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PRIME MINISTER

Anglo-French Summit

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the proposal outlined at the recent Anglo-French summit for an inter-governmental defence capabilities development and acquisition agency; and when he anticipates the agency coming into operation. [98522]

The Prime Minister: In the Defence Working Group of the Convention on the Future of Europe, the United Kingdom proposed that an intergovernmental EU agency should be established to help improve European military capabilities.

At the Le Touquet summit, France and the United Kingdom agreed to promote a co-ordinated approach to capability development through the establishment of a European defence capabilities development and acquisition agency. A copy of the Summit Communique, which outlines the envisaged functions of the agency, has been placed in the Library of the House.

The agency's efforts would complement and reinforce NATO capability improvement work, and should generate better targeted, and more cost-effective capabilities for European Security and Defence Policy.

If the proposal is agreed, the new treaty which is currently being drawn up for consideration at the Intergovernmental Conference in late 2003 or early 2004 would include an article providing for the establishment

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of such an agency. The new treaty will be subject to ratification before coming into force although some elements might be put in place beforehand.

Computer Crime

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Prime Minister how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department recorded in 2001–02; and on how many occasions computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers (i) within and (ii) outside his Department. [97568]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 14 February, Official Report.

Gulf Forces

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister whether forces deploying to the Gulf have adopted uniform rules of engagement. [98164]

The Prime Minister: Details of rules of engagement are not routinely disclosed because they could give a potential enemy information about the permissions and restrictions imposed on our forces. As we have said many times, the Government are committed to acting in full conformity with International Law. Our rules of engagement will reflect this.

Iraq

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister which minister gave final approval for the publication of the UK dossier on Iraq of September 2002. [98371]

The Prime Minister: This was a Government document cleared in the normal way.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister what provisional plan he has made for the care of children in Iraq in the event of armed conflict. [98442]

The Prime Minister: Children in Iraq are already vulnerable. In the centre and south of Iraq, under-five mortality rates are 131 per 1,000 live births—worse than the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Mozambique. The situation is particularly bad in the centre and south of Iraq where conditions have been deteriorating since the 1980s. The situation in the North, which is subject to UN sanctions but not ruled by Saddam Hussein, is less serious with the under-five mortality rate of 72 per 1000 live births.

The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of the efforts of the international community to improve the humanitarian situation in Iraq. Aside from our role in the UN, UK assistance to Iraq continues both bilaterally and through the EC. Since 1991 the UK has provided over £100 million for humanitarian work. The Department for International Development's ongoing programme expects to spend £8 million this financial year.

We are holding regular discussions with the UN, US and others about ways to minimise the suffering of the Iraqi people, including in the possible event of military action. One key priority will be to re-establish the Oil For Food distribution network as quickly as possible if it is disrupted. In addition to DFID's ongoing programme

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we are also providing £3.5 million funding for humanitarian contingency planning and prepositioning of basic supplies by UN agencies, including UNICEF and UNHCR.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister if he will cite the references for statements which are not obtained directly from intelligence sources in his dossiers of evidence of Iraq's involvement in terror and weapons of mass destruction. [98861]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend (Llew Smith) Member for Blaenau Gwent on Monday 10 February, Official Report, column 583W.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on matters discussed and decisions taken during his meeting with the heads of the UNMOVIC and IAEA inspection teams on 6 February. [98498]

The Prime Minister: We had a general discussion about the progress of weapon inspections in Iraq.

Online Sales/Purchases

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Prime Minister what (a) products, (b) goods and (c) services were (i) bought online and (ii) sold by his Department in each of the last five years. [97475]

The Prime Minister: My Office does not have any on-line buying arrangements at present.

Security and Intelligence Agencies

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister what weaknesses of control in 2001–02 were identified in the security and intelligence agencies in those areas which do not comply fully with generally accepted accounting practice or the requirements of the Resource Accounting Manual; what the consequences were, including in terms of financial loss; what is being done in 2002–03 to address these weaknesses; and if he will make a statement. [98161]

The Prime Minister: It is a long-standing Government policy not to make public information relating to the accounts of the individual security and intelligence agencies. Such information is outside the scope of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information" (paragraph 6 of part 1). The full details of individual Agency accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General's opinions on them are available to the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and to the Intelligence and Security Committee, who are able to scrutinise the detailed accounts on Parliament's behalf.

Parliament has already been informed that the Comptroller and Auditor General qualified his opinion on 2001–02 resource accounts of the Government Communications Headquarters, saying that he was "unable to obtain all the information and explanations that [he] considered necessary regarding the valuation of certain fixed assets, prepayments and related figures in

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the accounts" (HC368 of 30 January 2003, page 6). This is not a new problem and was addressed in the Intelligence and Security Committee's last Annual Report (Cm 5542) and the Government's response (Cm 5543). The Government continues to take this problem seriously, and the Director of GCHQ and Sir David Omand are taking steps to improve the situation. This shortcoming in the accounts has not had any impact on GCHQ's operations. There is no evidence that this problem, has led to any material financial loss.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister what weaknesses of control in 2001–02 were identified in the security and intelligence agencies in the areas of (a) asset management, (b) management of consultants, (c) suspense accounts, (d) records management, (e) management information and (f) contract management; what the consequences were, with particular regard to financial loss; what is being done in 2002–03 to address these weaknesses; and if he will make a statement. [98162]

The Prime Minister: It is long-standing Government policy not to make public information relating to the accounts of the individual security and intelligence Agencies. Such information is outside the scope of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information" (paragraph 6 of part 1). The six areas identified here, which have been made public (in HC368 of 30 January 2003, page 5) are drawn from the Agencies' individual statements of internal control, the full details of which are available to the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and to the Intelligence and Security Committee. On the matter of the shortcomings in GCHQ's management of assets and the Government's determination to correct these, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him today. Weaknesses in the other areas mentioned were of a smaller scale and steps have already been taken to improve control in these areas. There is no evidence that any of these weaknesses have led to material financial loss and there has been no impact on the Agencies' operational effectiveness.

Thames Gateway

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Prime Minister what the (a) terms of reference for and (b) members of the new cabinet sub-committee on the Thames Gateway are; and if he will make a statement. [98613]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made on 6 February 2003, Official Report, column 19WMS.

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