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29 Mar 2010 : Column 645W—continued
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan: Corruption
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has commissioned or assessed any internal or external reports on the effectiveness of its work to tackle corruption in Afghanistan. [301940]
Mr. Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for International Development (DFID) is contributing £6 million to the Accountability and Transparency (ACT) project managed by the United Nations Development Programme. ACT provides support to the Afghan anti-corruption watchdog, the High Office of Oversight. The project has been in operation for less than one year and so no formal assessment has yet been completed.
In May 2009, DFID and other partners undertook six "Vulnerabilities to Corruption Assessments", the results of which are available at:
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to combat corruption in Afghanistan. [301941]
Mr. Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the HMG Multi-Agency Task Force (MATF), established as the primary means of ensuring UK anti-corruption work is well co-ordinated internally, with major donors and Afghan and international civil society organisations. Through the MATF, the UK is taking the following actions:
We are providing £6 million to UNDP's Accountability and Transparency Project, making us the largest supporter of the High Office of Oversight (HOO). The UK will work with the HOO and responsible line Ministries on reform of the public procurement system and Government permits, especially for construction.
We are providing mentors to help make the Major Crimes Task Force (MCTF) a transparent and effective 'end to end' judicial process handling cases of kidnap, organised crime and the most serious corruption offences.
We will continue to provide training, mentoring and salary support for prosecutors working within the Anti Corruption Unit of the MCTF and will help establish an Anti Corruption Tribunal.
Reconstruction contracts issued by DFID already contain 'no bribery' clauses that apply equally to all contractors and subcontractors. Our commitment to investigate any international contracted by the UK Government and suspected of corruption remains unchanged.
The London Conference on Afghanistan, in January 2010, provided increased momentum in the fight against corruption. We are working with the international community to support the Afghan Government in delivering its new anti-corruption strategy.
Baltic States: Politics and Government
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in the Baltic and Black Sea areas; what recent reports he has received on the sale by France to Russia of four Mistral helicopter-carrying warships; and if he will make a statement. [323647]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We keep the politico-military balance in the Baltic and Black sea areas under close observation. We have discussed with France her intention to consider the export of Mistral ships to Russia. We are aware of concerns about the sale expressed by some countries in both the Baltic and the Black sea regions. France, like the UK, is bound by the same export control regulations, the EU Criteria, in approving or refusing any defence export. These take into account the impact on regional stability.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies were in the last three years; and what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of each. [324414]
Chris Bryant [holding answer 25 March 2010]: This information is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what methodology his Department used to determine whether answers to Questions in the formulation if he will set out with statistical information related as directly as possible to the tabling hon. Member's constituency the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997 could be provided without incurring disproportionate cost; and if he will make a statement. [323864]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not recently answered questions about hon. Members' constituencies in this way.
Diplomatic Service
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his overseas counterparts the matter of the abuse of domestic workers employed by overseas embassies in the UK. [324638]
Chris Bryant: Yes, we have, we do and we will.
Embassies: Festivals and Special Occasions
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his Department's policy that British missions overseas should hold celebrations to mark the official birthday of Her Majesty the Queen as a part of their diplomatic and trade promotion activities; and which missions will be holding such an event in 2010. [325001]
Chris Bryant: No records are held centrally of local celebrations of HM the Queen's birthday and the frequency and precise nature of such events is at the discretion of the head of mission.
Iran: Foreign Relations
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of UK relations with Iran; what plans he has for the future of UK-Iran relations; and if he will make a statement. [324642]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: UK-Iran relations are hindered by the Iranian authorities' harassment of our embassy in Tehran and their insistence on blaming the UK for all of Iran's problems. We will continue to seek to engage the Iranian authorities on the many important issues of concern, including Iran's nuclear programme, human rights abuses and restrictions on civil liberties, and Iran's role in the region. We will also continue to press for a satisfactory resolution to the bilateral issues between us, including the arrest of embassy staff in Tehran.
Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the special investigation and prosecution team to report on alleged corruption in the Turks and Caicos Islands. [324882]
Chris Bryant: Investigations by the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team are ongoing and it is not possible to estimate how long these, and any subsequent prosecutions, would take.
Western Sahara: Human Rights
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UN Security Council has been briefed on the human rights situation in occupied Western Sahara by the UN Secretary-General's special envoy on Western Sahara in 2010. [324140]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara regularly briefs the Security Council on developments in the conflict of Western Sahara, including the human rights situation. The current Personal Envoy, Ambassador Christopher Ross, last briefed the Security Council on 18 February. Ambassador Ross holds regular discussions with members of the Security Council on a range of issues related to the conflict.
The Secretary-General will submit his report on the latest developments in Western Sahara to the Security Council in advance of the renewal of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate at the end of April.
World War Two: Genocide
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the policy of the government of Germany on release of files on (a) Nazi war criminals and (b) Adolf Eichmann; and if he will make a statement. [324378]
Chris Bryant: The case to which my hon. Friend refers is currently being considered by the German Federal Administrative Court; it is therefore a matter for the Court and the German Government.
Justice
British Constitution
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 624W, on democratic reform, on what date the National Deliberative Event was held; who attended the event; which firms were contracted to organise the event; and at what cost to the public purse. [323650]
Mr. Wills: The National Deliberative Event was held on Saturday 20 February 2010. An independent report by TNS-BMRB on the programme of engagement will be published shortly and shows that such deliberative approaches were valued by what were demographically representative groups of participants as a means of building public views into policy making. It shows there is a clear appetite to take further these aspects of the debate on constitutional reform: stating the values that bind us together as a nation, building on the existing protections for individual rights and clarifying our responsibilities.
The following persons attended the event:
110 members of the public (selected statistically to reflect the makeup of the population of the UK) who attended previous deliberative events in October and November 2009.
Myself.
Five officials from the Ministry of Justice and one from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The contracts for these events were awarded to TNS-BMRB, a social research organisation, who developed and delivered the recruitment and research elements of the programme (including chairing the events), and M-is, an events agency, who organised the practical arrangements for the events, including venue hire and participants travel and accommodation.
There were eight deliberative events in total between October 2009 and February 2010: five regional events, two reconvened events and one national event. The total cost for all eight events is £842,111.35. The Government do not hold information on the disaggregated costs for the National Deliberative event as individual costings for each of the eight events were not stipulated in the contractual arrangements.
A copy of the independent report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 624W, on democratic reform, what the cost to the public purse was of the five deliberative events; which companies were contracted to organise the events and to conduct the opinion research; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the findings of the opinion research conducted. [323651]
Mr. Wills:
There were eight deliberative events between October 2009 and February 2010: five regional events, two reconvened events and one national event. An independent report by TNS-BMRB on the programme
of engagement will be published shortly and shows that such deliberative approaches were valued by what were demographically representative groups of participants as a means of building public views into policy making. It shows there is a clear appetite to take further these aspects of the debate on constitutional reform: stating the values that bind us together as a nation, building on the existing protections for individual rights and clarifying our responsibilities.
The total cost for all eight events is £842,111.35. The Government do not hold information on the disaggregated costs for the five regional events as individual costings for each of the events were not stipulated in the contractual arrangements.
The contracts for these events were awarded to TNS-BMRB, a social research organisation, who developed and delivered the recruitment and research elements of the programme (including chairing the events), and M-is, an events company, who organised the practical arrangements for the events including venue hire and participants travel and accommodation.
A copy of the independent report will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.
Courts: Aberystwyth
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the development of a new court building in Aberystwyth. [324348]
Bridget Prentice: The HMCS Asset Management Committee approved the Aberystwyth court building scheme to proceed to Full Business Case on 24 March 2010. It is hoped that a further announcement will be made in summer 2010.
Custodial Treatment
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost to the public purse was of detaining (a) an adult and (b) a person under the age of 21 years old in custody for a year on the latest date for which figures are available. [323745]
Maria Eagle: For 2008-09, for prison establishments managed by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the average cost per prisoner in an "adult" prison (for this purpose adult is over 21 years) was £39,600 and in a young offender institution was £53,400.
The above average costs comprise the expenditure on public and private prisons (as recorded in the NOMS agency annual report and accounts), increased by an apportionment of relevant costs borne centrally and in the regions by NOMS. This involves some estimation. In addition, expenditure met centrally by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) is included. The figures do not include the cost of prisoners held in police or court cells under Operation Safeguard, nor expenditure met by other Government Departments (e.g. Health and Education). The prisoner escort service costs are included. Where the costs of young people are recharged by NOMS to the YJB, expenditure is shown gross and not reduced by income from the YJB. Where a site includes adults and prisoners under 21, costs are allocated to the major use.
Secure training centres and secure children's homes, the responsibility of the YJB, also fall into the under 21 years category. The YJB calculates annual figures for the cost of places in each type of establishment in the under-18 secure estate. As at 1 April 2009, these were as follows:
| Average annual cost per place (£) | |
| Note: VAT is not included in these figures | |
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many smoking shelters have been built for his Department's staff in the last five years; and at what cost. [324353]
Mr. Wills: The Ministry of Justice's buildings are smoke free. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not constructed any smoking shelters on its London HQ building estate in the last five years.
Smoking shelters do exist within the Ministry of Justice's specialist estate. However central records of the construction of smoking shelters across the MOJ estate are not held and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
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