---

Assassinations

Lord Jenkins of Putney asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether their ethical foreign policy prevents them from taking part in or consenting to the assassination of the leaders of foreign powers.[HL14]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: It is inconceivable in ordinary peacetime circumstances that authority would be granted to conduct assassinations.

3 Dec 1998 : Column WA55

Burma

Lord Jenkins of Putney asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the legal difficulties which have prevented them from imposing financial sanctions on the regime in Burma.[HL15]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Financial sanctions need to be compatible with the UK's international obligations. They are a matter for action by the European Community as a whole in accordance with the Treaty of Rome (Articles 73 (g) (1) and 228 (a)). They must also be compatible with membership of the World Trade Organisation. A mandatory United Nations Security Council Resolution would override these obligations, but there is at present no consensus for such action.

Iraq: Saddam Hussein and UNSCOM

Lord Rowallan asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider that Saddam Hussein's repeated withdrawals of co-operation with the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) are designed to split the Alliance and the United Nations, or to gain time when UNSCOM officials come near to discovering a major cache of chemicals or weaponry, or a combination of the two.[HL22]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Saddam Hussein is determined to force the international community to lift sanctions on Iraq without Iraq having first complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 by giving up its weapons of mass destruction. The most plausible explanation for his latest act of defiance is alarm over recent UNSCOM discoveries, such as the fact that Iraq had lied about weaponising the deadly nerve agent VX.

We consider Saddam Hussein's actions to be clearly premeditated and designed both to test the resolve of the international community and to frustrate the work of UNSCOM and the IAEA. His 14 November climb-down is the most recent evidence of his failure to do either.

Lord Rowallan asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the presence of UNSCOM in Iraq would make it impossible to attack Iraq without warning.[HL24]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Prime Minister has said that, if Iraq reneges on its agreement to co-operate with UNSCOM and the IAEA, it will receive no further warnings in advance of military action. Her Majesty's Government would of course carefully consider the impact of any action on UN personnel and others working in Iraq.

3 Dec 1998 : Column WA56

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Working Groups

Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many working groups have been set up in Brussels to discuss matters of common interest to European Union member states under the Common Foreign and Security Policy; whether they will list the subjects under discussion by each group; and by whom each group was set up and to whom it reports. [HL25]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There are 28 working groups which discuss Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) matters.

The subjects covered by the groups are:

Administrative Affairs

Africa

Armaments Policy

Asia

Central Europe

Communications

Consular Matters

Conventional Arms Exports

Drugs

Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Euro-Med (Mashreq/Maghreb)

Global Disarmament

Human Rights

Latin America

Law of the Sea

Mashreq/Maghreb

Middle East/Gulf

Middle East Peace Process

Nuclear Non-Proliferation

OSCE

Policy Planning

Protocol

Public International Law

Security

South-East Europe

Terrorism

United Nations

Western Balkans Region.

CFSP working groups are set up by the Presidency of the Council of the Union. They report to the Council of the Union.

3 Dec 1998 : Column WA57

Iraq: Kuwaiti Prisoners of War

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the release of the Kuwaitis who have been imprisoned in Iraq since the Gulf war will have to be agreed before there is any relaxation of the economic sanctions against Iraq.[HL59]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Sanctions will be lifted once the UN Security Council is satisfied that Iraq has complied with its obligations under the relevant resolutions. The Council has agreed outline terms for a comprehensive review of Iraq's compliance to date, to start once Iraq has resumed full co-operation with UNSCOM and the IAEA. This review would be in two phases. The first would assess Iraqi compliance with its disarmament obligations and would also include the arrangements for onward monitoring and verification. The second phase would deal with Iraq's compliance with all its other obligations under the relevant Security Council resolutions, including those relating to Kuwaiti prisoners of war and missing Kuwaiti property.

Human Rights Obligations: Compliance by Ministers and Civil Servants

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider the public to be entitled to expect that Ministers and civil servants will comply with the obligations imposed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, having regard to the United Kingdom's ratifications of those instruments, the guidance Questions of Procedure for Ministers and the Civil Service Code.[HL68]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Yes.

Israeli Prime Minister's Visit: Talks

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will discuss with the Prime Minister of Israel during his forthcoming visit to London:


(a) administrative actions resulting in the exclusion of long-standing Palestinian residents from greater Jerusalem;


(b) new encampments by Israelis within the boundaries of the Occupied Territories in the West Bank since the Wye Plantation Agreement.[HL73]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The position of Her Majesty's Government on the status of Jerusalem and on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories and East Jerusalem is well known. At the press conference following the Foreign Secretary's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 26 November, the Foreign Secretary stressed the need to focus on the areas of agreement reached at Wye, and emphasised that any

3 Dec 1998 : Column WA58

actions by either side that undermined Wye would not make it easier to take the peace process forward.

Food Standards Agency

Lord Kirkhill asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made towards a food standards agency.[HL66]

The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue): The Government are fully committed to the establishment of the food standards agency as set out in the White Paper published in January 1998. It is a matter of regret that, because of the Government's heavy legislative programme in other areas, it has not been possible to secure a space in the forthcoming parliamentary session. My right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Health, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and the Minister are determined nevertheless to move action forward where we can, in the meantime, in ways which do not require legislation.

Since the general election, this Government have made a number of improvements to the way in which food safety and standards issues are handled. Officials from MAFF and DH are now working together in a Joint Food Standards and Safety Group, which reports directly to both the Secretary of State for Health and my right honourable friend the Minister. The group also liaises closely with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices. The safety of the consumer lies at the heart of our decision making.

I am holding discussions with my right honourable friends as to how we can, in practical terms, enhance these current joint working arrangements and lay further foundations for the agency. As soon as we have completed these discussions, I will make a further announcement to the House. A draft Bill will be published in due course.

England: General Schools Budgets

Lord Pilkington of Oxenford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish a list showing for each Local Education Authority (LEA) in England, for 1998-99 its General Schools Budget, its Potential Schools Budget, the difference between these two amounts expressed as a figure and as a percentage of the General Schools Budget withheld by each LEA which is outside its Potential Schools Budget, and the amount under each heading.[HL103]

The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone): The following table shows, for each local education authority in England--and for England as a whole--for 1998-99, its General Schools Budget (GSB), Potential Schools Budget (PSB), and the difference between the two expressed both as a figure and as a percentage of the General Schools Budget.

General Schools Budget and Potential Schools Budget 1998-99

	GSB (i)	PSB (ii)	GSB less PSB (iii)	(iii) as % of(i)
	(£000s)	(£000s)	(£000s)	%
City of London	1,014	741	273	26.9
Camden	79,249	57,692	21,557	27.2
Greenwich	113,520	91,037	22,483	19.8
Hackney	86,018	66,873	19,144	22.3
Hammersmith and Fulham	52,048	41,307	10,742	20.6
Islington	85,895	64,001	21,893	25.5
Kensington and Chelsea	34,445	28,131	6,314	18.3
Lambeth	64,660	54,232	10,428	16.1
Lewisham	109,330	89,925	19,404	17.7
Southwark	98,643	74,100	24,543	24.9
Tower Hamlets	128,484	97,594	30,890	24.0
Wandsworth	67,398	51,599	15,799	23.4
Westminster	63,115	48,891	14,224	22.5
Barking/Dagenham	83,495	66,157	17,338	20.8
Barnet	104,009	81,654	22,355	21.5
Bexley	90,460	69,715	20,745	22.9
Brent	63,965	52,329	11,636	18.2
Bromley	58,763	46,490	12,273	20.9
Croydon	102,609	81,945	20,664	20.1
Ealing	98,117	76,492	21,625	22.0
Enfield	114,414	92,119	22,295	19.5
Haringey	109,061	82,173	26,888	24.7
Harrow	77,276	65,787	11,489	14.9
Havering	85,744	72,124	13,620	15.9
Hillingdon	52,865	45,668	7,197	13.6
Hounslow	91,914	79,074	12,840	14.0
Kingston	40,313	32,764	7,549	18.7
Merton	57,340	51,156	6,184	10.8
Newham	145,382	102,201	43,181	29.7
Redbridge	105,170	85,659	19,511	18.6
Richmond	51,461	45,585	5,876	11.4
Sutton	52,649	42,291	10,358	19.7
Waltham Forest	97,267	75,791	21,475	22.1
Birmingham	455,194	372,604	82,590	18.1
Coventry	136,530	112,551	23,979	17.6
Dudley	107,077	86,964	20,113	18.8
Sandwell	123,667	105,244	18,423	14.9
Solihull	85,799	71,596	14,203	16.6
Walsall	95,711	80,999	14,712	15.4
Wolverhampton	98,743	78,900	19,843	20.1
Knowsley	73,538	60,778	12,760	17.4
Liverpool	206,341	163,634	42,707	20.7
St. Helens	75,242	63,275	11,967	15.9
Sefton	114,630	101,088	13,542	11.8
Wirral	133,067	107,775	25,292	19.0
Bolton	105,113	88,324	16,789	16.0
Bury	66,052	54,497	11,555	17.5
Manchester	187,592	150,881	36,711	19.6
Oldham	106,606	87,639	18,967	17.8
Rochdale	76,000	62,175	13,825	18.2
Salford	88,464	74,976	13,488	15.2
Stockport	105,463	84,636	20,827	19.7
Tameside	81,926	67,743	14,183	17.3
Trafford	70,445	53,199	17,246	24.5
Wigan	128,279	105,943	22,336	17.4
Barnsley	86,271	65,254	21,017	24.4
Doncaster	127,157	108,078	19,079	15.0
Rotherham	105,832	91,358	14,474	13.7
Sheffield	199,424	143,480	55,944	28.1
Bradford	210,536	155,561	54,975	26.1
Calderdale	56,720	44,805	11,915	21.0
Kirklees	154,734	124,257	30,477	19.7
Leeds	315,271	236,073	79,198	25.1
Wakefield	137,759	101,999	35,760	26.0
Gateshead	82,461	64,514	17,947	21.8
Newcastle	102,477	87,297	15,180	14.8
North Tyneside	79,357	62,393	16,964	21.4
South Tyneside	61,778	51,812	9,966	16.1
Sunderland	121,183	100,367	20,816	17.2
Isles of Scilly	1,159	924	235	20.3
Bath & NE Somerset	60,779	52,189	8,590	14.1
Bristol	134,855	114,658	20,197	15.0
North Somerset	69,306	58,422	10,884	15.7
South Gloucestershire	97,947	81,187	16,760	17.1
Hartlepool	37,591	31,921	5,670	15.1
Middlesbrough	61,067	51,205	9,862	16.1
Redcar & Cleveland	61,848	52,750	9,098	14.7
Stockton on Tees	78,161	67,292	10,869	13.9
Hull	103,125	87,260	15,865	15.4
East Riding	121,492	100,443	21,049	17.3
North East Lincolnshire	69,802	58,755	11,047	15.8
North Lincolnshire	63,618	52,295	11,323	17.8
North Yorkshire	215,816	184,433	31,383	14.5
York	59,287	50,984	8,303	14.0
Bedfordshire	135,407	111,156	24,251	17.9
Luton	70,353	53,349	17,004	24.2
Buckinghamshire	165,367	124,594	40,773	24.7
Milton Keynes	73,297	54,414	18,883	25.8
Derbyshire	235,267	185,382	49,885	21.2
Derby City	72,189	56,127	16,062	22.2
Dorset	119,812	97,825	21,988	18.4
Poole	32,412	26,440	5,972	18.4
Bournemouth	37,298	30,780	6,518	17.5
Durham	200,913	162,648	38,265	19.0
Darlington	36,429	30,230	6,199	17.0
East Sussex	165,854	138,052	27,802	16.8
Brighton and Hove	76,967	66,068	10,899	14.2
Hampshire	380,745	328,077	52,668	13.8
Portsmouth	61,282	52,456	8,826	14.4
Southampton	76,883	64,991	11,892	15.5
Leicestershire	218,593	187,232	31,361	14.3
Leicester City	135,485	103,022	32,363	24.0
Rutland	5,353	4,506	847	15.8
Staffordshire	303,087	245,277	57,810	19.1
Stoke-on-Trent	87,424	73,503	13,921	15.9
Wiltshire	107,381	83,288	24,093	22.4
Swindon	53,783	44,745	9,038	16.8
Bracknell Forest	37,284	31,882	5,402	14.5
Windsor & Maidenhead	44,981	38,064	6,916	15.4
West Berkshire	44,955	39,561	5,394	12.0
Reading	32,142	26,218	5,924	18.4
Slough	30,907	25,470	5,437	17.6
Wokingham	52,324	47,684	4,640	8.9
Cambridgeshire	162,577	121,845	40,732	25.1
Peterborough	56,556	43,045	13,511	23.9
Cheshire	264,125	217,520	46,605	17.6
Halton	54,117	44,655	9,462	17.5
Warrington	73,737	65,999	7,738	10.5
Devon	223,219	177,990	45,229	20.3
Plymouth	97,335	83,103	14,232	14.6
Torbay	40,319	35,244	5,075	12.6
Essex	295,015	238,326	56,689	19.2
Southend-on-Sea	32,544	28,645	3,899	12.0
Thurrock	37,550	31,526	6,024	16.0
Herefordshire	55,221	47,324	7,897	14.3
Worcestershire	175,267	148,894	26,373	15.0
Kent	352,445	299,861	52,583	14.9
Medway Towns	78,476	70,832	7,644	9.7
Lancashire	432,648	355,489	77,159	17.8
Blackburn with Darwen	61,703	50,253	11,451	18.6
Blackpool	50,279	39,802	10,477	20.8
Nottinghamshire	283,955	239,817	44,138	15.5
Nottingham City	101,766	82,482	19,284	18.9
Shropshire	95,889	75,489	20,400	21.3
Telford and Wrekin	49,136	41,234	7,902	16.1
Cornwall	180,050	144,986	35,064	19.5
Cumbria	152,637	120,831	31,806	20.8
Gloucestershire	123,978	101,349	22,629	18.3
Hertfordshire	351,665	290,509	61,156	17.4
Isle of Wight	48,153	41,641	6,512	13.5
Lincolnshire	156,185	136,079	20,106	12.9
Norfolk	247,890	196,389	51,501	20.8
Northamptonshire	214,300	171,696	42,604	19.9
Northumberland	121,299	100,577	20,722	17.1
Oxfordshire	203,625	165,025	38,600	19.0
Somerset	167,292	140,129	27,163	16.2
Suffolk	242,266	207,771	34,495	14.2
Surrey	280,458	227,695	52,763	18.8
Warwickshire	167,185	138,352	28,833	17.2
West Sussex	260,755	223,251	37,504	14.4
England	17,550,175	14,309,383	3,240,792	18.5

3 Dec 1998 : Column WA63

---

---