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Trident: Finance

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the level of (a) actual and (b) projected expenditure on the (A) nuclear deterrent programme, including the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the future submarine programme, (B) Atomic Weapons Establishment and (C) future submarine programme in the period covered by the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. [318783]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Unidentified Flying Objects

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department plans a retention period of one month for reports of unidentified flying objects. [320982]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The long-term retention of UFO sighting reports delivers no benefit to defence and diverts resources from higher priority tasks. UFO sighting reports passed to the MOD are retained for 30 days to allow correspondents to request the return of their reports should they wish to do so and are then destroyed.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan: Elections

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the presidential decree regarding the Electoral Complaints Commission in Afghanistan on the likelihood of free and fair parliamentary elections in that country in 2010; and if he will make a statement. [319784]

David Miliband: The Electoral Complaints Commission is a key oversight body and the individuals appointed to its panel will be subject to close scrutiny and will need to be of the highest quality and integrity. As agreed at the London Conference, the Afghan Government will work closely with the UN to learn lessons from the 2009 elections and to deliver improvements to the electoral process in 2010 and beyond. We will continue, alongside international partners, to support Afghan and UN efforts.

British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of British citizens imprisoned in overseas jurisdictions; and what support and assistance his Department provides to such people. [318152]


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Chris Bryant: On 30 September 2009 we were aware of 2,582 British nationals detained overseas. This figure is calculated every six months. In April we will have the figure for 31 March 2010. The support we can offer is set out in the publication "Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide". This includes making contact with the detainee, visiting if they want us to, making contact with their family, again if they want us to, offering basic information about the local legal and prison systems and a list of local interpreters and lawyers. If appropriate, we will consider approaching the local authorities if a detainee is not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards, including if they are mistreated. Within certain limits, we can forward funds to the detainee. We can also help them contact non-governmental organisations who offer support, such as Prisoners Abroad and, where appropriate, Fair Trials International or Reprieve.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to (a) encourage the ending of links between the Rwandan authorities and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and (b) seek to ensure that the sanctions imposed by the United Nations in respect of the Democratic Republic of Congo are maintained. [320592]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Rwandan authorities are not linked to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR is an illegal militia group mainly comprising ex-genocidaires from the previous Rwandan regime. We welcome the rapprochement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the co-operation between the two countries in tackling the FDLR.

We take our obligations under sanctions very seriously and will not hesitate to support sanctions against any person or company against whom there is sufficient evidence.

Departmental Languages

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided. [320418]

Chris Bryant: One Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister, Lord Mervyn Davies, undertook language training in the past 12 months at a cost of £212.80.

370 FCO civil servants have received language training in the following 52 languages (in no particular order):


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The total spend by the FCO's Language Policy and Standards Team from 1 March 2009 to date is £2,591,016. (This figure includes administration, travel and examination expenses.)

Government Hospitality: Wines

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2010, Official Report, column 835W, on Government hospitality: wines, from what wine merchants and producers his Department purchased wine in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008. [320066]

Chris Bryant: During 2007 Government Hospitality purchased wines from the following suppliers:


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During 2008 Government Hospitality purchased wines from the following suppliers:

Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine's meetings in the last 12 months. [320092]

Chris Bryant: Copies of the minutes of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine (edited to protect commercial confidentiality) are available through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Freedom of Information web pages. The Committee's annual report is already in the Library of the House. I will place copies of the minutes from 2009 in the Library of the House.

Greece: Death

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance (a) the British Consulate in Corfu and (b) officials in his Department provided to the next of kin of Stephen Oliver; and if he will make a statement. [320245]

Chris Bryant: Consular staff both in Corfu and London provided consular assistance to Stephen Oliver's family throughout this tragic case. We advised Mr. Oliver's family of the practical procedures for dealing with a death of a British national in Corfu. As consular staff
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took immediate action to follow up concerns raised by the family about the behaviour of the local undertaker. We have since removed him from the embassy's list of approved undertakers in Greece. Consular staff are unable to accept personal belongings of British nationals. We tried on several occasions to make contact with Mr. Oliver's friends and the local undertaker in order to arrange for his personal belongings to be returned to the UK. Consular staff further assisted by arranging (for Mrs. Oliver during her visit to Corfu) meetings with the coroner's office and the local undertaker.

Iran: Human Rights

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the imprisonment of Behzad Nabavi; and what his most recent assessment is of levels of political and civil freedom in Iran. [321163]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Former Member of Parliament and Minister, Behzad Nabavi, was one of several notable figures arrested on 16 June 2009 following the disputed presidential elections in Iran. The EU raised concerns about these detentions on 3 August with the Iranian authorities in Tehran, and again in a declaration on 23 October. On 9 February Nabavi was sentenced to five years imprisonment for his role in the post election unrest. The Iranian authorities continue to suppress legitimate protest, restrict civil and political liberties and use the threat of violence, and even execution, to silence dissent. Despite this, many brave Iranians continue to demand their fundamental rights. We urge the Iranian authorities to heed their citizens' calls, and to release all individuals detained for political offences.

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the number of opposition figures (a) imprisoned and (b) executed in Iran since the most recent presidential election. [321165]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: While there are no official figures available on the numbers of opposition figures imprisoned since the June 2009 election, international estimates broadly agree that around 3,000 individuals have been arrested. Many have subsequently been released; however, others remain in detention or have stood trial. We are concerned that the whereabouts of many more remain unknown.

We cannot confirm that any opposition figures have been executed for involvement in the post-election unrest; however, we are concerned that a number of individuals have been sentenced to death in televised show-trials which fell far short of international standards guaranteeing the right to a fair trial. On 28 January Iran executed Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani; both were sentenced to death for "enmity against God" following prosecution at show-trials.

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to seek to ensure that Iran complies with international human rights conventions and laws. [321166]

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