| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Sep 2009 : Column 1954W—continued
International Development
Developing Countries: Forests
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) direct and (b) indirect funding his Department has allocated for the purpose of reducing levels of deforestation in developing countries in the last five years; and whether projects funded by his Department for such purposes have involved the planting of trees. [285766]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not record expenditure on reducing deforestation or on the planting of trees. It uses the two categories of expenditure required by the Development Aid Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): Forestry Policy and Administrative Management; and Forestry Development. Total bilateral expenditure incurred on forests in the last five financial years was:
£20.0 million in 2003-04;
£15.8 million in 2004-05;
£15.5 million in 2005-06;
£15.6 million in 2006-07; and
£7.4 million in 2007-08.
Since 2007-08 the following sums have been committed:
£10 million to the Congo Basin Forest Fund for start-up activities.
£50 million to the Congo Basin Forest Fund and £15 million to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, from the International Window of the Environmental Transformation Fund. In December 2008 it was announced that up to another £100 million would be made available for forests from the Environmental Transformation Fund.
£5 million for work by the Rights and Resources Initiative over a five-year period to help accelerate forest tenure, policy and market reforms.
£1.5 million to the National Forest Programme Facility over a three-year period.
£1.5 million to PROFOR (Programme on Forests of the World Bank) over a three-year period.
£1 million for work on an Economics of Climate Change Study and work on low carbon development in Brazil, some of which relates to forests.
Iraq: Overseas Aid
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding for aid for Iraq has been (a) committed and (b) spent by his Department since 2003. [290839]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) publishes future programme allocations and out-turn expenditure figures each year in its Annul Report which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
Sri Lanka: Humanitarian Aid
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [290679]
Mr. Michael Foster: Following the end of the conventional conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE in May 2009, approximately 270,000 internally displaced people (IDP) are now in camps in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Our humanitarian advisor, based at the British High Commission in Colombo, last visited the camps on 26 August 2009. Conditions in the camps are basic but improving as needs for shelter, food, water and medicine are gradually being met. Access for humanitarian agencies is also improving. However, I remain concerned about: high malnutrition levels among sections of the IDP population, particularly children; the lack of freedom of movement and restrictions put on protection activities, including ensuring the safety of the IDP population; reuniting unaccompanied children with their families; and registration of the population as a whole.
The recent flooding in some of the camps following heavy rain highlights the importance of safely returning as many people as possible to their homes before the forthcoming monsoon season. I am encouraged that the Government of Sri Lanka has started the process and has so far returned 4,500 people to their communities of origin. However, much more needs to be done if the Government of Sri Lanka is to meet its own target of resettling the bulk of the IDPs before the end of the year.
Women and Equality
Religion: Conditions of Employment
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what her policy is on (a) whether, in an organisation with a religious ethos, the need of the organisation to maintain such an ethos should constitute a genuine, legitimate and justified occupational requirement to be of a particular religion and (b) the regard to be had to (i) the nature of the employment, (ii) the qualifications of the employee and (iii) the performance of the employee in the job. [290666]
Mr. McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 contain a specific exception to discrimination on grounds of religion which allows an
employer with an ethos based on religion or belief to require that an employee be of a particular religion or belief if it is a genuine occupational requirement for that particular job, and it is proportionate to apply the requirement in each case.
The ethos of the organisation is one factor which employers with a religious ethos take into account. They must also consider the nature of the job or the context in which it is carried out. The qualifications or performance of the employee are not relevant factors when considering whether the requirement to be of a particular religion or belief to do a particular job is genuine or not.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Burma: Political Prisoners
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the imprisonment of Kyaw Khaing in Burma; what discussions he has had with the Burmese government on the matter; and if he will make a statement. [289216]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are very concerned by reports that National League for Democracy leader Kyaw Khaing was sentenced to a further two year prison term on 14 July 2009. Our ambassador in Rangoon repeatedly raises the need for the release of all political prisoners in Burma with Ministers in the military government. Our embassy in Rangoon continues to enquire about specific cases with political prisoner support networks and those non-governmental organisations concerned with prisoner welfare.
We take every opportunity, including via the UN human rights bodies, to press the regime to uphold international human rights norms and release political prisoners. Most recently, G8 leaders called for the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, stating that their continued detention would undermine the credibility of elections planned for 2010.
Cuba: Politics and Government
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the persecution of Christians in Cuba, with particular reference to the case of Pastor Omar Gride Pérez; and if he will make a statement. [288010]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Government remain concerned about the human rights situation in Cuba. The Cuban government maintains tight control over its citizens and is generally wary of unofficial, unregistered group meetings. Economic freedoms are limited, political opposition is not tolerated and restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and assembly are common. Unregistered religious groups, such as house churches, are sometimes affected by these restrictions. But as many churches manage to operate within the constraints of the system
without harassment, we do not judge that there is systematic repression of Christians or religious freedoms within the country.
We have been following closely the case of Pastor Omar Gride Pérez-the leader of a self-governing non-denominational church called the 'Apostolic Reformation' who has been detained since May 2008 and was recently sentenced to six years' imprisonment for charges of falsification of documents, and was also evicted from his property. We are concerned by the lack of an independent judiciary in Cuba, and the harsh penalties given for some crimes. We are aware of concerns that his lengthy sentence may be connected to his religious activities and status as an independent church leader.
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June 2009. [288919]
Chris Bryant: 86.5 per cent. of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's payments to suppliers were made within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2009, Official Report, column 947W, on departmental internet, what the (a) names and (b) versions are of the web browsers used on the (i) desktop machines and (ii) laptop computers used by his Department's (A) Permanent Under-Secretary, (B) chief information officer, (C) head of communications and (D) head of finance. [289000]
Chris Bryant: The desktop machines used by the holders of the four named posts use Internet Explorer 7. Secure laptops to enable remote access to their office accounts also use the same version of web browser.
Departmental Lost Property
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of lost and stolen (a) electronic data and (b) paper documents have been recorded by his Department's overseas posts in each of the last three years. [288498]
Chris Bryant: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of instances of loss-unauthorised or otherwise-of data overseas. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
Departmental Postal Services
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last two years. [288735]
Chris Bryant: During 2008 £174,200 was spent on Royal Mail services. During 2009 £69,600 has been spent on Royal Mail services to date.
Departmental Security
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of deliberate attempts to breach security at his Department's overseas posts have been detected since January 2007; and which posts were affected. [288497]
Chris Bryant: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of attempts to breach security overseas. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
Diplomatic Service: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of UK embassies have (a) been suspended, (b) received formal warnings and (c) been dismissed in the last 12 months; and for what reasons in each case. [288470]
Chris Bryant: There are two categories of employees at our Missions abroad, locally engaged staff recruited by the Post and UK based staff who are posted out to Post from the UK. We do not retain figures centrally for locally engaged staff and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost. The figures for UK based staff are as follows:
(a) suspended in the last 12 months-fewer than five cases
(b) received formal warnings in the last 12 months-15 cases
(c) been dismissed in the last 12 months-fewer than five cases
As there are fewer than five cases for each category of misconduct, details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individuals and on the grounds of personal confidentiality.
Fourth Geneva Convention
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on individual legal action to achieve compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention; and if he will make a statement. [288855]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK has fully implemented the Geneva Conventions through the Geneva Conventions Act of 1957, which includes all the necessary legal provisions to ensure the UK's compliance with the Conventions, including the fourth. It is for individuals to decide what legal action they wish to take in accordance with UK law, and it is not for the Government to comment on such action.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |