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Common Foreign and Security Policy
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to ensure a continuation of democratic scrutiny by delegates from the national parliaments of the member and associate member states of the Western European Union following its being subsumed into the European Union. [109950]
Mr. Vaz:
The European Union is still considering the modalities for the inclusion of those functions of the WEU necessary for the EU to fulfil its new responsibilities in
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international crisis management. No decisions have been taken in the EU or WEU on the future of the WEU Assembly.
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what political structures are planned to implement the common foreign and security policy provisions of the Helsinki European Council agreement. [109955]
Mr. Vaz:
The report to the Helsinki European Council on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence called for a standing Political and Security Committee to be established, and, as an interim measure, for an interim political and security committee to be set up. It called for appropriate structures to be established for dialogue and information on issues related to security and defence policy and crisis management with European NATO members who are not members of the EU and other countries who are candidates for accession to the EU.
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes in European Union political institutions are planned in order to implement the common foreign and security policies agreed at the Helsinki European Council. [109951]
Mr. Vaz:
The Helsinki European Council adopted conclusions and a report on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence. These do not address the roles of the institutions of the European Union.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in setting up consultative mechanisms to integrate the non-EU member countries of the NATO alliance into the planning and conduct of future EU-led operations. [109976]
Mr. Vaz:
The Portuguese presidency will report to the Feira European Council in June on proposals for modalities of consultation and/or participation that will allow third states to contribute to EU military crisis management.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms have been set up to ensure adequate consultation between NATO and the EU following the EU Presidency Progress report to the Helsinki European Council on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence. [109981]
Mr. Vaz:
Initially, EU/NATO relations are being developed on an informal basis, through contacts between NATO's Secretary General and the EU's CFSP High Representative. The Portuguese presidency will report to the Feira European Council in June on recommendations for EU/NATO modalities.
Mr. Fabian Hamilton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of South Africa regarding the case of Mzwakhe Mbuli. [110171]
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Mr. Hain:
The South African Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) is still investigating the allegation that the South African police coached witnesses to implicate Mr. Mbuli in the armed robbery for which he was convicted. The High Commission in Cape Town is aware of the investigation and will continue to monitor it.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the cattle in the United Kingdom diagnosed as suffering from BSE in each of the last two years for which records are available were (a) female and (b) male. [109329]
Ms Quin:
The table shows the number of confirmed cases of BSE reported in the UK in the calendar years 1998 and 1999 1 , by sex:
| Sex | 1998 | 1999 (5) |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 5 | 4 |
| Female | 3,191 | 2,166 |
| Total | 3,196 | 2,170 |
(5) Preliminary figures for 1999 as at 9 February 2000
GM Crops
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what recent communications he has received from the European Commission regarding the inclusion of (a) 98/294/CE ELGINA Monsanto Bt maize, (b) 97/98/CE COMPA CB Novartis Bt/Ht maize, (c) 97/98/CE JORDI CB Novartis Bt/Ht maize and (d) 98/293/CE CHARDON LL Aventis Ht maize GM seeds in the EU Common Catalogue; and if he will make a statement; [110289]
- (2) what recent advice he has received about the inclusion of (a) 98/294/CE ELGINA Monsanto Bt/Maize, (b) 97/98/CE COMPA CB Novartis Bt/Ht Maize, (c) 97/98/CE JORDI CB Novartis Bt/Ht Maize and (d) 98/293/CE CHARDON LL Aventis Ht Maize GM seeds in the EU Common Catalogue; and if he will make a statement; [110323]
(3) if EU marketing consent has been given for 97/98/CE JORDI CB Novartis Bt/herbicide tolerant maize; on which national seeds lists the seeds are currently included; and if they are subject to field trials in any EU state. [110292]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 15 February 2000]: The EU Commission has written to member states informing them of their proposal to add these varieties to the Common Catalogue, and inviting comments on that proposal. Inclusion on the Common Catalogue is governed by the requirements of EU Directive 70/457 as amended recently by Directive 98/95. It is for the Commission to determine whether all of the requirements of the Directives have been met. We do not have information about field trials in other member states, but CHARDON LL is on the Dutch National List, ELGINA is on the Portuguese National List, COMPA CB is on the Portuguese and Spanish National Lists and JORDI is on the Spanish National List.
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Inclusion on the Common Catalogue would not practically affect the position in the UK where the voluntary agreement with the seeds/biotec industry ensures that no marketing of these GM varieties will take place until the current programme of farm scale trials has been completed satisfactorily and independently evaluated.
Joan Ruddock:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to lay the draft Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 2000 before Parliament. [110322]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 15 February 2000]: The consultation period on these draft Regulations ended on 31 January 2000. We are currently considering the responses we have received and will bring the Regulations before Parliament as soon as possible.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussion he has had with trade unions about closures of his Department's regional service centres. [110180]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 15 February 2000]: My right hon. Friend the Minister is due to meet the Departmental Trade Union Side on 24 February to discuss the report of the Review of CAP Scheme Administration.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of his Department's regional service centre in Worcester. [110181]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 15 February 2000]: My right hon. Friend the Minister is currently considering the report of the review of CAP Scheme Administration which he commissioned from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) last autumn. The report recommends that the CAP scheme processing functions currently carried out in MAFF and the Intervention Board should be merged to create a new paying agency, and that the IT systems should be redeveloped to enable claim forms to be submitted and processed electronically. Farmers without access to the Internet would be able to submit their forms via third parties. On this basis PWC consider that it will be possible to deliver a significantly better service to claimants and to reduce the cost to the taxpayer of administering the CAP schemes.
The Department is also drawing up plans to align other aspects of its regional activities with the Government Office network, so as to ensure that it can participate effectively in the formulation of policy at regional level.
The future of the Department's Regional Service Centre at Worcester and of the other eight Regional Service Centres, will be decided in the context of these two reviews. Radical reorganisation of CAP scheme processing will only be possible if funding can be made available in the Spending Review 2000.
Mr. Martlew:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list his Department's regional offices that are included in the review of service delivery. [110222]
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Ms Quin:
The Regional Service Centres covered by the Review of CAP Scheme Administration are located in Bristol, Cambridge, Carlisle, Crewe, Exeter, Northallerton, Nottingham, Reading and Worcester. The Intervention Board's offices at Reading and Newcastle upon Tyne are also included in the Review.
Mr. Martlew:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he received the report he commissioned regarding reorganisation of his Department's regional offices; and if he will make a statement. [110221]
Ms Quin:
My right hon. Friend the Minister received the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report of their Review of CAP Scheme Administration on 25 January 2000. He is currently considering the recommendation to merge the CAP scheme processing functions carried out by MAFF's Regional Service Centres and the Intervention Board.
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