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10 Nov 2009 : Column 324W—continued
Sanctions: Iran
Mr. Hague: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions UK companies have informed his Department that they have notified the European Commission under Article 2 of the EU's Council Regulation 2271/96 in relation to the extra-territorial application of US sanctions legislation on Iran in each of the last four financial years; and if he will make a statement. [293790]
Strategic Investment Fund
Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made with the competition for a national composites centre as part of the Strategic Investment Fund programme; how invitations to compete for the centre were issued; which organisations have submitted bids; how much of the Fund's resources will be allocated to the centre; and if he will make a statement. [299012]
Mr. McFadden: We received a number of bids under the general invitation for bids for funding under the Strategic Investment Fund programme announced in the Budget 2009, including those for a national composite centre.
Any decision on the location and funding of the centre will be announced as part of the launch of the UK Composites Strategy.
Technology Strategy Board: Grants
Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Technology Strategy Board allocated to (a) all UK businesses and (b) UK video games businesses in 2008. [295764]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 5 November 2009, Official Report, column 1244W.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Anti-Semitism: Poland
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on incidents of anti-Semitism in Poland since July 2009; what recent discussions he has had with the government of Poland on the matter; and if he will make a statement. [298344]
Chris Bryant: We have not received any reports regarding violent anti-Semitic incidents in Poland since July 2009 and we have not had any recent discussions with the Polish Government on this matter.
Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange partnership in the last 12 months; what assistance he plans to provide to that organisation in the next six months; and if he will make a statement. [R] [298348]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange was announced jointly by UK and Israeli Prime Ministers in July 2008. The Government have contributed £20,000 in the last 12 months. The funding given has already been put to good use, to pay for start-up costs. Representatives from the British Council and our embassy in Tel Aviv are members of the scheme's administrative committee. We intend to continue our support and have earmarked £5,000 for the current financial year.
Departmental Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many miles (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997. [298552]
Chris Bryant: Information on miles travelled by Ministers and officials is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Iraq: Armed Conflict
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department received reports that Iraqi civilians employed as locally-engaged staff had been killed because they worked for the UK. [298608]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We first received a report of the murder of an interpreter who was working for the UK on 12 March 2005. Another interpreter had been killed on 4 November 2004 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. However, we cannot be certain that the latter was specifically targeted because of his work for the UK.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department first received reports of threats to the lives of Iraqi locally employed civilians. [298609]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The first reported threats to the lives of Iraqi LE staff were received in early 2005.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long on average elapsed between the announcement of the (a) asylum and (b) financial payment scheme for former Iraqi locally employed civilians and the first former Iraqi locally employed civilians leaving Iraq for a neighbouring country under the scheme. [298612]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Locally Engaged Staff Assistance Scheme for former locally employed staff included the options of resettlement in the UK or a financial settlement. This was announced in a written ministerial statement by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on
30 October 2007, Official Report, column 29WS. The first former Iraqi locally employed staff who opted for resettlement under the Gateway Refugee Resettlement Programme left Iraq at the end of April 2008 for a neighbouring third country.
Kosovo: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's budget is for its activities in Kosovo in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010; and if he will make a statement. [297624]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s budget for its activities in Kosovo comprises (a) operational costs for our embassy in Pristina and (b) discretionary programme funding. In addition, the Conflict Prevention Pool and Peacekeeping Budget (separate budgets owned jointly by the FCO, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development (DFID), with decisions on spending taken tri-departmentally, irrespective of the implementing Department) fund a range of Kosovo related activity.
Below is a breakdown for financial years (FY) 2008-09 and 2009-10:
| £ | |
Activities funded by the tri-departmental conflict funding are:
(a) discretionary spending in support of military and civilian peacekeeping missions.
(b) conflict related programme expenditure.
The reduction in conflict funding between FY 2008-09 and FY 2009-10 relates principally to the decision in March 2009 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander for Europe that the capacity provided by British troops to the NATO force in Kosovo (KFOR) could be reduced given the steady improvement of the security environment in Kosovo.
In addition to these figures, the FCO-on behalf of the three departments-pays the UK's assessed contributions for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). We contribute 11.09 per cent. of the OSCE overall budget for field missions, equating to €3,333,687 in 2008 and €2,984,319 in 2009. The UK pays approximately 17 per cent. of the common costs of all European Security and Defence Policy missions, including EULEX. For the period from August 2009 to June 2010, the approximate UK contribution to the common costs of EULEX is £22 million. The UK contribution to common costs for UNMIK in 2008-09 were £7,508,472 and are projected to be £3,155,032 in 2009-10.
Decisions have not yet been made on embassy operational, FCO discretionary programme or Conflict Prevention Pool allocations for 2010-11 nor have all the relevant multilateral negotiations on mission budgets taken place.
This does not represent the total Government budget in Kosovo. For example, DFID spent £3.1 million in Kosovo in the financial year 2008-09 and funded the UK's share of assessed costs for UN agencies, the World Bank and European Commission's Instrument for Pre-Accession.
Libya: EU External Relations
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on a European Union-Libya co-operation agreement; what assessment he has made of the issues to be resolved before an agreement can be reached; and when he expects the agreement to be concluded. [299153]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In July 2008 the Justice and Home Affairs Council approved a mandate for the European Commission to take forward negotiations on the EU-Libyan framework agreement. Negotiations began in November 2008.
The framework agreement will cover a range of political, social, economic, commercial and cultural relations between the EU and Libya. It will provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation on areas including human rights, enhancement of energy security, migration and combating terrorism.
Negotiations are led by the Commission and are ongoing. To date there have been four rounds of negotiations, with the next round scheduled to take place later this year. No date has been set for signature.
Middle East: Peace Negotiations
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the state of relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority; and if he will make a statement. [298971]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are currently under strain because of disagreements over how to relaunch the peace process and who is to blame for the lack of progress.
The Government, from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister down, work closely with them, and our international partners, to find a way to launch a credible process with a credible prospect of achieving a two-state solution.
We have made it clear that we fully support US President Barack Obama's initiative to kick-start political negotiations. We believe urgent progress is essential to build confidence throughout the region.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on progress towards peace in the Middle East. [298972]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The US Administration, from the President down, have made clear their commitment to restarting negotiations and continue to work towards that goal. We are offering them our full support, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 11 October and Senator George Mitchell on 28 October 2009.
While significant obstacles undoubtedly remain, the alternatives to credible negotiations towards a two-state solution are far worse. We believe urgent progress is essential to build confidence throughout the region.
NATO: Cybercrime
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration his Department has given to extending the definition of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to include cyber attacks; and if he will make a statement. [297678]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)'s Policy on Cyber Defence, agreed at the Bucharest summit in 2008, provides for a common and co-ordinated approach to cyber defence and any response to cyber attacks, and guides individual member states on protecting their own national systems.
Article 5 of the Washington treaty states that an armed attack against one member of NATO shall be considered an attack on all. Article 4 of the treaty makes clear that "The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened." The UK is fully committed to these obligations. How these provisions relate to new threats, such as cyber attack, will be considered as part of the process of updating NATO's Strategic Concept.
Zimbabwe: Politics and Government
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the political situation in Zimbabwe on the economy of southern Africa. [296739]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 2 November 2009]: President Mugabe's policies prior to the formation of the power-sharing government in February 2009 had a disastrous impact on Zimbabwe. They also had, and continue to have, ramifications for the region more widely. Zimbabwe's economic collapse has lowered investor confidence across the entire region, reduced regional growth, and triggered political and economic migration leading to increased pressure on services and inter-communal tensions in receiving countries.
Since the formation of the inclusive government in February, Finance Minister Biti has worked hard to stabilise the economy, increase revenue generation to allow the payment of salaries to the civil service, and improve public finance management. Much remains to be done to restore investor confidence in Zimbabwe, including by reforming the Central Bank. We commend the progress so far, and urge Zimbabwe to implement fully the economic reform envisaged in the Global Political Agreement.
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Commonwealth counterparts on the political situation in Zimbabwe. [298974]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are in regular contact with members of the Southern African Development Community, many of whom are members of the Commonwealth, as part of an ongoing dialogue, including on Zimbabwe. Most recently, my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock, visited South Africa and Nigeria on 2-6 November 2009 and discussed Zimbabwe with South African and Nigerian counterparts.
International donors, including Commonwealth countries, met to discuss Zimbabwe in Berlin on 26 October 2009. The Commonwealth's Committee of the Whole met in London on 21-22 October 2009.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crimes of Violence
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps he has taken to reduce levels of alcohol-related violence. [297981]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The majority of people who drink enjoy alcohol sensibly. We are however determined to take action to reduce the levels of crime and disorder caused by those who do not. This includes commencing drink banning orders (DBO) on application on 31 August 2009 to allow the police and local authorities to crack down on those who commit criminal or disorderly behaviour while under the influence of alcohol; earlier this year we spent £3 million on targeted enforcement activities in over 190 areas, as well as a further £1.5 million on enforcement campaigns in our top 50 priority areas. This summer we launched a £1.5 million partnership support programme in our top 50 priority areas to specifically target public perceptions of drunk or rowdy behaviour by ensuring that local people's concerns are being acted upon and the results are made known to the local communities.
Last year we ran 13 regional workshops to train around 1,300 frontline practitioners, including the police and licensing officers. We are now running a further series of two-day alcohol-enforcement training seminars in our 50 priority areas aimed at magistrates, courts officials, elected members who sit on licensing committees and operational police officers. To support these seminars we have recently published a comprehensive guide for delivery partners on alcohol-enforcement tools and powers and we have developed a digital resource pack, which has recently gone live.
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