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Wrecked Vehicles

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will investigate the restoration on private land of the vehicle to which Early Day Motion 953, tabled by the hon. Member
 
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for Pendle, refers; and if she will bring forward proposals to amend the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill to bring within its scope wrecked vehicles deposited on private land by their owners. [223796]

Alun Michael: I am not able to comment on the particular case cited. However, I believe the existing law on abandoned vehicles, with the amendments contained in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill, is adequate. I do not think that these provisions should be used to remove vehicles from private land against the wishes of the occupier. The effect on the visual amenity of a neighbourhood of vehicles kept on private land is a matter for the planning authorities.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Counter-terrorism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what input the Government will have to the European Council's contribution to (a) the G8 summit's discussions on counter-terrorism and (b) the G8's core principles on counter-terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [223791]

Mr. MacShane: The Chair of the European Council usually attends G8 Summits. As the UK assumes the presidency of the EU from 1 July, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will also represent the European Council at the G8 Summit. We do not envisage formal co-ordination in the Council on the issue of counter-terrorism in the G8 ahead of the Summit. However, the UK, as G8 presidency, maintains a dialogue on G8 counter-terrorism work with EU partners.

European Funding

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list projects for which the Department has provided joint funding with the European Commission and other institutions of the European Union during the past five financial years; and what funding is planned for such projects in this financial year. [221375]

Mr. MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has worked together with various European institutions on a number of projects in the last five years.

In October 2003, the FCO and European Commission jointly organised the Europe United" football tournament as part of the plans to celebrate EU enlargement. In early 2004 the FCO produced with Commission support booklets explaining the benefits of EU enlargement that were sent to the nine English regions and the devolved administrations. On 24 April 2004, there was 'Europe Day—Meet the Neighbours'—a jointly organised FCO-Commission project which celebrated EU enlargement.

The European Parliament funded jointly with the FCO a number of Wilton Park conferences: The European Union's Strategic Priorities (14–16 September 2000); Reforming the Governance of the European Union: Towards an ever closer EU? (22–24 October 2001); HowCan Parliamentarians Best Re-Engage the Public?
 
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(9–12 June 2003); The Future of Europe: What kind of Institutional and Security arrangements do we want (September 2002). In addition, the European Parliament hired an Exhibition Space at the Europe Day.

The FCO and EU institutions also jointly fund a number of development projects aimed to assist accession states prior to their joining the European Union, under the 'Action Plans' scheme, which started in 1999 and the Global Opportunities Fund which started in 2003. The Global Opportunity Fund also has a broader focus beyond Europe. I will write to my hon. Friend with further details of joint funded projects under the Actions Plans the Global Opportunities Fund.

No jointly-funded projects are currently planned for this year, with the exception of the Action Plan and Global Opportunity Fund programmes.

Iran

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian authorities to encourage them to co-operate with international human rights organisations. [223562]

Mr. Rammell: We have urged Iran on many occasions to co-operate with international human rights organisations. In December 2004, the UK and other EU countries co-sponsored a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly on human rights in Iran, which called on Iran to co-operate with UN mechanisms and respond fully to their subsequent recommendations. With our strong support, international NGOs take part in sessions of the EU-Iran human rights dialogue.

Iraq

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times lawyers representing Saddam Hussein have met their client since 16 December 2004. [220818]

Mr. Rammell: Saddam Hussein is a criminal detainee and is liable to prosecution under the Iraqi criminal justice system. He was transferred into the Iraqi criminal justice system on 1 July 2004, and is currently awaiting trial. At the request of Prime Minster Allawi, the US will maintain physical custody of Saddam Hussein until such time as the Iraqi Correctional Service is able to provide for his safe and secure detention. The US authorities have told us that Saddam Hussein has seen his lawyer once since 16 December 2004. He has not requested to see his lawyer since that meeting.

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many lawyers chosen by Saddam Hussein have been able to meet him in confidence, as required by international law, since his arrest. [220819]

Mr. Rammell: Saddam Hussein is a criminal detainee and is liable to prosecution under the Iraqi criminal justice system. He was transferred into the Iraqi criminal justice system on 1 July 2004, and is currently awaiting trial. At the request of Prime Minster Allawi, the US will maintain physical custody of Saddam Hussein until such time as the Iraqi Correctional Service is able to
 
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provide for his safe and secure detention. The US authorities have told us that Saddam Hussein has seen his lawyer on each occasion that he has made a request. Thus far he has met one lawyer one time for several hours, in confidence. Neither he nor his lawyer of record have made any further requests to meet. Procedures are in place to allow him lawyer visits on request.

Lebanon

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects on the security situation in Lebanon of Syrian troops making a full withdrawal; and if he will make a statement. [223737]

Mr. Rammell: The withdrawal of Syrian troops to the Beka'a Valley and Syria is a first step in the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559. We welcome the steps that the Lebanese Government have taken to ensure a calm security situation, including at the large-scale peaceful rallies that have been taking place in Beirut. So far, the Lebanese security forces have shown themselves to be capable of filling the security role left by the departing Syrian troops.

We are concerned about the recent bomb explosions which killed three and injured five on 23 March, and injured eight on 19 March. We condemn all such attacks which seek to de-stabilise Lebanon.

Pakistan

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the request by the chairman of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission to the nuclear security conference in London that the nuclear suppliers group lift controls on the export of dual-use nuclear technology to Pakistan. [223748]

Mr. MacShane: Countering the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology is a key priority of the Government.

Given that Pakistan remains outside the Non Proliferation Treaty, and has placed very few nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, it is difficult for suppliers to be confident that transfers of dual-use nuclear technology will not contribute to a nuclear explosive activity. Any lifting of these controls would require amending the Nuclear Suppliers Group Guidelines, which would need the unanimous agreement of all 44 Participating Governments.

The UK's position on the export of Nuclear Dual Use items remains as set out by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Bradshaw) in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Mr. Love) on 15 March 2002, Official Report, columns 1298–1300W. It states, inter alia, that:

We will continue to deny all export licence applications (ELAs) for items listed on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Dual use list to nuclear and nuclear related end users in India and Pakistan".

 
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