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Boundary Commission
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Boundary Commission for Scotland will release its initial report. [10664]
Mrs. Liddell: This is a matter for the Boundary Commission for Scotland.
PRIME MINISTER
Standards in Public Life
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [12434]
The Prime Minister: I am pleased to announce that I have appointed my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) as a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life with effect from 15 October. He is the member nominated by the Labour party and takes the place of Lord Shore of Stepney who sadly passed away over the summer.
Special Advisers
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister on what criteria salaries of particular special advisers are decided. [11618]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) on 20 July 2001, Official Report, column 467W.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Prison Service
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the reasons for the decision of the prison service in Northern Ireland to withdraw the royal prefix from letter headings of H.M. Prison Maghaberry. [9872]
Jane Kennedy: There has been no change in policy in regard to the naming of prison establishments. Establishments can and have been referred to officially both as HMP and by name only.
The inclusion or exclusion of the royal prefix is at the discretion of the governing Governor of each establishment.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Congo
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the export of a water purification unit to Uruguay for ultimate end-use in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [12316]
Mr. Bradshaw: Following consultations with this Department and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry issued an export licence for a water
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purification unit to Uruguay for the Uruguayan armed forces. The equipment will be used by the Uruguayan army in the DRC where they are part of the United Nations operation. The equipment will provide the Uruguayans with sufficient clean water for their troops operating in the DRC. As part of the United Nations Mission in Congo, these troops, along with other UN agencies and NGOs, will play a role in facilitating humanitarian assistance to the Congolese people. This decision is consistent with and does not affect the Government's continued support for the EU declaration of 7 April 1993 on arms exports to the DRC.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to (a) the Rwandan Government and (b) the Ugandan Government concerning their involvement in the war in the Congo. [11148]
Mr. Bradshaw: In recent months my noble Friend Baroness Amos and the Secretary of State for International Development have spoken personally to the Presidents of both countries about their involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They stressed the need for a peaceful end to the conflict in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions. We will continue to do so at every opportunity.
EU Business
Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for November and (b) major European Union events for the period 31 December to April 2002. [12433]
Peter Hain: The information is as follows:
| November | Venue | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Brussels | Cultural and Audio-visual Council | |
| 6 | Brussels | ECOFIN | |
| 8 | Brussels | Development and Co-operation Council | |
| 12 | Brussels | Employment and Social Affairs Council | |
| 15 | Brussels | Health Council | |
| 16 | Brussels | Justice and Home Affairs Council | |
| 19–20 | Brussels | General Affairs Council | |
| 21–22 | Brussels | Budget Council | |
| 26 | Brussels | Internal Market, Consumers and Tourism Council | |
| 27 | Brussels | Fisheries Council | |
| 29 | Brussels | Education and Youth Council | |
| No agendas are available yet | |||
The following are the principal events in the EU between 1 December and April 2002 (certain relevant events are also included: the list is based on the information available at the date of issue).
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Pakistan
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent killings of Christians in Pakistan. [11788]
Mr. Bradshaw: We condemn the attack on a church in Punjab on 28 October in which 18 people were killed. We welcome General Musharraf's assurances that the perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and with all those who have suffered at the hands of terrorists.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistani Government with regard to human rights abuses against Christians. [11789]
Mr. Bradshaw: We take the issue of religious freedom in Pakistan very seriously. We continue to raise the position of religious minorities in general and a number of individual cases with the Pakistani authorities, both bilaterally and in concert with our EU partners.
We will continue to take every appropriate opportunity to ask the Pakistani authorities to ensure that the rights of all religious minorities in Pakistan, including Christians, are respected under the constitution.
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