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5 Jan 2010 : Column 188W—continued
Caribbean: Crime Prevention
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department has provided to the governments of British Caribbean Overseas Territories to assist with anti-knife and anti-firearms campaigns. [309098]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded overseas territories law enforcement adviser based in Miami (a former Metropolitan police officer) provides advice and guidance to governors and overseas territory leaders and police commissioners. Specific assistance is being given to Bermuda where the law enforcement adviser is in contact with the Commissioner of Police and UK and US law enforcement agencies.
Caribbean: Human Trafficking
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on people-trafficking in the British Caribbean Overseas Territories with representatives of those territories. [309099]
Chris Bryant: People trafficking was discussed at a Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded workshop for Chief Immigration Officers in the Cayman Islands in February 2009, and at the Caribbean Overseas Territories and Bermuda Criminal Justice Conference in the British Virgin Islands in May 2009 attended by customs, immigration, police and prison departments.
The Overseas Territories Law Enforcement Adviser holds regular discussions with the police and immigration department in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Coast Guard about the trafficking of Haitian migrants.
Caribbean: Wind Power
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of wind turbines operating in each of the British Caribbean Overseas Territories. [309089]
Chris Bryant: Responsibility for energy and wind turbines in the Caribbean Overseas Territories rests with the Government of each territory.
Climate Change: Antarctic
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British Antarctic Survey has commissioned research into the causes and effects of climate change and global warming in the last three years. [309223]
Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given on 9 December 2009, Official Report, column 376W and on 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1239W. As indicated previously, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has developed a new strategic science plan, Polar Science for Planet Earth. This is described in a new publication (http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/publications/pspe_document.pdf) which identifies several critical research challenges concerning climate change and its impacts. In addition BAS is leading a major initiative (Ice2sea), funded by the EU, aimed at improving projections of the contribution of ice to future sea-level rise.
Colombia
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will visit Colombia to discuss reports of murders of trade unionists in that country. [308362]
Chris Bryant: I have no plans to visit Colombia for the time being.
Colombia: EU External Trade
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on proposals for a free trade agreement between Colombia and the EU. [307910]
Chris Bryant: The UK supports free trade agreements with developing countries like Colombia because we believe the resulting economic opportunities lead to better social conditions. The UK has led efforts within the EU to ensure that the human rights clause is a key component of the agreement, which enables suspension of the agreement if it is breached. The clause will act as a catalyst for frank dialogue with the Government of Colombia on the issue.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of representations made by hon. Members and legislators in other EU national parliaments requesting ratification of an EU-Colombia free trade agreement to be withheld until there have been an internationally-ratified improvement in (a) human rights, (b) trades union rights and (c) prosecutions against offences of organised crime, narcotic crime and corruption; and if he will make a statement. [308060]
Chris Bryant: I am neither privy to representations made by fellow EU members in their respective national parliaments, nor would it be appropriate for me to comment on them.
The UK supports free trade agreements with developing countries like Colombia because we believe the resulting economic opportunities lead to better social conditions. The UK has led efforts within the EU to ensure that the human rights clause is a key component of the agreement, which enables suspension of the agreement if it is breached. The clause will act as a catalyst for frank dialogue with the Government of Colombia on the issue.
Crown Dependencies
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories have not implemented the provisions of the UN Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. [307349]
Mr. Wills: I have been asked to reply.
Two Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey) have not yet implemented the provisions of the UN convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women but have begun the necessary preparatory work. The convention and its Optional Protocol have however been extended to the Isle of Man.
The convention has so far been extended to three Overseas Territories (the British Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands). At the 2009 Overseas Territories Consultative Council, Overseas Territories leaders agreed to finalise action within the territories to enable extension of the convention to all the populated territories during 2010.
Information on the ratification of UN conventions is in the public domain at:
http://treaties.un.org/Pages/Treaties.aspx?id=4&;subid=A&lang=en
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories have not implemented the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. [307350]
Mr. Wills: I have been asked to reply.
Two Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey) have not yet implemented the provisions of the UN convention on the rights of the child but have begun the necessary preparatory work. The convention has been extended to the Isle of Man, though not as yet the Optional Protocols.
The convention has been extended to all of the Overseas Territories except Gibraltar.
Information on the ratification of UN conventions is in the public domain at:
http://treaties.un.org/Pages/Treaties.aspx?id=4&;subid=A&lang=en
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories have not implemented the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [307351]
Mr. Wills: I have been asked to reply.
None of the Crown Dependencies has yet implemented the provisions of the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, but they have begun the necessary preparatory work. No Overseas Territories have yet implemented the provisions of the convention.
Information on the ratification of UN conventions is in the public domain at:
http://treaties.un.org/Pages/Treaties.aspx?id=4&;subid=A&lang=en
Departmental Art Works
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on art works in the last 12 months. [306443]
Chris Bryant: Works of art displayed in Foreign and Commonwealth Office buildings in the UK and throughout the network are from the Government Art Collection (GAC), which publishes an annual list of acquisitions. The most recent details of acquisitions made by the GAC were published on 5 October 2009 and are available on the GAC website:
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on conferences they organised which were subsequently cancelled in each of the last three years; and what the title was of each such conference. [308827]
Chris Bryant: The information on conferences organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's network of diplomatic posts overseas and Directorates in the UK is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
Over the last three years Wilton Park has organised and then cancelled only one conference:
June 2008-Tackling Overseas Bribery: developing the UK strategy
The only cancellation cost incurred was £990.26 for flights.
Departmental Information and Communications Technology
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what pay band his Department's Chief Information Officer (CIO) is employed; whether the CIO is employed on a fixed-term or permanent contract; and what the size is of the budget for which the CIO is responsible in the period 2009-10. [307565]
Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to pages 94 and 96 of Volume Two of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Departmental Report and Resource Accounts for Financial Year 2008-09 (HC 460-11), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The FCO's Chief Information Officer (CIO) is employed on a fixed term contract.
The CIO's total budget for financial year 2009-10 is £114 million for administration costs and £46 million capital expenditure.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the FCO-DfID Shared Services Plan of November 2006, whether the deadline to harmonise the pay and conditions of support staff in co-located offices by March 2009 has been met; and what arrangements exist for harmonisation of the pay and conditions of non-support staff in co-located offices. [307046]
David Miliband: Following a period of consultation and production of guidance, this exercise is now well under way. The process involves review and alignment of terms and conditions of service for locally engaged staff through joint pay reviews. Five posts have already completed the exercise and 12 more have started the process. The remainder of the posts concerned will undertake the exercise during 2010.
Departmental Personnel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what capacity (a) Nicholas Banner and (b) Gavin Mackay are employed by his Department. [309258]
Chris Bryant: Nicholas Banner is on unpaid leave from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Gavin Mackay has now retired from the FCO.
Departmental Training
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) date, (b) location and (c) cost was of each of the last four Departmental away days that he attended. [305508]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign Secretary attends the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Board away day twice a year. The details of the last four meetings are as follows:
17 September 2009 at 1 Carlton Gardens, total cost: £591;
5 January 2009 at Chevening Estate, total cost: £1,797;
30 October 2008 at 1 Carlton Gardens, total cost: £540;
30-31 March 2008 at Chevening Estate, total cost: £5,024.
No venue costs were incurred for the 30 October 2008 and 17 September 2009 meetings.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) away days and (b) conferences that took place outside his Department's building attended by civil servants in his Department there have been since 2005; and what the cost was of each. [307517]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) holds away days in the UK and overseas to support delivery of its departmental strategic objectives. Civil servants in the FCO regularly attend conferences, organised by the FCO or by other organisations. Many of these take place outside FCO buildings.
The FCO does not hold centrally data about away days or conferences. It would not therefore be possible to supply data about the number or costs of these attended by civil servants since 2005 without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Diplomatic Service: South America
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many consular staff his Department employs in each of its embassies in South America. [308359]
Chris Bryant: The number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff carrying out consular activities in South America is 27.5.
The following table provides the details by post within South America.
| Post name | Consular FTE |
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