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PRIME MINISTER

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Shepherd: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer of 29 January 2003, Official Report, column 875, on reducing the number of asylum applications, whether the Government have decided fundamentally to look at the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. [111423]

The Prime Minister: As I said in the House on 29 January 2003, if measures that we have introduced do not dramatically reduce the number of asylum applications, we are prepared to go further, including fundamentally looking at our obligations under the European convention on human rights. I remain confident that current measures will halve the intake by September 2003.

We also continue to work with the UNHCR and others to make the Refugee Convention operate more effectively. The Home Secretary presented the United Kingdom's ideas for new international approaches to asylum processing and refugee protection to his EU counterparts on 28 March 2003. This international work is complemented by domestic measures which provide protection to those who need it but deal robustly with abusive claims.

Russian Federation

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if, during his meeting with President Putin of Russia on 29 April 2003, he raised the issue of the assistance the United Kingdom is providing to the Russian Federation to manage its surplus military plutonium stockpile. [111705]

The Prime Minister: My talks with President Putin focused on Iraq, the importance of rebuilding the international consensus and working together with Russia and others to deal with the humanitarian and reconstruction issues as well as the need to transfer authority to the Iraqi people as quickly as possible. The issue was not raised.

Security

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister how many documents are held by his office that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification. [107346]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave him today.

Telephone Tapping

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Wilson doctrine applying to tapping the telephones of hon. Members includes Members who have not taken the Oath. [112055]

The Prime Minister: The position is as I informed the House on 19 December 2001, Official Report, column 367W, and confirmed last Wednesday, 30 April 2003 in an oral reply. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, Lord Bassam, confirmed on 27 September 2000, Official Report,

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column 137W, that this policy extended to Members of the House of Lords. It applies to all Members of Parliament.

With this long-standing exception in relation to Members of Parliament, it remains the normal policy of the Government neither to confirm nor deny allegations in respect of interception matters.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Civil Service (People with Disabilities)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Department. [110515]

Dr. John Reid: The Privy Council Office is fully committed to working towards increasing the numbers of staff with disabilities in all levels, including senior management, although as a small department these posts are limited.

The Department's recruitment of senior posts ensures that Civil Service rules were followed and that the appointments were made on the basis of fair and open competition.

Future vacancies at this level will be advertised using current best practice to attract staff with disabilities and others from under represented groups.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Iraq

6. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on debt relief for Iraq. [111521]

Clare Short: Iraq has a serious debt problem as well as considerable compensation claims. We support the IMF's efforts to assess Iraq's economic needs. We also welcome the recent announcement by the Paris Club that they stand ready to engage. As a first step, Paris Club creditors, including the UK, have agreed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of Iraq's debts. They will review debt sustainability further in the coming months.

8. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on delivering humanitarian aid to Iraq. [111523]

Ms Keeble: My Department has had regular discussions with EU colleagues at official and ministerial level to talk about humanitarian aid to Iraq. The EU is providing 100 million euros of emergency aid.

13. Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on reconstruction in Iraq. [111528]

Clare Short: The Geneva Convention and the Hague Regulations impose obligations on occupying powers to provide for humanitarian needs, keep order and to keep the civil administration operating. The Office for

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Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) has a leading responsibility for the fulfilment of these requirements.

Once there is a UN mandate for reconstruction the UK, the international community and in particular the international financial institutions will be able to engage in reconstruction needs in Iraq. World bank and International Monetary Fund economic and social needs assessments will begin in the coming weeks. Our engagement will reflect the needs highlighted in these assessments.

14. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the humanitarian relief programme in Iraq. [111529]

Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Fife (Mr. MacDougall) earlier today (PQ 111519).

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to her answers of 27 March 2003, Official Report, columns 353–54W, on broadcasting and cultural services, what measures she is taking to reconstruct (a) broadcasting and (b) cultural services in Iraq. [110835]

Clare Short: As I said on 27 March 2003, a UN mandate for reconstruction is a legal requirement for UK involvement in significant reform of Iraqi institutions. Iraq's reconstruction needs will be substantial and it is too soon to determine specific allocations.

In the interim, we are supporting the BBC's World Service Trust which broadcasts an Arabic language programme, entitled 'Calling Iraq', from Cyprus. The programme focuses on humanitarian issues such as food, health, water and education.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assessment her Department has carried out of whether schemes similar to UNTAC's Operation Paymaster could be implemented in an interim Administration in Iraq; [111059]

(2) whether the Government (a) are partly to and (b) have been involved in negotiations to ensure that the wages of civil servants are guaranteed in an interim Administration established in Iraq. [111061]

Clare Short: DFID has made no assessment of whether a scheme similar to UNTAC's Operation Paymaster could be implemented in an interim Iraqi Administration.

The Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) is currently paying some Iraqi public sector workers to keep the civil Administration running. ORHA and others are currently reviewing the most appropriate manner in which to pay public sector workers and hope to implement a sustainable and equitable system nationwide as soon as possible.

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the needs of Iraq's civil servants in order to establish a working civil service in the country. [111062]

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Clare Short: The Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) and the military, are currently assessing the needs of Iraq's civil servants and how best to get Iraq's Administration back up and running.

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to ensure the involvement of women and women's groups in the reconstruction of Iraq. [111165]

Clare Short: DFID will strive to ensure women are included in all phases and levels of reconstruction in Iraq. We must help Iraqi women to secure the gains they have achieved and ensure that women's rights are a central part of Iraq's post-war agenda. We are discussing these issues with our partners, including the UN.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made on the incidences of (a) cholera and (b) other diseases related to polluted water sources in Iraqi cities following the invasions of Iraq. [111236]

Clare Short: On 27 April 2003, the UN Office of the Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq (UNOHCI) reported that the health situation in Iraq in general was stable. The number of diarrhoea cases was within normally expected limits.

On 6 May 2003, the World Health Organisation reported seven cases of cholera in Basra and is monitoring the situation.

Most agency assessments are available from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) website at: www.agoodplacetostart.org

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of how long existing food stocks will last without replenishment in (a) northern, (b) central and (c) southern Iraq. [111699]

Clare Short: World Food Programme (WFP) reports indicate that the amount of food distributed by the Oil for Food Programme (OFF) prior to the start of the conflict varies by region. WFP is currently in discussion with Iraq's Ministry of Trade and OFF Public Distribution System officials to ascertain the levels of food pre-positioned at local level.

WFP estimates that existing family food stocks could begin running out soon. The WFP has pipeline stocks for May and June 2003, although there are shortages of some commodities. On 24 April 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend provisions of resolution 1472 from 12 May until 3 June 2003. This enables the UN to process those existing orders under the Oil for Food (OFF) programme which can be dispatched to Iraq by 3 June 2003. Outside of OFF, WFP are also procuring some foodstuffs from the region. They are aiming to build up supplies similar to those previously supplied by the Oil for Food Programme (480,000 tonnes of food per month) as soon as possible. Meanwhile, food continues to be distributed through the OFF Public Distribution System wherever possible.

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Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether it is her policy that Iraqi money held in United Nations Accounts should be used to help cover the operational costs and administrative expenses of the new food distribution programme in Iraq; and whether she plans to cap these costs. [111700]

Clare Short: It will be important to get food distribution re-established as soon as possible. 16 million Iraqis depended on the Oil for Food Programme before the conflict. We are working with the UN's Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to achieve this.

On 24 April 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend provisions of resolution 1472 from 12 May until 3 June 2003. This enables the UN to process those existing orders under the Oil for Food (OFF) programme, which can be dispatched to Iraq by 3 June 2003. UNSCR 1472 permits use of UN escrow account funds for some operational aspects of OFF.

Early indications suggest that the distribution network has, in those provinces that have been assessed, survived the conflict. It has been reported that many food agents want to resume work and have been reporting to distribution centres. The WFP and OIP, in conjunction with the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, are investigating how best to reactivate the OFF public distribution system.

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