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Unexploded Ordnance

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the (a) quantity, (b) spread and (c) location of (i) mines, (ii) unexploded cluster bomb submunitions and (iii) unexploded conventional munitions in Iraq; what efforts are (A) planned and (B) underway to locate, defuse and remove these munitions; and if he will make a statement. [133319]

Mr. Ingram: The provision of a safe, secure and risk free environment for the Iraqi people is a key aspect of restoration activity for all members of the International Coalition in Iraq. The United Kingdom takes seriously its obligations as a member of that coalition to deal with unexploded ordnance. Unexploded ordnance in Iraq includes munitions from the Iran-Iraq war, mines laid by Iraqi forces, stores of ammunition and other ordnance left by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces as well as ordnance fired or dropped by both sides during recent hostilities.

Since the end of major combat operations UK and other Coalition forces have been engaged in clearing sites containing unexploded ordnance. In the UK's area of responsibility an average of about 45 new sites have been discovered each week. Whenever a site is discovered UK forces mark the site and inform those in the vicinity. The munitions are then recovered or destroyed as soon as resources permit. To date around 1,600 sites have been cleared, containing about 619,000 munitions. We do not record individual types of munitions cleared.

We are not in a position to comment on progress made in other areas of Iraq by our coalition partners.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the (a) quantity, (b) spread and (c) location of (i) mines, (ii) unexploded cluster bomb submunitions and (iii) unexploded conventional munitions in Afghanistan; what efforts are (A) planned and (B) underway to locate, defuse and remove these munitions; what countries are participating in these efforts; and if he will make a statement. [133320]

Mr. Ingram: Responsibility for the assessment and clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Afghanistan rests with that nation's ruling authorities. The majority of the assessment and the clearance of UXO is conducted by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and commercial demining companies, in many cases working under the auspices of the United Nations. At the end of 2002, independent assessment showed that some 263 square kilometres of land had been cleared of UXO.

The Ministry of Defence carries out assessments of the quantity, spread and location of mines and UXO to ensure the force protection of our Service personnel or to counter any immediate threat to civilian life in Afghanistan. Military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) capability is currently provided by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Croatia as part of the International Stabilisation and Assistance Force (ISAF).

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Wideawake Airport

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running cost in 2003–04 is of the establishment at Wideawake airport, Ascension Island; and what the estimated budget for the next financial year is. [139101]

Mr. Caplin: Wideawake is a United States airfield and is jointly operated by the US Air Force and the RAF. Excluding the value of assets, the Department's net operating cost budget for RAF Ascension Island in Financial Year 2003–04 is £9,547,243. The equivalent figure presently planned for FY 2004–05 is £8,425,000.

PRIME MINISTER

House of Lords

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if the Secretary of State will require the House of Lords Appointments Commission to publish in its Annual Report statistics relating to the participation of people's peers in votes, questions and debates. [138515]

The Prime Minister: No.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what proportion of the local and national organisations contracted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission to help identify suitable nominees for a people's peerage responded to the request by furnishing names; and if he will make a statement. [138658]

The Prime Minister: The House of Lords Appointments Commission did not collate this information.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister how many applicants for a people's peerage since April 2001 were self-nominated. [138662]

The Prime Minister: The Appointments Commission does not distinguish between nominations and self-nominations and, therefore, does not keep figures on the number of self-nominations received. All nominations are considered against the same criteria, regardless of whether they are nominated or self-nominated, and all nominees complete the same nomination form.

EU Summits

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many EU summits are scheduled for next year; and how many the Prime Minister plans to attend (a) in connection with and (b) unconnected with the Presidency. [139237]

The Prime Minister: There are four European Council summits planned next year for Heads of State and Government, which I plan to attend. Two will be under the Irish Presidency and two under the Presidency of the Netherlands.

Heads of State (Television Footage)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will set controls on the use of recorded footage of Her Majesty The Queen and foreign heads of state to prevent their use for political purposes by foreign heads of state and government. [139282]

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The Prime Minister: The media facilities for this State Visit will follow the same pattern as in previous Visits, including the recent State Visit of President Putin in June this year.

It is not the role of the Government to instruct the media, both British and foreign, in the use of the material they obtain during their coverage of State Visits.

Iraq

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 27 October 2003, Official Report, column 50W, on Iraq, what steps he took to ascertain the nature of the delivery system to which the time of 45 minutes, mentioned in the Joint Intelligence Committee's assessment of 9 September, referred. [138629]

The Prime Minister: This intelligence report did not significantly amend the long standing Joint Intelligence Committee assessment that Iraq had command and control and logistical arrangements in place for the use of weapons of mass destruction. This particular piece of intelligence added precision as to timing which had not previously been available but did not change the overall picture and therefore there was no reason to seek further information.

As the Intelligence and Security Committee noted in their report on 9 September 2003 there was convincing intelligence that Iraq had active chemical, biological and nuclear programmes, the capability to produce chemical and biological weapons. All of this, irrespective of the means by which such weapons were to be delivered, was in breach of UN Security Council Resolutions.

Policy Advice

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the subjects on which he has asked the right hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) to undertake policy advice to ministers and other Government work since 1 January. [139275]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 September, Official Report, column 367W.

President Bush (State Visit)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what analysis of historical precedent was undertaken in deciding to invite President Bush to make a State Visit to the United Kingdom. [139283]

The Prime Minister: Each State Visit is considered on an individual basis, underlining the relationship between the UK and the nation of the visiting Head of State. The UK and US have a deep and close relationship across a wide spectrum of issues.

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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Discrimination

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on extending discrimination law to include the media. [138165]

Ms Hewitt: Media organisations are covered by existing discrimination law in the same way as other employers and service providers. There are no plans to extend legislation specifically in relation to the media industry.

Arms Exports

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1069W, for what reason her Department has not provided support to Interpol's international weapons and explosives tracking system. [138613]

Mr. Timms: The Department has no responsibility for tracking weapons or explosives.

British Energy

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in the restructuring of British Energy; and if she will make a statement. [139571]

Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on 14 October 2003, Official Report, columns 10WS–12WS about the progress in the restructuring of British Energy. I also refer to the company's further related announcement on 31 October "Update on Proposed Restructuring", a copy of which I have placed in the Libraries of the House.

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