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PRIME MINISTER

Hon. Members' Pay

Mr. Pound: To ask the Prime Minister what plans there are to review the arrangements for the pay of hon. Members and Ministers; and if he will make a statement. [134321]

The Prime Minister: A review of parliamentary pay carried out by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) in 1996 included a recommendation, accepted by the Government, that parliamentary pay should be reviewed every three years, starting in 2000. The Chairman of the SSRB, Sir Michael Perry has informed the Government

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that the SSRB are ready to undertake such a review. I have written to Sir Michael confirming that the Government would like to see the following areas covered in the report:

(i) the salary of Members of the House of Commons

(ii) the salaries of Ministers and other office-holders

(iii) the rate and structure of Peers' expenses allowances including the Secretarial allowance for Ministers and other paid office-holders in the House of Lords

(iv) the Office Costs Allowance in the House of Commons.

In addition, I have requested the SSRB to consider the present system of calculating the Resettlement Grant.

I look forward to receiving recommendations from the SSRB early next year.

Performance and Innovation Unit

Mr. Pound: To ask the Prime Minister what additional projects are planned for the Performance and Innovation Unit. [134322]

The Prime Minister: I have asked the Performance and Innovation Unit to undertake a further project looking at privacy and data-sharing issues in the delivery of Government services.

Privacy and the protection of personal information has increased in importance with developments in IT. Data-sharing is a key to modernising government, to facilitating seamless electronic delivery of government services, to reducing fraud against government, and to encouraging e-commerce. This project will analyse a broad range of issues involved in privacy and data- sharing, including current government, private sector and international practices; structural and technological issues; public concerns; and the current legal parameters. The Performance and Innovation Unit aim to complete a report by early next year.

My noble Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton is the Sponsor Minister.

European Council (Biarritz)

Mr. Pound: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the outcome of the informal European Council in Biarritz. [134323]

The Prime Minister: Together with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office I attended the Informal European Council in Biarritz on 13-14 October.

This informal European Council was asked to take stock of progress of the Inter-Governmental Conference on Treaty change. It was inevitably overshadowed by the violence in the Middle East. The European Council issued an appeal to both sides to end the violence and return to the Conference table. The Foreign Secretary, who had been in the Middle East, reported to his colleagues on his discussions in the region. Collectively, and individually, I and the Foreign Secretary and other European leaders were actively engaged behind the scenes at the European Council in trying to create the conditions in which the Sharm-el-Sheikh Summit could take place. The European Council asked Mr. Solana to return to the region and he represented the European Union at Sharm-el-Sheikh.

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Members of the European Council also held a meeting with President Kostunica of Serbia. The European Union played a prominent role in pressurising the Milosevic regime. Its defeat represents a significant victory for democracy, not only in Serbia but throughout the Balkans and for Europe as a whole. The purpose of Saturday's meeting between EU Heads of Government and President Kostunica was to reaffirm our support for Serbian democracy. The European Council decided to make available 200 million euros of emergency aid for Serbia on top of the measures which were announced at the General Affairs Council on 9 October.

As far as the Inter-Governmental Conference was concerned, this was not a Summit at which decisions were to be taken. Political progress was, however, made towards the agreement which we want to see reached at the Nice Summit in December. That Summit will pave the way to the enlargement which has long been the objective of successive British Governments.

On the detail of these negotiations, I made clear our support for the extension of majority voting in the areas where this will benefit Britain, for example by enhancing the efficiency of the Single Market as well as the economic reform which we have, with others, consistently sought, while making clear that these areas did not include tax or social security.

The European Council agreed that there was a role for enhanced co-operation in an enlarged European Union. In other words, there is scope for some member states moving ahead on certain policies faster than others but these so-called enhanced co-operations must be genuinely open to all and must not undermine the existing policies of the Union, especially the Single Market. If these conditions are satisfied, the Government believe that enhanced co-operation can be useful in advancing the British agenda, for example in co-operation in common foreign and security policy within the framework of agreed policies and in co-operation in the fight against international crime and terrorism.

In this negotiation, Britain has a significant interest in seeing a reweighting of votes so that the position of the larger member states, which has deteriorated in relative terms with successive enlargements, is improved. That is also a necessary outcome of the negotiation if we are to agree to a reduction in the size of the Commission. This issue is sometimes seen as one in which the larger member states and the small member states have opposing interests. We believe it should be possible to reach an agreement which meets the interests of all.

The Charter of Rights so ably negotiated by my noble and learned Friend, Lord Goldsmith, was discussed by the Heads of Government who agreed that it should be adopted at the Nice European Council as a purely political declaration. It creates no legal obligations. It also sets out in a clear way a range of rights, freedoms and principles recognised within the EU which the EU institutions--the primary addressees--should respect when going about their daily business. It only applies to member states to the limited extent that they are implementing Union-wide laws. It has no application where national governments are acting purely within their own areas of national competence.

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Zimbabwe

Mr. Brady: To ask the Prime Minister if he tabled proposals at the G8 summit in Japan for concerted action to be taken to encourage the Zimbabwe Government to desist from its programme of illegal seizures of white-owned farms. [133851]

The Prime Minister: No proposals specific to Zimbabwe were tabled at the G8 Summit. However, we have been in regular contact with members of the international community who share our concerns about the illegal occupation of farms in Zimbabwe. We have repeatedly urged the Government of Zimbabwe to take action to end the occupations and to restore the rule of law.

Private Sector Secondments

Dr. Brand: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the private sector companies from which secondments have been made to his Office since June 1997. [133879]

The Prime Minister: There have been no private sector secondments to my Office since June 1997.

Poverty

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on recent steps taken to alleviate poverty. [134128]

The Prime Minister: We recently published the second annual report on our strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion. "Opportunity for all--One year on: making a difference" (Cm 4865, September 2000), copies of which are available in the Library. This provides a detailed account of the action we have taken since we announced our strategy in September and what more we need to do. It clearly shows that we are already making a difference to people's lives and that real progress is being made in a number of key areas.

For example:

the number of children living in workless households has fallen by 250,000 during the period spring 1997 to spring 2000;

there are now over one million more people in work than in 1997 and unemployment levels are at their lowest levels for 20 years. Over one million people have participated in the New Deals and around a third of them have found work; and

the combined effects of the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), Winter Fuel Payments and Free TV Licences for those aged 75 and over mean that a single pensioner in receipt of MIG is over £8 a week better off in real terms since 1997. And pensioner couples on MIG gain at least £11 a week.

This is only the beginning of a long-term strategy. We are laying the foundations for a society where no child lives in poverty and a society that offers opportunity for all.

Prisoners of War

Mr. Key: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the Government's review of ex gratia payments for former British prisoners of war of the Japanese. [133728]

The Prime Minister: The review is in progress. A decision is expected shortly.

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