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Mr Mordechai Vanunu
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they are aware that vigils for ending the solitary confinement and for the release of Mr Mordechai Vanunu, long imprisoned in Israel, took place in September in some 10 countries; when they last discussed this matter with the Government of Israel; and whether any progress was then made.[HL1878]
Baroness Amos: We regularly raise Mr Vanunu's long detention with the Israeli authorities and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv monitors the conditions in which he is held.
We do not, however, have any formal locus to intervene on his behalf. There is no evidence that any British law was broken at the time of Mr Vanunu's departure from this country, and as far as we can judge he has been treated in accordance with the normal judicial process in Israel.
European Arrest Warrant
Lord Monson asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will undertake to refuse to endorse the proposed European arrest warrant unless it is:
(a) restricted to crimes which command a sentence of three years imprisonment or more;
(b) made inadmissible in respect of crimes allegedly committed by a country's citizens within the jurisdiction of their own country but where that country's authorities have declined to prosecute.[HL1568]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): The Government believe that the threshold for the European arrest warrant should be a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment. If the prosecuting authorities in the issuing state had decided not to prosecute someone in their own country, then any subsequent decision to prosecute the same person in seeking their return from abroad by means of a European arrest warrant would be governed by national law in the issuing state. If the issuing state makes a request for the return of someone on a European arrest warrant, and the judicial authorities of the executing state have decided not to prosecute for the offence in which the European arrest warrant is based, then, as currently drafted, the framework decision makes provision for the executing judicial authority to refuse to execute the European arrest warrant.
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government take account of relevant economic, environmental and social factors when forming taxation policy. The Government's Statement of Intent on environmental taxes, which was published alongside Budget 1997, stated that taxes are set to take into account the principle that the polluter pays, but it also recognised market circumstances, such as the effects on competition, and social considerations.
Foreign lorries do not currently have to pay any taxes to operate in the UK. To address this, the Government launched a consultation document with the Pre-Budget Report on the options for the possible introduction of a lorry road-user charge.
Lord Renton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Lord Renton from the National Statistician, dated December 2001.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of people that are living in the United Kingdom who are not United Kingdom citizens.[HL1787]
The Office for National Statistics does not produce population estimates by citizenship. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) does however include a question on nationality, which can be used to provide estimates of the number of people who are not of UK nationality. It is estimated from the LFS that the number of people who were resident in private households in the United Kingdom in 2000, who were not of UK nationality, was almost 2.5 million.
Lord Renton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Leter to Lord Renton from the National Statistician, dated December 2001.
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your question on when the statistics of the 2001 Census will be published; what are the latest estimates of the present populations of the United Kingdom, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and of each of the regions of England respectively; and what was the population of the United Kingdom in 1991 and in 1996 (HL1789).
The target date for mid-year 2001 population estimates by sex and age for all local authority areas in England and Wales based on the 2001 Census is August 2002. These will include an adjustment for births, deaths and migration between Census Day (29 April 2001) and 30 June 2001.
The target date for summary Census results (Key Statistics for local authority areas throughout England and Wales) is December 2002. They will be laid before Parliament and accessible through the National Statistics website at www.statistics.gov.uk. More detailed results will be available throughout the first half of 2003.
A prospectus giving more detail on publication dates will be issued at the beginning of next year and will be available on the National Statistics website.
An electronic copy of the latest national and regional population estimates can be found at the National Statistics website. The specific address is www.statistics.gov.uk/popest mid00.asp.
UK Population mid-1991 & mid-1996
The table below shows the population of the United Kingdom for mid-1991 and mid-1996.
Source: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Lord Renton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The latest set of national population projections give the projected total mid-year population of the United Kingdom for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 as follows:
Source: 2000-based national population projections, Government Actuary's Department
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister for Trade (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): Yes. The UK Government agree with the United Nations Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission that Iraq could have this ability. However, since the withdrawal of UN weapons inspectors in December 1998, there have been no independent inspections of Iraq's weapons programmes. We cannot, therefore, state categorically that it does have the ability. Together with our P5 partners, the UK is actively engaged in producing a revised, more tightly-targeted regime to control Iraqi imports of the equipment required for its research development and rebuilding programmes.
We continue to urge Iraq to allow the entry of UN weapons inspectors as required under UN Security Council Resolution 1284.
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Following the withdrawal of UNSCOM inspectors from Iraq in December 1998, there has been no independently-verifiable inspection or monitoring of Iraq's weapons programmes. It is not possible, therefore, to assess whether there has been any development work on these missile systems that might extend their range beyond the 150 kilometre prescribed limit.
We continue to urge Iraq to allow UN weapons inspectors into Iraq to monitor and verify its ballistic missile and other weapons of mass destruction capabilities as required under UN Security Council Resolution 1284.
What evidence they have that heavy goods vehicle operators pay the whole of the direct and indirect costs for the use of the road system through taxes and duties.[HL1763]
How many people now living in the United Kingdom are not United Kingdom citizens.[HL1787]
When the statistics of the 2001 population census will be published; what are the latest estimates of the present populations of the United Kingdom, and of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and of each of the regions of England respectively; and what was the population of the United Kingdom in 1991 and in 1996.[HL1789]
Mid-Year Persons (thousands)
1991 57,813.8
1996 58,807.2
What the population of the United Kingdom is estimated to be in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively. [HL1790]
Year Total (thousands)
2003 60,372
2004 60,561
2005 60,753
Whether they agree with the United Nations Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission that Iraq could have the ability to reconstruct its missile launchers; and, if so, what action they intend to take.[HL1671]
Whether the Al-Fath and Al-Raad missiles have a potential range beyond the limit of 150 kilometres prescribed under United Nations Security Council Resolution 687; whether those missiles were on display at the annual Iraq Army Day Parade in July; and, if so, what action they intend to take.[HL1672]
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