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PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Drug Abuse
Mr. Clappison: To ask the President of the Council how much is to be spent in 1998-99 on prevention and treatment services for drug abuse; and how much is planned to be spent on these services in each of the next three years. [51117]
Mrs. Ann Taylor: Figures for 1998-99 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures available, as collected for the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, relate to 1997-98. In that year, expenditure on drugs prevention and education is estimated to have totalled £50 million. This included central Departments' funding and a proportion of teacher time spent on drugs education in the classroom. Funding for treatment interventions, relating primarily to health and social services projects, and anti-drugs initiatives in the Prison Service, is estimated to have amounted to £103 million. In the same year, expenditure on international supply reduction, including HM Customs and Excise, is estimated to have amounted to £153 million; and on proactive drugs enforcement, £77 million.
On 14 July, we announced that extra resources, amounting to £188 million in total up to 2001-02, will be made available to fund proactive work to tackle drug misuse under the anti-drugs strategy. Details of the breakdown of this expenditure will be announced in due course.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Departmental Vehicles
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for (a) his Department and (b) bodies listed in the National Asset Register, how many vehicles are currently (i) owned and (ii) leased; if he will indicate their (A) fuel types and
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(B) engine cubic capacities; and how many vehicles are expected to fall due for replacement in each of the years (1) 1998-99, (2) 1999-2000 and (3) 2000-01. [49237]
Mr. Fatchett:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has 1,256 official vehicles, including dedicated flag cars used by Heads of Post, as well as pool cars, mini buses, trucks and motor cycles. These are divided between 45 based in the United Kingdom, and 1,211 in use at British Diplomatic Posts overseas. The total figure includes 26 leased vehicles, all of which are operating overseas, but it is intended to increase the number of leased vehicles where this represents better value for public funds.
| 34 Diesel | 11 Petrol
| Engine size | Quantity | Engine size | Quantity
| 1.5 | 1 | 1.8 | 5
| 1.7 | 7 | 2.0 | 3
| 1.8 | 2 | 2.3 | 1
| 2.0 | 1 | 2.5 | 2
| 2.3 | 1 | -- | --
| 2.5 | 16 | -- | --
| 2.9 | 1 | -- | --
| 3.0 | 1 | -- | --
| 4.5 | 1 | -- | --
| 10.0 | 1 | -- | --
| 12.0 | 2 | -- | --
| | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detailed information about the fuel types and engine cubic capacities of all the official vehicles held overseas is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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The following are the number of vehicles expected to fall due for replacement:
1998-1999: 194
1999-2000: 263
2000-2001: 168.
Correspondence
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters per day his office receives; how many staff are employed to answer these; what targets are set in respect of such letters; and what is the current performance against targets. [50682]
Mr. Robin Cook: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service, on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 363.
Few staff are solely employed to handle correspondence and for most staff this is part of their normal duties.
EU Council
Mr. Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for August and the major European Union events for the next six months. [52364]
Mr. Doug Henderson: The information is as follows:
- European Calendar: August 1998-January 1999
- This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters, but certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date ofissue.
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Mr. Rapson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to release more records of the wartime Special Operations Executive. [52365]
Mr. Robin Cook:
The records of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) have been released progressively since 1993. The next batch of records, covering Western Europe, have been transferred to the Public Record Office, and will be opened today. Further SOE records will be released in due course.
Mr. Rapson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures Her Majesty's
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Government have taken to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1173 (1998) which imposed further sanctions on UNITA as from 1 July. [52366]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Resolution 1173 imposed a freeze on the funds and financial resources of UNITA, its officials and their immediate families; a ban on most official contacts in Angola with UNITA; a prohibition on the import of diamonds outside the governmental certificate of origin regime; and prohibitions on the sale or supply of equipment which may be used in mining or transportation, and on transportation services.
We have instructed all our diplomatic missions overseas to avoid any contact with UNITA, whether locally or in Angola.
The prohibition on the importation of diamonds will be given effect in the United Kingdom by amendment to the Open General Import Licence.
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