---

6 Apr 2005 : Column 1485W—continued

Hezbollah

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the motion of the European Parliament in favour of outlawing Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. [224130]

Mr. Rammell: The UK has already proscribed the terrorist wing of Hezbollah (the External Security Organisation). We keep the status of Hezbollah under constant review, and liaise closely with our European and US colleagues. The list of proscribed organisations in the UK is also kept under constant review, in light of changing circumstances.

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the risk posed by Hezbollah to the establishment of stable Palestinian government in the Palestinian Territories. [224131]

Mr. Rammell: Terrorist attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian Rejectionist Groups risk disrupting relations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel and cause many innocent casualties. These groups must cease terrorist attacks.

Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the risk posed by Hezbollah to the establishment of stable Palestinian Government in the Palestinian Territories. [224223]

Mr. Rammell: Terrorist attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian rejectionist groups risk disrupting relations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel and cause many innocent casualties. These groups must cease terrorist attacks.

Intelligence Operations

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional resources he plans to commit to support the delivery of the changes in the operation of British secret intelligence set out in Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction: Implementation of its Conclusions, Cm6492, published on 23 March. [224235]

 
6 Apr 2005 : Column 1486W
 

Mr. Straw: As set out in Cm6492, the Government have instigated a range of improvements to the handling and processing of secret intelligence material. The assessments staff in the Cabinet Office will increase in size by approximately one third. Increased resources have been made available to the Security and Intelligence Services to improve scrutiny and validation of sources. We are developing a new IT system which will improve dissemination of intelligence material and we will be appointing a professional head of intelligence analysis in the Cabinet Office tasked with ensuring the quality and coverage of our analysis capability.

Iran

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of people executed in Iran (a) since May 1999 and (b) between January 1995 and May 1999. [224186]

Mr. Rammell: We are unable to assess reliably the number of executions taking place in Iran. Respected international human rights NGOs have published estimates in the region of 100 cases a year.

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made since November 2003 in improving human rights in Iran as a result of the EU-Iran human rights dialogue. [224295]

Mr. Rammell: An evaluation of the EU-Iran human rights dialogue by the EU presidency in October 2004 found that there had been little overall progress in the human rights situation in Iran since the start of the dialogue and recommended ways that the dialogue process could be made more effective. The EU is encouraging Iran to renew its commitment to the process and has proposed substantive improvements. The EU has made clear that its relations with Iran can only move forward if Iran takes action to address the EU's concerns, including in the area of human rights.
 
6 Apr 2005 : Column 1487W
 

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest estimate is of the number of (a) people sentenced to death in Iran and (b) executions carried out in the last 12 months. [224298]

Mr. Rammell: We are unable to assess reliably the numbers of people sentenced to death and executed in Iran during the past 12 months. Amnesty International has reported that 108 people were executed in Iran in 2003. The number sentenced to death is likely to be substantially higher.

We have serious concerns about the use of the death penalty in Iran, which we have made clear to the Iranian authorities on many occasions.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the production of enriched uranium by the government of Iran; whether he has assessed Iran as being in breach of the non-proliferation treaty as a result of such production; and if he will make a statement on UK relations with Iran. [224589]

Mr. MacShane: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported extensively on Iran's past nuclear activities, including on some enrichment of uranium to low levels. Iran agreed to suspend all its enrichment-related activities under the so-called "Paris Agreement" of 15 November 2004. This suspension has been verified by the IAEA.

Iran's past enrichment activities were not declared to the IAEA at the time, as Iran was obliged to do under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, pursuant to its obligations under the nuclear con-proliferation treaty.

Our policy towards Iran is one of constructive, but critical, engagement. We maintain a robust dialogue on issues of concern, such as Iran's nuclear programme; human rights record; approach to the fight against terrorism; and attitude to the middle east peace process.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether consent was sought from the originator of the information upon which the UK based its claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa, to pass it to the Butler Review; and whether consent was sought to pass the information to (a) the US Central Intelligence Agency, (b) the International Atomic Energy Agency and (c) the Intelligence and Security Committee. [216364]

Mr. Straw: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave her on 17 November 2004, Official Report, column 1552W.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what material breaches of obligations under United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 (2002) were perpetrated by the then Government of Iraq between 8 November 2002 and 17 March 2003. [224556]

Mr. Rammell: United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 determined that Iraq had been and remained in material breach of resolution 687 because it had failed to cooperate with United Nations inspectors
 
6 Apr 2005 : Column 1488W
 
and the International Atomic Energy Agency and had not fully complied with its obligations to disarm under that resolution. The Security Council gave Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" and decided that if Iraq failed at any time to comply with and cooperate fully in the implementation of resolution 1441, that would constitute a further material breach. Iraq failed to comply and cooperate and as such was in material breach at the time of resolution 1441 and continued to be so in the period thereafter.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will post on his Department's website, and place in the Library, a record of the negotiations of United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 (2002) on Iraq. [224586]

Mr. Rammell: The vast majority of the negotiations on United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 were carried out in closed Security Council sessions, of which there are no publicly available minutes. Details of the public meetings that the Security Council held on Iraq/Kuwait at that time are available on the UN's website at: http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scact2002.htm

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk), the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York (www.ukun.org) and other British embassies and High Commissions have information on their websites on UN activities and issues.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of those of his Department's legal advisers who were employed in March 2003 provided the judgment that it would be (a) lawful and (b) not lawful to take military action against Iraq. [224466]

Mr. Straw: It is well known that the Attorney-General provided the Government with their legal advice on the use of force in Iraq. Where Foreign and Commonwealth Office legal advisers provide advice they do so in confidence.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Mrs. Elizabeth Wilmshurst was consulted in advance of the decision to publish on 23 March her letter of resignation from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office civil service with a part retracted in respect of her stated judgment on the legality of military action against Iraq. [224468]

Mr. Straw: Ms Wilmshurst was informed in advance of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's intention to disclose most of her minute of 18 March 2003 in response to a number of requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

---