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Wal-Mart International
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 6 May 1999, Official Report, columns 445-46, on planning, on what date he met the President of Wal-Mart International for a short courtesy call. [159800]
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The Prime Minister: It is public knowledge that I met the President of Wal-Mart International in 1999. However it is not the normal practice of Government to provide the precise details of meetings with private individuals or companies.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) of 31 January 2001, Official Report, column 224W, and to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 6 April 2001, Official Report, column 290W, if he will make a statement on the precedents he followed in not giving details of his meetings with individuals, foundations and companies. [158542]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 27 June 2000, Official Report, column 454W.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what reasons underlie the practice of Ministers not providing details of meetings held when requested in parliamentary questions. [159731]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 27 June 2000, Official Report, column 454W.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Pakistan
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Pakistani authorities over the subject of the treatment of Christians resident there. [159516]
Mr. Wilson: On 3 April, my noble Friend Baroness Scotland raised our concerns about the position of religious minorities with the Pakistani Attorney General and Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights, Ms Shahida Jamil.
Sri Lanka
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what issues concerning the Tamil community in Sri Lanka have been discussed by his Department with the Sri Lankan Government over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [158732]
Mr. Wilson: We continue to raise with the Sri Lankan Government our concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka, including human rights, the Bindunawewa massacre, the safety of journalists and the need for food and medical supplies to reach citizens in the Vanni. We urge the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to work together with Norway to secure a settlement to the conflict that meets the aspirations of all communities in Sri Lanka.
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Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what areas of Sri Lanka the British High Commissioner and her staff have visited during the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [158733]
Mr. Wilson: The British High Commissioner and her staff regularly visit different regions in Sri Lanka. In the last six months, the High Commissioner has visited Trincomalee, Puttalam, Batticaloa, Galle and Nuwara Eliya. During her visits, she met Government officials, representatives of the security forces, non-governmental organisations, Tamil and Muslim communities and the Catholic clergy to discuss, among other things, the impact of the internal conflict on local communities.
East Timor
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 30 March 2001, Official Report, column 797W, (1) if he will make a statement on when the relatives of the British newsmen killed at Balibo, East Timor in 1975 were informed of the investigation of the United Nations; and by whom; [159517]
- (2) if he will publish the FCO advice offered to British citizens resident in East Timor at the time of the Balibo conflict in 1975; [159515]
(3) what communications have taken place between the relatives of the British newsmen killed at Balibo, East Timor in 1975 and the FCO over the last 12 months; [159519]
(4) if it remains the view of his Department that the deaths of the British newsmen at Balibo in East Timor in 1975 were accidental; [159514]
(5) what investigations into the death of the British newsmen killed at Balibo, East Timor in 1975 were already under way prior to the formal UN announcement; [159518]
(6) what communications have taken place between the Australian Government and the FCO over the attack by Indonesian troops at Balibo in 1975. [159520]
Mr. Battle: Following the arrival of the UN Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), a number of people volunteered fresh information about the events in Balibo in 1975. In the light of this, in August 2000, the UN Prosecutor General took the decision to open an investigation into the deaths. While the investigation continues it would be inappropriate to prejudge its findings.
The UK was not formally notified in advance of 15 September 2000, when UNTAET formally announced this decision to open an investigation. The FCO therefore did not have an opportunity to inform the relatives of the British journalists who died at Balibo beforehand. However, over the past year we have kept in regular touch with the relatives. I wrote to them most recently on 19 March. We have also maintained regular contact with the Australian Government.
There was no formal mechanism to issue travel advice to British citizens prior to the establishment of the FCO Travel Advice Unit in 1990.
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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
GM Crops (North Essex)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has for allowing GM crop trials in the North Essex constituency in the next 12 months; what consultation there has been with local communities and their representatives; and what representations he has received about such trials from them. [157577]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 9 April 2001]: The public register of releases shows that no GM crops are presently being grown in the North Essex constituency under research consents. I also understand that no National List trials of GM crops are presently taking place in Essex. My Department announced the locations of the spring 2001 Farm Scale Evaluations on 3 April; two of these sites, near the village of Wivenhoe, are in the North Essex constituency (TM051 221 and TM056 221). Details of any further GM crop releases, including their locations, will be placed on our web site at www.detr.gov.uk or in the case of National List Trials, on MAFF's web site at www.maff.gov.uk.
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My officials have written to parishes and local authorities in which a Farm Scale evaluation is to take place to provide information about the trial and to offer speakers for any public meetings the parish may wish to hold. We have received correspondence from members of the public in the Wivenhoe area about the siting of FSE sites in the parish.
Departmental Policies (Tiverton and Honiton)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effects on Tiverton and Honiton of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157808]
Ms Beverley Hughes: The principal funding that this Department has provided to East and Mid Devon district councils and Devon county council in the years 1997-98 to 2001-02 is shown in the tables. These include grants and borrowing approvals for revenue and capital expenditure.
It is not possible to determine how much of this money has been spent on Tiverton and Honiton constituency. It is for the local authority to decide where within its boundary these resources are applied.
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| £ million | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of funding | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | (9)2001-02 |
| Revenue support grant(1) | 2.510 | 2.173 | 2.086 | 1.742 | 2.063 |
| Income from national non-domestic rates(1) | 3.924 | 3.949 | 4.272 | 4.738 | 4.738 |
| Housing investment programme | (2)0.518 | 0.671 | 1.007 | (3)1.715 | (4)3.220 |
| Capital receipts initiative | 0.162 | 0.495 | 0.000 | n/a | n/a |
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Notes:
(1) The amounts of revenue support grant and income from national non-domestic rates shown for 1997-98 and 1998-99 are the revised amounts allocated under "The Local Government Finance Report (England) 1997-98 Amending Report 1999" and "The Local Government Finance Report (England) 1998-99 Amending Report 2000" respectively.
(2) 1997-98 HIP allocation inherited from the previous Government's spending plans. Present Government introduced CRI from 1997-98.
(3) Single housing pot introduced from 2000-01 resulting in CRI being merged with HIP.
(4) Resource accounting has resulted in a change to the way capital resources are allocated for 2001-02, with the introduction of a new major repairs allowance (MRA) to cover the cost of maintaining local authority housing in a sound condition. East Devon's MRA allocation for 2001-02 is £2.274 million and, for comparison purposes, is included in the 2001-02 HIP allocation. Mid Devon's MRA allocation for 2001-02 is £1.712 million.
(5) Provisional.
(6) Estimated.
(7) Devon was subject to a structural change order on 1 April 1998. The figures for revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates quoted for Devon county council for 1997-98 include an amount for the areas covered by the city of Plymouth and the borough of Torbay. The figures for 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 exclude the amount for the areas covered by the city of Plymouth and the borough of Torbay.
(8) Rural bus challenge figures represent awards--actual spend profiles for schemes may cover more than one year.
(9) Where known
(10) Not known
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30 Apr 2001 : Column: 459W
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