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G8 Summit

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what matters in respect of (a) sustainable development, (b) climate change and (c) nuclear non-proliferation, were
 
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discussed at the G8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia; and if he will place in the Library papers circulated at the summit in respect of these matters. [178729]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I gave to the House on the G8 summit today.

India

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister what contact he has had with the new Prime Minister of India; and if he will make a statement. [178771]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) on 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1365W.

Iraq

Clare Short: To ask the Prime Minister whether the interim Iraqi authority will have the power to demand the withdrawal of UK troops at whatever time they might wish. [177087]

The Prime Minister: On 30 June, full sovereignty will be handed over to the Interim Iraqi Government and the Multinational Force will remain with the consent of that Government.

UN Security Council Resolution 1546, passed unanimously on 8 June, makes clear that the Multinational Force mandate will be terminated if so requested by the Government of Iraq.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Iraq Survey Group has investigated the accuracy of the Iraq Government's disclosure in December 2002 in response to UNSC Resolution 1441; and whether its final report will include an account of these investigations. [178889]

The Prime Minister: The Iraq Survey Group is examining information from a wide range of sources, including the declaration made by Iraq in December 2002. The work of the Iraq Survey Group is ongoing and a final report has yet to be produced.

Meetings (Minutes)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to establish civil service-wide guidance on which meetings involving Ministers and civil servants should be minuted. [178345]

The Prime Minister: The Cabinet Office is currently updating existing guidance on private office records. The revised guidance will be issued to all Departments shortly, and will be placed on the Cabinet Office and The National Archives websites.

Regulation

Mr. Norman: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability (a) he has attended since March and (b) he is scheduled to attend in the next 12 months. [178837]

The Prime Minister: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects, including on regulation and will continue to do so. As with previous Administrations it
 
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is not my practice to provide details of all such meetings under exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Royal Bounty and Charity Funds

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what reserves are in the (a) Royal Bounty Fund and (b) Royal Charity Fund; [177657]

(2) what disbursements have been made from the (a) Royal Bounty Fund and (b) Royal Charity Fund since 1997; and who the recipients were. [177658]

The Prime Minister: As at 31 December 2003, the assets of the Royal Bounty and Special Services Fund were £191,500, and the assets of the Royal Charity Fund were £1,400.

Since 1 January 1997 payments of £201,300 have been made from the Royal Bounty and Special Services Fund, and £4,450 from the Royal Charity Fund.

In accordance with exemption 12 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, details of recipients are exempt from disclosure in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects the Iraq Survey Group to complete its search for weapons of mass destruction. [178250]

The Prime Minister: The work of the Iraq Survey Group is ongoing.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to meet the President of Yemen. [178783]

The Prime Minister: I met the President of Yemen with other G8 leaders at the recent G8 summit on Sea Island to discuss reform in the Middle East.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Strangers Bar

Mr. Purchase: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee if he will make a statement on the change in arrangements relating to the locking of the door between Strangers Bar and the Terrace; and what assessment he has made of the implications of the new arrangements for (a) convenience of access for hon. Members and (b) emergency evacuation in the event of a fire. [176395]

Mr. Dennis Turner: As one of a number of measures to enhance security in the House of Commons, the Speaker instructed the Serjeant at Arms to lock the door between Strangers' Bar and the Terrace. A quick release lock is being fitted to the door as a matter of urgency; meanwhile, I understand that the Fire Safety Manager is content with the temporary arrangements in place for emergency evacuation in the event of a fire. Hon. Members may get to the Terrace by the entrance next to the Cafeteria.
 
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HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Portcullis House

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many full-scale evacuations of Portcullis House have been held since the building was opened; and on what dates and at what times. [177201]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: The number of fire evacuations of Portcullis House is 31. The dates and times are as follows:

Date	Time
5 October 2000	15:03
13 October 2000	11:08
13 October 2000	21:46
7 December 2000	16:48
7 April 2001	14:14
1 June 2001	06:51
6 August 2001	15:01
22 October 2001	08:07
26 October 2001	12:27
4 December 2001	10:20
20 March 2002	22:22
November April 2002	06:39
13 April 2002	03:08
22 October 2002	15:13
28 October 2002	19:22
2 November 2002	10:35
23 November 2002	16:59
5 December 2002	20:24
16 December 2002	09:36
19 February 2003	11:50
27 March 2003	08:38
6 May 2003	11:44
14 July 2003	20:00
19 December 2003	10:30
09 January 2004	18:25
20 January 2004	22:36
7 February 2004	09:47
9 February 2004	16:49
3 March 2004	13:51
21 March 2004	13:17
1 April 2004	05:19

During the early months of occupation of Portcullis House a large number of evacuations were due to over-sensitive sensors.

The number of unnecessary alarms and evacuations have been reduced; so far in 2004, evacuations have been for genuine, if minor, incidents.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Archaeological Objects

Mr. Allan: To ask the Solicitor-General what action she intends to take following the decision not to proceed with the case against Mr. Robert Duqueria for the alleged removal of objects from the scheduled site of Cunetio in Wiltshire; and if she will issue new guidance on prosecutions for such removals to the Crown Prosecution Service. [172211]

 
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The Solicitor-General: I have already received and considered a detailed report from CPS Wiltshire concerning the case against Mr. Robert Duqueria who was charged with removing 25 Roman coins and three artefacts from a protected site following a police investigation including obtaining expert evidence. The CPS subsequently received a defence expert report which cast reasonable doubt on the evidence that the coins came from a protected site as opposed to a nearby site where permission may have been granted in any event.

Prosecutions of this nature are relatively rare and may well demand appropriate expert evidence depending on the facts of the individual case. In this case all possible avenues were pursued and the case was correctly reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

I am, therefore, satisfied that there is no need to take any further action in this case.

In addition, there is no basis for concluding that the outcome of this particular case would have been affected by the availability of further guidance for prosecutions for such removals. The issues were clear and the case was dealt with correctly. Nevertheless, in view of its importance, I have asked the CPS to consider developing guidance on the subject as part of its electronic Legal Guidance.

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