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Tariq Aziz

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what access Tariq Aziz has had to his lawyers Emile Ludot and Mathieu Faupin in the last 12 months. [224981]

Mr. Rammell: Tariq Aziz has a named counsel of record registered with the Iraq Special Tribunal (IST). This counsel of record is an Iraqi national and qualified member of the Iraqi bar. He is free to see his client providing one of them makes an official request for access. M. Emile Ludot and M. Mathieu Faupin are not registered as co-counsel with the IST. Nor have requests to visit Mr. Aziz, who they claim is their client, been received from them by the IST. It has not proved possible to obtain official confirmation of the number of occasions Mr. Aziz has seen his registered lawyer since he was detained in the time available before Prorogation. However, it is believed that two visits have taken place, one meeting being in private and one meeting at the initial hearing before the investigative judge.

Terrorism

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the sources of information on terrorist violence that were used for each organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. [224297]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I have been asked to reply.

It is not the policy of the UK Government to discuss intelligence matters.

However, all information supplied on proscribed organisations will be evaluated very carefully, and decisions to proscribe or deproscribe are taken after careful consideration of all relevant aspects.

Uganda

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made representations to the Ugandan authorities regarding the statement by the Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi in Pyongyang that North Korea deserves to defend itself by any means, including nuclear weapons. [218268]

Mr. Mullin: We have made no representations to the Ugandan authorities on this matter.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the ability of the forum for democratic change to operate freely in Uganda. [218270]

Mr. Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr. Simmonds) on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1796W.

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Ugandan authorities regarding the visit by the Ugandan Defence Minister
 
7 Apr 2005 : Column 1775W
 
Amama Mbabazi to Pyongyang and his statement that North Korea deserves to defend itself by any means, including nuclear weapons. [218289]

Mr. Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) today (UIN 218268).

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department has taken to counter the Lord's Resistance Army campaign in Northern Uganda. [224950]

Mr. Mullin: We have received a large number of representations from non-governmental organisations and concerned individuals regarding efforts to combat the Lord's Resistance Army campaign and end the conflict in Northern Uganda. We are working closely with other members of the international community to this end.

The British Government believe that the northern Uganda problem cannot be resolved solely through military action. Since late 2004, the UK, along with a number of other countries and international organisations, has been backing a local initiative to end the conflict through mediation. This is led by a former Government Minister for Northern Uganda, Betty Bigombe. The process is continuing.
 
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HOME DEPARTMENT

National Offender Management Service

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether responsibility for the Probation Service remains with probation boards; whether arrangements were changed under the arrangements set out in the written ministerial statement of 20 July 2004; and whether those arrangements will change under the latest blueprint for the National Offender Management Service. [209867]

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the members of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs are; and what the professional qualifications of each are. [224166]

Caroline Flint: A full list of members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and their professions, is set out in the following table. However, it is very important to note that the members are appointed on an individual basis, and not as representatives of the organisations for which they work. The professional information supplied is for information only. All members are unpaid, although expenses are reimbursed.

Member	Profession
Professor Sir Michael Rawlins	Professor of Pharmacology, University of Newcastle
Dr. Dima Abdulrahim	Briefing's Manager, National Treatment Agency
Lord Victor Adebowale	Chief Executive, Turning Point
Mr. Martin Barnes(24)	Chief Executive, Drugscope
Dr. Margaret Birtwistle	Specialist GP, Senior Tutor—Education and Training Unit, St. George's Hospital and Forensic Medical Examiner
Reverend Martin Blakebrough	Director, Kaleidoscope Drugs Project, Kingston upon Thames
Dr. Cecilia Bottomley	Doctor—Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Ms Carmel Clancy	Principal Lecturer (Mental Health and Addictions), Middlesex University
Professor Liana Crome	Professor of Addiction Psychiatry, Keele University Medical Schools, Harplands Hospital
Ms Robyn Doran	Registered Mental Health Nurse and Service Director Substance Misuse CNWL Mental Health Trust
Ms Dianne Draper(24)	Public Health Policy Support Officer, Government Office for Yorkshire and Humberside
Mr. Robert Eschle	School Teacher and Magistrate
Professor Hugh Edmondson	Consultant Maxillo Facial Surgeon, Emeritus Professor
Ms Vivienne Evans	Chief Executive, ADFAM
Professor C Robin Ganellin FRS	Emeritus Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
Dr. Clare Gerada(24)	GP, London Practice and Primary Care lead for Drug Misuse and Chair at the Royal College of GPs.
Dr. Laurence Gruer(25)	Public Health Services for NHS Scotland
Mr. Paul Hayes	Chief Executive, National Treatment Agency
Mr. Andrew Hayman	ACPO
Mr. Russell Hayton	Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical and Services Governance Manager, Plymouth Drug and Alcohol Action Team
Ms Caroline Healy(24)	Health Adviser to Sure Start, London
Dr. Matthew Hickman(24)	Deputy Director, Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, Senior Lecturer in Public Health
Mr. Alan Hunter	Director—Law Regulatory and Intellectual Property and Secretary to the Association of British Pharmaceutical
Professor Leslie Iversen(24)	Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford
His Honour Judge Thomas Joseph	Resident Judge, Croyden Crown Council
Dr. John Marsden	Research Psychologist, Institute of Psychiatry
Mr. Peter Martin	Chief Executive, Addaction
Professor David Nutt	Director of Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol
Dr. Richard Pates	Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director Community Addiction Unit, Cardiff.
Mr. Trevor Pearce	Acting Director General, National Crime Squad
Mrs. Kay Roberts	Coordinator Greater Glasgow Pharmacy Needle Exchange Scheme, Lead Pharmacist -Royal College of General Practitioners, National Drug Misuse Training Programme
Dr. Roy Robertson(25)	General Medical Practitioner, Edinburgh
Dr. Mary Rowlands	Consultant Psychiatrist in Substance Misuse
Dr. Polly Taylor	Veterinary Surgeon
Ms Monique Tomlinson	Freelance Consultant
Mr. Arthur Wing(24)	Assistant Chief Officer, Sussex Probation Area

⁽²⁴⁾New member
⁽²⁵⁾Member whose appointment runs only to 31 December 2005



 
7 Apr 2005 : Column 1777W
 

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how members of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs are appointed. [224167]

Caroline Flint: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is a statutory and non-executive non-departmental public body, established by the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971.

Members of the ACMD, of whom there should be not less than 20, are appointed by the Secretary of State for a term of three years and in accordance with the guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Nominations come from a wide range ofsources including relevant professional bodies, PublicAppointments Unit of the Cabinet Office and self-nomination. Under the terms of the MDA 1971 the ACMD is required to include representatives of the practices of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, and chemistry (other than pharmaceutical chemistry); and members who have a wide and relevant experience of social problems connected with the misuse of drugs.

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins was first appointed to the chair of the ACMD in October 1998 for a period of four years. His tenure was extended to a second term, which is due to expire in December 2005. Sir Michael is an effective and respected chairman. He is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Newcastle and chair of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Membership currently stands at 36, including the Chair. The ACMD has recently undergone a membership appointments process and the current term of office for members began on 1 January 2005. It will expire on 31 December 2007.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will increase the number of scientific specialists on the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs. [224168]

Caroline Flint: The Home Secretary may only appoint additional members to the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD—as a Non-Departmental Public Body) subject to the normal membership recruitment process, approved and monitored by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

I am content that the range of professions, and levels of expertise on the ACMD is suitable.

Where the ACMD requires additional information, or would value further opinions, it has the authority to, and frequently does, invite expert witnesses to present to its meetings, and contribute to its understanding of an issue. If it feels that such input would be valuable in the longer term, it may co-opt additional members to its sub-committees or working groups.
 
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Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make provision for independent testing of the validity of the review process used by the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs. [224169]

Caroline Flint: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is an independent body whose members are experts or leading practitioners in their field.

We have no intention to make provision for independent testing of the validity of the review process of the ACMD because we believe in the integrity of the council and its individual members, and are confident that the advice we receive from them is of the highest quality.

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