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Written Answers
Monday, 24th June 2002.
Northern Ireland: Education
Lord Rogan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 25 March (WA 30), what are the five major pieces of legislation relating to education at secondary and primary level in Northern Ireland passed by Parliament from 1989 until education became a devolved matter; and in what form the minor pieces of relevant legislation may be made available. [HL4606]
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): Details of the major legislation are as follows:
- Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989
- Education and Libraries (Northern Ierland) Order 1993
- Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996
- Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997
- Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998
House of Lords: Steps of the Throne
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked the Leader of the House:
- Whether the Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords accurately describes current practice in stating that eldest sons (as distinct from eldest children of either sex) may sit on the steps of the Throne. [HL4874]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The 2000 edition of the Companion to the Standing Orders correctly states, on page 14, the current position; namely, that the eldest child of a Member of the House may sit on the Steps of the Throne.
Indonesia: Human Rights
The Lord Bishop of Oxford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What representations they have made to hold Indonesia to account for human rights violations in West Papua; and whether they will support a genuine act of free choice by the Papuan people on the issue of independence.[HL4674]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos): We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Indonesian Government. We have repeatedly urged them to resolve the conflict in Papua through dialogue, not force, and to bring to justice those responsible for human rights abuses, including the murder of the prominent Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay. We believe that full implementation of the package of special autonomy for Papua offers its people the best chance to exert control over their own affairs with minimum interference.
China: Human Rights
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish a list of the past China-United Kingdom human rights dialogues, giving in each case the dates and places of the meetings and a list of the topics discussed.[HL4676]
Baroness Amos: The first dialogue was held in Beijing in September 1997. It was held annually (Beijing again in September 1998, London in September 1999) until 2000, when the biannual meetings started, as follows:
- 2000—February Beijing/October London.
- 2001—February Beijing/November London.
- 2002—May Beijing/tbc London.
Algeria: Human Rights
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What human rights concerns the European Union Troika raised during its recent visit to Algeria; and, in particular, whether they asked the Algerian authorities to respond to the request for an invitation to visit Algeria originally made by the United Nations Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions on 15 January 1999.[HL4677]
Baroness Amos: The UK and our EU partners regularly raise with the Algerian Government our concerns about human rights violations in Algeria. The then FCO Minister my honourable friend the Member for Exeter did so during his visit to Algiers in September 2001. We continue to urge Algeria to comply fully with all its obligations under international human rights law, including the
investigation of human rights violations, and to allow visits by Special Rapporteurs. The EU Troika did not specifically raise during its recent visit the request to visit Algeria made by the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions. The EU mission did press the Algerian authorities for a response to the list of the "disappeared" which had been sent by the Presidency in April 2001 and which was also raised by the Presidency in December 2001.Middle East
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they consider that the Ehud Barak proposals, if implemented today, would satisfy Security Council resolutions on withdrawal or accurately reflect the "land for peace" principle.[HL4693]
Baroness Amos: There is no single authoritative account of talks at Camp David and Taba in July 2000 and February 2001. However, it seems clear that discussions were in accordance with UNSCR 242, and that withdrawal from much of the West Bank was proposed. Despite substantial progress in developing ideas for a solution, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were not able to reach agreement. Nevertheless Camp David and Taba may well have established a framework for handling these issues in the future.
China: One-Child Policy
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Amos on 29 May (WA 149), how many Chinese state family planning officials have been prosecuted in the past five years for abuses connected with family planning programmes.[HL4710]
Baroness Amos: We have asked the Chinese for these details.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Amos on 29 May (WA 149), when they expect the Chinese State Family Planning Commission to have ended the system of birth targets and quotas.[HL4711]
Baroness Amos: In a meeting with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development on 20 May, the Chinese State Family Planning Commission Minister, Zhang Weiqin, confirmed that birth targets and quotas had been suspended in the 32 counties where the UNFPA model was used. The Government's aim was to expand this to the other 2,800 counties on a step-by-step basis, as and when they could.
Iraq: UK Exports
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether any goods on the Military List recently have been approved for export to Iraq?[HL4756]
The Minister for Trade (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): Following consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence to export laboratory equipment to UNESCO for use by the Suleymaniyah Technical Institute in Northern Iraq. The export included potassium cyanide and hydrofluoric acid which are subject to the Dual-Use Items (Export Control) Regulations 2000 as amended. Her Majesty's Government are confident that there is no proliferation threat associated with this export.
The UN Iraq Sanctions Committee approved this export to Iraq under the Oil for Food programme (OFF). Under OFF Iraq is allowed to export unlimited quantities of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian goods. The export is consistent with the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria.
Gold
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What quantity of gold has been bought or sold by them or by the Bank of England over the past five years; what has been the total cost or income from such purchases or sales; and what would be the cost or income from such purchases or sales if they had taken place at current gold prices.[HL4850]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The 395 tonnes of gold sold by the Government, as part of the restructuring of the United Kingdom's foreign currency reserves announced in May 1999, raised proceeds of 3.5 billion US dollars (around £2.4 billion at exchange rates at close on 19 June), which have been invested in interest-bearing foreign currency assets. At the price of gold at close on 19 June the 395 tonnes of gold would be valued at 4.1 billion US dollars (around £2.7 billion at exchange rates at close on 19 June).
Armed Forces: Suicides
Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many servicemen and women are recorded by the Ministry of Defence as having taken their own lives in the course of each of the years 1994 to 2002 inclusive, indicating in respect of each how many of these were deaths by shooting. [HL4631]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): Between 1 January 1994 and 31 May 2002 there have been 128 suicides among serving members of the Regular Armed Forces.
The numbers of suicides in the Armed Forces each year since 1994 are:
| Year | Navy | Army | RAF | Total |
| 1994 | 6 | 19 | 5 | 30 |
| 1995 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 20 |
| 1996 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 24 |
| 1997 | 2 | 15 | 4 | 21 |
| 1998 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| 1999 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 2000 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2001 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 22 | 87 | 19 | 128 |
There were two female confirmed suicides in the period.
There were no female suicides by gunshot wound.
General Notes:
1. There were no reported suicides for 2002 as at 10 May 2002.
2. Figures for suicides are subject to revision as further coroner's verdicts are reported to DASA.
Year Navy Army RAF Total
1994 1 9 2 12
1995 0 8 0 8
1996 0 9 0 9
1997 0 2 1 3
1998 0 0 0 0
1999 0 0 0 0
2000 0 1 0 1
2001 0 0 0 0
2002 0 0 0 0
Total 1 29 3 33
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