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Magistrates Courts

42. Mr. Randall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when she last met members of the lay magistracy. [81474]

Yvette Cooper: I last met members of the lay magistracy on 18 November 2002.

Courthouse, Colchester

44. Bob Russell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when she expects the new courthouse in Colchester will open. [81476]

Yvette Cooper: It is planned that the new courthouse in Colchester will be opened in early 2007.

Child Abduction

45. Mr. Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the actions taken by the Government to prevent child abduction from the UK. [81479]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Lord Chancellor's Department works closely with the other UK jurisdictions, the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Court Service and with other Government Departments, to prevent child abduction as far as possible. The Lord Chancellor's Department provides core funding to the charity Reunite—International Child Abduction Centre, which provides advice and support to parents in fear of, or who have suffered, the abduction of their child. The UK Government contribute towards the cost of their advice line, and are supporting initiatives for a prevention awareness campaign which will begin in England and Wales in March 2003.

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LCD provides the Secretariat for the Child Abduction Co-ordinating Group in which other Departments and agencies participate. The group promoted the change in passport regulations which means that a child has to have a separate passport, reducing the risk of a forged entry on a parent's passport being used to remove the child from the UK. The group meets quarterly and is looking at other action to raise awareness and prevent child abduction.

Provisions of the Children Act 1989 allow the courts to prohibit the removal of the child from the UK.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Death Penalty

56. Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will make a statement on the role of the Privy Council in relation to the use of the death penalty in a number of overseas territories. [81521]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the court of final appeal for 16 independent Commonwealth countries. When hearing appeals the Judicial Committee applies the law of the country from which the appeal comes. Most of the countries concerned retain the death penalty for certain offences and some cases that come before the Judicial Committee are appeals against conviction and/or sentence in capital cases. Over the years the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has played an important part in developing constitutional safeguards in relation to the imposition and execution of the death penalty in these countries and in helping to uphold the integrity of the criminal process.

Ministerial Committee on Biotechnology

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the President of the Council if he will make a statement on his work as Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Biotechnology. [81509]

Mr. Robin Cook: I chair the Ministerial Committee on Biotechnology (SCI(BIO)). Details on the membership of the Committee can be found on my Department's website at www.pco.gov.uk/output/Page67.asp. The Committee is a sub-committee of the Committee on Science Policy (SCI). It considers issues relating to biotechnology—including those arising from genetic modification, biotechnology in healthcare and genetic issues—and their economic impact; and reports as necessary to the Committee on Science Policy. Policy responsibility for the issues raised in the Committee rest in the main with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

SCOTLAND

Northern Lighthouse Board

7. Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she next intends to meet the commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board. [81446]

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Mrs. McGuire: Neither my right. hon. Friend nor I have any current plans to meet the Commissioners of the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Drugs

9. Mr. MacDougall : To ask the Secretary of Stat for Scotland what discussions she has recently had with the First Minister on the issue of drugs in Scotland; and if she will make a statement. [81448]

Mrs. Helen Liddell: I meet regularly with the First Minister and discuss a range of topics.

Fishing Industry

10. Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland to whom she has made recent representations regarding the fishing industry in Scotland. [81449]

Mrs. Helen Liddell: I have discussed issues concerning the Scottish fishing industry with my Government colleagues and with the Scottish Executive.

20. Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of prospects for employment in the Scottish fishing industry. [81459]

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the prospects for employment in the Scottish fishing industry. [81441]

Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), column 145.

Voluntary Sector

11. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps she is taking to engage with the voluntary sector in Scotland regarding employment. [81450]

Mrs McGuire: The voluntary sector plays a major role in the Government's Welfare to Work agenda. I am delighted to say that around 8,000 people in Scotland have participated in the voluntary sector option within the New Deal for Young People. I recently addressed the Support Training Action Group on the voluntary sector's role in supporting the Welfare to Work programme.

Rural Poverty

12. Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what policies she is promoting to end rural poverty. [81451]

Mrs. McGuire: The Government are committed to tacking poverty across all sectors of society, including those living in rural areas. We have introduced a number of measures, such as the Working Families Tax Credit, Children's Tax Credit, New Deal, National Minimum Wage and the Minimum Income Guarantee for pensioners, all of which complement rural initiatives taken by the Scottish Executive.

Inward Investment

13. Mr. Stephen O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she last met the Scottish Executive to discuss inward investment in Scotland. [81452]

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Mrs. McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Lady, the Member for Epping Forest (Mrs. Laing), at column 149.

Scottish Parliament

14. Mr. Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she will publish the results of her consultation on the size of the Scottish Parliament. [81453]

21. Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she will publish the results of her consultation on the size of the Scottish Parliament. [81460]

Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron), at column 143.

Scottish Economy

15. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the Scottish economy. [81454]

Mrs. Liddell: Despite uncertainty in the global economy the fundamentals of the Scottish economy are sound. The economy grew in the year to June 2002 in the face of an international downturn. Our labour market is healthy, while inflation and interest rates are low. Scotland shares the benefits of macroeconomic stability delivered by the Government while the Scottish Executive are able to exercise their devolved responsibilities to respond to local priorities and economic development opportunities.

19. Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the Scottish economy. [81458]

Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner).

Antisocial Behaviour

16. Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive regarding ways of combating anti-social behaviour through United Kingdom-wide legislation. [81455]

Mrs. McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with the Scottish Executive on a wide range of issues. The Government and the Scottish Executive are committed to combating anti-social behaviour through a range of appropriate measures.

Postal Services

17. Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions she has had with Postcomm regarding deregulation of postal services in Scotland. [81456]

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Mrs. McGuire: I recently attended and gave the closing address at a conference jointly organised by Postcomm and Postwatch, at which a wide range of postal matters affecting Scotland were discussed.

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