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16 Dec 2004 : Column 1269W—continued
European Constitution
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the use of articles in the draft EU Constitution as a treaty base for (a) legislation and (b) legal proceedings by (i) the Commission, (ii) the European Parliament and (iii) the European Court of Justice; if he will list those occasions when articles of the draft Constitution have been cited as legal basis for legislation or legal proceedings; and what his policy is towards the citation of such articles. [204460]
Mr. MacShane: None. The EU Constitutional Treaty has not yet come into force.
European Neighbourhood Policy
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts on the negotiation of a new agreement with Israel under the European Neighbourhood Policy; and if he will make a statement. [204767]
Mr. MacShane: EU Foreign Ministers last held discussions on the negotiation of the first wave European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans, including the Israel Action Plan, at the 11 October General Affairs and External Relations Council. I represented my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on that occasion. The Israel Action Plan was approved at the 13 December General Affairs and External Relations Council. We believe that engaging with Israel on the basis of shared, common values will be beneficial to the EU-Israel relationship.
European Union
Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list activities in which his Department has been involved to promote the
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benefits of the Government's policy towards the European Union in the last 12 months; what the costs were; what partner organisations were involved; and if he will make a statement. [204226]
Mr. MacShane: The Government works with a wide range of partners to develop and communicate its policy towards the European Union, including OGDs, the CBI, Chambers of Commerce, trades unions and more, including other EU member states and EU institutions.
Between November 2003 and the end of October 2004 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was involved in over 70 events to raise awareness of the effects for the UK of membership of the European Union. Some of these events were arranged by or had input from the FCO, and FCO publications were distributed at others. A full list is available on the FCO website:
www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1051607819365&a=Page and
These activities, as well as a range of publications and media relations activity, were funded from an annual EU Communications budget of £200,000.
Speakers at these events have included Ministers from several Government Departments and the devolved Administrations, while other participants have ranged from local councillors to war veterans and professional sportsmen.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU budget lines may be used for information campaigns; how much was allocated under each line for the present year; which projects under each line have operated in the United Kingdom within the past 24 months; and which projects he intends to support within the United Kingdom as part of (a) the EU Constitution debate and (b) campaigns to explain the benefits of EU membership. [204227]
Mr. MacShane: There are six EU budget lines which may be used for information campaigns.
The provision made for payments under each line for the present year (2004) was:
In the last 24 months the only two of these programmes that have operated in the UK are Enlargement and Debate on the Future of the European Union. Plans have not yet been made on projects within the UK to support the EU Constitution debate or to explain the benefits of EU membership.
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Freedom of Information Act
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department were employed to deal with Freedom of Information Act 2000 issues in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004; and how many staff are budgeted to deal with Freedom of Information Act 2000 issues in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006. [205048]
Mr. Straw: Staffing of the central team dealing with both Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Data Protection Act 1998 issues in each of the years requested is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2004 | 10 |
No change to the level of central staffing is planned for 2005 and 2006, but requirements will be kept under review.
Indian Nagaland Insurgents
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and (a) India and (b) Bhutan regarding Indian Nagaland insurgents. [204474]
Mr. Alexander: The UK Government have not had discussions about the Nagaland insurgents with the Government of India or the Government of Bhutan.
However the British High Commission in India continues to monitor developments in Nagaland. A ceasefire remains in place and this has led to a significant improvement in the security situation. A tragic bombing incident took place in Dimapur in early October, which we have strongly condemned. Although the culprits are yet to be identified, local observers believe that the incident was perpetrated by outsiders and does not signal a general return to violence. Discussions are proceeding between the Government of India and one of the major militant factions on a political resolution of the conflict. The British High Commissioner visited Nagaland from 13–15 November to update himself on developments.
Internal Disciplinary Hearings
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions European Union personnel have been subject to internal disciplinary hearings in each year since 1995; what complaint was made in each case; which cases involved incidents of whistleblowing; what the result of the hearing was in each case; if he will list the individuals involved; and if he will make a statement. [204091]
Mr. MacShane:
European Union personnel are employed by a number of bodies, each of which has its own disciplinary procedures. The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
16 Dec 2004 : Column 1272W
Iran
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Iranian Government regarding (a) Hezbollah and (b) Hamas. [203842]
Mr. Rammell [holding answer 14 December 2004]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Greenock and Inverclyde (David Cairns) on 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1057W.
Israel
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) the EU-Israel Association Council and (b) the EU-Israel Association Committee last met; what conclusions were arrived at; and when they are next scheduled to meet. [204770]
Mr. MacShane: The EU-Israel Association Council last met on 13 December whilst the EU-Israel Association Committee met on 9 July 2003.
The main conclusion from the last Association Council was the agreement of technical arrangements on the labelling of goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories. Under the arrangements, Israeli goods exported to the EU will be labelled with the name of the city, village or industrial zone of production, allowing EU customs to distinguish between products obtained within and beyond the Green line—and to refuse preferential treatment if the products are obtained beyond the Green line. The Association Council also concluded the need for both the Israelis and the Palestinians to continue to engage constructively in a political process and to demonstrate the necessary leadership to revive the Middle East Peace Process.
At the 2003 EU-Israel Association Committee, the EU and Israel had an extensive dialogue on political issues of common interest, including a review of developments in the Peace Process, the fight against terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction, ratification of non-proliferation Treaties as well as regional issues.
No dates have been set for the next EU-Israel Association Council and Committee, but we expect that they will take place during the course of 2005.
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