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European Accounts System
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the changes in the national accounts resulting from the new European system of accounts which will affect general Government expenditure; [27448]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the national accounts resulting from the European system of accounts on general Government expenditure. [27446]
Mr. Andrew Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. John Bercow, dated 15 January 2002:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions concerning the list of changes in the national accounts resulting in the new European System of Accounts which will effect general government expenditure and what assessment has been made of the effect of these changes. I am replying in his absence. (27446, 27448).
- These questions cannot be answered fully, partly because general government expenditure is not defined in the European System of Accounts (ESA) and is no longer published and partly because differences between the old and latest versions of the ESA are no longer estimated.
- Several publications in 1998, when the UK introduced the 1995 version of ESA, documented the changes made to the national accounts. One of these was the November 1998 Pre-Budget Report
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- (pages 123 to 125) which gave a full quantified description of the effect of introducing ESA on some of the common measures of public expenditure. Details were also given in the Office for National Statistics Blue Book and other publications published on 24 September 1998 and in an article in the July 1998 edition of Economic Trends. All these publications are available through the Library of the House.
Prospectus Directive
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he proposes to the draft European Union Prospectus Directive. [27487]
Ruth Kelly: The most important areas where we are proposing changes can be listed as follows:
- More appropriate definitions of "home state", "qualified investor", and "public offer";
Clarification of the scope for private and institutional placements under the directive;
Voluntary shelf registration and annual updating;
More appropriate disclosure requirements for professional products, SME issued securities, and third country based issuers;
An expanded list of exemptions; and
A more effective passport for pan-European issuers.
Public Service Agreement Target
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission independent research into the appropriateness of his Department's chosen public service agreement target. [27468]
Euro
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assistance has been made available to local authorities to issue the payment of bills or services in euros; and what plans he has to review the limit set for local authorities regarding collection of their income in non-sterling. [27664]
Ruth Kelly: Details of the Government's preparations for the introduction of euro cash in the euro area from 1 January 2002 are contained in the Fifth Report on Euro Preparations. There are no plans to issue additional guidance to local authorities at this stage.
PRIME MINISTER
Terrorism
Q11. Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with President Bush concerning the campaign against terrorism. [25667]
The Prime Minister: I am in regular contact with President Bush on a wide range of issues.
Lord Birt
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the projects worked upon by Lord Birt, pursuant to his recent appointment. [27534]
The Prime Minister: Lord Birt provides me and other Cabinet Ministers with long-term internal strategic analysis and policy thinking.
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Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2001, Official Report, column 819W, what qualities he identified in Lord Birt that led him to appoint him to analyse the country's transport problems. [27524]
The Prime Minister: As I said in my earlier answer, I appointed Lord Birt as unpaid strategy adviser because of his extensive experience of strategy formulation in both the public and private sectors.
Overseas Visits
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister on how many days in each month in 2001 he was out of the country other than on holiday; and on how many days he indicated to the Deputy Prime Minister that he would be abroad. [27525]
The Prime Minister: In 2001, I made the following overseas visits:
- 29 January—Germany
9 February—Anglo-French Summit, France
21–22 February—Canada
22–24 February—USA
22–24 March—European Council, Sweden
13 June NATO summit, Belgium
14–16 June—European Council, Sweden
20–22 July—G8 Summit, Italy
29 July-3 August—Jamaica, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
It is my practice to inform Cabinet colleagues about my overseas engagements.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Paramilitary Violence
4. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many punishment beatings, shootings and expulsions have been administered by the Provisional IRA over the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [25594]
Jane Kennedy: In the period 1 July to 31 December 2001 there were 146 paramilitary style attacks. Loyalist groups were responsible for 96 of these attacks (41 assaults and 55 shootings) and Republican groups for 50 attacks (15 assaults and 35 shootings). It is not always possible to attribute these attacks to any specific groupings.
18. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the number of terrorist incidents and beatings in the last six months. [25647]
Jane Kennedy: Terrorist activity during the past six months has remained at a significant level. The table provides a breakdown of the security related incidents during the last six months compared to the same period in 2000.
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| July-December 2000 | July-December 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of deaths as a result of the security situation | 13 | 9 |
| Number of shooting incidents | 188 | 186 |
| Number of bombing incidents | 95 | 229 |
| Number of casualties as a result of paramilitary style assaults | 64 | 55 |
| Number of casualties as a result of paramilitary style shootings | 74 | 90 |
Police Co-operation
5. Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the co-operation between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Síochána. [25595]
Dr. John Reid: On 13 December, the Government issued a timetable for the implementation of Patten's recommendations on north/south policing co-operation. The British and Irish Governments have been working closely together to make progress, building on the existing good co-operation between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Síochána. The practical benefits of joint operations can be seen in a recent example of co-operation between law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border which resulted in nine people being charged with offences relating to the smuggling and laundering of fuel.
Security Situation
6. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he plans to meet Sinn Fein's hon. Members to discuss the security situation. [25596]
Jane Kennedy: We hold regular meetings with all the political parties in Northern Ireland in which a range of issues including security matters are discussed. Any request for a meeting from Sinn Fein will be considered like any other request received from a political party.
Police Ombudsman
7. Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many investigators employed by the police ombudsman have experience in the investigation of terrorist-related crime. [25599]
Dr. John Reid: The police ombudsman has advised that 17 of the investigators employed by her office have experience in the investigation of terrorist-related crime.
Golden Jubilee Medal
8. David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many serving police officers in Northern Ireland will be entitled to receive the Golden Jubilee medal. [25600]
Dr. John Reid: It is estimated that 9,423 police officers will have completed five years' service on 6 February 2002 and will be eligible to receive the Golden Jubilee medal.
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