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Tibet

Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department last made a statement to the House on the sovereignty of Tibet. [162724]

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Mr. Rammell: Successive British Governments have regarded Tibet as autonomous while recognising the special position of the Chinese authorities there. The then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the late Derek Fatchett, stated our position during a debate in the House on 19 March 1999, Official Report, column 1463.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Officials

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister which former officials of his (a) Office and (b) policy unit have asked for permission to join (i) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (ii) Deloitte and Touche, (iii) Ernst and Young and (iv) KPMG. [156900]

The Prime Minister: It is a matter of public record that Derek Scott has joined KPMG.

Honours

Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister how many honours nominations have been submitted in each of the last five years. [162869]

The Prime Minister: Nominations for honours are received in a number of ways, notably through the Nominations Unit in the Cabinet Office or through Government Departments. The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister how many people resident in the constituencies of (a) Pendle, (b) Burnley, (c) Ribble Valley, (d) Hyndburn, (e) Rossendale and (f) Blackburn have received an honour in each year since 1997. [163201]

The Prime Minister: The information requested is not held centrally.

Hunting with Dogs

Phil Sawford: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to propose legislation on the issue of hunting with dogs. [162773]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) at Prime Minister's Questions on 3 December 2003, Official Report, column 501.

Iraq

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister what communications the Government received from the United States Administration about the legality in international law of the Iraq war; and if he will make a statement. [161701]

The Prime Minister: We were in frequent contact with the United States and other countries throughout the period leading up to the conflict, before and after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 (2002).

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Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister when the Government first formed the view that a second UN resolution was not required to ensure the legality of the Iraq war; and if he will make a statement. [161702]

The Prime Minister: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer the Solicitor-General gave to the hon. Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) on 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 515–16W.

As the written answer on 17 March 2003 made clear, and is self evident in the text of United Nations Security Council resolution 1441(2002) of 8 November 2002, all that was required was reporting to and discussion by the Security Council of Iraq's failures, but not an express further decision to authorise force.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister whether legal advisers other than law officers of the Crown were involved in the preparation and scrutiny of the September 2002 dossier; and if he will make a statement. [161703]

The Prime Minister: It is not the practice to disclose whether any particular legal advice was given, and if so by whom, on specific occasions.

Ministerial Meetings

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since 1997 on which he met senior executives from (a) Enron and (b) British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. [162880]

The Prime Minister: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations it is not my practice to provide details of all such meetings.

A representative of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. attended a business breakfast in Downing Street on 10 October 2002.

In respect of Enron, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him, the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake), and the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 4 February 2002, Official Report, columns 689–90W.

Opinion Sampling

Mr. Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Office on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995–96 to 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [162746]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 6 November 2002, Official Report, column 399W and to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 20 November 2001, Official Report, column 205W.

People's Peers

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his Answer of 18 December 2003, Official Report, column 1076W, on people's peers, when

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he expects the names of the second tranche of people's peers to be announced; and if he will make a statement. [162625]

The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 18 December 2003, Official Report, column 1076W.

Press Officers

Mr. Laws: To ask the Prime Minister how many press officers were employed in his office in each year from 1990–91 to 2003–04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. [162855]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 February 2003, Official Report, column 17W.

At 31 March 2003, there were eight staff working as press officers in the No. 10 press office including one on secondment from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The total cost for running the No. 10 press office for 2002–03 was £1,375,894. The increase reflects the ever increasing media demands with the advent of more outlets, 24 hour news and growth of the internet, for example.

As at 1 March 2004, there were eight staff working as press officers in the No. 10 press office including one on secondment from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Final cost figures for 2003–04 are not yet available.

Sovereign States (Pre-emptive Action)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his speech of 5 March, under what circumstances he supports the right of sovereign states to take pre-emptive action against other states. [162305]

The Prime Minister: Under international law, force may be used in three circumstances:

When authority is provided by the United Nations Security Council acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Security Council resolutions adopted under Chapter VII were the authority for military action in Iraq, as set out in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Solicitor-General on 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 515W. The Security Council may determine the existence of a threat to international peace and security and authorise military force or other action to prevent it becoming an actual breach of the peace.

In exercise of the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence recognised in Article 51 of the UN Charter, as was the case with US action in Afghanistan in 2001. This includes the right of self-defence when an armed attack has not yet taken place, but is imminent.

In exceptional circumstances, when it is the only way to avert an overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe, as in Kosovo in 1999.

As I made clear in my speech on 5 March, the challenges and threats are of a different nature from anything the world has faced before. We must face the threats posed by proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, oppressive and brutal regimes, poverty, HIV/AIDS and environmental damage. We need to take effective action in response to all these challenges, and we cannot always wait for the threat to fully materialise before we act.

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I welcome the UN Secretary-General's decision to set up a High Level Panel to review how the UN can respond more effectively to threats to international peace and security, including considering whether any institutional changes are required. And as I also said in my speech on 5 March, the British role should be to construct a consensus behind a broad agenda of justice and security and the means of enforcing it.

United Nations Charter

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received on the reform of the (a) United Nations Charter and (b) international law to limit the sovereignty of nations in cases of (i) urgent humanitarian need and (ii) the threatened aquisition and use of weapons of mass destruction. [162276]

The Prime Minister: My discussions with other leaders frequently touch on the need for effective collective action to deal with all threats to international peace and security. This includes both to avert an overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe and action to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

I welcome the UN Secretary-General's decision to set up a High Level Panel to review how the UN can respond more effectively to threats to international peace and security, including considering whether any institutional changes are required.

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