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8 Feb 2006 : Column 1252W—continued

Property Valuation (Scotland)

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public sector organisation is responsible for the valuation of domestic properties in Scotland for (a) inheritance tax and (b) capital gains tax purposes. [47864]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Valuation Office Agency, an executive agency of HMRC.

Tax Harmonisation

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts on plans for tax harmonisation. [49382]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government have made it clear that fair tax competition is the way forward for Europe, not proposals for tax harmonisation.

Vegetable Oils

Ms Abbott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the criteria are for classifying vegetable oils as (a) fuel substitutes and (b) bio-diesel. [48903]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming) on 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2265W.

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on the taxation of vegetable oil when used in (a) modified and (b) unmodified form as a vehicle fuel. [49200]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming) on 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 2265W.
 
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department will make to training of the Afghan National and Border police; and if he will make a statement. [49314]

Mr. Straw: Germany is responsible for co-ordinating international assistance to the Afghan Government's police reform programme. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will continue to contribute to these programmes through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), jointly funded by the Department for International Development, FCO and the Ministry of Defence. Since 2002, the GCPP Afghanistan Strategy has contributed over £4 million to support police reform. The Strategy is examining several proposals for supporting police reform in financial year 2006–07, including the provision of trainers to the Regional Training Centre in Kandahar and mentors and advisers to police chiefs and Ministry of Interior senior officials in Kabul and Helmand. It is also considering how best to support the development of border security, including through the Afghan Border Police. Additionally, the UK is considering providing resources, support and mentoring for the Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) Provincial HQ in Lashkar Gah and to recruit, train and make operational a CNPA mobile detection team.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the composition will be of the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board recommended in the Afghanistan Compact of 31st January 2006; what the UK's contribution will be to the board; and if he will make a statement. [49364]

Mr. Straw: The Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations are consulting with the international community on the composition of the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board. We are very pleased that the Board is being established to facilitate co-ordination and monitoring in Kabul. We envisage a flexible and representative approach to its composition.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to the Afghan Government to ensure establishment of (a) civil administration, (b) police, (c) prisons and (d) judiciary in the Afghan province of Helmand; and if he will make a statement. [49411]

Mr. Straw: As stated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in his statement to the House on 26 January 2006, Official Report, column 1529, the UK presence in Helmand will be

working to ensure that we provide Afghanistan with a seamless package of democratic, political, developmental and military assistance in Helmand".

Envisaged Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) led activity includes building capacity in governance, security, economic and social development and counter-narcotics fields. This will include support to the Governor of Helmand, training, mentoring and advice to the police and judicial authorities, and institutional
 
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development advice and mentoring for the counter-narcotics police. The Department for International Development (DFID) and HM Revenue and Customs will be pursuing other activities. Detailed planning continues and will be informed by the deployments to Lashkar Gah of FCO and DFID staff scheduled for March 2006. It will also be necessary to support capacity-building and institutional reform programmes in the central Ministries in Kabul, to ensure that Afghan Government programmes give suitable priority to Helmand.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to ensure the co-ordination of (a) military assistance, (b) non-military Government aid and (c) Government-funded work by non-governmental organisations with work of the Government of Afghanistan. [49793]

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.

The Government of Afghanistan recently approved an Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) which sets out priorities for poverty reduction and economic growth, security and governance. To improve co-ordination of development efforts, the Government and the international community have committed themselves to taking forward the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness. The Afghanistan Compact, agreed by the Afghan Government and the international community at the London Conference on Afghanistan on 31 January, provides for the creation of a Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board to oversee all Afghan and international military and development assistance. This includes co-ordination of donor funds channelled through the Government, as well as work through non governmental organisations, in support of priorities set out in the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy.

There is a need for separate but coordinated military and development efforts. Military forces are primarily responsible for creating an enabling environment for development, leaving the Afghan Government and development agencies responsible for implementing development activities.

China

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of China on internet viruses and attempts through internet fraud that emanate from China to obtain confidential data from public and commercial bodies in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [49705]

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not raised this issue with the Chinese authorities.

Departmental Assets

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the items of departmental property worth over £100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in the last 12 months. [47682]

 
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Mr. Straw: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Ex-Prisoners of War

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had since 2001 with the ex-Prisoners of War Association regarding compensation for British soldiers captured by Germany during the second world war who were subjected to forced labour. [48738]

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not had discussions since 2001 with the ex-Prisoners of War Association regarding compensation for British soldiers held in Germany during the second world war.

The Government are satisfied that British servicemen detained as prisoners of war by the Germans do not fall within the category of forced labourers. A small number of British servicemen detained in Nazi concentration camps received compensation under a special fund paid for by the Germans in the 1960s to victims of Nazi ideology.

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