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Sellafield

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the United Kingdom submission to the United

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Nations Commission on the law of the sea in the case brought by the Irish Republic on the Sellafield MOX plant on 19 November; and if he will make a statement. [17939]

Mr. Straw: On 9 November 2001, Ireland submitted a request for the prescription of provisional measures to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (The MOX Plant Case). The United Kingdom's Written Response, dated 15 November 2001, and the United Kingdom's oral submissions at the hearing on 19 and 20 November are on the Tribunal's website: www.itlos.org. I hope my hon. Friend finds this an acceptable response.

Yemen

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Yemen. [20252]

Mr. Bradshaw: Our relations with Yemen are firmly founded on our historic links. Relations have improved since the low-point of the Abyan incident in 1998. We welcome President Saleh's strong condemnation of the attacks in the USA and his co-operation in the fight against terrorism. We are in close touch with the Yemenis on this and on other issues such as the British prisoners detained in Aden.

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the US Government, (b) the United Nations and (c) other coalition partners concerning (i) terrorist organisations in Yemen and (ii) the policy of the Government of Yemen towards such organisations. [19127]

Mr. Bradshaw: We regularly discuss Yemen (including terrorist issues) as well as many other countries, both formally and informally with the US and other Governments. The contents of these talks remain confidential. There was a brief discussion of suspected terrorists in Yemen at the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee on 25 October.

We are grateful for the positive Yemeni approach to counter-terrorism. The Government of Yemen have HMG's support in their efforts to combat terrorism.

Suicide Terrorists

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the need for an inquiry into international preparedness for the willingness of suicide terrorists to use aircraft and other vehicles to inflict substantial loss of life. [19775]

Mr. Bradshaw: We take the threat of international terrorism very seriously and attach great importance to deterrence and prevention of terrorist activity. Since the horrific terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September the international community has intensified co-operation on responses to international terrorism, for example, reviewing safeguards in respect of aviation security. We are also working across Government to ensure that our own contingency plans represent the best possible response to a range of situations.

We do not believe that an inquiry into international preparedness would help us prevent or respond more effectively to terrorist attacks.

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Albania

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Albanian Government with respect to the assassination attempt on Mr. Azzan Haklaj. [19581]

Mr. MacShane: This incident is the subject of an Albanian judicial investigation. With our partners in the international community, we are monitoring developments closely.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the recent parliamentary elections in Albania, with special reference to (a) organisation and (b) conduct. [19582]

Mr. MacShane: A report published in October by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) praised the improved organisation and conduct of the elections. It highlighted a number of cases of manipulation, for which it identified the Socialist Party, rather than Prime Minister's Meta's Government, as responsible. The ODIHR report made clear that these shortcomings were not such as to affect the overall result. We continue to encourage and support Albanian efforts to address any flaws and to strengthen the democratic process.

Kosovo

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the level of gun running into Kosovo from Bosnian sources. [19583]

Mr. MacShane: Arms have been smuggled into Kosovo from various sources, including a low level of trafficking from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In an effort to tackle this activity and strengthen law and order structures in Kosovo, in June 2001 the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) adopted legislation against the illegal possession of arms, illegal border crossings in and out of Kosovo, and terrorism. The United Kingdom strongly supports these measures.

Afghanistan

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the importance of the BBC World Service during the conflict in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [19975]

Mr. MacShane: Public service broadcasting is important at a time of international tension when millions of people around the world rely on the BBC's objective reporting. In response to the events of 11 September the BBC World Service has increased output in Persian, Pashto, Urdu and Arabic and mounted its longest-ever continuous news transmission in English. I welcome these enhancements. A survey carried out among Pashto and Persian-speaking male heads of household in Afghanistan before the crisis indicated that 71 per cent. of Pashto speakers and 62 per cent. of Persian speakers listened to the World Service weekly.

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Ministerial Visits

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries he has visited since 7 June. [20253]

Mr. Straw: I have visited 17 countries since 7 June, in a number of cases more than once.

Cuba

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Cuba. [20256]

Mr. MacShane: Britain has a good relationship with Cuba. Bilateral visits, trade links and exchanges in new areas of co-operation continue to develop. We are committed to a policy of constructive engagement with Cuba, based on critical dialogue and practical co-operation. Through our frank and open discussions we cover a wide range of issues of common interest, including human rights.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Decommissioning

4. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent progress has been made towards decommissioning. [18095]

Dr. John Reid: The IICD reported, on 23 October, that it had witnessed the IRA putting a quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives completely beyond use, in accordance with the decommissioning scheme and regulations.

It also undertook to continue its contact with the IRA in pursuit of its mandate.

19. Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in decommissioning of illegally held weapons and explosives since 23 October. [18112]

Jane Kennedy: In its report of 23 October the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning reported that it would be continuing its contact with the IRA representative in the pursuit of its mandate.

All paramilitary groups should now build on this very significant progress. The Good Friday Agreement committed all participants to the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations. This can only be achieved through the legal framework of the Decommissioning Commission.

23. Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding the progress made in decommissioning. [18116]

Jane Kennedy: The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning reported on 23 October that it had witnessed a quantity of IRA arms being put beyond use according to the terms of the decommissioning schemes and regulations. However, in the interest of furthering the process of putting all arms beyond use, the Commission declined to provide further details.

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All paramilitary groups should now build on this very significant progress. The Good Friday Agreement committed all participants to the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations. This can only be achieved through the legal framework of the Decommissioning Commission.

Criminal Justice Review

6. Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the criminal justice review. [18097]

10. Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the criminal justice review. [18103]

12. Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the criminal justice review. [18105]

27. Jean Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent action the Government have taken to improve confidence in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland. [18121]

Mr. Browne: We have published a draft Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill and an implementation plan to take forward the recommendations of the review of the criminal justice system. We are consulting on our response to the review and expect to introduce the legislation in this Session. Our response to the review marks another key step in implementing the Belfast Agreement.

This was the most important review of its kind to have been undertaken in Northern Ireland in the last 30 years. The criminal justice system has served the people of Northern Ireland well over many years, often in very difficult circumstances. The review is radical and progressive, maintaining the best of the old system while integrating applicable international concepts and practices.

I want to ensure that everyone interested in the future of criminal justice in Northern Ireland has adequate opportunity to have their say and to contribute to the effectiveness of our proposals. I am therefore extending the period of consultation by a further four weeks to 7 January 2001.

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