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Sport England
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport where Sport England receives its revenue from. [13016]
Mr. Caborn: Sport England receives annual grant in aid from my Department which amounted to £37.4 million in 2000–01. It also received income in that year of £9.2 million from other sources including operating receipts from the National Sports Centres and from the sale of publications.
Commonwealth Stadium
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost is of the compensation for the proposed use of the Commonwealth stadium in Manchester for the world athletics championships. [13015]
Mr. Caborn: There are no plans to use the city of Manchester stadium for the world athletics championships. Compensation to Manchester city football club, were the stadium to have been used for the 2005 world athletics championships, would have been a matter for commercial discussion between Manchester city council and the club.
BBC Knowledge
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce legislative proposals to apply the provisions of section 186 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 to BBC Knowledge. [12422]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 5 November 2001]: BBC Knowledge will move to the BBC's own multiplex on 8 November 2001, when it will automatically come under the provisions of section 186.
Treasure Act
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will announce the outcome of the review of the Treasure Act 1996. [13592]
Dr. Howells: The report on the Operation of the Treasure Act 1996: Review and Recommendations is being published today and I am arranging for copies to be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 272W
NORTHERN IRELAND
Security Situation
4. Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland. [10851]
25. Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland. [10873]
Jane Kennedy: This year has seen, among others, the murders of Ciaran Cummings, the schoolboy Gavin Brett, the journalist Martin O'Hagan and 19-year-old Peter McNally. Up to 28 October, there have been 291 shooting incidents and 298 bombing incidents relating to the security situation.
Following advice from the Chief Constable about the involvement of the UDA, UFF and LVF, the Secretary of State specified these organisations on 12 October. The ceasefires of the other paramilitary groups are believed to be holding, although there is still a very real threat from dissident groups who want to destroy the peace process.
23. Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Government have made towards normalising the security environment in Northern Ireland. [10871]
Jane Kennedy: Along with other measures, the Government have closed, vacated or demolished 43 Army installations since the ceasefires. On the basis of the Chief Constable's judgment that the IRA's decision to put a quantity of its arms completely beyond use represented a real improvement in the security situation, the Secretary of State announced that the following installations would also be demolished:
- the observation tower on Sturgan mountain and one of the observation towers on Camlough mountain in South Armagh;
the supersangar adjacent to the helicopter landing site at Newtownhamilton Police Station; and
the Magherafelt Army base.
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 273W
Decommissioning
6. Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the impact of General de Chastelain's recent report on decommissioning on the implementation of the Good Friday agreement. [10853]
11. Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of General de Chastelain's recent report on decommissioning on the stability of democratic institutions in Northern Ireland. [10858]
27. Mr. McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the impact of decommissioning on the permanence of devolved institutions in Northern Ireland. [10875]
Dr. John Reid: The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning's confirmation of the IRA's unprecedented act of decommissioning has facilitated the return of the UUP Ministers to the Northern Ireland Executive Committee and the re-election of the right hon. Member for Upper Bann (Mr. Trimble) as First Minister. As a result of these very positive developments, all of the political institutions should now be allowed to operate without impediment. The Government will in turn move ahead to implement the Weston Park package of proposals and its remaining commitments under the Belfast agreement.
7. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements he will put in place to deal with decommissioning of illegally held arms after the expiry of the de Chastelain Commission. [10854]
Dr. John Reid: Only the period during which an amnesty may be provided expires in February next year, not the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.
The political mandate for the IICD is in the Good Friday agreement—the total decommissioning of all paramilitary arms. We shall obviously consider the commission's statutory remit in the light of that and its advice on how best to achieve that key objective.
9. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards decommissioning. [10856]
Dr. John Reid: I welcome the recent report from the IICD verifying that the IRA has put a quantity of weaponry, including arms, ammunition and explosives completely beyond use. This is a significant development not only in terms of moving forward the decommissioning process but also in the context of the Good Friday agreement.
The commission also stated it would continue contact with the IRA representative in the pursuit of its mandate, the total decommissioning of arms.
All paramilitary groups should now build upon the progress that has been made on decommissioning and all should begin decommissioning too.
15. Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent measures have been taken to encourage paramilitary decommissioning in Northern Ireland. [10863]
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 274W
Dr. John Reid: Following the recent discussion at Weston Park, the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach presented to all the constitutional parties a comprehensive package of measures, which they considered fair and balanced, and invited all parties to accept that as a way of moving the process forward. Decommissioning was one part of that package.
Since then, the Prime Minister and I have been working with all the parties to bring about the right climate for change.
17. Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the prospects for further decommissioning of illegally held weapons. [10865]
Dr. John Reid: The total decommissioning of paramilitary arms is the remit of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.
The Government and all of the pro-agreement parties have said throughout the process that the details of the actual process should be left to the decommissioning commission.
In its recent report, the commission stated it would continue contact with the IRA in pursuit of that mandate.
It is hoped that further decommissioning events will take place in the future from both the IRA and also loyalist paramilitary groups.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the impact of de Chastelain's recent report on decommissioning has been on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. [10819]
Jane Kennedy: I refer my hon Friend to the statement I made to the House on Wednesday 24 October in which I stated my belief that following the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning's confirmation of the IRA's unprecedented act of decommissioning, the Belfast agreement should now be implemented in its entirety and all the political institutions allowed to operate without impediment.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend the remit of the decommissioning body. [11991]
Jane Kennedy: The remit of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning remains as set out in the international agreement between this Government and the Government of the Republic of Ireland, dated 26 August 1997; and there are no plans to extend it.
The period during which an amnesty may be provided expires in February next year. However, the political mandate for the IICD as set out in the Good Friday agreement—the total decommissioning of all paramilitary arms—remains. We shall obviously consider the statutory position in light of that and the Commission's own advice on how best to fulfil that mandate.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what specific reduced security measures have been enacted in Northern Ireland in response to the IRA's decision on 23 October to decommission. [11400]
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 275W
Jane Kennedy: On the basis of the Chief Constable's judgment that the IRA's decision to put a quantity of its arms completely beyond use represented a real improvement in the security situation, the Secretary of State announced that the following installations would be demolished:
- the observation tower on Sturgan mountain and one of the observation towers on Camlough mountain in South Armagh;
the supersangar adjacent to the helicopter landing site at Newtownhamilton RUC Station; and
the Magherafelt Army base.
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