Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Lord Tomlinson asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): See attached.
To date we have received the detailed agendas for the following Council meetings in January: January 19--Brussels--ECOFIN Council
Adoption of the provisional agenda
Approval of the list of "A" items
Implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact
January 12--Brussels--Fisheries Council (Possible)
January 22-23--Brussels--General Affairs Council
January 29--Brussels--Budget Council (Possible)
January 29-30--Brussels--Agriculture Council
No agendas for the above are yet available.
The following are the principal events in the EU between 1 February and May 2001 (certain relevant events are also included: the list is based on the information available at the date of issue).
Date | Location | Event |
February | ||
8-9 | Brussels | JHA Informal Council |
12 | Brussels | ECOFIN Council |
12 | Brussels | Education/Youth Council (possible) |
12 | Brussels | Research Council |
15-17 | Brussels | Informal Employment/Telecommunications Council |
19-20 | Brussels | Agriculture Council |
25 | Brussels | Informal Trade Ministers' dinner |
26-27 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
March | ||
6 | Brussels | Employment and Social affairs Council |
8 | Brussels | Environment Council |
12 | Brussels | ECOFIN Council |
12 | Brussels | Internal Market/Consumer Council |
15 | Brussels | Justice and Home Affairs Council |
16 | Brussels | Justice and Home Affairs Council |
19 | Brussels | Agriculture Council |
19 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
20 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
20-21 | Brussels | Fisheries Council (possible) |
23-24 | Stockholm | European Council |
31-1 | Brussels | Meeting of Environment Ministers |
April | ||
5-6 | Brussels | Transport/Telecommunications Council |
8-10 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
8-10 | Brussels | Agriculture Council (Informal) |
24-25 | Brussels | Agriculture Council |
May | ||
5-6 | Brussels | Gymnich |
7 | Brussels | ECOFIN Council |
7 | Brussels | Employment and Social Council (possible) |
14-15 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
14-15 | Brussels | Industry and Energy Council |
22-23 | Brussels | Agriculture |
28-29 | Brussels | Justice and Home Affairs Council |
28 | Brussels | Education and Youth Council |
30 | Brussels | Development Council |
31 | Brussels | Health Council |
June | ||
5 | Brussels | ECOFIN Council |
5 | Brussels | Internal market/Consumer Council |
7-8 | Brussels | Environment Council |
11-12 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
11 | Brussels | Employment/Social Affairs Council |
15-16 | Gothenburg | European Council |
18 | Brussels | Fisheries Council (possible) |
19-20 | Brussels | Agriculture Council |
19 | Brussels | ECOFIN Council (possible) |
21 | Brussels | Culture Council |
25-26 | Brussels | General Affairs Council |
26 | Brussels | Research Council |
27-28 | Brussels | Transport/Telecommunications Council |
Baroness Goudie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I have placed in the Library a report on the consultation which summarises the main points raised on the draft International Criminal Court Bill and how the Government are responding to them. The Government are most grateful to those noble Lords and others who gave comments. Valuable suggestions were received and many changes have been made to the Bill as a result.
Lord Shore of Stepney asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): United Kingdom state retirement pensions are paid anywhere in the world, to anyone who has fulfilled the contribution conditions, not only to UK nationals. Since they became payable world-wide in 1955, state retirement pensions have never been increased annually where people live permanently outside the UK, except in those countries which are either members of the European Economic Area or countries with which the UK has long-standing reciprocal social security agreements which allow for payment of upratings. These countries are listed below:
Our priority is to focus the resources available on pensioners in the UK, especially those who are in greatest need. There are no plans to unfreeze pensions in countries where upratings are not payable.
Lord Acton asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman): The Government are today announcing the Quinquennial Review of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Kew is managed by the Board of Trustees established by the National Heritage Act 1983 and has the status of an Executive Non-Departmental Public
Body. We are today announcing the Quinquennial Review of this body which will evaluate its performance and status. The review also meets a commitment under the Government's Better Quality Services initiative, which requires departments to review their services and activities over a five-year period to decide how best to improve quality and value for money.The terms of reference for the review are as follows:
Interested parties are invited to submit their views to the review team by Monday 9 April 2001. Details of how to contact them are contained in the MAFF press notice issued today or on our website (http://www.maff.gov.uk).
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Minister for the Arts has received the report, which is published today as a Parliamentary Paper, of the Spoliation Advisory Panel's examination of the claim in relation to the Griffier painting in the Tate Gallery. We welcome the panel's report and we will
implement the recommendation which is addressed to us.
In setting up the panel we recognised the duty to do what the Government can to play its part in righting these historic wrongs and the need to ensure that questions of ownership of works of art arising from the terrible events of the Nazi era are resolved. Although the report makes clear that the family, who wish to remain anonymous, have no legal title to the painting, and that there is no criticism whatsoever of the Tate Gallery, we accept the panel's advice that there is a moral strength to the claimant's argument and that, in the spirit of the Declaration of Principles agreed at the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets held in December 1998, this justifies an ex gratia payment of £125,000.
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page