---

11 Mar 2003 : Column 160W—continued

Sinn Fein-IRA

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on investigations and legal proceedings

11 Mar 2003 : Column 161W

against members of Sinn Fein and the Provisional IRA for activities related to FARC in Colombia since 1998. [101944]

Mr. MacShane: It would not be appropriate to comment on an on-going investigation or legal proceedings, including those against non-British nationals.

United Nations

Mr. Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcomes of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons Meeting of States Parties in December 2002, with particular reference to the issue of explosive remnants of war. [101293]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The States Parties to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons agreed at their meeting in December 2002 to negotiate an instrument to reduce the humanitarian risks posed by Explosive Remnants of War. The UK played an active role in efforts to secure this decision at this meeting and the preparatory work carried out by the Group of Governmental Experts throughout the preceding year. The UK will continue to participate in this group as negotiations progress, and we hope States Parties will be able to reach agreement on the text of an instrument by the end of 2003. We also look forward to continued discussions on the parallel issue of Mines Other than Anti-Personnel Mines, as also mandated by the December 2002 meeting of States Parties.

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the extant resolutions of the United Nations, indicating the measures taken by Her Majesty's Government to secure compliance with each one. [101407]

Mr. Rammell: The resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly are listed on the UN website (www.un.org). The very large number of resolutions (e.g. 300 from the General Assembly in 2002 alone) makes it impractical to comment in detail on the follow up to each without incurring disproportionate cost. Nonetheless the Government seek to ensure compliance with all UN Security Council resolutions.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Private Clubs (Sex Discrimination)

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Minister for Women what recent research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated which assesses discriminatory treatment experienced by women at private members' clubs open to both men and women. [102259]

Ms Hewitt: There has been no formal assessment of discriminatory treatment experienced by women members of mixed sex private clubs.

We have consulted interested parties. For example, the Club and Institute Union (CIU), which represents over two million club members, and to which the vast majority of "working men's clubs" belong, reports that of their 2,680 clubs, some 60 per cent. still deny their female members full rights.

11 Mar 2003 : Column 162W

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Accounting and Audit Failures

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will appoint inspectors to investigate the accounting and audit failures at (a) My Travel, (b) RBG Resources and (c) Slug and Lettuce. [100744]

Miss Melanie Johnson: If my hon. Friend will send me any evidence in support of his requests to appoint inspectors to My Travel Group Plc and SFI Group Plc and its subsidiary, the Slug and Lettuce Group Ltd., I will consider it.

The Serious Fraud Office announced in May 2002 that it is investigating RBG Resources plc. This Department would not normally duplicate those inquiries.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will initiate an investigation into accounting failures at Amey. [100754]

Miss Melanie Johnson: If my hon. Friend will send me any evidence in support of his request to appoint inspectors, I will consider it.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will appoint inspectors to investigate accounting irregularities acknowledged by Cable and Wireless. [100954]

Miss Melanie Johnson: If my hon. Friend will send me any evidence in support of his request to appoint inspectors, I will consider it.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when DTI inspectors were appointed to investigate the affairs of Queens Moat Houses; when the report was published; what the report cost; and what regulatory action was taken against the auditors. [100829]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Inspectors were appointed to investigate the affairs of Queens Moat Houses plc (QMH) under section 432(2) of the Companies Act 1985 on 12 November 1993. The inspectors submitted a report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under section 177 of the Financial Services Act 1986 on 30 September 1997. Such reports are not published and are subject to severe disclosure restrictions. Following submission of the section 177 report, on 12 June 1998, the Accountants' Joint Disciplinary Scheme (JDS) announced an investigation. Following JDS tribunals, three former QMH directors have been excluded from the ICAEW:

Maurice Hard, a former partner in QMH's former auditors, Bird Luckin and a non-executive director of QMH

David Hersey, former finance director

Allan Porter, former deputy finance director.

The JDS has announced that tribunals as regards Bird Luckin, and a partner in Bird Luckin, Alan Radford FCA are to be convened. Martin Marcus, former deputy chairman of QMH, has appealed against the JDS tribunal decision as regards him.

11 Mar 2003 : Column 163W

Additionally, proceedings have been brought on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under section 8 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. These have resulted in disqualification orders of 8 and 7 years respectively being made in July 2000 against David Hersey and Allan Porter and an undertaking not to act as a director for a period of 10 years being given by Martin Marcus in December 2001. Defended disqualification proceedings against John Bairstow, the former chairman of QMH, continue.

It is expected that the inspectors will submit their final report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in the near future. The cost of the investigation to 1 December 2002 was £7.3 million.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will appoint inspectors to investigate the accounting errors at RBG Resources. [100955]

Miss Melanie Johnson: If my hon. Friend will send me any evidence in support of his requests to appoint inspectors to My Travel Group Plc and SFI Group Plc and its subsidiary, the Slug and Lettuce Group Limited, I will consider it.

The Serious Fraud Office announced in May 2002 that it is investigating RBG Resources Plc. This Department would not normally duplicate those enquiries.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when DTI inspectors were appointed to investigate the affairs of Resort Hotels; when the report was published; what the report cost; and what regulatory action was taken against auditors. [100981]

Miss Melanie Johnson: There has been no appointment of inspectors under the Companies Act and therefore no publishable report.

Further to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) to my hon. Friend's question on 8 July 1997, Official Report, column 414, where he referred to the inquiry by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, I can confirm that following an investigation by the Accountants' Joint Disciplinary Scheme ("JDS") and subsequent JDS Tribunals, in January 2001, Mr. Roland Peter Lewis FCA, former Finance Director of Resort Hotels plc ("Resort"), was severely reprimanded and fined £15,000 and in February 2001, the former auditors of Resort, Coopers and Lybrand, were fined £100,000 and a former Coopers and Lybrand partner, Alun Thomas FCA, was fined £5,000 and severely reprimanded.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will appoint inspectors to investigate the accounting failures at Swiss Life. [100831]

11 Mar 2003 : Column 164W

Miss Melanie Johnson: If my hon. Friend will send me any evidence in support of his requests to appoint inspectors, I will consider it.

Export Credit Guarantees

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries have been carried out each year since 1995 to check whether export credit guarantees cover has not been offered on commissions. [95681]

Ms Hewitt: It is not clear what form of inquiry my hon. Friend refers. If he cares to write to me with details I will consider the points he raises.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when her Department's inspectors were appointed to investigate the affairs of Polly Peck; when the report was published; what the report cost; and what regulatory action was taken against auditors. [100982]

Miss Melanie Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State did not appoint inspectors to investigate the affairs of Polly Peck.

---