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Written Answers
Monday, 18th March 2002.
Senior Salaries Review Body
Lord Morgan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What plans they have regarding the chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body.[HL3371]
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The Prime Minister has appointed John Baker CBE to be chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body from February 2002 for a period of three years.
UK-China Human Rights Dialogues
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish a report detailing the matters raised at each of the United Kingdom-China Human Rights Dialogues, and the progress made on each of these matters. [HL3122]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos): Details of our dialogue are published in the annual FCO human rights report. We also make public the subjects raised in our replies to PQs, letters from honourable Members and noble Lords and letters from members of the public. In addition we hold informal briefing sessions with relevant NGOs.
Algeria: Human Rights
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will ask the Government of Algeria to consider whether their law on defamation, under which the Appeal Court of Relizane has sentenced Mohamed Smain, president of the Relizane Branch of the League for the Defence of Human Rights, to a year's imprisonment for repeating statements made by relatives of "disappeared" against the former mayor of Relizane, is compatible with the human rights provisions of the European Union-Algeria Association Agreement; and whether they will seek to persuade the Government of Algeria to invite the United Nations Human Rights Commission's Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions to visit Algeria. [HL3123]
Baroness Amos: The EU/Algeria Association Agreement has not been signed or ratified and so is not in force. The first step towards bringing the agreement into force will be at the signature of the agreement scheduled for late April 2002. The EU will take the opportunity at this signing ceremony to raise with Algeria its concerns, including on human rights issues.
The UK Government regularly raise their concerns about human rights violations in Algeria, most
recently during the visit there of my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Member for Exeter, on 23-24 September 2001. It is HMG policy to encourage all governments to co-operate with UN mechanisms. We continue to urge the Algerian Government to comply fully with their obligations under international law on the investigation of human rights abuses, including requests to visit by UN Special Rapporteurs. The UK, with EU partners, has also submitted a number of cases to the Algerian authorities. The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has offered information on some of these cases, but both we and our EU partners will continue to press for full answers.Human Rights Dialogues
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will establish a mechanism for regular interchange of information between the Human Rights Dialogues with other states, in which the United Kingdom is engaged, and the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; and, in particular, whether they will compile a list of requests made by the Special Procedures for invitations to visit particular territories. [HL3125]
Baroness Amos: As part of the Government's commitment to place human rights at the heart of foreign policy, the UK has frequent dialogue on human rights issues with a large number of other countries. We regularly share the information from these exchanges with EU partners and non-governmental organisations, and we draw on reports from these sources and from the Special Procedures when preparing our dialogues. If requested, we also share information with UN Special Procedures. However, in the interests of observing their independence, the UK does not contribute unsolicited briefing on any country or subject. It is not possible to compile a list of requests made by the Special Procedures for invitations to visit particular territories since not all requests are made public and the status of requests is not always clear; nor does the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) keep a list of requests. The UK has made a public commitment to accept any request for a visit by the Special Procedures, and we encourage all states to cooperate with UN mechanisms.
Indonesia
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they and other Commonwealth states are able to act in support of the Moluccas Peace Ageement of February; if so, what form of support is being given; and whether international aid is available to those internally displaced by the earlier conflict. [HL3126]
Baroness Amos: We welcome the recent agreements brokered by the Indonesian Government between the warring factions in both Maluku and Sulawesi to end the fighting.
The Department for International Development has pledged more than £4 million to help to establish the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The unit will build up capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in the provinces torn apart by ethnic conflict. The British Government have also recently funded a series of conflict reporting training workshops in various provinces in Indonesia. We will continue to work with the Indonesian authorities and UNDP to promote reconciliation and offer practical assistance where we can.
Angola
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether international observers will be made available to Angola to assist with ceasefires, surrenders of rebel forces and the collection of weapons; and whether international aid is available to assist the resettlement of displaced population. [HL3127]
Baroness Amos: Following Jonas Savimbi's death, we are watching the situation in Angola closely, as are EU partners, the US, and the UN. We have encouraged the Angolan Government to make the most of this opportunity, and would support efforts towards a just and sustainable peace. It is too soon to say what form this support might take.
The UK has committed some £3.95 million for humanitarian assistance since the beginning of 2001 via the ICRC, international NGOs and UN agencies. We are willing to consider further responses to urgent needs. We have supported calls for safe and unrestricted humanitarian access by relief agencies to Angolan civilians in all areas, and for both sides in the conflict to ensure full respect for human rights and international law.
Royal Institute for International Affairs
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How much money they have given to the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House) in each of the last five years. [HL3203]
Baroness Amos: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's corporate membership payments to the Royal Institute for International Affairs over the past five years are as follows:
- 2001: £28,482
- 2000: £29,600
- 1999: £23,950
- 1998: £23,270
- 1997: £21,170
- 1999: £24,875
- 2000: £127,121
- 2001: £114,129
Foreign Policy Centre
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have given any financial assistance to the foreign affairs think tank, the Foreign Policy Centre. [HL3204]
Baroness Amos: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not given any financial assistance to the Foreign Policy Centre. At the invitation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, members of the Foreign Policy Centre have stayed overnight in embassy residences in Paris, Athens, Bonn and Warsaw, following speaking engagements arranged by those embassies.
Prison Service Standard on Religion
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the current Prison Service Standard on Religion applies to all private prisons, including those for which the contract was signed before the Standard came into effect; and if not, whether they will renegotiate the contracts where necessary to ensure that the Standard is observed throughout the prison system. [HL2909]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): The contracts for private sector prisons are consistent with the requirements of the Prison Service Standard on Religion.
Imprisonment: Effect on Families
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What conclusions they draw from the Channel 4 film "Doing Time" concerning the effects in Britain of imprisonment on prisoners' families and children. [HL2913]
Lord Rooker: The film highlighted the extent to which imprisonment places strains on family relationships. That is why the Prison Service provides special facilities for family visiting. These include financial support for travel costs to enable low-income families to visit prisoners, play areas in some visiting halls and family days in prisons. Many prisons provide visitors' centres outside the prison which, in particular, cater for the needs of families. The Social Exclusion
Unit has recently conducted research on reducing reoffending by ex-prisoners. During its work, the unit has looked at the role of families in the rehabilitation of prisoners. It is in the process of finalising the report and this will provide the direction for future policies and strategies to help alleviate the effects on the family. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library.
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