asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the travel problems of inhabitants of Abkhazia are not mentioned in the Country of Origin Information Service (COIS) reports on either Georgia or Russia; and whether they will incorporate the information about such problems supplied by Professor George Hewitt of the School of Oriental and African Studies in future editions of COIS reports.[HL5359]

The Country of Origin Information Service (COIS) publishes COI reports for the 20 countries that generate the most asylum claims. For other countries, such as Russia and Georgia, COIS publishes COI key documents which provide a brief country profile and an index of key external source documents (produced by a wide range of reliable organisations such as the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch).

The current Russia and Georgia key documents list external source documents that provide information on freedom of movement for Abkhazians. The COIS will consider including information that Professor Hewitt has supplied in updates of the COI key documents.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What strategy they are pursuing to encourage other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Governments to address the continuing deficit in NATO's Combined Joint Statement of Requirement (CJSOR) for Afghanistan. [HL5341]

The UK supports strongly the efforts by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General and NATO's military commanders to fill the gaps in the Combined Joint Statement of Requirement for Afghanistan, and thus secure the resources they need to carry out International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) mission effectively. The UK continues to make this support clear bilaterally to NATO and non-NATO ISAF partners, as well as multilaterally in NATO and elsewhere.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have made to the Government of Burma about (a) the peaceful protests calling for democratic government; (b) the continued house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi; and (c) the continued attacks on Burma's ethnic minorities; and what consideration they are giving to any additional measures or actions. [HL5385]

We have repeatedly condemned the Burmese Government's violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations, the continuing house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and the ongoing attacks on ethnic groups in Burma.

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister issued statements on 2 and 28 September condemning the Burmese Government's persistent abuse of human rights. He has called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

We have extensively lobbied a wide range of other Governments, including China, India and Association of South East Asian Nations partners to draw attention to our serious concerns about the situation and called for their support to work for positive political progress and national reconciliation in Burma.

We are working with our EU partners to strengthen sanctions against the Burmese regime.

We continue to support the UN Secretary-General's “Good Offices” mandate on Burma. We welcome the recent visit of the Secretary-General's Special Adviser to Burma and will encourage him to return there to facilitate dialogue between the Burmese Government and democratic opposition.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will make representations to the Government of Cuba regarding the health, welfare and denial of access to reading materials, including the bible, of Dr Oscar Elias Biscet who was sentenced in 2003 to a term of imprisonment of 25 years for pro-democracy activities. [HL5336]

We remain concerned about the plight of Dr Oscar Elias Biscet and other political prisoners in Cuba. We are particularly worried about political prisoners such as Dr Biscet who are reported to be suffering poor health yet are not provided with adequate medical treatment. The UK considers Dr Biscet's imprisonment to be a violation of his civil and political freedoms. At the time of Dr Biscet's detention, the UK and EU condemned these violations and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Cuba.

The UK, along with our EU partners, is committed to seeking improvements in civil and political freedoms in Cuba. We regularly raise the situation of political prisoners in Cuba with the Cuban authorities both in London and Havana and call for their immediate release. On 30 April my right honourable friend the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, expressed concern about political prisoners and other human rights issues during a meeting with Cuban Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, Antonio Carricarte.

In addition, our embassy in Havana continues to monitor Dr Biscet's case and maintains contact with his supporters and family. On 10 December 2006 officials from the embassy met Dr. Biscet's wife, Elsa Morejon. More information on the human rights situation in Cuba and on UK and EU actions can be found in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual human rights report, available at www.fco.gov. uk/humanrights.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 1 October (WA 129), on what basis they believe it is possible to rebuild trust and end division of the island of Cyprus following the Greek Cypriot rejection of the 1994 Annan plan and other previous proposals for a resolution. [HL5311]

We continue to support the UN's efforts to broker a comprehensive and durable settlement to the Cyprus problem. The leaders of the two communities must engage constructively with the UN's efforts to implement the 8 July agreement. As time passes, a settlement becomes increasingly difficult and complicated. Fully-fledged negotiations should therefore start as soon as possible. In parallel to this, we would hope that both sides could agree to confidence-building measures, such as opening the Ledra Street crossing, and engaging in bicommunal activities, which themselves would begin the process of rebuilding trust and ending the division of the island.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 1 October (WA 129), whether human rights protections afforded to Turkish Cypriots differ from those accorded to other European Union members. [HL5314]

The European Convention on Human Rights applies to all individuals within the jurisdiction of a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. The suspension of the EU acquis has meant that Turkish Cypriots have been unable to benefit from the usual advantages of EU membership.

We continue to support the commitment of EU Foreign Ministers in April 2004 to end Turkish Cypriot isolation and facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. The Financial Aid Regulation is an important step towards this goal and represents the biggest EU aid programme per capita. The practical projects it funds have the potential to make a real difference to the lives of ordinary Turkish Cypriots.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 1 October (WA 129), whether, as a guarantor power, they have carried out any recent assessment of the suffering endured by both communities since the EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) B rebellion; and what assessment they have made of the level of human rights enjoyed by each tradition in Cyprus since 1963. [HL5315]

The Government have not made any recent assessments of the suffering endured by both communities during the period 1963-74. However, the Committee for Missing Persons in Cyprus continues to carry out important work in identifying and returning the remains of those who lost their lives during this period. We hope that this process will promote reconciliation between the communities. Issues such as this that continue to divide the two parties will fully be resolved only through a comprehensive and durable solution.

The European Convention on Human Rights applies to all individuals within the jurisdiction of a party to the European Convention on Human Rights.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 1 October (WA 218), whether Parliament will be able to amend the new European Union treaty; and whether they will propose that all parties should allow Members of both Houses a free vote on that treaty. [HL5381]

The reform treaty will have to be ratified by all member states according to their own constitutional procedures. In the UK, all treaties, including EU treaties, are laid before Parliament, which has the right to examine and debate them in detail. An Act of Parliament will give legal effect to the treaty. So Parliament must be satisfied that a treaty is in the national interest before that treaty can be implemented in national law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Statement by Lord Drayson on 16 July (WS 4), which referred to a “continued commitment to investigate Gulf War veterans’ illnesses openly and honestly”, what recent investigations they have carried out into morbidity among veterans of the conflict; and what records of morbidity they have kept and updated. [HL5242]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Drayson): Mortality statistics are a key indicator of health in a population, as recognised by the World Health Organisation. The continued monitoring of Gulf veterans' mortality, as detailed in my Written Statement of 16 July 2007 in the Official Report (WS 4), therefore provides a level of ongoing health monitoring. The latest statistics and the methods that are used to complete them are available on the internet at www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/gulf/intro.html

The MoD does not have access to medical or other health records of Gulf veterans who have left the Armed Forces. Routine monitoring of the health of these veterans is therefore not possible. The only illness for which central records are kept is cancer.

Nevertheless, the MoD remains committed to investigating Gulf War veterans' illnesses openly and honestly. Cancer registration data for the UK Gulf veterans and the Era comparison group are held by the Defence Analytical Services Agency. In 2003, the data were forwarded to Professor Gary Macfarlane, then of the University of Manchester, for analysis and publication in the peer-reviewed medical literature (Macfarlane et al (2003), “Incidence of Cancer among UK Gulf Veterans: Cohort study”, British Medical Journal 327, December 1373-76).

The medical assessment programme, based at St Thomas's Hospital in London, also continues to investigate the health concerns of those who served in the Gulf, or who believe that their health has suffered as a direct result of the Gulf conflict. The overall findings of these investigations are detailed in a number of publications but did not reveal any medically unexplained conditions.

A follow-up to the Gulf health research first published by Professor Simon Wessely of King's College, London, in January 1999 was sponsored by the MoD and published in the British Medical Journal in December 2003. The study found that, at follow up, Gulf veterans continued to report poorer health than other military personnel, but the overall health gap had narrowed slightly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their response to criticisms of their policies and those of other European Union states concerning asylum and detention, contained in Border Wars and Asylum Crimes, published by Statewatch in November 2006. [HL5352]

The UK Government's firm commitment to strengthening and exporting our borders is already well established and can be found in the IND Review: Fair, Effective, Transparent and Trusted: Rebuilding Confidence in our Immigration System of July 2006. We do not condone treatment of asylum seekers that is either humiliating or degrading.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What discussions they have had with the European Commission about providing support to health, water and sanitation sectors in North Korea.[HL5387]

The European Commission food security committee met in Brussels on 5 September. The UK delegate asked a specific written question on whether water and sanitation assistance could be provided under the food security budget line. The Commission's answer was as follows:

“The projects to be financed under the proposed 2007 Annual Action Plan for North Korea would be selected via one or two call(s) for proposals. So these projects will be selected on the quality of the proposals submitted in response to these calls. Therefore, it is not possible to specify in advance what proportion of the programme might be spent on water and sanitation. The currently drafted guidelines for the planned call(s) for proposals 2007 foresee the possibility for integrated Food Security projects to include water and sanitation components; such as the rehabilitation of rural water schemes and ecological sanitation facilities”.

While health was not specifically mentioned in the Commission's response, it is clear that assistance to water and sanitation will have an impact in terms of better health and hygiene outcomes. We will look at this aspect as Commission proposals are developed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What support they are giving to North Korea in response to the recent flooding. [HL5388]

DfID has contributed up to £700,000 in response to the flash appeal issued by the United Nations on 27 August: £650,000 will go to programmes under way and being implemented by Save the Children UK and the World Food Programme. We have also offered support to the UN if required to assist with co-ordinating the relief effort, which is estimated to last a further three months.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in light of the recent flooding, they will review their earlier statements about the stability of the humanitarian situation in North Korea not requiring support from the European Commission's humanitarian aid. [HL5389]

The position remains that ECHO will close its programmes in North Korea in May 2008, and we agree with that.

In light of the recent flooding, the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) has provided emergency funding of £2 million to provide immediate humanitarian assistance and we support this decision. ECHO has stressed to member states that this is an emergency intervention lasting six months to meet the humanitarian needs created by the flooding.

The EC will remain engaged with DPRK through the AidCo Food Security programme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the value of the aid they have given to the Southern African Development Community countries in total in each of the past six years to the latest available date. [HL5390]

Details of the UK's bilateral assistance and imputed multilateral assistance to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its member nations over the past six years for which data are available are laid out in the tables below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the present level of the use of sirens by police, particularly in residential areas in the early hours of the morning; and whether they have proposals to discourage such activity. [HL5169]

No assessment has been made, but the use of sirens by the police and other emergency services is governed by the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. These permit the use of sirens only when an emergency vehicle has to alert other road users that it is present and responding to an urgent incident.

Subject to this requirement, the use of sirens is an operational matter for the police.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made, or intend to make, representations in support of the Holy See's call for the United Nations Security Council to request that the Government of Somalia allow foreign warships into their waters to take action against pirates, such as those who have attacked ships carrying aid that were chartered by the World Food Programme. [HL5337]

We are aware of the Holy See's call to the UN Security Council. The issue has not yet been discussed by the Security Council and we are not aware that any discussion has been scheduled.

However, paragraph 18 of UN Security Council Resolution 1772, adopted unanimously on 20 August, encourages states to use their naval assets in the region to remain alert to piracy and to take appropriate action to protect merchant shipping, in particular the transportation of humanitarian aid. The UK co-sponsored the resolution.

At the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) council meeting in June, the UK also made a statement in support of the IMO Secretary-General's initiative to raise the issue with the UN Security Council.