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16 July 2009 : Column 605W—continued
Radioactive Waste: Exports
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward legislative proposals to permit the export of graphite nuclear waste to the United States; and if he will make a statement. [283860]
Mr. Kidney: There are currently no proposals to bring forward legislation to permit the export of graphite nuclear waste to the United States of America.
The Government's policy, as set out in the Command Paper 2919, is that radioactive waste should not be exported from the UK except in circumstances where it is to be treated so that its storage and/or disposal is more manageable; where other countries have the ability to deal with it appropriately; and where it will not add materially to their existing radioactive waste legacy.
UDM-Vendside
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Ministers of his Department and its predecessors have met representatives of UDM-Vendside in each year since 1997. [286868]
Mr. Kidney: There is no record of any Minister having met the UDM or Vendside.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
British Indian Ocean Territory
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has made to the European Court of Human Rights on the application made by the Chagos Islanders. [286768]
Chris Bryant:
The Government have been invited by the Court to submit written observations on the admissibility and merits of the application by the Chagos Islanders and to inform the Registry of the Government's position concerning a friendly settlement. Due to the very recent receipt of submissions on behalf of Interveners, the Government are now seeking a short extension to the deadline of 17 July 2009 set by the Court. As my
hon. Friend will be aware, we do not discuss the details of legal pleadings in cases to which we are a party while they are in the process of formulation. It would be inappropriate, therefore, to discuss the Government's response in advance.
Departmental Data Protection
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what databases which will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies and which will contain personal information are (a) under construction and (b) expected to become operational in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [286503]
Chris Bryant: There are no major databases under construction or expected to go live in the next five years in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Departmental Databases
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what categories of personal information about members of the public are contained on each relevant database managed by his Department and its agencies; on what date each category of information began to be collected; and if he will make a statement. [285980]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s Data Protection Register entry with the Information Commissioner's Office details the general categories for which the Department processes personal data for its work. They are staff administration; advertising, marketing and public relations; accounts and records; and to work for the UK's interests in a safe, just and prosperous world. The register entry is to be renewed in September this year. Establishing the date on which each category of information began to be collected by the FCO and its agencies could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) photocopiers, (b) scanning devices and (c) fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, there are in his Department; how many there were in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [286173]
Chris Bryant: Responsibility for the purchase of photocopiers, scanning devices and fax machines, excluding multi-function devices, is devolved to individual budget holders worldwide. This information is not held centrally and the question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has taken an active role in the Greening Government ICT strategy by providing a detailed plan for the FCO. Part of this includes examining its print policy with a view to reducing the FCO's overall printer count.
Departmental Furniture
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department's agencies spent on furniture in each of the last five years. [273736]
Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Manpower
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of his Department's staff deployed in each region of Afghanistan (a) have been trained in each year since 2001 and (b) are being trained in each local Afghan language. [283551]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Since 2004, five Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff have studied Pashto before being deployed in Afghanistan. 21 staff have also been trained in Dari-often building on an existing language base of Farsi-before working in Afghanistan. Currently there are nine studying Dari, who are due to be deployed to Afghanistan later this year.
We only started to hold management information about language skills centrally in 2004. Our system records those who have passed exams on completion of language courses funded by the FCO, so may not include those who did not take an examination, those whose acquisition of the language was not the result of class-based instruction, or whose studies were not funded by the FCO.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reception staff his Department employs at (a) its offices in King Charles Street, (b) other locations in the UK and (c) overseas posts. [286122]
Chris Bryant: Across the UK estate the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has nine full time reception positions. The staff members who fill these positions are provided as part of the UK Reception Services Contract.
Responsibility for procuring reception services overseas has been devolved to posts within the FCO overseas estate. Each post would need to be contacted to obtain the details of their reception employees. As the information relating to reception staff overseas is not held centrally, it could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
EU Law
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the statutory obligations upon it provided for in legislation introduced as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available; [283473]
(2) what estimate he has made of the proportion of statutory obligations provided for by legislation on matters for which his Department is responsible which were introduced as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the latest period for which figures are available. [281864]
Chris Bryant: It is very difficult to provide precise figures for the proportion of UK legislation that stems from the European Union.
The administrative burdens measurement exercise carried out by the Government in 2006 put the proportion of administrative burdens stemming from the EU at approximately one-third of the total administrative burden. However, this applies across Government and is not specific to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which is directly responsible for less EU legislation than some other Departments.
The important thing is not the origins of a legislation, which could be a devolved Administration or a local authority as well as the Government or the EU, but the quality of the regulation. All regulations, irrespective of their origins, should comply with the principles of better regulation. Regulations should be risk based, proportionate and well designed, so as to achieve their objectives while also keeping costs to a minimum. The Government continue to work with European partners to ensure that EU regulations meet these standards.
Forced Marriages: Victim Support Schemes
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the Forced Marriage Unit's effectiveness in reducing the number of forced marriages; and how many forced marriages reported to the unit involved people under 16 years old in the last 12 months. [284797]
Chris Bryant: The Forced Marriage Unit has been a great success in encouraging people to report potential instances of forced marriage, in intervening in specific cases and in getting across the message that forced marriage is not acceptable in any culture or any religion.
The very nature of forced marriage means that it is likely that a number of cases go unreported. In recent years Government action to address forced marriage has focused on encouraging victims and potential victims to come forward and seek help.
Partly as result of growing awareness of the support available, the number of cases coming to our attention is rising. Last year the Forced Marriage Unit, a joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office Unit, received over 1,600 reports of suspected incidences of forced marriage to its helpline. Of these the unit directly intervened to help victims in 420 cases, which included overseas assistance and support to reluctant sponsors in immigration cases. 14 per cent. of overseas assistance cases involved people under 16 years old.
So far this year, figures for January to June show that the unit received 770 calls to its helpline in relation to incidence of forced marriage, which represents an increase in those seeking help of 16 per cent. over the same period last year.
Foreign Policy
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's foreign policy on levels of violent extremism in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [287036]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We recognise that individual reactions to UK foreign policies can be a factor in radicalisation, and that violent extremists exploit this when recruiting others to their cause. But we also know that radicalisation occurs for a wide range of complex and personal reasons.
We work to explain our foreign policy, dealing with misperceptions that exist. Overseas we do this through media and public diplomacy work. To encourage debate and engagement in the UK we have a programme of outreach to communities by Ministers and senior officials on important foreign policy issues.
Freedom of Information
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to volume 2, page 41 of his Department's Annual Report for 2008-09, what proportion of the requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 received in 2008 were from foreign embassies, high commissions or governments; what proportion of such requests resulted in full or partial disclosures of information; and if he will make a statement. [286244]
Chris Bryant: Freedom of Information requests received at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are recorded and logged on a database by the date received and by the name of the requestor.
Information about the company or organisation the requestor may represent is not recorded. Requests from foreign embassies, high commissions or governments cannot therefore be identified without incurring disproportionate cost.
Honduras: Politics and Government
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the authorities in Honduras on the principle of democracy and the restoration of the government and President Zelaya. [286830]
Chris Bryant [holding answer 14 July 2009]: As Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for our relations with central America, I issued an immediate public statement on 28 June 2009 following President Zelaya's forcible removal from Honduras. In this statement the UK condemned the expulsion and called for the restoration of democratic, constitutional government in Honduras. The UK supported the UN General Assembly Resolution, adopted unanimously on 30 June 2009, which called for the restoration of the government in Honduras. We have also supported a series of EU declarations, issued on 29 June 2009, 2 July 2009 and 7 July 2009. The most recent of these declarations supported efforts to seek a peaceful negotiated solution to the crisis, and welcomed the mediation role played by President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias.
Iran: Asylum
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the effect on policy on Iranian asylum seekers of the recent unrest in Iran. [286307]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: None. However, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office officials regularly review the country guidance on which asylum decisions are based. We continue to monitor closely the political and human rights situation in Iran through key governmental, non-governmental and other human rights organisations.
All Iranian asylum and human rights applications are considered by the Home Office on their individual merits, in accordance with obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. Each application is assessed against the latest available information about the situation in Iran. Specially trained case owners consult these sources via the Iran Country of Origin Information Report produced by the UK Border Agency's Country of Origin Information Service published at
and the Iran Operational Guidance Note which gives guidance on the most common types of asylum claims received and the circumstances in which they are likely to prove founded or unfounded.
Israel
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Israel on the reported boarding of, and removal of persons from, a Free Gaza boat in international waters by Israeli troops; and if he will make a statement. [284127]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, on 1 July 2009 and raised the issue with him. The Foreign Secretary asked whether or not the Spirit of Humanity was intercepted in international waters. We will continue to press the Israeli Government for clarification.
Northern Ireland
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many residents of Northern Ireland received consular assistance from his Department in the last year for which figures are available. [287020]
Chris Bryant: The configuration of our consular database does not make it possible to break down assistance statistics by place of residence. Figures for the number of Northern Ireland residents assisted are therefore not available.
Palestinians: Israel
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether officials of his Department have held recent meetings with
representatives of labour rights groups in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory to discuss labour conditions in that territory. [287157]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There have been no recent meetings.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has received requests from UK companies for advice on obligations under international law in respect of trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory in the last 12 months. [287160]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We consider all settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be illegal under international law, and a serious obstacle to peace, and have made this position clear.
The import of goods from settlements was discussed at a roundtable meeting hosted by Cabinet Office officials regarding proposed voluntary guidance on the labelling of settlement produce in March. That meeting was attended by representatives of Government, retailers and some UK companies.
We have not provided legal advice on UK companies' obligations in relation to trade with Israeli settlements, on which UK companies should of course take their own independent advice.
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