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1 Feb 2010 : Column 31W—continued
Safety Belts: Young People
Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010, Official Report, column 326W, on driving: young people, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research to which the answer referred; and if he will make a statement. [314029]
Paul Clark: The research referred to is Road Safety Research Report 98 "Strapping Yarns: Why People Do And Do Not Wear Seat Belts" published in November 2008. The report is available on the Department for Transport's website at the following link:
a copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan: Reconstruction
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2010, Official Report, column 182W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what the purpose of the Support to Informal Justice System project is; for what reason his Department decided to fund the project; how much it received from his Department in its first year of operation; for what reason its funding was reduced in 2009-10; and how much it has received from his Department in that year to date. [310164]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Justice and security are key pre-requisites for stabilising local communities in Helmand and laying the ground for strong governance. The security environment is not permissive for the formal justice sector to operate in a meaningful way outside of the provincial capital. It has been estimated that approximately 95 per cent. of all disputes in Helmand are resolved without formal justice institutions: by community leaders, local government, elders or religious leaders. My Department thus supports the Informal Justice Sector in order to increase access to a basic justice service for the Afghan population living in Helmand's districts, and to provide an alternative to the Taliban 'service' in the area of justice and dispute resolution.
The project received £222,438 in the financial year 2008-09 and was allocated £89,707 for 2009-10. Funding in the second year was reduced for a number of reasons:
(a) Increasing Afghanisation of the project, particularly in the districts.
(b) Equipment purchased in FY 2008-09 did not need to be replaced in FY 2009-10.
(c) Educational courses run in 2008-09 were not repeated in 2009-10.
(d) An overall underspend in FY 2008-09.
There is evidence that local communities are using these services to resolve disputes and that these mechanisms can successfully work with the formal justice system. Learning from these projects has been part of UK support to the Afghan Government in developing a national policy on traditional justice.
British Overseas Territories
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visits he has made to UK overseas territories in the last 12 months; and what the purpose was of each such visit. [314496]
Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 January 2010, Official Report, column 100W.
Colombia: EU External Trade
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Colombian counterpart and (b) his EU counterparts on a free trade agreement with Colombia. [314730]
Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the EU-Colombia Multi Party Agreement with his EU counterparts. He raised the issue in a meeting with the Colombian Foreign Minister in December 2009, reiterating the importance to the UK of linking a free trade agreement to improvements in the human rights situation.
I have held several informal discussions on this issue with my EU counterparts recently. In January this year I also raised it with Adriana Mejia, the Colombian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs pointing out the UK requirement for a robust human rights clause that would enable suspension of the agreement if the terms of the clause are breached. This clause will also act as the catalyst for frank dialogue with Colombia on human rights issues going forward. I also talked about it in the margins of the London Conference on Afghanistan with the Colombian Foreign Minister, Jaime Bermudez, with whom I discussed the situation facing Liliana Obando.
Colombia: Human Rights
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on human rights in Colombia. [314729]
Chris Bryant: Earlier this month, I met Adriana Mejia, the Colombian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for the Human Rights portfolio. I took the opportunity to welcome Colombia's comprehensive response to their voluntary Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights from December 2008. However, I also raised the UK's continued concerns on a number of areas, including the existence and implementation of the law of "rebellion" which leads to allegations of political prisoners. I also expressed regret at the recent release of those charged with the Soacha extrajudicial killings. Impunity is a serious problem in Colombia and I welcomed the statements from President Uribe expressing concern at the judicial system following the release. We also discussed the negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Colombia.
I also talked about the human rights situation in Colombia in the margins of the London Conference on Afghanistan with the Colombian Foreign Minister, Jaime Bermudez, with whom I discussed the situation facing Liliana Obando.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many performance reviews were undertaken in respect of staff of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a direct result of such a rating; and what percentage of full-time equivalent staff this represented. [313837]
Chris Bryant: All staff are appraised annually. Where performance is rated unsatisfactory at any point in the appraisal period, performance improvement procedures are followed. In almost all cases, implementation of these procedures results in full improvement of performance. From 2005 to 27 January 2010, 89 staff from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and FCO Services have been through performance improvement procedures. As this lead to fewer than five dismissals, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individuals and on grounds of confidentiality.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies managed out in the last five years who remain working in the public sector. [313855]
Chris Bryant: This information is not available to us. We do not keep records of where people are employed once they leave the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
EC External Relations
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to which EU Common Positions the Government subscribes; on what date the Government subscribed to each; and on what date each such position is due to expire. [314263]
Chris Bryant [holding answer 29 January 2010]: The following table sets out the Common Positions (CPs) to which the Government have subscribed in the context of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Haiti: Earthquakes
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Britons killed or injured in the Haiti earthquake. [314693]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We can confirm that two British nationals were killed in the Haiti earthquake.
Nigeria: Violence
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of violence in the city of Jos and Plateau state, Nigeria; and if he will make a statement. [314422]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
We are deeply saddened by the recent loss of life caused by violence between ethnic groups in
the city of Jos and Plateau State, as expressed in my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's joint statement with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and EU High Representative Baroness Ashton on 28 January 2010.
We welcome Vice President Jonathan's statement during his visit to Jos on 25 January 2010 that those responsible for crimes will be prosecuted, and that Nigeria will seek long-term solutions to inter-communal conflict in the country.
Peru: EU External Trade
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conditions will be placed on Peru to ensure its compliance with human rights requirements, with particular reference to the human rights of indigenous people, in negotiations on an EU-Peru free trade agreement; and what sanctions will be imposed if Peru does not meet those conditions. [314722]
Chris Bryant: The Government regard trade agreements as important for economic growth and prosperity in developed and developing countries, helping to reduce the poverty that is often the driver of conflict, displacement and human rights abuse. We continue to raise matters of the human rights of indigenous people and will insist on tough and enforceable human rights conditions as part of any EU Free Trade Agreement with the Andean region.
Sri Lanka: Politics and Government
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the political situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [314425]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Sri Lankan Election Commissioner announced on 27 January 2010 that President Rajapakse had won the presidential election with a clear majority. We are encouraging the president to use his new mandate to work towards a fully inclusive political solution which addresses the underlying causes of the conflict. It remains our view that this is the only way to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka. Genuine reconciliation between Sri Lanka's communities will depend in a large part on the government promoting and protecting the rights of all Sri Lankans.
We welcome the fact that election day was largely peaceful. However we will also be pressing the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that investigations are carried out into the reported violations of election law during the election campaign, including the numerous incidents of violence, and to take measures to prevent electoral violations in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
EU High Representative Baroness Ashton released the following statement on the election:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/106&;format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Tibet: Politics and Government
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the political situation in Tibet. [314418]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We discuss Tibet regularly with the Chinese authorities at all levels. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has raised Tibet with President Hu and Premier Wen. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has also discussed Tibet with State Councillor Dai Bingguo and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
Our interest is in sustainable development and long-term stability for Tibet, which can be achieved only through respect for the rights of Tibetan people and genuine autonomy for Tibet. Substantive dialogue between Chinese authorities and representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the best way to achieve this. We welcome the announcement of the resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the representatives of the Dalai Lama and urge both sides to approach the dialogue in good faith.
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