§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the barriers to(a) UK and (b) EU investment and trade with the Ukraine; what (i) formal meetings and (ii) programmes and initiatives have been introduced to overcome such barriers; and if he will make a statement. [98005]
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions since May 1997 the British Ambassador to Ukraine held formal meetings with(a) the President, (b) the Prime Minister and (c) other ministers in Ukraine's Government; and on what occasions Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK has had meetings with Government ministers. [98006]
§ Mr. VazThe British Ambassador in Kiev has had two formal meetings with the Ukrainian President and 20 formal meetings with Ukrainian Ministers since taking up his post in May 1999. He has not had a formal meeting with the Prime Minister. There is no comprehensive record of the meetings which the previous Ambassador had with the President, Prime Minister and Minsters.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom has had a number of formal meetings with United Kingdom Government Ministers since May 1997, including five meetings with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers this year:
Baroness Symons (10 February), Ms Quin (14 June), Mr. Lloyd (29 June), Mr. Hain (16 September) and Mr. Hoon (21 September).The Ambassador was also present when the Ukrainian Foreign Minister called on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 1 February 1999 and on 20 March. The Ambassador has had two meetings with Ministry of Defence Ministers this year:
Lord Gilbert (23 March) and Mr. Spellar (6 September).Comprehensive information on the Ukrainian Ambassador's meetings is not held centrally. To provide a full answer to this question would incur disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the(a) staffing levels and (b) budget spent by the British Council in Ukraine in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [98002]
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§ Mr. HainThe staffing levels in Ukraine in each of the past five years was as follows:
Year Number of staff 1995–96 44.5 1996–97 45 1997–98 51 1998–99 51 1999–2000 60 The amount of the grant-in-aid spent by the Council in Ukraine during this period was:
Year £ million 1995–96 1.0 1996–97 1.0 1997–98 1.0 1998–99 1.1 1999–2000 1.0 Additional amounts earned from running programmes and contract work, and spent for the benefit of Ukraine over this period were:
Year £ million 1995–96 0.1 1996–97 0.1 1997–98 0.8 1998–99 0.5 1999–2000 0.7 The British Council makes a substantial contribution to meeting FCO objectives in Ukraine, particularly in the field of governance and human rights, in support of reform and development and in contributing to the reform of the Ukrainian education system, including the updating of English language teaching. To accommodate its expanding activities it will shortly move into larger premises, which it will share with the Goethe Institute.