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International Criminal Court

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the International Criminal Court.[48828]

Mr. Straw: This is an historic day or international justice and for the human rights of every citizen of the world. Today, at the United Nations in New York, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ireland, Mongolia, Romania and Slovakia deposited their instruments of ratification to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). These ratifications

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bring to 63 the number of states to have committed themselves to this landmark Convention and therefore activates the Statute, which will enter into force on 1 July 2002.

The ICC will try those individuals accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, irrespective of their rank or position. In future, tyrants will know that their actions are not beyond the reach of international justice. The victims of their crimes will, for the first time, be able to look forward to the prospect of real justice. The culture of impunity, which has shrouded human rights violations for too long, will be over.

This government has always been an enthusiastic supporter of the Court. It is our belief that the global rule of law is stronger than the local rule of tyrants. We played a major part in drafting the Statute, and worked hard to secure the passage of the International Criminal Court Act through this Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, to enable us to be amongst the first 60 states to ratify. I pay tribute to my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook), and to all those who have worked to see establishment of the ICC.

The ICC will be a permanent court acting as a permanent deterrent for all potential tyrants. In time, this will be the law which transcends borders and embodies global values. As ever with all institutions of the law, its practice will be as important as its founding principles. We are committed to ensuring that it does its job fairly and impartially. We hope shortly to nominate a British candidate to be one of the judges of the Court.

Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

Project Sponsorship

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of his Department's projects have received sponsorship since 1997, including (a) details of the sponsor, (b) the nature of the project, (c) the date of the project, (d) the total cost of the project and (e) the amount of money involved in the sponsorship deal. [48404]

Mr. MacShane: In line with the Government's commitment in its response to the Sixth Report form the Committee on Standards in Public Life, details of individual amounts of sponsorship valued at more than £5,000 will be disclosed in departmental Annual Reports.

Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Criminal Damage

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost has been of criminal damage to her Department's buildings in each of the last four years. [44832]

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The Solicitor-General [holding reply 25 March 2002]: In relation to my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, so far as I am aware, there have been no instances of criminal damage to the Department's building in each of the last four years.

In relation to those Departments for which the Attorney General is responsible, details are as follows:

Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a database in respect of incidents or costs arising from criminal damage to its buildings. The Crown Prosecution Service could not obtain such information without incurring disproportionate cost.

Treasury Solicitor's Department

None of the Treasury Solicitor's Department's premises have suffered criminal damage over the last four years.

Serious Fraud Office

The Serious Fraud Office has not suffered any criminal damage over the last four years.

New Deal

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor General how many people employed by her Department under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseekers' allowance or other benefits. [45091]

The Solicitor-General: My Own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, is a small one and the staff are all seconded from other Government Departments. It has not, therefore employed any staff under the New Deal schemes during the last four years.

In the Departments for which the Attorney General is responsible, details are as follows:

Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service has not employed anyone specifically under the New Deal for Young People scheme over the last four years.

However, two people within the Young People scheme age group were employed by the Department under a general New Deal recruitment scheme. Both employees were placed on one year fixed term contracts (unsubsidised). One person was released after a couple of months, as the outcome of the pre-employment enquiries proved unsatisfactory. It is not known whether this person returned to claim jobseekers' allowance or any other benefits. The second person resigned after a year to commence a college course.

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Treasury Solicitor's Department The Treasury Solicitor's Department has never specifically allocated vacancies to be filled by New Deal applicants, although where the Department has recruited at Administrative Officer level and below, it has always circulated these vacancies on the New Deal Network, through the local Job Centre.

Two Support Grade Band 2s were recruited in May 2000, who were New Deal registered. These employees were offered permanent posts from the outset and therefore no subsidies were claimed.

Serious Fraud Office

The Serious Fraud Office has not employed any staff under the New Deal Schemes during the last four years.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor General, what recent assessment she had made of whether the PSA target to increase by March from 93 per cent. to 100 per cent. the proportion of prosecution witness expenses sent no later than 10 working days from receipt of a correctly completed claim form will be met. [47813]

The Solicitor General [holding answer 10 April 2002]: Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Law Officers' 2002 Departmental Report.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Contracts

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contracts were let by her Department and agencies for which she is responsible to (a) PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen for consultancy services for the financial years (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–00, (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available, indicating the remuneration in each case.[33847]

Ms Hewitt: Information from the Department's systems indicate that contracts let by core DTI to PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers are as follows:

PricewaterhouseCoopers

No. contractsTotal value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 20009354,657
1 April 2000 to 31 March 200116636,623
1 April 2001 to 4 January 200213870,199

Contracts let by core DTI to Ernst & Young are as follows:


Ernst & Young

No. contractsTotal value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 20003407,165
1 April 2000 to 31 March 200158829,043
1 April 2001 to 4 January 200210879,679

Contracts let by core DTI to Deloitte & Touche are as follows:


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Deloitte & Touche

No. contractsTotal value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 200061,265,252
1 April 2000 to 31 March 200161,839,428
1 April 2001 to 4 January 200244,489,189

Contracts let by core DTI to KPMG are as follows:


KPMG

No. contractsTotal value £
1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000111,642
1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001430,009
1 April 2001 to 4 January 2002392,131

Information is not held centrally for the earlier years and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

For contracts let to Andersen I would refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr on 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 62W where exceptionally information was given for earlier years.

The Department's Executive Agencies will be responding separately.

Rebo


Letter from Dr. J. W. Llewellyn to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:


Letter from David Irwin to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:


Letter from Chris de Grouchy to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:



    In the absence of the Chief Executive, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency to your Parliamentary Question about contracts let to various companies.
    In 1999–2000 the Agency let one contract to KPMG. Remuneration for the work amounted to £1,522,460 ex-VAT.

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Letter from Dr. Roger Heathcote to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:



    You tabled a Parliamentary Question on 4 February 2002 to Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, concerning how many contracts were let by her Department and agencies for which she is responsible to (a) PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen for consultancy services for the financial years (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–2000, (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available, indicating the remuneration made in each case.
    The Employment Tribunals Service awarded one contract to Deloitte & Touche for (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available. The remuneration made was as follows:
    Financial year 2000–01 payment of £21,319.20 was made on 22 February 2001;
    Financial year 2001–02 payment of £10,184.90 was made on 12 April 2001; and
    Financial year 2001–02 payment of £21,576.53 was made on 19 July 2001.
    The Employment Tribunals Service awarded this contract to Deloitte & Touche as a result of a competitive tender. The contract was funded from the Civil Service Reform Fund and both the work and payment spanned the financial years 2000–01 and 2001–02.

Letter from John Holden to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:



    I refer to your written Parliamentary Question 2001/2674. I have been asked to respond for Companies House.
    A contract was let to PricewaterhouseCoopers in June 1998, via a mini-competition using SCAT suppliers, for consultancy advice related to procurement of a Millennium-compliant accounting system, at a cost of £127K.

Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:



    The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question as to how many contracts were let by The Insolvency Service to (a) PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Ernst & Young, (c) Deloitte & Touche, (d) KPMG and (e) Andersen for consultancy services for the financial years (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99, (iii) 1999–00, (iv) 2000–01 and (v) 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available, indicating the remuneration made in each case.
    The Insolvency Service has had no consultancy contracts with these firms during the specified years.

Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Don Foster, dated 11 April 2002:



    I am replying on behalf of the Patent Office to your Parliamentary Question 2674 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry relating to contracts let to PWC Consulting or PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte & Touche, KPMG and Andersen for consultancy services for each of the financial years from 1997 to 2001.
    No contracts have been let by the Patent Office to any of the above for consultancy services in any of the financial years from 1997 to 2001. Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02


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