---

18 Oct 2004 : Column 451W—continued

Wholesale Gas Market

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the need for a pan-European investigation into the operation of the wholesale gas market. [190988R]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The European Commission is required under Directive 2003/55 concerning common rules for the internal gas market to monitor the operation of the EU gas market and publish annual reports. In addition, the Commission must produce a detailed report outlining progress in creating the internal gas market before 2006 and, where appropriate, propose further measures to address, inter alia, competition issues.

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the need for a pan-European body to oversee the operation of the wholesale gas market. [190989]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: All EU member states are required to have independent gas regulators with responsibility for, inter alia, ensuring effective competition and efficient functioning of the EU gas market. The regulators meet regularly to consider pan-European issues, which may include the operation of the wholesale gas market.

The European Commission has powers under the competition rules in the EC Treaty to address restrictions or distortions of competition in the EU.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet Committees

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Joint Cabinet Consultative Committee with the Liberal Democrats has been wound up; and if he will make a statement. [191764]

 
18 Oct 2004 : Column 452W
 

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the list of Cabinet Committees which is available in the House Libraries and is also available on the Cabinet Office website.

Freedom of Information

Tony Wright: To ask the Prime Minister whether he proposes to amend the Ministerial Code to refer to the procedure that should be followed by ministers before issuing a certificate under section 53 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [191948]

The Prime Minister: The Ministerial Code will be amended as appropriate to reflect Ministers' responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. More detailed guidance to Ministers and civil servants on the interpretation of the Act, including the issue of a section 53 certificate, will be issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Government Departments

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 53W, on Government Departments, in reply to the hon. Member for New Forest, East, if he will list the reasons for his belief, that dividing the work of his Department between the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office and a separate Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster best meets the needs of this Government; and why he made this change at this time. [191936]

The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my answer to the hon. Member on 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 53W.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has completed the investigation into the intelligence on the allegations that Iraq sought uranium from Africa, to which he made reference in his oral answer of 4 June 2003, Official Report, column 154. [190766]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 463W.

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what the basis was for his statement to the House on 4 June 2003, Official Report, column 161, that he has no doubt that the Iraq Survey Group would find the clearest possible evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. [190767]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to answers I gave at Prime Minister's questions on 13 October.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister what evidence he used to support his statements to the House (a) on 25 February 2003, Official Report, column 124, on the prospect of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction remaining intact and (b) on 18 March 2003, on Iraq not being the only regime with weapons of mass destruction. [190998]

The Prime Minister: On the prospect of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction remaining intact, I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave at
 
18 Oct 2004 : Column 453W
 
Prime Minister's questions on 13 October. Countries of concern other than Iraq and Global Trade are covered in Chapter 2 of the Butler Report.

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he took to validate the claims made by Hussein Kamel in 1995, under questioning by the United Kingdom's secret intelligence services and the intelligence services of the United States, that Saddam Hussein had already destroyed his weapons of mass destruction. [191668]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 1775–776W.

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list each occasion recorded in the Official Report where he claimed Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction; and if he will publish a correction of each statement in the Official Report. [191671]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) on 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 151–55, and the answers I gave at Prime Minister's questions on 13 October.

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Adam Price), of 16 September 2004, Official Report, column 1776W, on Iraq, if he will identify in respect of each question the particular part of the Butler Review and the other unnamed inquiries and statements to which he refers that provide the answer in each case. [191810]

The Prime Minister: These documents are publicly available and can be found in the Official Report, the Libraries of the House and on the No. 10 website.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister when he received the final report from the Iraq Survey Group on weapons of mass destruction; and if he will make a statement. [190693]

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister on what date he received the Iraq Survey Group's recent report; and when he read it. [190768]

The Prime Minister: I received a final copy of the report when it was published on 6 October 2004.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister (1) which parts of the Iraq Survey Group report (a) confirm and (b) dispute the findings of United Nations weapons inspectors from 2002–03; [190694]

(2) which parts of the Iraq Survey Group report (a) confirm and (b) dispute the findings detailed in Government dossiers on this issue. [190695]

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister (1) with which conclusions of the Iraq Survey Group he does not agree; and if he will give the reason for disagreement in each case; [190762]

(2) what assessment he has made of the findings of the Iraq Survey Group's report compared to his dossier entitled Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, dated September 2002; and what steps he has taken to establish why there are significant differences between the conclusions; [190764]
 
18 Oct 2004 : Column 454W
 

(3) what comparative assessment he has made of the findings of the Iraq Survey Group's report and his dossier entitled Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, dated September 2002; and what steps he has taken to establish the reasons for the significant differences between the conclusions. [191670]

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish a list of all matters in the Iraq September dossier that were untrue, inaccurate or otherwise misleading; and if he will make a statement. [192110]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friends to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) on 12 October 2004, Official Report, column 151–55, and the answers I gave at Prime Minister's Questions on 13 October.

---