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9 Nov 2004 : Column 620W—continued

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on his cross-government role in the co-ordination of Government policy; which policies he has been responsible for overseeing; what meetings he has had with other Ministers of State, excluding Cabinet meetings, to formulate policy; and what the outcomes of these meetings were. [195968]

Mr. Milburn: For information on my responsibilities, I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 358W.

For information on meetings, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 720W.

Office Costs

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his office's budget is for this financial year. [195951]

Mr. Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 3 November 2004, Official Report, columns 268–69W.
 
9 Nov 2004 : Column 621W
 

Press Officers

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years. [195675]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 2 November 2004]: The Cabinet Office press office numbers also includes the Press Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons and the Press Secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords.

For information on press officers between 2000 and 2002, I refer the hon. Member to the response given on 21 January 2003, Official Report, column 1050W.

The number of press officers employed in the Cabinet Office press office between 2003 and 2004 are shown in the table:

January	Number
2003	8.5
2004	7.5

Note:
.5 refers to an official whose duties were split between two roles, one being a part time press officer.

Public Engagements

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list each of his public engagements for the week beginning 1 November. [197311]

Mr. Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him on 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 233W.

Strategy Unit

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on his function of overseeing the work of the (a) Strategy Unit and (b) Policy Directorate. [195978]

Mr. Milburn: I refer the hon. Member for Romford to the answer given to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 358W.

Temporary Staff

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data are kept centrally. [195244]

Ruth Kelly [holding answer 1 November 2004]: According to records held centrally a total of 69 agency temporary staff were employed in the Cabinet Office at various times during 2003 and 147 so far in 2004. Central records for earlier years are not available.

The Queen

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many meetings he has had with Her Majesty the Queen since his appointment. [195955]

Mr. Milburn: This information is withheld under exemption 3 of the Code of Practice of Access to Government Information.
 
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

European Constitution

14. Mr. Syms : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the ratification of the European Constitution. [196794]

Mr. MacShane: The Treaty must be ratified by all member states in line with their respective constitutional requirements. In the UK this means passing the necessary primary legislation through both Houses of Parliament. The Government have given the further commitment that the Treaty will only pass into UK law if directly approved by the British people in a referendum.

Iraq

15. Mr. Plaskitt : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress with voter registration in Iraq. [196795]

Mr. Rammell: The distribution of voter registration forms began on 1 November. The registration period will run until 15 December. It is encouraging that the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq is already receiving forms back. All remains set for elections to be held on time in January.

22. Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the grounds for the war in Iraq. [196802]

Mr. Rammell: Our decision to take military action to enforce Iraq's disarmament obligations, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, was taken as a last resort. The Iraqi regime's refusal to co-operate left us with no option. Our decision was supported by a large majority in the House of Commons on 18 March 2003.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure independent monitoring of the forthcoming elections in Iraq. [195179]

Mr. Rammell [holding answer 1 November 2004]: The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) is responsible for preparing for elections in January 2005. The IECI is being advised and trained by the United Nations, including on the training of independent Iraqi election monitors.

We will consider any request, that we might receive from the Iraqi authorities for assistance with independent monitoring of the elections.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on EU-US relations on Iraq since the elections in the US. [197076]

Mr. MacShane: The EU, like the US, agrees that it should work in partnership with the Iraqi Interim Government and the Iraqi people in order to ensure a secure, stable, unified, prosperous and democratic Iraq that will make a positive contribution to the stability of the region.
 
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Iran

16. Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his latest assessment of Iran's nuclear programme. [196796]

Mr. Straw: The Government continue to be concerned about Iranian programmes to enrich uranium, which could be used to produce weapons-grade fissile material for use in a nuclear weapons programme. These activities appear to be inconsistent with the planned extent of Iran's civil nuclear power programme, and have, in some cases, been pursued covertly for many years.

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of the threat posed by Iran's nuclear programme. [195905]

Mr. MacShane: The Government continue to be concerned about Iranian programmes to enrich uranium, which could be used to produce weapons-grade fissile material for use in a nuclear weapons programme. These activities appear to be inconsistent with the planned extent of Iran's civil nuclear power programme, and have, in some cases, been pursued covertly for many years.

Lebanon

17. Mr. Luke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs If he will make a statement on the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon. [196797]

Mr. Rammell: We co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 1559, calling for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the implications of UNSCR 1559 with Syrian Foreign Minister Shara'a when they met in London on 18 October. We will work for the withdrawal of the Syrian presence and a strengthening of Lebanese institutions. We expect all Lebanon's neighbours to respect Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

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