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Biological and Toxin Weapons Conference

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the failure of the negotiations for a compliance and verification protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Conference; and how he will respond; [14468]

Mr. Bradshaw: Following the failure of the 24th Session of the Ad Hoc Group to agree a Protocol text, our aim is now to agree with all States parties, a Final Document at the fifth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention, in Geneva (19 November-7 December) that will lead to sustaining international progress on the further strengthening of the Convention. We welcome proposals that have been made for practical and effective measures to meet the biological weapons threat. We hope that these can be agreed at the Conference.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will be attending the Biological and Toxin Weapons Conference in Geneva. [14466]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary currently has no plans to attend the 5th Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in Geneva.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent actions of Libyan military personnel in Zimbabwe; what role they have; and how many there are. [12147]

Mr. Bradshaw: We have seen media reports of Libyans in Zimbabwe as security advisers for ZANU(PF) officials. These reports have not been substantiated.

PRIME MINISTER

Overseas Visits

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many overseas visits he has undertaken and to which countries, since 11 September. [13636]

The Prime Minister: I have undertaken five overseas visits as part of the efforts to deepen the international coalition against terrorism. I visited:


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I also attended the Informal Meeting of EU Heads of Government in Belgium on 19 October.

Meetings

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister which (a) Prime Ministers and (b) heads of state he has met since 11 September; when he met each of them; and where the meetings were held. [14692]

The Prime Minister: The following meetings with Prime Ministers and heads of states have already been announced:








































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I have also met President Arafat of the Palestinian Authority on 15 October and 1 November.

Kyoto Protocol

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has made to President Bush about signing up to the Kyoto agreements; and if he will make a statement on the results of these representations. [14456]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 15 October 2001, Official Report, column 820W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Civil Servants (Remuneration)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the cost of implementing the proposals of the First Division Association for the remuneration of senior civil servants. [14247]

Mr. Leslie: Ministers have agreed a new pay system for the senior civil service, developed as part of the Civil Service reform programme. All senior civil servants and their trade unions were consulted and their views taken into account.

The costs of the proposed system will depend on the recommendations of the independent Senior Salaries Review Body and will be met from within existing departmental expenditure limits.

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HEALTH

GP Audit

11. Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Swale primary care trusts have undertaken an audit of GP needs in the constituency of Sittingbourne and Sheppey. [12115]

Ms Blears: Swale Primary Care Group recently carried out an audit of local needs. As a result, the Government have provided additional resources to two local practices to fund the recruitment of additional general practitioners into the area.

Whittington Hospital

12. Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will complete the evaluation of the proposals for refurbishment of the Whittington Hospital. [12116]

Mr. Hutton: The proposals for the rebuilding of a significant part of the Whittington Hospital are expected to be submitted by the Trust in January 2002. It is planned to complete the final approval soon after with the new building becoming fully operational in autumn 2004.

NHS Staff Morale

13. Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives he has in place to improve the morale of the staff in the health service. [12117]

Mr. Milburn: Staff morale is a key issue for the Government. We are committed to improving morale in the national health service by expanding staff numbers, improving NHS employment practice and giving frontline staff greater control over resources.

NHS (East Lancashire)

14. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure the NHS in east Lancashire remains focused on service delivery during the process of organisational changes. [12118]

Mr. Hutton: During the process of devolving more power and responsibility to primary care trusts, the national health service must remain focused on meeting local health needs. To ensure that this happens, all regional offices and health authorities have produced business continuity plans.

In the north-west, three project directors are co-ordinating business continuity arrangements across the region, supported by lead managers who have responsibility for monitoring critical areas of business such as winter, cancer and access.

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