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Climate Change Levy
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the penalty regime for the climate change levy with the European Convention on Human Rights. [116582]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 28 March 2000]: In accordance with section 19 of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will publish a statement about the compatibility of the provisions of the Finance Bill, including those relating to the climate change levy, when the Bill is published.
Workplace Parking
Mr. Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many workplace car parking spaces are available at the buildings used and controlled by his Department. [116758]
Mr. Timms: The number of workplace car parking spaces available at the two buildings used and controlled by the Treasury is shown in the table:
| Building | Number of spaces | Allocated to other Departments |
|---|---|---|
| Parliament Street (GOGGS), London SW1P 3AG | 42 | 9--Cabinet Office 3--Cabinet War Rooms |
| Allington Towers, 19 Allington Street, London SW1E 5EB | 11 | Nil |
In March 1999 we introduced a Green Transport Plan covering both buildings. These plans are in line with the commitment set out in the Transport White Paper and we have reviewed the scope for reducing our car parking requirements in that context.
Landfill Tax
Mr. Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the landfill tax provisions in so far as they relate to making available funds to local communities for energy from waste plants. [116780]
Mr. Timms:
Operators of landfill sites who are registered for landfill tax may claim for tax credits for contributions that they make to support environmental projects. These may include research for the purpose of encouraging the use of more sustainable waste management. Landfill site operators may choose to support research into energy from waste as part of such projects.
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Further information regarding the scheme can be obtained from the regulatory body, ENTRUST Ltd., at the following address:
Mr. Peter Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if NESTA fellowship awards will be regarded as prizes for tax purposes. [116538]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 28 March 2000]: NESTA's fellowships are not regarded as prizes for tax purposes. Fellows will receive individually tailored personal development programmes which will be designed to make the most of their potential. As each of these programmes will vary according to individuals' needs, the tax implications of the awards will also differ from case to case. NESTA is exploring the tax position of its programmes with the Inland Revenue with a view to ensuring that its Fellows and other grant recipients can receive the maximum benefit from their awards.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the preferred commercial operator of the proposed visitor centre at Stonehenge has been chosen; and if he will make a statement. [116486]
Mr. Alan Howarth
[holding answer 28 March 2000]: No decision has yet been made. English Heritage is still in confidential commercial negotiations with shortlisted bidders. The outcome of these negotiations will be announced as soon as possible.
ENTRUST
Acre House
2 Town Square
Sale
Cheshire
M33 7WZ
Lord Levy
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which dates Lord Levy in his capacity as the Prime Minister's special envoy has had meetings with (a) ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department since 1 May 1997, giving in each case the purpose of the meetings; and if he will make a statement. [113498]
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates when he held discussions with Lord Levy about his role as the Prime Minister's personal envoy; and if he will make available minutes of those meetings. [113566]
Mr. Hain
[holding answer 7 March 2000]: Lord Levy liaises regularly with the Foreign Secretary, Ministers and a limited number of officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign Secretary most recently spoke to Lord Levy on 16 March. I spoke to him on 21 March.
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Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Lord Levy reports directly to him on his activities as the Prime Minister's personal envoy; what mechanism exists to ensure information gathered by Lord Levy while acting as personal envoy to the Prime Minister is communicated to his Department; and if he will make a statement. [113506]
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he held discussions with Lord Levy about Lord Levy's visits to the Middle East dated (a) 9 to 10 April 1999, visit to Syria, (b) 5 to 7 June 1999, visit to Jordan, (c) 7 to 10 June 1999, visit to Syria, (d) 8 October 1999, visit to Egypt, (e) 9 to 11 October 1999, visit to Oman, (f) 11 and 12 October 1999, visit to Qatar, (g) 12 to 14 October 1999, visit to Bahrain, (h) 29 November to 1 December 1999, visit to Syria, (i) 2 and 3 February, visit to Syria, (j) 3 February, visit to Lebanon and (k) 3 February, visit to Egypt. [113877]
Mr. Hain
[holding answer 7 March 2000]: Lord Levy's visits are reported to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, in person by Lord Levy and by telegram from the Ambassador in the country concerned.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 February 2000, Official Report, column 852W, what practical support was given by his Department to Lord Levy during his visits to Middle Eastern states, apart from Israel, on official business as the Prime Minister's personal envoy. [114680]
Mr. Hain
[holding answer 15 March 2000]: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 30 March 2000, Official Report, columns 245-46W. In addition, Lord Levy has been briefed by Ambassadors. Embassies have assisted in arranging programmes, and have provided accompanied transport by road. Lord Levy has been accompanied by a Foreign and Commonwealth Office official from London on some of his trips.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 February 2000, Official Report, column 852W, what practical support was given by his Department to Lord Levy during his visits to Israel (a) on official business as the Prime Minister's personal envoy and (b) on private visits during which Lord Levy conducted business on behalf of the Prime Minister. [114693]
Mr. Hain
[holding answer 15 March 2000]: Practical support has been determined on a case-by-case basis, and has included briefing Lord Levy and providing accompanied transport by road when he is working on the Prime Minister's behalf.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings he has had with Lord Levy to discuss the Middle East peace process. [115222]
Mr. Hain:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 30 March 2000, Official Report, column 261W.
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Mr. Galloway:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the most recent year for which figures are available, how many applications were made to the UN Sanctions Committee under (a) the Oil for Food programme and (b) other humanitarian programmes; how many of these applications were (i) approved and (ii) refused; how many are outstanding; and what was the average length of time taken to consider each application. [116311]
Mr. Hain:
Between December 1999 and 6 March 2000, 2,443 applications were submitted to the UN Iraq Sanctions Committee under the Oil for Food programme. None of these applications was refused. The Committee raised no objection to 1,883 of these applications. Additional information was requested on 560 applications.
Detailed information on all Oil for Food applications submitted over the last year can be found on the UN website at http://www.un.org/Depts/oip.html.
During the period 1 August 1998 to 20 November 1999 over 6,000 applications were received for humanitarian goods outside the Oil for Food programme. Of these 2,654 were approved, 427 were placed on hold for further information, and 2,823 were refused since the Committee considered them inconsistent with the relevant resolutions on Iraq. Some applications were withdrawn or nullified. A key factor here is the potential for dual use.
Medical supplies and food applications are circulated under a no objections procedure within two business days; applications for other humanitarian supplies within seven business days. Under the terms of United Nations Security Council resolution 1284, it has been agreed that a wide range of humanitarian items will no longer require Sanctions Committee approval. These items include foodstuffs, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, medical equipment and educational items. These items require notification to the UN's Office of the Iraq Programme.
Mr. Galloway:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of each application refused by the UN-Iraq Sanctions Committee under (a) the Oil for Food programme and (b) other humanitarian programmes in the last year for which the information is available. [116309]
Mr. Hain:
I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 30 March 2000, Official Report, column 263W.
Detailed figures on all applications to the United Nations Oil for Food programme, giving the number of applications and the status of the applications, can be found on the United Nations website at: http://www.un. org/Departments/oip.html
Mr. Galloway:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures the UN Iraq Sanctions Committee use in reaching decisions on applications under (a) the Oil for Food Programme and (b) other humanitarian programmes. [116310]
Mr. Hain:
The UN Iraq Sanctions Committee established by United Nations Security Council resolution 661, comprising all members of the UN Security Council, reaches decisions on applications under the Oil for Food programme or under other humanitarian programmes by consensus in accordance with the relevant resolutions on
30 Mar 2000 : Column: 264W
Iraq. A significant number of applications, for essential civilian needs, medical supplies and foodstuffs, are circulated under a no objection procedure. Medicines are generally exempt from Committee approval.
Under the terms of United Nations Security Council resolution 1284, it has been agreed that an even wider range of humanitarian items will no longer require Sanctions Committee approval. These items include foodstuffs, pharmaceutical and medical supplies, medical equipment and educational items. These items require notification to the UN's Office of the Iraq Programme.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), of 24 March 2000, Official Report, column 1290 on Iraq, if it is part of Yuli Vorontsov's brief to make inquiries about missing Iraqi nationals in Kuwait. [116870]
Mr. Hain:
Mr. Vorontsov's brief is set out in paragraphs 13-14 of Security Council resolution 1284. He has been appointed as a high-level coordinator to pursue Iraq's obligations since the Gulf War and to return stolen Kuwaiti property, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), of 24 March 2000, Official Report, column 1292, to which brutality in relation to the Shia, the Minister was referring other than that which took place in 1991 in the Kerbala area. [116872]
Mr. Hain:
I refer my hon. Friend to the regular reports from the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iraq, particularly that of February 1999, which record the systematic assassinations, attacks and threats carried out against the Shiite leadership since 1991. The November 1999 Amnesty International report on Iraq also documents the assassinations of prominent Shia clerics over the previous 18 months. These documents are available on the UN website (www.un.org).
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), of 24 March 2000, Official Report, column 1292 on Iraq, in what ways the Shia population of Iraq is protected by UK forces. [116874]
Mr. Hain:
UK and US aircraft patrolling the southern No Fly Zone serve to protect the population, primarily Shia, from attacks by the Iraqi air force.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), of 24 March 2000, Official Report, column 1292 on Iraq, from which countries of origin Saddam Hussein is smuggling materials for chemical and biological weapons. [116873]
Mr. Hain:
As the record makes clear, I was describing the hypothetical situation if we were, inadvisedly, to lift sanctions prematurely.
30 Mar 2000 : Column: 265W
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), of 24 March 2000, Official Report, column 1293 on Iraq, what assessment he has made of the threat to the Kirkuk oil field arising from the shortage of oil industry spare parts. [116936]
Mr. Hain:
We have noted the comments on the Kirkuk oil field in the UN's latest report on Iraq's oil industry.
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