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7 Jun 2005 : Column 544W—continued
Rape Trials
Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what monitoring is carried out of the proportion of applications to admit previous sexual history in rape trials under the provision of section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, which are successful. [1579]
Ms Harman: None. The Government do not keep statistical records of applications to admit previous sexual history in rape trials under the provisions of Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. There are therefore no figures available to ascertain the proportion of successful applications. The Home Office commissioned research into the operation of defence applications of this nature, which it will publish in due course.
Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of rape trials were heard by recorders of the Crown Court in the last year for which figures are available. [1581]
Ms Harman: Figures relating to the proportion of rape trials heard by Recorders of the Crown Court are provided in the table.
| Recorder | Total | Proportion of rape trials heard by recorders (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 38 | 1,377 | 2.8 |
| 2003 | 43 | 1,494 | 2.9 |
| 2004 | 42 | 1,531 | 2.7 |
| 2005 | 12 | 530 | 2.3 |
Referendums
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to bring forward legislation to allow a recount to be held in a nationwide referendum; and if she will make a statement. [1262]
Ms Harman: Any legislative provision for recounts will be contained in an order to be made under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 setting down the rules for the conduct of referendums. The order will be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will publish the guidelines to returning officers for holding recounts in parliamentary elections. [1263]
Ms Harman:
The Government do not issue guidance to local authorities on factors to be taken into account before, during or after a UK parliamentary election. Guidance on the administration of elections is issued to returning officers by the Electoral Commission—
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Managing a UK parliamentary general election–a good practice guidance manual" is available on the Commission's website at: http://www.electoralcomm ission.gov.uk/files/dms/GeguidancePartGFINAL_158 42_11649_E_S_W_.pdf. Guidance on recounts can be found in Part G of this document. Other specific guidance—for instance on security issues and returning officers' expenses—is issued by my Department and is available on the departmental website.
Returning officers operate independently from both local authorities and central government. Any guidance is offered for their assistance but they are not bound either to accept or to follow it.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what restrictions there are on campaign spending by (a) Northern Ireland political parties and (b) Northern Ireland-based registered third parties in (i) UK-wide referendums and (ii) Northern Ireland-only referendums. [1264]
Ms Harman: The restrictions on campaign spending are set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). A campaigning body or individual wishing to spend more than £10,000 at a referendum held under this Act would need to register with the Electoral Commission as a permitted participant."
The expenditure limits for a political party registered as a permitted participant in a UK-wide referendum are determined by the share of the vote that the party achieved in the most recent Westminster parliamentary general election, as set out in the table.
| Percentage of the vote | Amount |
|---|---|
| 30 | £5 million |
| 20 to 30 | £4 million |
| 10 to 20 | £3 million |
| 5 to 10 | £2 million |
| less than 5 | £500,000 |
A permitted participant, including a political party, is able to apply to the Electoral Commission to be the designated organisation for the outcome they are campaigning for. In this case the expenditure limit for a UK-wide referendum would be £5 million.
The expenditure limit for all other permitted participants at a UK-wide referendum, which would include Northern Ireland-based recognised third parties, would be £500,000, regardless of where the permitted participants are based.
For a Northern Ireland-only referendum the expenditure limits would be set by order by the Secretary of State, having sought the views of the Electoral Commission.
Special Advisers
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will publish the names of the special advisers employed within the Department. [93]
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Ms Harman: Lord Hart of Chilton and Mr. Philip Bassett are employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs as special advisers.
Supreme Court
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made to date in establishing Middlesex Guildhall as the venue for the new Supreme Court. [1766]
Ms Harman: The Government have appointed the team to transform Middlesex Guildhall into the new UK Supreme Court. Project managers Drivers Jonas and lead architects Feilden and Mawson, supported by Foster and Partners, were selected following a competitive tender. This team are now taking forward the project to design and refurbish Middlesex Guildhall, in consultation with the Law Lords.
Terrorism Trials
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions Ministers have had with the Home Office regarding the future conduct of trials in terrorism cases. [1762]
Ms Harman: Department for Constitutional Affairs Ministers hold regular meetings with their Home Office colleagues where various issues are discussed including the future conduct of trials in terrorism cases.
UK Presidency (EU)
Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what communication activities are planned in relation to the policy areas covered by her Department during the UK presidency of the EU; and what budget has been allocated for these activities. [1658]
Ms Harman: Communications activity for the UK presidency of the EU is being co-ordinated centrally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
As part of this, DCA will undertake activities to ensure that information about the Department's role in taking forward the presidency programme is fully available to Parliament, practitioners and other stakeholders, and to the public.
No additional budget has been allocated within my Department.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Afghanistan
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of the opium crop in Afghanistan was in each of the last five years. [1866]
Dr. Howells:
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan. Full details can be found on their website: http://www.unodc.org.
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UNODC assess that the Farm Gate Value" of opiates in Afghanistan in the last five years is as follows:
| US$ | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 91 million |
| 2001 | 56 million |
| 2002 | 1.2 billion |
| 2003 | 1.02 billion |
| 2004 | 0.6 billion |
The UK, as lead nation on counter narcotics (CN), remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government in the implementation of their comprehensive 2005 CN Implementation Plan and in updating their National Drug Control Strategy. I refer
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the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) on 2 June 2005, Official Report, column 234W, on the counter narcotics programme in Afghanistan,.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much financial assistance was provided to Afghanistan in each of the last five years. [1867]
Dr. Howells: Between Financial Years (FY) 2000–01 and 2004–05, the UK provided around £570 million in development assistance to Afghanistan (including support for humanitarian assistance, security sector reform and counter-narcotics). The following table provides the yearly breakdown. We also provide about £40 million each year to Afghanistan through multilateral channels such as the United Nations and the European Union.
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