera partnerships on their (a) expenditure on and (b) use of communications services. [280076]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport issued DFT Circular 01/2007, ‘Guidance on the Deployment of Speed and Red Light Cameras’ on 31 January 2007. The guidance was placed in the Libraries of the House and is also available on the Department's website. This recommends that partnerships proactively provide information about safety cameras, including their deployment and benefits, but do so as part of a wider approach to road safety related communications that aim to raise public awareness of behaviours that can cause casualties on the roads. Communications expenditure is entirely a matter for individual local partnerships using funds from their allocation of the Department's specific road safety grant.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress towards meeting the conditions for closure of the Office of the High Representative; and if he will make a statement. [279700]
David Miliband: The last meeting of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board on 25-26 March 2009 assessed that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) had not yet achieved the five objectives and two conditions required for a closure of the Office of the High Representative and urged BiH political leaders to intensify efforts to meet the conditionality. The next formal PIC assessment will take place at its 29-30 June 2009 Steering Board meeting, which is likely to determine that there has been some progress but that further progress is needed, in particular on the allocation of state property, and linked decisions on defence property.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many graduates have been recruited into the European Fast Stream in each year since the establishment of the programme. [270843]
Mr. Watson: I have been asked to reply.
The numbers of graduates recruited into the European Fast Stream in each year since the establishment of the programme are contained in the annual reports of the Civil Service Commissioners between 1991 and 1995, and thereafter in the Fast Stream Annual Reports published by the Cabinet Office.
Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of the House.
Devolution
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek the addition of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to the UN's list of territories in the process of decolonisation. [280232]
Chris Bryant: The arrangements of Chapter XI of the UN Charter (Declaration regarding Non-Self Governing Territories) relate to former colonies for the purposes of domestic and international law. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are part of the UK. As far as the overseas territories are concerned we remain committed to modernising our relationship with them, while fully taking into account the views of the peoples of the Territories. We believe the decision as to whether a non-self-governing territory has reached a level of self-government sufficient to relieve the administering power of the obligation to submit information under Article 73e of the Charter is ultimately for the government of the territory and the administering power concerned and not the UN General Assembly.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter of 14 February 2009 from Mr. Colin Adams of Newport Pagnell, a constituent of the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes. [267750]
Mr. Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
The British embassy in Moscow replied directly to Mr. Adams’ letter to the Foreign Secretary, which was dated 16 February 2009, on 5 March 2009.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter of 5 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms J. Wilkinson. [280439]
David Miliband: I replied to my right hon. Friend's letter on 10 June 2009.
Nigeria: Armed Forces
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the government of Nigeria on its military action in the Niger Delta. [279777]
Chris Bryant: The Government have been following events closely since the Nigerian Joint Task Force (JTF) offensive commenced in the Niger Delta in mid-May. Our high commission in Abuja was quick to raise our concerns about the humanitarian impact of the conflict.
We have received assurances from both the Nigerian Foreign Minister and the Nigerian Military High Command that their aim is to avoid civilian casualties and that any humanitarian needs would be addressed. We are continuing to monitor reports from the Delta from non-governmental organisations and others.
We also pressed for the EU Troika to raise the situation with the Nigerian Government in a Ministerial Troika meeting on 9 June 2009.
Serbia: EU Enlargement
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s policy is on the (a) Serbia-EU interim agreement and (b) Serbia-EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [279697]
David Miliband: The Government welcomed the signature last year of Serbia’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. The Government’s position remains that ratification of the SAA must be conditional on Serbia's full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). But the Government would be content, on the basis of Serbia’s significantly improved co-operation with ICTY, for the EU to begin to implement Serbia’s Interim Agreement with the EU.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on (a) the implementation of the Serbia-EU interim agreement and (b) ratification of the Serbia-EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [279698]
David Miliband:
The implementation of Serbia’s Interim Agreement with the EU and ratification of its Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU were discussed
at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 23 February 2009, the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers (Gymnich) on 28 March 2009 and the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 June 2009. On 15 June I had made clear to EU partners that, on the basis of Serbia’s significantly improved co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the EU should be prepared to implement Serbia’s Interim Agreement with the EU. But to date there has been no consensus among EU member states on this. Ratification of Serbia’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement remains dependent on an assessment that Serbia is fully co-operating with the ICTY.
Serbia: War Crimes
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Serbia's levels of cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in light of Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz’s report of 21 May 2009; and if he will make a statement. [279699]
David Miliband: The Government share the assessment of Chief Prosecutor Senga Poranitz, as set out to the UN Security Council on 4 June 2009, and EU Foreign Ministers on 15 June 2009, that Serbia’s level of co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has significantly improved in the last 12 months.
Sri Lanka: International Monetary Fund
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the International Monetary Fund to suspend its support to the Government of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [280298]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The UK has not yet been asked to vote on a programme for Sri Lanka, as a programme has not been brought to the board for decision. At the time a programme is presented it will be assessed on its merits and the situation on the ground in Sri Lanka at the time to decide whether it will help the people of Sri Lanka. The Chancellor in his role as Governor to the IMF will make any final decision on UK support.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Experiments
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the chemicals industry on minimising levels of animal testing in the development of new chemical products. [278113]
Dan Norris: My predecessor my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies) had regular meetings with representatives of the chemicals industry and other interested stakeholders to discuss a wide range of subjects, including animal testing.
Regulation of chemicals in the EU is now co-ordinated through REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). REACH has a clear aim to minimise the use of animal testing and includes the means to achieve that. It makes animal testing the option of last resort where there are no suitable non-animal alternative tests available, requires the mandatory sharing of all existing data on the intrinsic properties of chemicals derived from animal tests when completing registrations, and bans repetition of animal tests. In addition, industry has to provide a full justification if further animal tests are proposed to fill identified data gaps, and gain the approval of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) before such tests may be conducted. Test proposals are required to be published on ECHA's website for 45 days, to allow interested third parties to submit scientifically-valid comments.
Central Science Laboratory: Manpower
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff there were in each Central Science Laboratory office in each of the last five years. [279289]
Dan Norris: Central Science Laboratory (CSL) had only one main site, at Sand Hutton near York, during the period covered by the question. In addition, a number of staff were home-based or based at small outstations. Consequently, the following figures relate to all CSL staff.
| Central Science Laboratory staff headcount by classification, 2005-09 | |||||
| Classification | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 |
| (1) Figures for directors in 2009 include three retiring as CSL directors on 31 March 2009 and the six new Fera directors. (2) ‘Other’ category includes all staff not specifically covered by question who are involved in scientific support/delivery, e.g. fieldworkers, lab support, junior scientists. (3) Large temporary increase in staff numbers due mainly to employment of approx 40 staff in support of badger research. Note: The figures in the table are as at 31 March each year. | |||||
Dairy Farmers of Britain
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain on (a) North Yorkshire and (b) English dairy farmers; [279826]
(2) whether he plans to bring forward measures to assist former suppliers of Dairy Farmers of Britain bring their milk to market. [279827]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Ministers and officials have been in discussion with senior dairy industry leaders. Officials remain in close contact with the receivers (PWC) to ensure minimal disruption throughout the dairy supply chain, including the effect on the sector as a whole.
Dairy Farming
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of dairy farming in the UK; and what steps he is taking to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry. [279829]
Jim Fitzpatrick: We are helping the dairy industry to help itself through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum, which provides a framework for constructive debate and information for industry to make informed decisions about their future. The Forum also aims to increase sector efficiency and promote the sustainable development.
We are also helping the industry to adjust as part of the on-going CAP Reform. One of the aims of the 2003 Reform was to see the end of price support mechanisms, which distort the market and give false signals to producers. We continue to press for further reform of the remaining aspects of the dairy price support mechanisms to make the sector internationally competitive.
Departmental Furniture
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much each of his Department’s agencies spent on furniture in each of the last five years. [273792]
Dan Norris: From information held centrally, the core-Department’s financial system records the following expenditure on furniture and all related services (fitting, movement, etc.) by three of DEFRA’s Executive agencies for the financial years 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09:
| £ | |||
| Agency | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
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