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Joint Entry Clearance Unit

Ms Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the backlog of letters in the joint entry clearance unit. [144245]

Mr. Vaz: I am pleased to announce that as of 21 December the amount of outstanding correspondence for the Joint Entry Clearance Unit is zero.

European Council Meetings

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions, and the individuals concerned since May 1997 on which British delegations to European Council meetings have been led by persons other than Members of either House. [144349]

Mr. Vaz: Since May 1997, the Prime Minister has led the UK delegation to all meetings of the European Council.

Burma

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Burma concerning U Pa Pa Lay and U Lu Zaw and their continued detention; and if he will make a statement. [144524]

Mr. Battle: U Pa Pa Lay and U Lu Zaw are among an estimated 1,500 political prisoners in Burma. Our Ambassador in Rangoon has made representations to the Burmese authorities on this subject. We take every opportunity, including in United Nations resolutions, to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all such prisoners. We also support the work of the ICRC in visiting prisoners in Burma.

China

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of China concerning the continued detention of Ngawang Choephal, a Tibetan; and if he will make a statement. [144523]

Mr. Battle: We remain deeply concerned about the case of Ngawang Choephal, and raise his case regularly with the Chinese authorities. I raised the case with the then Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister, Wang Yingfan, in

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Beijing in November 1999 and urged that Choephal's mother, Sonam Deckyi, be allowed to visit him. A visit took place in August 2000. We remain concerned at reports that Choephal may be in poor health. During the most recent round of the UK/China human rights dialogue in October 2000, we made a specific request that his sentence be reviewed in the light of these reports. At that meeting, the Chinese stated Choephal was in good health. We will continue to press this case.

Non-proliferation Treaty

Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement about progress made on the Government's commitment to nuclear disarmament, as agreed in the Non-Proliferation Treaty final document; [144103]

(2) what progress his Department has made on the reduction of non-strategic weapons, as agreed in the Non-Proliferation Treaty final document; [144102]

(3) what progress has been made on honouring the commitment made under the Non-Proliferation Treaty for all the nuclear weapon states to engage in the process of disarmament as soon as appropriate; [144105]

(4) what steps he has taken towards honouring the commitment to a diminishing role for nuclear weapons in security policies, as agreed in the Non-Proliferation Treaty final document. [144104]

Mr. Vaz: The Government have made their commitment to all aspects of the Final Document agreed at the 2000 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. We believe the United Kingdom is already some way ahead of most other states in fulfilling the undertakings it sets out.

We have reduced our own nuclear forces to the minimum necessary to provide for our security for the foreseeable future. These reductions have included the withdrawal from service of the last of our free-fall nuclear bombs, leaving Trident as our sole nuclear weapons system.

We have made clear, both nationally and in NATO, that our reliance on nuclear weapons in our security policies has been radically reduced since the end of the Cold War. We have pledged to include British nuclear weapons in multilateral negotiations when satisfied with progress towards the global elimination of nuclear weapons. And we have made clear our willingness to see a body established in the Geneva Conference on Disarmament to deal with nuclear disarmament.

Afghanistan

Mrs. Golding: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes there have been in United Nations sanctions in relation to the Taliban. [144437]

Mr. Hain: UN Security Council resolution 1333 (2000), adopted on 19 December, imposed further measures against the Afghan faction known as the Taliban, who also call themselves the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in response to their continued support for international terrorism and their failure to hand over

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Usama Bin Laden for trial in accordance with the demands of the Security Council in its resolution 1267 (1999).

The new measures will come into force on 19 January 2001. They are established for a 12 month period. At the end of this period, the Security Council will decide whether to extend them, having decided whether the Taliban have complied with the demands of the Council that they should:

hand over Usama bin Laden for trial;


cease the provision of sanctuary and training for international terrorists and their organisations; ensure that their territory is not used for terrorist installations and camps or for the preparation of acts of international terrorism; and co-operate with international efforts to bring indicted terrorists to justice;


act swiftly to close all camps where terrorists are trained within the territory under their control.

The new measures are as follows:

an arms embargo and a ban on the provision of military assistance to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan;


closure of Taliban (non-diplomatic) offices overseas;


closure of Ariana Afghan Airlines offices overseas;


a ban on the supply of the heroin precursor acetic anhydride to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan;


a ban on all international flights to or from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan (with exceptions for humanitarian flights);


a non-mandatory call to all States to restrict the movement through their territory of senior Taliban officials;


a non-mandatory call to States who have diplomatic relations with the Taliban to reduce the number and level of Taliban diplomatic staff at missions in their territory.

The resolution also imposes a freeze of the funds of Usama Bin Laden (UBL) and those individuals and entities associated with him, as designated by the UN Sanctions Committee, and a ban on making any funds available to such persons.

The resolution has been carefully designed to ensure that the new measures exert pressure on the Taliban, but do not have an adverse humanitarian impact on ordinary Afghans, who have suffered for too long already. We call on the Taliban to do everything in their power to ensure that international organisations and aid agencies can carry on their vital work in safety and without hindrance.

The freeze of Taliban funds and financial resources and the ban on international flights by aircraft owned, leased or operated by or on behalf of the Taliban, imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999), remain in force.

The EU arms embargo on the whole territory of Afghanistan imposed by EU Common Position 96/726/CFSP of 17 December 1996 also remains in force.

New Orders will be made under the United Nations Act (1946) to implement the new measures in the UK, the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories. Where appropriate, certain of these measures may be implemented by administrative means.

EU Treaties

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, in order of their inclusion in the draft Treaty of Nice, each proposed Article relating to change in the procedure for taking

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decisions under qualified majority voting or other requirement, indicating for each (a) the article and treaty to which it applies and (b) the nature of the proposed change. [142415]

Mr. Vaz: At Nice, the Government agreed to extend qualified majority voting in a total of 31 articles of the Treaty establishing the European Community and the Treaty on European Union. All these moves will benefit the UK. As promised, we retained the UK's veto over taxation, social security and the other key issues we identified at the start of the IGC.

Of the articles that moved to majority voting, 11 relate to conditions of appointment or procedural rules. The rest are primarily about the efficiency of economic management and the single market. Where needed, articles have been amended to carve out specific issues or to retain unanimity for key aspects of legislation.

The UK has an opt-in to all aspects of the free movement articles (Articles 62-66 TEC). Two other articles do not apply to us unless we join the single currency (Articles 111(4) and 123(4)).

The full list follows. Those areas marked with an asterisk will also become subject to codecision with the European Parliament.

Articles of the Treaty on European Union

1. Article 23(2): Appointment of CFSP Special Representatives.

2. Article 24: Conclusion of international CFSP/JHA agreements where QMV applies internally.

Articles of the EC Treaty

3. Article 13: Anti-discrimination (incentive measures only, excluding any harmonisation of member states' legislation)*

4. Article 18: Measures to facilitate rights of Citizens to move freely/reside within EU (passports, identity cards, residence permits, other similar documents, social security and social protection carved-out)

5. Article 62(2)(a) and (3)*: Procedures for checks at external borders (subject to prior agreement on the scope of application of measures on crossing external borders); and conditions for travel by third country nationals (both delayed until 2004 and subject to confirmation by the Council)

6. Article 63(1)*, (2)(a)*, 3(b)*: Implementation of common rules on asylum and minimum arrangements for temporary protection for third country nationals (both once basic framework rules have been put in place); measures to combat illegal immigration (from 2004, subject to confirmation by the Council)

7. Article 65(a)*(b)*(c)*: Civil judicial co-operation (except family law)

8. Article 66: Measures to encourage administrative co-operation in the free movement Title (from 2004, subject to confirmation by the Council)

9. Article 100: Measures in the event of severe difficulties in the supply of certain products/Community financial assistance to member states in severe difficulties (plus a declaration stating that any decisions must be compatible with the no bail-out rule in Article 103 TEC and ceilings in this and future Financial Perspectives)

10. Article 111(4): Representation of the European Community at international level in the EMU sphere. Does not apply to the UK unless we join the single currency.

11. Article 123(4): Measures for the smooth introduction of the single currency. Does not apply to the UK unless we join the single currency

12. Article 133: Extension of the Common Commercial Policy to trade in some services and the commercial aspects of intellectual property (subject to unanimity in certain situations)

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13. Article 137(1)(k)*: The modernisation of social protection systems (excluding any harmonisation of member states' legislation and without prejudice to wider social protection, which remains subject to unanimity)

14. Article 157(3)*: Industrial policy (subject to a carve-out for measures on taxation and the rights and interests of employed persons)

15. Article 159(3)*: Specific actions for social/economic cohesion outside the structural funds

16. Article 161: Structural and Cohesion fund rules (Delayed until 2007, or until agreement on the next Financial Perspective, whichever is the later)

17. Article 175*: Some environmental measures (aspects of the qualitative management of water resources)

18. Article 181(a): Financial and technical co-operation with third countries (except for candidate countries and association agreements)

19. Article 190(5): The MEPs' statue, with unanimity retained for fiscal measures

20. Article 191(2)*: Statute for European Political parties (subject to a declaration stating that Community funds cannot be used to fund, either directly or indirectly, national political parties)

21. Article 207(2): Appointment of the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General of the Council

22. Article 210: Salaries, allowances and pensions of Members and the Registrar of the Court of First Instance

23. Article 214/5: Appointment of the President of the Commission and list of members of the Commission (including replacement following their dismissal, resignation or death)

24. Article 223: Approval of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice

25. Article 224: Approval of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of First Instance

26. Article 225a: Approval of the Rules of Procedure of judicial panels attached to the Court of First Instance

27. Article 247(3): Appointment of the Members of the Court of Auditors

28. Article 248(4): Approval of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Auditors

29. Article 259(1): Appointment of Members of the Economic and Social Committee

30. Article 263: Appointment of Members of the Committee of the Regions

31. Article 279(a and c): Financial Regulations/rules concerning the responsibility of financial controllers, authorising officers and account officers and concerning appropriate arrangements for inspection (delayed until 2007).

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