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Mr. Forth: This is not an emergency.

Mr. Hain: I hear what is said from the Conservative Benches, but in that case, let me ask what the Government should be doing. The Law Lords have made a ruling. If we ignored that ruling, the individuals who are currently detained in Belmarsh without trial could simply walk out, yet we would have no control orders in place to deal with that. We now know that the Conservatives, along with the Liberal Democrats, will go into the next election saying that terrorist suspects can walk free without making any attempt to place control orders on them. We now know that that is the officially recognised position of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

Mr. Peter Pike (Burnley) (Lab): Is my right hon. Friend able to say where the site of the new visitor centre will be? Is he able to give us any indication of what major work will take place in the Westminster Hall area during the next 12 months? What implications would that have for the use of that part of the building by the House?

Mr. Hain: Like my hon. Friend, I am very keen for the project for a proper reception facility for visitors to be implemented as soon as possible. It would provide secure and much more civilised arrangements to allow visitors to come in through Westminster Hall than those that exist at the moment. Thereafter, I hope that the House and the House of Lords will endorse a proper visitor facility on a different site that will enable members of the public to come and enjoy the rich democracy that we have in the House of Commons and find out the way in which it works.

Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield) (Con): Will the Leader of the House indicate more precisely when critical international issues regarding the middle east and Africa—not least the problems in Sudan and Darfur, and the situation in Zimbabwe, with the continuing dictatorship of the leader of that country—might be debated on the Floor of the House? The House should become involved in discussing such matters.
 
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The Leader of the House announced that the Chancellor will deliver his Budget statement on 16 March. Can he indicate when the Second Reading of the Finance Bill will take place so that those of us who might subsequently be involved are able to plan our diaries between now and whenever?

Mr. Hain: I have already outlined the progress of the Budget. The hon. Gentleman raises an important point about foreign affairs, especially regarding Africa and the middle east. All those conflicts and problems should be at the forefront of hon. Members' attention. He will know that the Foreign Secretary made a written ministerial statement yesterday about the hugely successful peace conference on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which will enable real momentum to be given to the middle east peace process. As I said, there will at least be an opportunity for a foreign affairs debate in Westminster Hall—I am sorry that I cannot promise that there will be one on Floor of the House—and I have responded to points made by hon. Members, including the shadow Leader of the House.

Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) (Lab): Will the Leader of the House ensure that we make rapid progress on the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill? Will he further ensure that we have an early debate on that important subject so that we can find out whether the Opposition would let the Bill through in the event of an early Dissolution?

Mr. Hain: My hon. Friend raises an interesting point. The Bill has completed all its stages in this place and is now with the Lords. I hope that there will be unanimous support for the Bill, were an early election and early Dissolution required. It deserves such support because it addresses things that most, if not all, of our constituents feel very strongly about, including fly-tipping, antisocial behaviour, graffiti and noise pollution. It is the Labour Government who are on the side of the ordinary citizen and their neighbourhood, and I hope that the Opposition will join us.

Sandra Gidley (Romsey) (LD): The date of 8 March is international women's day, and in recent years the Government have generously given a significant amount of time to have a debate on women's issues. That has not happened this year, which I find strange in the light of the apparent wooing of the women's vote. Why has no Government time been devoted to this important subject this year?

Mr. Hain: I accept that we have not been able to provide time for a debate. The hon. Lady is right to point to that discrepancy. The truth is that we have a very busy legislative programme, including, in the week in which such a debate would fall, consideration of the terrorism legislation. I am providing more time than was originally considered for that legislation in response to requests made by right hon. and hon. Members. However, if we consider what the Government are doing    in providing wrap-around child care, more opportunities for women, more support for families and more opportunities for women to work, the hon. Lady will recognise that we are addressing precisely the
 
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agenda of equal opportunities on which international women's day has quite rightly commanded our attention.

Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow) (Lab): Further to the reply to the question of the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton), it is not good enough to say that major matters of foreign affairs, with great issues in Syria and in relation to Iran, should be transferred to Westminster Hall. This is not proper treatment of the House, it really is not.

Mr. Hain: I understand my Friend's point, but I hope that he will accept that I have responded to requests for a debate in Westminster Hall. Indeed, Westminster Hall has some of the finest debates that take place in the House these days.

Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): They get too little attention.

Mr. Hain: Perhaps they do receive too little attention, in which case we should work on members of the Press Gallery to attend Westminster Hall much more often. The issues to which my hon. Friend refers, including what has happened in Lebanon recently and the read-across to Syria, the huge change in the middle east and the prospects of democratic pressure running right through the middle east as a result of the successful elections in Iraq, will be debated in due course.

Mr. Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke) (DUP): Can the Leader of the House give an assurance that on Thursday there will be sufficient time for a full and meaningful debate on the issue of Sinn Fein allowances, that amendments may be tabled and selected and that the debate will not be truncated by other business?

Mr. Hain: As I have already announced, there is other business in the House on that day. The situation will be rather dependent on what comes back from the Lords. If there is any ping-pong on the Bill, we shall have to see. There is plenty of opportunity for debate on this important item, so I can give the hon. Gentleman that assurance.

I apologise to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Tyler). One of the issues that I did not address was his point about the House of Lords report by a number of eminent Members of this place. It is an impressive report and we shall consider it seriously.

Mr. Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow, Govan) (Lab): Can my right hon. Friend ensure that we make progress on the Equality Bill which bans religious discrimination in the provision of goods and services, putting discrimination against Muslims on the same footing as racial discrimination? Can we have an early debate on this subject so that we can learn whether the Opposition would let the Bill through in the event of an early Dissolution?

Mr. Hain: My hon. Friend makes an important point. As he knows, the Equality Bill will be given its First Reading today. That legislation is a clear signal of the Government's intention to ensure that Muslims throughout Britain can enjoy protection from religious
 
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discrimination and, through the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, can enjoy protection from incitement to religious hatred. That has been a protection that Muslims have not enjoyed up to now, almost exclusively, compared with other faiths and groups in our society.

I hope that the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives will do a U-turn on their policy of opposition, according to which they are not defending Muslim communities, and should be, whereas this Labour Government are standing shoulder to shoulder with Muslim communities and providing extra support and protection.

Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham) (Con): Given that Dr. Than Nyein, U Saw Naing Naing and U Soe Han, three long-standing democratic political opponents of Burma's military dictatorship, have been incarcerated in appalling conditions, having been denied fair trials and medical treatment alike, would the Leader of the House agree that it would now be proper for the Foreign Secretary to make a statement about the treatment of those individuals? Would he not further acknowledge that it would be the most fitting imaginable tribute to that truly great man, Peter Benenson, the founder of Amnesty International, who died last week, if, following the making of a statement, the Government were to make the strongest possible representations within the United Nations about the bestial behaviour of this rogue state?

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