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8 May 2006 : Column 56W—continued
Energy Review
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made as part of the Energy Review of the project to construct a new nuclear power plant in Finland, with particular reference to (a) the financial commitment of the state in the project and (b) the time taken to construct the station compared to the construction schedule. [68471]
Malcolm Wicks: As part of an assessment of a range of generating technologies, the Energy Review is taking note of experience from other countries.
This includes the example of new nuclear build in Finland, and the costs and time scales involved in the project.
Non-fossil Fuel Obligation Fund
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date his Department (a) indicated its agreement to HM Treasury that the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation Fund constituted hereditary revenues of the Crown and (b) discovered that the fund had been conclusively so determined by HM Treasury; by what means and by whom the Treasury's determination was communicated to his Department; and if he will place copies of all relevant communications in the Library. [67596]
Malcolm Wicks: The DTI and HM Treasury agreed in October 2004 that the element of the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) surplus, representing the profit made by the Non Fossil Purchasing Agency because it is able to auction electricity (together with the associated Renewable Obligation Certificates) for more than it pays for the electricity under the NFFO contracts, should be paid into the Consolidated Fund after receiving legal advice that the monies are hereditary revenues of the Crown.
I am withholding the legal advice requested, as it is confidential and subject to legal professional privilege. There is a strong public interest in Government Departments receiving high quality legal advice to ensure the effective conduct of business, that advice needs to be given in confidence and with a full appreciation of the facts.
Nuclear Power Stations
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list serious breaches of safety procedures in each nuclear power station in each of the past 30 years. [67820]
Malcolm Wicks: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes quarterly statements for incidents at nuclear installations, which meet ministerial reporting criteria. Quarterly statements of nuclear incidents at nuclear installations from 1 October 2000 are available on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/quarterly-stat/index.htm
Hard copies of quarterly statements from 1 April 1977, when ministerial reporting arrangements began, and September 2000 have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Northern Ireland
Arlene Pearson
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when Mr. Gerry Keenan of the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Upper Bann regarding Arlene Pearson. [68984]
Mr. Hanson: Mr. Keenan replied to the hon. Gentleman's letter on 5 May 2006.
Child Support Agency
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 315W, on the Child Support Agency, what progress has been made in converting all old scheme cases in Northern Ireland to the new system. [69234]
Mr. Hanson: Since 3 March 2003, 17,181 cases previously assessed under child support old rules have been reassessed as new rules cases as a direct result of their link to a new scheme application.
On 9 February 2006 the Great Britain agency's Operational Improvement Plan was announced in Parliament. The Northern Ireland Child Support Agency is now considering its ways of working in light of these proposals. Ministers have considered the findings of the work carried out by the chief executive of the Great Britain agency and have concluded that they should continue to keep the conversion decision under review.
In the meantime, the work to redesign future policy and delivery arrangements for child support has begun. Sir David Henshaw will lead this work and he will deliver his findings to my hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions this summer.
Home Ownership
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes were purchased in Northern Ireland through the co-ownership scheme in each of the last three years. [69269]
Mr. Hanson: The information is as follows:
| Financial year | Number of co-ownership purchases |
Housing Executive
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed by (a) housing associations and (b) the Housing Executive in Northern Ireland. [69187]
Mr. Hanson: The number of staff employed is as follows:
(a) Housing Associations(1)—1,910;
(b) Northern Ireland Housing Executive(2)—3,437
(1) Excludes staff on career break, seconded out or employed through an agency
(2) Excludes temporary, casual and agency staff
Post-primary Education
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the ongoing consultation on
changes to post-primary education in Northern Ireland is not listed on the Northern Ireland Office website list of current consultations. [46780]
Mr. Hain: I am sorry for the delay in replying, this was due to an administrative error.
A central website exists on which NI Departments register all public consultations past and present. Details of all public consultations are not therefore routinely published on the NIO website. Details of the consultations on changes to post-primary education in Northern Ireland were published on the Department of Education website.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Algeria
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Algeria about the use of torture. [68194]
Dr. Howells: During his visit to Algeria in February, my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) discussed regional and bilateral issues with the Algerian Government. In the context of deportation with assurances, the discussions included assurances against ill-treatment.
Biological and Toxin Weapons
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the EU action plan on biological and toxin weapons. [68632]
Dr. Howells: The EU adopted an Action Plan on biological and toxin weapons on 27 February 2006 in parallel with, and to complement, a Joint Action on the same issue. The Action Plan sets out all EU member states' agreement to submit annual Confidence Building Measures (CBM) returns under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. This is a step towards revitalising this mechanism and will enable the EU to have a firmer base for encouraging other States Party to submit annual CBM returns. The Action Plan also sets out member states' agreement to consider and/or update as appropriate the expertise or use of laboratories that they can volunteer to the United Nations Secretary-General, should he be called upon to undertake an investigation into the alleged use of biological weapons.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the countries her Department has classified as having an offensive biological warfare capability in the last 30 years, indicating in each case whether that capability is assessed to be (a) current, (b) dormant and (c) destroyed; and whether, in each case, the country in question is a signatory to the Biological Weapons Convention 1972. [69451]
Dr. Howells: The dual-use nature of virtually all the know-how, materials and equipment used in biology means that most industrialised countries have such a capability.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the capacity of Russia to produce biological weapons; and what stores of such weapons she assesses Russia holds, with particular reference to (a) smallpox and (b) genetically modified smallpox. [69452]
Dr. Howells: The Government keep under review the potential military capability of other States, but it is not our practice to divulge the details.
Colombia
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Colombian government regarding its human rights record. [68219]
Dr. Howells: Through our Embassy in Bogota and in contacts with visiting Colombian officials, we make frequent representations to the Colombian government over human rights issues. We also regularly raise specific cases of concern with them. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, most recently did so with Vice President Santos on 28 November 2005, and our Embassy most recently did so in the week beginning 24 April. Human rights form a significant strand of our policy towards Colombia. We consistently urge the Colombian government to implement recommendations arising from successive annual reports of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights and have offered to help them to do so.
Iran (Nuclear Programme)
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she first learnt of the Iranian Government's claim that it had successfully enriched a certain quantity of uranium to 3.6 per cent.; and if she will make a statement. [69168]
Dr. Howells: This claim was first made by Gholamreza Aghazadeh, the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran on 11 April. He said that Iran had
‘started enriching uranium to the 3.5 per cent. level, and thus has passed the stage of pilot production'.
President Ahmadinejad repeated the claim later the same day.
In his 28 April report, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Dr. Mohammed El-Baradei, said that
‘on 18 April the Agency took samples at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (in Natanz), the results of which tend to confirm as of that date the enrichment level declared by Iran'.
We understand that the Agency is still investigating. On 2 May, Mr. Aghazadeh said that the highest level to which Iran had enriched was 4.8 per cent.
As my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) has said, Iran's continuation of enrichment-related activities, contrary to repeated requests by the IAEA Board and the United Nations Security Council, is of serious concern. The Security Council is presently discussing next steps.
Iraq (Nuclear Contamination)
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has received representations regarding the risk of nuclear contamination affecting civilians in Iraq; and if she will make a statement. [69165]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 14 June 2005, Official Report, columns 327-28W. I have received no recent representations on the issues.
Middle East
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the UK has provided to Israel to obtain a nuclear weapon; and if he will make a statement. [68592]
Dr. Howells: There are a large number of publications available on the history of Israel's nuclear programme. The Government are content that at no time has the United Kingdom breached its international obligations regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the United States and (b) other states on a Middle East nuclear weapons free zone. [68515]
Dr. Howells: The UK continues to support the principle of establishing a Middle East nuclear weapon free zone. Concerns surrounding Iran's nuclear programme have renewed international interest in the establishment of such a zone and, in the context of wider regional security, the issue has formed part of our regular discussions with many countries, including the other permanent members of the UN Security Council. The UK has also raised this issue in numerous high-level bilateral contacts in the run-up to last year's Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.
Mockbul Ali
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what capacity Mr. Mockbul Ali is employed to advise the Foreign Office; what level of security clearance he has; and what vetting procedures were undertaken before he was offered employment. [69286]
Dr. Howells: It is not Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) policy to comment publicly on named civil servants. The level of security clearance each member of the FCO holds is commensurate with the work the officer carries out. Normal vetting procedures are undertaken before employment is offered.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice her Department sought from (a) the Cabinet Secretary and (b) other senior civil servants on the employment of Mr. Mockbul Ali following his employment by the Labour Party. [69289]
Dr. Howells: It is not Foreign and Commonwealth Office policy to comment publicly on the employment contracts for individual members of staff, nor on advice sought or not sought before offering a member of staff employment. Staff are recruited according to strict guidelines under free and fair, open competitions.
Morocco
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Morocco about the treatment of migrants. [68197]
Dr. Howells: The UK regularly holds discussions at ministerial and official level with the Government of Morocco about migration. For instance, I discussed migration with Taib Fassi Fihri, the Moroccan Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation during our meeting on 30 March 2006.
The UK Presidency established a framework of action by the EU to better manage migration from Africa and the Mediterranean, including addressing the treatment of migrants. Within that framework, on 10-11 July Morocco will host a regional conference on migration and development, addressing migration flows within countries on the West Africa migratory route. The UK is playing an active role in the preparations for the conference.
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