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Sri Guru Granth Sahab ji

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) direction and (b) advice she has given to (i) libraries and (ii) the British Library, about the treatment of Sri Guru Granth Sahab ji. [198850]

Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend Secretary of State has not given any direction or advice to public libraries and the British Library about the treatment of the Sri Guru Granth Sahab ji. Public libraries and the British Library operate independently from Government and are responsible for seeking advice on the treatment of their manuscripts from appropriate sources.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Service Sports Council

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the relationship of the Civil Service Sports Council is to the UK Civil Service. [197853]

Ruth Kelly: The Civil Service Sports Council Limited is a company registered under the Industrial and Provident Society Acts. It is owned by its members who pay a membership subscription. Membership is open to employees in Civil Service Departments or Agencies, Royal Mail, British Telecommunications and other public bodies such as museums, research councils or companies carrying out ex-civil service work.

CSSC Ltd. receives an annual grant from the Cabinet Office to encourage and co-ordinate the pursuit of all forms of sport and recreation throughout the Civil Service.

The range of activities organised by CSSC can be seen on their website at www.cssc.co.uk. Most activities are run by volunteers.

Contingency plans

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what advice has been issued regarding stockpiling provisions in the case of an enforced quarantine following a terrorist attack. [195854]

Ms Blears: I have been asked to reply.

We advise that people are prepared for emergencies including making sure they have some provisions available in case of power loss or if services were disrupted—whatever the cause.

This advice can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/

We do not advise stockpiling provisions. If people did need to be kept away from others because they had an infectious disease, or had not been decontaminated they would have to be cared for and supplied with provisions as necessary.
 
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Copyright

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if she will make a statement on the reproduction of items which are copyright of HMSO by political parties; [198065]

(2) what permissions have been granted to political parties by (a) the Controller of HMSO, (b) the Queen's Printer for Scotland and (c) for Crown copyright material to be reproduced, since 1997; [198066]

(3) what guidance has been issued to the Government Information Service about the reproduction of Central Office of Information material by political parties; and if she will make a statement. [198067]

Ruth Kelly: The responsibility for the management of Crown copyright material produced by Government Departments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland rests with the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). The Queen's Printer for Scotland is an office holder within the Scottish Administration and so is not answerable to the UK Parliament. The Controller of HMSO is not responsible for copyrights owned by the Stationery Office Limited or any other private sector company.

Most Crown copyright material can be re-used under an on-line licence known as the Click-Use Licence. Under the Click-Use Licence holders may re-use a range of core Government information without needing to obtain specific permission for each item. Details of licence holders, including political parties that hold licences, can be found on HMSOnline at: http://www.click-use.hmso.gov.uk/online/pLogin.asp.

The terms of the Click-Use Licence, which can also be viewed on HMSOnline at: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/copyright/licences/core/c_terms.htm, sets out the conditions of re-use. Political parties are treated in the same way as any other re-user.

External Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how much his office has spent on external consultants to deal with press and media affairs since he took office; and if he will make a statement; [199203]

(2) pursuant to his Answer of 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 855W, on consultants, how much his office has spent on external consultants excluding press and media since he took office. [199204]

Mr. Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly) to the hon. Member on 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 855W.

IT costs

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been spent on information technology in his office in this financial year. [195950]

Mr. Milburn: The costs of appointing a separate Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be met from the existing Cabinet Office budget, and will be
 
17 Nov 2004 : Column 1548W
 
accounted for in the 2004–05 Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts, which will include the spend on information technology for my office.

Ministerial Press Releases

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many press releases he has issued in his ministerial capacity since he took office. [199202]

Mr. Milburn: I have issued one press release, dated 10 November 2004, since my appointment.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the meetings with (a) individuals and (b) organisations external to the Government that he has attended in his official capacity as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster since his appointment to the post, broken down by (i) date and (ii) subject of the meeting. [197530]

Mr. Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 720W to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) and on 9 November 2004, Official Report, column 620W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell),

Strategy Unit

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the Strategy Unit's progress with the Countries at Risk of Instability project. [195976]

Mr. Milburn: The Strategy Unit's Countries at Risk of Instability programme was launched in January 2004. Work on the project is still continuing.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Armenian Genocide

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is towards the (a) scale of, (b) responsibility for and (c) recognition of the Armenian genocide. [198403]

Mr. MacShane: The Government understands the strength of feeling about this terrible episode of history. The massacres of 1915–16 were condemned in explicit terms by the British Government of the day. We fully endorse that view. Historians disagree as to whether the Armenian massacres constitute genocide as defined by the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether recognition of the Armenian genocide is one of the political criteria that Turkey will be required to meet before EU accession. [198404]

Mr. MacShane: No.
 
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Burma

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what criteria were applied for a state-owned enterprise's inclusion in Annex II of the Council Common Position on Burma 2004/730/CFSP and Annex IV of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004, as inserted by Article 1(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1853/2004; [198383]

(2) for what reason Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise was excluded from Annex II of the Council Common Position on Burma 2004/730/CFSP and Annex IV of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004, as inserted by Article 1(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1853/2004. [198384]

Mr. Straw: The UK worked hard to get the strongest possible measures in the EU Common Position on Burma with the aim of highlighting the role of the military in continuing human rights abuses and political stalemate in Burma, while targeting the measures to minimise that impact on the poor.

The EU therefore chose to target the two military owned companies. Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (UMEHL) and the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), their subsidiaries and joint ventures. UMEHL and MEC have sought in recent years to monopolise foreign investment. The profits directly benefit the military.

Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise is not a military owned company.

The decision amending the EU Common Position was made by unanimity.

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