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Pakistan

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the change in the internal stability of Pakistan since 11 September; and if he will make a statement on the control of Pakistani nuclear weapons. [14244]

Mr. Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Hywel Williams) on 24 October 2001, Official Report, column 258W. We expect all countries, including Pakistan, to implement stringent safety and security measures at their civil and military nuclear facilities.

Gibraltar

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy not to alter the sovereignty of Gibraltar without the consent of the people of Gibraltar. [13900]

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to my statement on 7 November 2001, Official Report, columns 88–92WH. The Government will continue to stand by their commitments to the people of Gibraltar as set out in the preamble to the Gibraltar Constitution.

Foreign Debt (Serbia)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy to support the demands of the Serbian Government to write-off two thirds of the country's foreign debt. [13105]

Mr. Boateng: I have been asked to reply.

The UK Government strongly support the impressive economic reform efforts of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). As a result the UK will be seeking an agreement in the forthcoming negotiations between the FRY and its Paris Club creditors beginning on 13 November that reduces FRY's debt to sustainable levels. On the basis of current IMF projects HMG will advocate debt reduction by official creditors of 75 per cent. Consistent with our policy towards other recipients of debt reduction, any deal should be designed to provide the incentives for continued economic reform in the medium term.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Violent Incidents

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the serious violent incidents attributed to (a) the IRA and proscribed Republican groups and (b) proscribed Loyalist terrorist groups over the past 30 years, indicating in each case the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) number of casualties and (iv) estimated cost of the damage. [12622]

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Police Recruitment

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the most recent recruitment campaign for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [11493]

Jane Kennedy: The second recruitment competition for the Police Service of Northern Ireland was launched on 12 October, and the closing date for applications is 16 November. By 5 November, Consensia had received 8,700 requests for application packs, and the response in terms of applications received to date has also been encouraging.

Francis Devlin

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures will be taken in response to the European Court of Human Rights decision in favour of Francis Devlin on 30 October; what compensation he will pay to Mr. Devlin; how many cases contesting procedures relating to national security exemption certificates are outstanding; and what steps will be taken to settle those cases prior to any court hearing in Strasbourg. [12991]

Jane Kennedy: The European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in the Devlin case on 30 October. The court found a breach of article 6(1) because Mr. Devlin had no effective way of challenging the certificate issued under section 42 of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1976 in relation to his discrimination proceedings. The court rejected the Government's argument that Mr. Devlin could not rely on article 6(1) rights in the circumstances of his case. In rejecting this argument the court found a breach in the same terms as those found in the Tinnelly and McElduff cases. Following those judgments in 1998, the Government established a Tribunal, under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, to which an individual can appeal against a section 42 certificate. The remedial action required, should a similar situation to Mr. Devlin's case arise now, is therefore already in place. The court awarded £10,000 to Mr. Devlin and the Government are considering the terms of the judgment and their next steps in relation to this. The Government are aware of only one outstanding case in Strasbourg contesting procedures relating to section 42 certificates and are considering what steps should be taken to seek to settle the dispute.

Criminal Justice Review

Mr. Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the Government's response to the criminal justice review. [14740]

Mr. Browne: A draft Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill and implementation plan were published today and copies have been placed in the Library. Copies of both documents are also available on the Northern Ireland Office website, along with the outcome of an equality screening exercise.

Many of the recommendations will be implemented through the legislation. The implementation plan sets out the programme of work required to implement the criminal justice review, the time scale for this and who

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will be responsible for taking it forward. It also states that the Government's target is to devolve policing and justice after the Assembly elections scheduled for May 2003.

There will now be a period of consultation before the legislation is introduced in Parliament. Subject to the outcome of consultation, it is expected that the legislation will be introduced in this Session.

DEFENCE

Territorial Army

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment has been made of the capability of each of the territorial infantry battalions to be deployed on operations as formed units. [R] [9672]

Dr. Moonie: Under the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) the Territorial Army (TA) was restructured to make it more relevant and usable and more fully integrated into our armed forces and defence plans. As a result, more TA units are now held at a higher state of readiness than pre-SDR and we continue to assess that the TA infantry battalions have the capability to be deployed on operations as formed units. As such they are an essential part of the Army's order of battle.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment has been made of the capability of the TA to provide the framework for the rapid expansion of the forces; and if he will make a statement. [R] [9676]

Dr. Moonie: The national footprint of Territorial Army (TA) units, created following the Strategic Defence Review, continues to provide a sound basis for generating formed units and individuals as an essential part of the Army's order of battle. We are looking at ways of increasing the contribution the TA makes to our defence plans. In line with the strategy for the Army (a version of which was placed in the House Library in March) a range of options is being considered including how the TA may be used in providing assistance to the civil community in an emergency.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army units he has available with anti-aircraft capability. [13835]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 9 November 2001]: Within the Territorial Army, there are two Air Defence Artillery Regiments equipped with the Javelin air defence missile system, and one Air Defence Artillery Regiment trained in the use of the Rapier air defence missile system and the high velocity missile system. These are available at extended readiness to deploy on operations.

Summer Recess

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) press notices and (b) consultation documents were issued by his Department during the summer recess. [9235]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 October 2001]: During the summer recess, the Ministry of Defence issued a total of 27 press releases (excluding operational notes). No

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consultation documents were issued during this period. Copies of press releases and consultation documents can be viewed on the MOD's website.

Communications

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment is being made of the impact of improved communications on the ability of subordinates to take the initiative; and if he will make a statement. [11498]

Dr. Moonie: Much work has been done, and more is under way, to ensure that the full potential of improved communications is realised. New technology, including the Personal Role Radio and Bowman, is being introduced in such a way as to enhance the effective exercise of command. Army doctrine will continue to empower subordinates at every level to take the initiative within the framework of their commanders' intent.

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