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Green Spaces

Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made in delivering the Government's proposals for improving the quality of urban parks and green spaces. [15791]

Ms Keeble: The Urban Green Spaces Taskforce was set up in January 2001 to advise the Government on its proposals for improving the quality of our urban parks, play areas and green spaces.

The taskforce has, today, published its interim report: "Green Spaces, Better Places". The report describes the taskforce's work, some preliminary findings, and how proposals are being developed. Copies of the report are available in the Libraries of the House.

The final report of the taskforce will be published in April 2002.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Cluster Bombs

Llew Smith: To ask the Solicitor-General, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) of 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 1W, on cluster bombs, if she will make it her policy to change the convention covering advice given by the Law Officers; and if she will set out the reasons for the current policy of non disclosure of Law Officers' advice. [14691]

The Solicitor-General: The Ministerial Code provides that the fact and content of advice given by the Law Officers, either individually or collectively, must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority. This long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, protects the confidentiality of the legal advice given to the Government. There are no plans to change Government policy on this matter but we keep under continuing review all arrangements relating to our work.

Internet Fraud

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Solicitor-General how many investigations were conducted by the Serious Fraud Office into alleged fraud on the internet in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [14383]

The Solicitor-General: The SFO is currently investigating one case where the internet was the principal medium through which the fraud was carried out. There are a number of other SFO cases where the internet has been used, but not as the principal medium for the fraud. The SFO does not record these separately.

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Compensation Agency

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has made a decision about the future of the Compensation Agency. [15302]

Dr. John Reid: I have agreed that the executive agency status of the Compensation Agency should be continued until 31 March 2004. My decision follows the completion of stage 1 of a quinquennial review which examined the past performance of the agency and the other organisational arrangements available for the administration of compensation schemes. Stage 2 of the review will look at ways of improving the delivery of services.

Copies of the report of stage 1 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Trial by Jury

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to set mechanisms in place for the re-introduction of trial by jury following the most recent report of General de Chastelain. [13913]

Jane Kennedy: The mechanism for reviewing trials without jury in Northern Ireland is already in place. The Northern Ireland specific emergency provisions as contained at part VII of the Terrorism Act 2000 (which came into force on 19 February 2001) are time-limited to five years and subject to annual renewal; its provisions can be phased out by order, individually if appropriate, as soon as the security situation allows. Section 75 of the Act relating to mode of trial on indictment which falls within part VII is therefore subject to this process.

Influencing factors relating to the re-introduction of trial by jury will be the risk of juror intimidation; the subsequent risk of perverse verdicts; and an assessment of the level of threat/security situation. The annual report(s) of the independent reviewer of the Terrorism Act 2000 will assist in informing future decisions and parliamentary debates on part VII of the Act.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Computer Crime

Mr. Burstow: To ask the President of the Council how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department recorded in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001; and on how many occasions in those years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (A) within and (B) outside his Department. [13139]

Mr. Robin Cook: None.

House of Lords Appointments Commission

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Council when the House of Lords Appointments Commission will publish its annual report. [13870]

Mr. Robin Cook: My understanding is that the Commission will publish its annual report in the new year.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed of the Russian submission to the United Nations Security Council in March on Al-Qaeda's infrastructure; and what action he took. [12180]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 2 November 2001]: We have no knowledge of any submission by Russia on the infrastructure of Al-Qaeda in March this year to either the Security Council or the Afghanistan sanctions committee.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received concerning the Shelter Now aid workers imprisoned by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan since August. [14786]

Mr. Bradshaw: We welcome the liberation of all the Shelter Now International (SNI) workers on 15 November.

Entry Clearance

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa applications refused by entry clearance officers were subsequently granted on appeal in each of the last five years. [13643]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Home Office has provided the following statistics. The outcome of entry clearance appeals to immigration adjudicators is:

	Total dealt with	Allowed	Outcome Dismissed	Withdrawn
1996	7,320	1,790	4,200	1,330
1997	8,760	2,670	4,110	1,970
1998	7,600	2,200	4,100	1,200
1999	5,800	2,070	3,280	450
2000	6,650	2,360	3,690	600

The source of these statistics is the "Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2000" copies of which are available from the Libraries of the House.

Overseas Territories

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives from overseas territories with regard to the reciprocal rights to reside and work in (a) the UK and (b) those territories of the citizens of both categories. [13914]

Mr. Bradshaw: Discussions have been held with the overseas territories on a regular basis since the preparation of the 1999 White Paper on the relationship with the overseas territories, "Partnership for Progress and Prosperity".

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the nature and extent of British military presence in British territories overseas. [13980]

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Mr. Bradshaw: There are 5,132 British military personnel deployed in British overseas territories and sovereign base areas. They are deployed to maintain garrison facilities and provide on-going defence to the British overseas territories.

Human Rights

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates the (a) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948, (b) International Labour Organisation Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97), (c) Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, 1949, (d) Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951, and its 1967 Protocol, (e) International Labour Organisation Discrimination Convention (Employment and Occupation), 1958 (No. 111), (f) Convention against Discrimination in Education, adopted on 14 December 1960 by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (g) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1979, with a view to achieving universal ratification within five years, and its Optional Protocol of 1999, (h) Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and its two Optional Protocols of 2000, and the International Labour Organisation Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), (i) International Labour Organisation Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143), (j) International Labour Organisation Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) and the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992, (k) International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990, (l) Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 1998, (m) United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the Convention and the Protocol against the smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the Convention, 2000 and (n) the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 36/55, of 25 November 1981 instruments were (i) signed and (ii) ratified; and what further progress he expects to make with these in the next 12 months. [13924]

Peter Hain: (a) The United Kingdom acceded to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948 on 30 January 1970.

(b) The UK signed the International Labour Organisation Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97) on 1 July 1949 and ratified on 22 January 1951.

(c)The UK is not party to the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, 1949.

(d) The UK signed the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 on 28 July 1951 and ratified on 11 March 1954. The UK acceded to the 1967 Protocol on 4 September 1968.

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(e) The UK ratified the International Labour Organisation Discrimination Convention (Employment and Occupation), 1958 (No. 111) on 8 June 1999.

(f) The UK accepted the Convention against Discrimination in Education, adopted on 14 December 1960 by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, on 14 March 1962.

g) The UK signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1979 in July 1981 and ratified on 7 April 1986. The UK is not party to the Optional Protocol of 1999.

(h) The UK signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 19 April 1980 and ratified on 16 December 1991. The UK signed the two Optional Protocols (2000) to the Convention on 7 September 2000. The UK ratified the International Labour Organisation Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) on 7 June 2000 and ratified the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) on 23 March 2000.

(i) The UK is not party to the International Labour Organisation Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143).

(j) The UK is not party to the International Labour Organisation Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169). The UK signed the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 on 12 June 1992 and ratified on 3 June 1994.

(k) The UK is not party to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 1990.

(l) The UK signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 30 November 1998 and ratified on 4 October 2001.

(m) The UK signed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, on 14 December 2000.

(n) The UK supported the adoption by consensus of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 36/55, of 25 November 1981.

Over the next 12 months, the UK will be working for early ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime and the two Optional Protocols supplementing the Convention.

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