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Timber

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities which (a) have responded to the Environment Minister's letter on timber procurement from 19 September 2002, (b) have confirmed that they have policies to ensure that all timber purchased is from legal and sustainable sources and (c) do not have policies to ensure timber procurement from legal and sustainable sources; and what percentage of local authorities have taken action under (a), (b) and (c). [89078]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 8 January 2003]: My letter of 19 September 2002 asked chief executives of local authorities in England to pledge their support to a commitment to purchase timber from legal and sustainably managed sources, and to put in place the necessary procedures to ensure its effective implementation. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet (Colin Burgon) on 28 July 2000, Official Report, column 947W, on how Central Government sets its policy.

Replies have been received from the following local authorities: Basingstoke and Deane, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Braintree, Bristol, Broadland, Buckinghamshire, Bury, Calderdale, Camden, Chelmsford, Chichester, Copeland, Cornwall, Cotsworld, Derbyshire, East Cambridgeshire, East Lindsey, East Staffordshire, East Sussex, Eastbourne, Eastleigh, Epping Forest, Fareham, Gateshead, Gloucester, Gosport, Hampshire, Harlow, Harrogate, Harrow, Hart, Havant, Huntingdonshire, Kensington and Chelsea, Kent, Kerrier, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lewes, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Malvern Hills, Manchester, Mansfield, Melton, New Forest, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Norfolk, North Devon, North Shropshire, North Somerset, Northumberland, Purbeck, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmondshire, Rochdale, Salford, Sheffield, Shepway, South Oxfordshire, South Ribble, South Somerset, South Staffordshire, St. Albans, St. Edmundsbury, Staffordshire, Stockport, Swindon, Tandridge, Tendring, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Wandsworth, Wellingborough, West Lindsey, Westminster, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worcestershire, Wyre Forest and Yorkshire.

The 88 authorities that replied represent 23 per cent. of the 387 written to. Of those that replied, 46 (52 per cent.) confirmed they had policies in place, and 36 (41 per cent.) were either putting or considering putting policies in place. Some of the respondents, however, did not specifically stipulate that timber should be sourced from both legal and sustainably managed sources. Six (7 per cent.) were using other strategies such as procuring through regional buying consortiums that had sustainable procurement policies in place. The information received is now over three months old and, therefore, it is possible that more of these authorities will now have policies in place.

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I am in the process of writing again to request a response from those that did not reply. I will be updating them on progress being made by the Government on implementing its policy and stressing the importance we place on them declaring their position.

Waste Disposal Plants

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she sets county councils when deciding on permission for waste disposal plants. [93123]

Mr. Meacher: Guidance on the siting of waste management facilities is provided in Planning Policy Guidance Note 10 'Planning and waste Management', which was published by the then DETR in September 1999. Applications for planning permission have to be decided in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise, including taking account of national and regional policy and planning guidance.

PRIME MINISTER

Entertainment

Mr. Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92416]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1444–48W.

For 2001–02, the total cost of official entertainment to my Office at 10 Downing Street and Chequers was £53,050.

Information prior to 1997–98 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Press Releases

Mr. Laws: To ask the Prime Minister how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each (a) year and (b) quarter from 1995–96 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92419]

The Prime Minister: Information on the number of press releases issued by my Office is given in the table.

	Number of press notices
1997 (from 1 May)	86
1998	143
1999	138
2000	129
2001	120
2002	114

The majority of press releases issued by my Office relate to appointments. The numbers do not include my speeches or statements made to the House.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cayman Islands

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Leader of the Government of the Cayman Islands and (b) the Cayman Islands Financial Reporting Unit on money laundering. [92842]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My noble Friend Baroness Amos, Overseas Territories Minister, is in close touch with the Leader of Government Business in the Cayman Islands. They spoke most recently on 20 January.

There have been no Ministerial discussions with the Financial Reporting Unit (FRU) in the Cayman Islands.

Computer Misuse

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last five years, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. [93053]

Mr. Rammell: I regret that the detailed information requested is not available. But over the last five years disciplinary action has been taken in the following cases:

1999—Two cases of browsing inappropriate Internet sites


1999—One case of downloading pornographic material


2001—Two cases of browsing inappropriate Internet sites


2001—One case of using offensive language in an e-mail.

Convention on the Future of Europe

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government supports the Franco-German proposals for the President of the European Commission to be elected by the European Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [93621]

Mr. MacShane: The Government welcomes the French and German joint contribution to the Convention on the Future of Europe. We are studying their proposal for the President of the European Commission to be elected by the European Parliament and I am holding consultations with other EU partners on what is, at this stage, merely one of many proposals put to the convention.

Cyprus

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role the British Government are playing in the negotiations to unify the island of Cyprus. [92958]

Mr. MacShane: We fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his special adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto. The Government believe that a crucial opportunity has now arisen for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement in Cyprus. While it is for the two sides in Cyprus to agree on the details of a settlement, we strongly urge the parties to

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reach agreement, based on the UN Secretary-General's 10 December 2002 proposals, by the UN deadline of 28 February.

This would enable referenda to be held on both sides of the island and a reunited Cyprus to sign the Treaty of Accession with the EU on 16 April. Our aim remains for a reunited island to accede to the EU. We believe this is in the best interests of Cyprus, of Greece and Turkey, and of the wider European community.

This is a vital opportunity: we urge the two sides not to let it slip away.

We have taken every opportunity to convey these points to the parties. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary expressed these points to Turkish Ministers at the Copenhagen European Council. The Defence Secretary did likewise during his visit to Ankara on 8 January.

The UK Special Representative for Cyprus, Lord Hannay, will visit Athens and Nicosia this week, and Ankara at the beginning of February, in order to help facilitate negotiations at this crucial time.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect Cyprus' accession to the EU will have on the status of the British sovereign bases on the island. [92993]

Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 10 December 2002, Official Report, column 10WS, and to the answer given in another place by my noble Friend Baroness Symons on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 123.

The UK's policy is that, following Cyprus's accession, the SBAs should remain outside the EU, with technical adjustments to ensure the continued smooth functioning of the relationship between Cyprus and the SBAs. We expect final agreement to take the form of a protocol which will be part of the terms of Cyprus's accession. The accession treaty is due to be signed on 16 April, and a Bill introduced to enable its ratification by the UK.

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