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Mortgage Interest Rates

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average bank interest rate for mortgages has been since October 1995. [142478]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Willetts, dated 15 December 2000:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on bank interest rates for mortgages. (142478)

The average rate on standard variable mortgage rate loans by a cross-section of banks between October 1995 and October 2000 was 7.73%. End-month observations of this rate from January 1996 to date are published by National Statistics in table 7.1L of Financial Statistics (series AJVR) or may be viewed on the National Statistics central database to which the House of Commons Library has access.

National Insurance

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much interest would have been accrued on unpaid national insurance contribution rebates since 1997 if they had been (a) invested 80 per cent. in equities and 20 per cent. in gilts and (b) had grown in line with the average growth of funded pensions. [142477]

Dawn Primarolo: It is estimated that the return accrued on unpaid national insurance contribution rebates since 1997 might have been some £9 million if 80 per cent. had been invested in equities and 20 per cent. gilts. A similar figure would be generated if the interest accrued in line with the average growth of funded pensions.

Departmental Advertising

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) 2000-01, (i) his Department's total spending on advertising campaigns, (ii) the cost of each individual advertising campaign and (iii) the criteria that were established to gauge the effectiveness of each campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each campaign based on these criteria. [142719]

Miss Melanie Johnson: With regard to the total costs of advertising undertaken by HM Treasury, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the hon. Member for Guildford (Mr. St. Aubyn) on 18 May 2000, Official Report, column 256W. Information on the costs and effectiveness of individual advertising campaigns could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

15 Dec 2000 : Column: 296W

Contractors

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Professional Contractors Group on contractors who have left the UK since the introduction of IR35; and if he will make a statement. [142565]

Dawn Primarolo: Ministers have received a range of correspondence regarding this legislation. We have received no representations from the PCG as a body about this particular issue.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bindunuwewa Massacre

Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government concerning (a) the Bandarawela massacre on 25 October and (b) the continuing level of violence in that country. [142566]

Mr. Hain: We were shocked to learn of the terrible massacre at the Bindunuwewa Rehabilitation Centre. We have made clear our concerns to the Sri Lankan government and I raised the incident with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister when I visited Colombo last month. We are pleased that the government quickly undertook to conduct a full inquiry into the massacre. We have underlined the need for the inquiry to be independent, swift and transparent. The on-going conflict is the major root-cause of violence in Sri Lanka. We continue to urge both sides to cease hostilities and seek a peaceful, negotiated settlement. We are encouraged by the positive statements made both by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE about taking the peace process forward.

Belarus

Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the British Council has closed down its operation in Belarus. [142802]

Mr. Hain: The decision to close in Belarus followed a strategic review by the British Council designed to maximise its effectiveness world wide. Its new strategy involves updating its overseas network to ensure maximum impact in countries of greatest importance to the United Kingdom, and to free up funds for investment in new, IT-based services. This entails closing in a small number of countries, as well as expanding in some others.

Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the Government are giving to the OSCE mission in Belarus. [142801]

Mr. Vaz: The UK, with EU partners, strongly supports the work of the OSCE's Advisory and Monitoring Group (AMG) in Belarus, including through appropriate interventions at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, in other international fora, through public statements in Belarus and beyond, and in private contacts with the Government of Belarus. Her Majesty's Government provides 9 per cent. of the common costs of the AMG and one of the five international staff members of the AMG--a political and legal counsellor. We have also made voluntary contributions to support OSCE projects in Belarus.

15 Dec 2000 : Column: 297W

EU/NATO Liaison

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the structures that have been put into place to provide a framework for dialogue, consultation and co-operation between the non-EU NATO countries and the EU countries concerning the nature and functioning of EU-led operations using NATO assets and capabilities. [143056]

Mr. Vaz: The Presidency Report to the Nice European Council sets out the structures and procedures for involvement of non-EU European members of NATO and makes initial proposals regarding Canada.

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements the EU has made to provide the non-EU NATO members with a voice in shaping EU decisions in crisis management. [143041]

Mr. Vaz: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring) on 11 December 2000, Official Report, column 31W.

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conclusions reached at the first meeting between the EU interim Political and Security Committee and the North Atlantic Council held in September 2000. [143060]

Mr. Vaz: The meeting agreed on the importance of taking forward work in NATO and the EU to develop European Defence. The meeting reviewed the work already done in the EU/NATO ad hoc Working Groups established following the Feira European Council and noted the input that NATO experts were already making to EU nations' work on the development of the capabilities Headline Goal.

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if non-EU NATO member countries will be given a seat on the EU Permanent Political and Security Committee. [143058]

Mr. Vaz: No, but non-EU European members of NATO and other countries candidate to join the European Union may appoint representatives to act as interlocutors with the PSC. And the PSC will have regular meetings with representatives of the other countries concerned.

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects that the final shape of the structure for consultations between the EU and the non-EU NATO countries will be established. [143057]

Mr. Vaz: The Nice European Council invited the Swedish Presidency to take forward implementation of the permanent structures for European Security and Defence Policy, including for consultation with non-EU European NATO Allies and other accession candidates.

Western European Union

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the transfer of the WEU Institute for Security Studies to the EU on its working relations with the WEU and its Assembly. [143061]

15 Dec 2000 : Column: 298W

Mr. Vaz: No decision has yet been taken on the detailed arrangements for the transfer of the institute of Security Studies to the EU. These will be examined under the Dutch WEU and Swedish EU Presidencies.

European Rapid Reaction Force

Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the agreements with (a) other countries, (b) the EU and (c) NATO concerning arrangements for the European Rapid Reaction Force; and which of these agreements have been published. [142960]

Mr. Vaz: The arrangements for the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy have been set out in the published European Council decisions at Cologne (June 1999), Helsinki (December 1999), Lisbon (March 2000), Feira (June 2000) and Nice (December 2000). The Nice European Council set out provisions for involvement of non-member states and proposals for permanent arrangements between the EU and NATO. The public statements of the NATO Summit at Washington (April 1999) and the Foreign Ministers' meeting at Florence (May 2000) set out NATO's support for European Defence.

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