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Arab Media

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the influence of Arab media on extremist Islamic movements in the UK. [199743]

Mr. Rammell: The Arab media represents a wide spectrum of views, including those of modernisation and reform. We have not undertaken a measure of its impact. We expect all media outlets to broadcast in a responsible and objective manner. We engage closely with the Arab media in the UK and in the region, including funding for training programmes to help them improve standards. Where Arab media groups operate within the UK, they must operate within UK law. Possible offences of inciting racial hatred or violence under the Public Order Act can be referred to the police.

EU Constitution

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those areas of competence that will remain exclusive to the United Kingdom if the proposed EU Constitution is adopted. [199800]

Mr. MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 1 July 2004, Official Report, column 429W.

European Constitution

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions. [200179]

Mr. MacShane: Following the commitment made to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 May 2004, Official Report, column 1456W, we are aiming to publish by the end of the year a comparative analysis of the EU Constitution with existing EU treaty provisions. This document will address points (a), (b) and (c). In addition, with regard to point (b), I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr. Lewis) on 5 July 2004, Official Report, columns 592–93W which sets out moves from unanimity to QMV in the EU Constitution. With regard to point (e), I refer the hon. Member to the statement on the Charter of Fundamental Rights made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 9 September 2004, Official Report, columns 133–36WS. With regard to points (d) and (f), the EU Constitution will not in itself determine the quantity of EU legislation, or any costs associated with its implementation. The introduction of a rigorous subsidiarity mechanism involving national parliaments should provide a check on new legislation and help focus it better when it is necessary. For more detail on the subsidiarity mechanism and the Government's position on the treaty as a whole 1 refer
 
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the hon. Member to the White Paper on the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe which the Foreign Secretary published on 9 September (Cm 6309).

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which parts of the text of the Constitutional Treaty for the EU are additional to provisions contained in treaties already ratified; and in which treaties those parts of the text which do not introduce new provisions were originally contained. [200447]

Mr. MacShane: Following the commitment made to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 May 2004, Official Report, column 1456W, we are aiming to publish by the end of the year a comparative analysis of the EU Constitution with existing EU treaty provisions. This document will compare each article of the new treaty to the existing treaties, identify which provisions are new, highlight moves to QMV and co-decision and extension of competence.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary Session his Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the session. [199644]

Mr. Straw: Seven. Of the seven, five were tabled shortly before the end of the parliamentary Session.

Spain

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Spanish authorities over (a) the remarks of the Spanish coach and (b) events at the matches during the recent international football matches in Spain. [199596]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Spanish authorities about the remarks of the Spanish football coach, but he discussed the incidents at the Spain v. England football match with his Spanish counterpart, Sr Miguel Angel Moratinos, the day after the game.

Sr Moratinos condemned the racist chanting that we witnessed that evening, and agreed that such behaviour cannot be tolerated anywhere in society. I spoke to my Spanish counterpart, Sr Navarro, the morning after the match along similar lines, and expressed our outrage at the chanting.

Vietnam

Mr. Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on his Department's efforts to open up the Vietnamese economy to (a) domestic and (b) international trade; [199563]

(2) if he will make a statement on his Department's plans to assist Vietnam in becoming a market-based economy. [199564]

 
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Mr. Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DfID) have adopted a joint approach to assist Vietnam in becoming a market-based economy, and in developing its domestic and international trade.

Key to this is a common position on Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in particular an insistence on accession on terms that benefits all Vietnamese people, particularly its poor. The European Commission (which negotiates on behalf of EU member states on WTO accession) has been encouraged by the British Government to recognise, in the negotiation process, Vietnam's low income country status.

In terms of developing Vietnam's domestic economy, DFID is working with the World Bank to support reform of state-owned enterprises (SOE). Activities focus on the restructuring of three general corporations to reduce state direct investment, and encouraging the private sector to play a stronger role. This area of reform is crucial to free-up government resources for social service provision and poverty reduction. DFID further supported the revision of key investment and enterprise laws to create a level playing field for business, and to reduce state intervention in company decision-making and the allocation of resources.

In the longer term, DFID, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, is helping the Government of Vietnam to identify and develop policies to make the transition to a market-based economy work in favour of the poor, through improving their access to land and other natural resources, through increased opportunities for employment and income generation, and through linking up the domestic markets within which they supply labour to global markets, for example those that supply supermarkets. For further information on this intervention I refer my hon. Friend to the Making Markets Work Better for the Poor website: www.markets4poor.org.

TREASURY

Building Societies

Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints were lodged against building societies in the most recent period for which figures are available. [199592]

Mr. Timms: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not publish figures on complaints against individual firms.

The FOS's Annual Review 2003–04 indicated that it had resolved a total of 76,704 complaints in the year ending 31 March, 13 per cent. of which were concerning Banks and Building Societies.

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Economic Secretary will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 25 October (PO Ref: 5/10798/2004). [200324]

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.
 
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Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 5 October (PO Ref: A/01567/2004). [200326]

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.

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