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PRIME MINISTER

Sellafield

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will meet (a) Save Our Sellafield Campaign, (b) Friends of the Earth Cumbria and (c) the Socialist Environment and Resources Association to discuss the future of Sellafield. [127569]

The Prime Minister: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe and I will be meeting representatives of the Save Our Sellafield Campaign with my right hon. Friend the Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) later this month to discuss matters relating to Sellafield. I currently have no plans to see representatives of the other two organisations.

Lord Levy

Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister if Lord Levy has served as a personal envoy for other (a) heads of Government and (b) heads of state. [128261]

The Prime Minister: No.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister on which occasions since May 1997 Lord Levy has issued (i) public statements and (ii) talked to foreign media, as a representative of the (a) Prime Minister and (b) United Kingdom. [128260]

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The Prime Minister: When travelling abroad as personal representative of the Prime Minister, Lord Levy has spoken briefly to the press in Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt.

Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister if Lord Levy has passed messages between Middle Eastern leaders in his role as the Prime Minister's personal envoy. [128519]

The Prime Minister [holding answer 3 July 2000]: When travelling between capitals, it is normal to relay impressions of meetings, and to pass messages between interlocutors. Lord Levy has accordingly passed some such messages. Details of these are confidential. Lord Levy reports to me and to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on all his diplomatic activity.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the accountability to Parliament of Lord Levy. [129224]

The Prime Minister: Accountability to Parliament for Lord Levy's work on my behalf is through me and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what further trips he has asked Lord Levy to undertake in his capacity as the Prime Minister's personal envoy. [129226]

The Prime Minister: None at present.

Queen Mother's Birthday

Mr. Burns: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 June 2000, Official Report, columns 443-44W, what form the consultations with the Royal Household took; and if he will place minutes of the meeting in the Library. [128734]

The Prime Minister [holding answer 3 July 2000]: Officials in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport contacted the Royal Household, who agreed it would be inappropriate to designate the Queen Mother's birthday as a public holiday.

Engagements

Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 5 July. [128621]

The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. I will have further such meetings later today.

SOCIAL SECURITY

National Insurance

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, in cases where the right to pay reduced rate of national insurance contributions has been lost after two complete tax years out of the labour market or without paying national insurance, if home responsibilities protection, where appropriate, is awarded for retirement purposes. [128597]

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Mr. Rooker: Married women and widows cannot get home responsibilities protection (HRP) for any tax year in which they have reduced contribution liability. If they lose their right to reduced liability they can get HRP provided they meet the qualifying conditions.

Fraud

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the anti-fraud measures introduced by the National Intelligence Unit. [128933]

Mr. Rooker: The new national benefits intelligence unit will co-ordinate and extend intelligence on Social Security fraud, aiding both prevention and detection. This builds on intelligence work already being carried out. It will crack down on benefit fraud and draw on the expertise of fraud investigators in the Department, as well as intelligence from local authorities and other agencies.

This will contribute to a significant strengthening of our defences against benefit fraud and our ability to tackle it where it occurs.

We have just appointed Mr. John Alpass as head of fraud intelligence, and he is expected to take up post from early September.

CABINET OFFICE

Policy Action Teams

Mr. Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make it her policy to appoint persons with earnings below half average earnings as members of the policy action teams. [128051]

Marjorie Mowlam: As I said in my previous answer to my right hon. Friend, on 27 June 2000, Official Report, column 468W, policy action team members were chosen to reflect a wide range of backgrounds, knowledge and experience of issues affecting deprived areas. Information is not held about members' earnings.

Disaster Contingency Measures

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations she has received from (a) consumer and (b) pensioner groups about disaster contingency measures in central Government. [128870]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.

Assuming the question relates to Home Office responsibilities for emergency planning, I am not aware of any such representations.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance she has issued to Departments about disaster contingency measures. [128872]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.

I assume the question refers to other Government Departments. "Dealing with Disaster", third edition, 1997 is a comprehensive statement of best practice used by Government Departments, the emergency services, local authorities, and other agencies. Other more specific guidance is issued from time to time; some of this can be found on the Home Office website: www.ho.gov.uk/epd

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Sierra Leone

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of an international tribunal to investigate human rights abuses in Sierra Leone. [128821]

Mr. Hain: Perpetrators of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law should be brought to justice. We condemn the flagrant violations in Sierra Leone. We are in discussions with the Government of Sierra Leone and in the United Nations on how best to support President Kabbah's wish to bring those responsible to justice.

Departmental Vehicles

Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for his Department and its agencies the approved list of manufacturers of (a) cars and (b) commercial vehicles; and if he will make a statement on his Department's leasing and purchasing policy. [128988]

Mr. Battle: Foreign and Commonwealth Office purchasing and leasing policy is based on value for money. We are also required to meet our legal obligations under the EU Public Procurement Directives.

At present we have contracts with Rover, Land Rover, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce for the supply of cars, and LDV for commercial vehicles.

At Posts overseas, vehicles are purchased from other manufacturers when this is value for money or when servicing facilities for UK manufactured vehicles are not available.

International Criminal Court

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support the establishment of an International Criminal Court to try the most serious violations of international criminal law. [128586]

Mr. Hain: It has always been the policy of this Government strongly to support the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC) to try the most serious violations of international criminal law. The UK played a leading role in the successful negotiations which produced the Rome Statute of the ICC. The Government are committed to ratifying the Rome Statute as soon as the necessary legislation can be passed.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the conclusions reached by the Preparatory Commission on the International Criminal Court at its meeting in New York in June. [129209]

Mr. Hain: We will be happy to place in the Library the official report of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court on its 12-30 June session once it has been issued. I will inform my hon. Friend when this occurs.

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