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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 15 February 2006
PRIME MINISTER
Departmental Staff
Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff in his Office are paid on a performance-related basis. [50488]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) on Monday 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1543W.
Engagements
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister if he will visit Shrewsbury to meet leading charity organisations, councillors and the mayor. [50091]
The Prime Minister: I have no current plans to do so.
Peter Law: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the memorandum prepared by Sir David Manning on matters discussed and decisions taken at his meeting with President Bush at the White House on 31 January 2003. [50241]
Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister whether an official minute was made of his meeting with President Bush and his advisers on 31 January 2003. [51447]
The Prime Minister: Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Fair Trade
Andrew George: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what his policy is on the procurement of fair trade produce for consumption in his Office; [49978]
(2) how much and what proportion of his Office's catering budget was spent on fair trade produce in the last period for which figures are available. [49979]
The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office (Douglas Alexander) to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 574W.
Governmental Structure (Parliamentary Approval)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to seek parliamentary approval for major changes to the structure and responsibilities of Government departments; and if he will make a statement. [50138]
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The Prime Minister: I continue to discharge my responsibilities as set out in the ministerial code.
Iraq
Mr. Harper: To ask the Prime Minister on which dates he has visited British soldiers injured in Iraq; and what locations were visited. [50367]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the afternoon press briefing given by my official spokesman on 1 February 2006, a copy of which is available on the No. 10 website.
Parliamentary Questions
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by him on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer (i) on the day named and (ii) after the day named. [49878]
The Prime Minister: My office aims to answer all ordinary written parliamentary questions within five working days, and named day written parliamentary questions on the day named.
In the period from January 2005 to January 2006, 181 named day parliamentary questions were tabled to my office. Of these, 135 received a substantive answer on the day named, five received a substantive answer after the day named, and 41 were transferred to another Government Department for reply.
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Prime Minister how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by him in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if he will make a statement. [49898]
The Prime Minister: My office aims to answer all ordinary written parliamentary questions within five working days, and named day written parliamentary questions on the day named.
In the period from January 2005 to January 2006, 331 ordinary written parliamentary questions received an answer within five working days. 41 questions were answered after five working days.
Prerogative Powers
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister how many decisions were taken by Ministers using prerogative powers in the last year for which figures are available. [50856]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 802W.
Telephone Interceptions
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to make an announcement on whether the ban on intercepting hon. and right hon. Members' telephone communications is to be lifted. [51834]
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The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my written ministerial statement, 15 December 2005, Official Report, column 173WS and my answers at Prime Minister's Questions on 18 and 25 January.
Torture
David Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 852W, on torture, whether he understood the US Secretary of State's statement to represent a change in US policy. [50552]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 852W.
David Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 852W, on torture, what assessment he has made of whether the US's interpretations of its obligations under the convention against torture differ from internationally accepted interpretations of those obligations. [50553]
The Prime Minister: Secretary of State Rice confirmed in her statement on 5 December 2005 that it is US policy to comply with the UN convention against torture. On ratifying the convention, the US entered a reservation stating that it
considers itself bound by the obligation under Article 16 to prevent" cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" only insofar as the term cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" means the cruel, unusual and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth, Eighth, and/or Fourteenth Amendments to the constitution of the United States".
The US also entered a number of formal understandings of its convention obligations. Other states have also made reservations and interpretative declarations in respect of their obligations under the convention.
Wars (Parliamentary Approval)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to seek parliamentary approval, whenever practicable, before the UK goes to war; and if he will make a statement. [50137]
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford South (Mike Gapes) during my evidence to the Liaison Committee on Tuesday 7 February.
WALES
Crime Figures
8. Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on recent crime figures in Wales. [50383]
Mr. Hain: I am very pleased that during 2004–05 recorded crime in Wales fell by 7 per cent.
Police Reorganisation
10. Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received from Gwent (a) in favour and (b) against the proposed police reorganisation. [50385]
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Mr. Hain: In addition to meeting a wide range of stakeholders from across Wales, I have received seven letters from correspondents in Gwent—including from my hon. Friend. They are not easy to catalogue in the way requested. I can, however, inform the hon. Member that on 6 February the chief constable of Gwent said
"We have more chance to give the public a policing service it desires by looking at the efficiencies of merging the four forces than we have as four forces standing alone."
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