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Kaliningrad
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In the light of the negotiations being held with Russia over the future of the Kaliningrad region
- after the accession of Lithuania and Poland to the European Union, what estimate they have of the annual number of journeys made by Russian citizens travelling between Kaliningrad and the rest of the Russian Federation via Lithuania and Poland.[HL5630]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Because of the lack of clarity of the statistics on journeys (e.g. whether they are one way, whether they are transit etc), it is very difficult to give a precise figure for the total annual number of journeys between Kaliningrad and Russia. Our best estimate is 10,000 via Poland and 1,500,000 via Lithuania.
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the level of financial contributor and other assistance made by the European Union to Lithuania to contribute to the resolution of problems arising from the anomalous status of the Kaliningrad region of the Russion Federation.[HL5634]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The European Commission delegation spent some 3 million euro in Lithuania on funding cross-border projects in 1999–2001. Further Kaliningrad-related funding is likely to be available to assist in visa and passport issuing and in improving border controls. The EC has contributed some 40 million euro to Russia for Kaliningrad through the TACIS programme.
Chechnya
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many (a) United Nations, (b) Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, (c) NATO and (d) European Union observers are currently based in Chechnya.[HL5633]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: To the best of our knowledge, the United Nations has no expatriate personnel based in Chechnya, but it does have an office in the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia from which it sends personnel on short visits. Neither NATO nor the EU has any personnel based in Chechnya. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has a six-person assistance group, but only three to four are deployed in Chechnya at any one time.
British Studies Centre, Bamberg
Lord Ezra asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What support or participation they are prepared to offer to the British Studies Centre set up by Bamberg University in Bavaria, bearing in mind the recent closure of branch offices of the British Council in Germany.[HL5707]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Government are unable to provide the British Studies
Centre in Bamberg with any financial assistance, but officials from the British Consulate General in Munich have already been in contact with the centre and have offered a number of publications free of charge. Although British Council regional offices have closed in Germany, there still remains an office in Berlin. In Bavaria the British Council has recently appointed an Infopoint Centre Manager to promote UK educational and cultural products and services. I encourage the British Studies Centre and the Infopoint manager to work closely together.Russian Federation: Tacis Scheme
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What aid has been given to the Russian Federation by the European Union since 1991 under the Tacis scheme in respect of the environment, and in particular in connection with nuclear installations.[HL5713]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Tacis programme has provided a range of environmental support in the Russian Federation, including in the harmonisation of environmental standards, institutional strengthening and capacity building for improved environmental management at central and local level, and in the raising of public awareness. The Tacis programme committed more than E774 million over the period 1991–2000 to improve nuclear safety in countries of the CIS, particularly the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The Tacis regulation covering the period 2000–06 concentrates Tacis activity on six areas of co-operation, including environmental protection, the rural economy, and nuclear safety.
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What aid has been given to the Russian Federation by the European Union since 1991 under the Tacis scheme in respect of human resources, and in particular in connection with education.[HL5714]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Institutional, legal and administrative reform is a priority area for Tacis co-operation. European Union support for higher education is given through the Tempus programme. The Russian Federation joined the Tempus programme in 1993. Between 1993 and 1999 a total of 296 programmes were sponsored, with a programme budget for the period of E69 million. Tempus support to the Russian Federation focuses on the social sciences and humanities, as well as on management and business, with a special focus on university management.
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the European Union or its member states run any programmes to train legal personnel in Russia; and, if so, what are those programmes.[HL5718]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: From 1991 to 2001 the EU's Tacis programme committed E280 million in support for institutional, legal and administrative reform in Russia, which included training of legal personnel. The current, indicative Tacis programme for Russia includes a specific allocation of E20 million for support of judicial reform.
The UK's Department for International Development is preparing a second phase of its existing judicial support project, which will take the UK's commitment to judicial training in Russia to nearly £4 million. The World Bank, the Council of Europe and other EU member states are also active in this area.
Isla Perejil
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What implications the recent dispute between Spain and Morocco over the Isla Perejil off the Moroccan coast has for Anglo-Spanish discussions on the sovereignty of Gibraltar.[HL5756]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: None.
EU Membership: Benefits
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the reply by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 22 July (HL Deb, col. 3), how they calculate the figure of £1.75 billion as being the benefit to the United Kingdom gross domestic product derived from membership of the European Union; and what percentage that represents of the United Kingdom's total gross domestic product.[HL5565]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: £1.75 billion is the expected boost to UK GDP on the accession to the EU of the seven largest applicant countries. This figure was calculated by a team from the European Round Table of Industrialists and the Centre for Economic Policy Reform in 2000. A copy of the report is in the Library of the House.
This figure would represent 0.177 per cent of UK GDP (2001 figure).
Sellafield
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What action British Nuclear Fuels Limited is taking in respect of Pond B30 at Sellafield.[HL5200]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): Management of the B30 facility is an operational matter for BNFL, subject to regulation by
the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (HSE's NII). BNFL is taking forward a range of work programmes at B30. These are aimed at improving the way the building itself is cared for as well as characterising the contents of the building and retrieving these and converting them into a more stable form. HSE is monitoring BNFL's progress in taking forward these work programmes at B30 aimed at reducing hazards associated with the plant.
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their assessment of the safety of Pond B30 at Sellafield, particularly with respect to the natural environment.[HL5201]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: B30 is one example of the legacy plant described in Cm 5552 Managing the Nuclear Legacy as presenting particular problems because of its age and operational history. The White Paper's proposed establishment of the liabilities management authority is aimed at ensuring that the challenge of legacy management can be met effectively for all plants whose decommissioning it will be contracting for.
As described in its reports to the Sellafield Local Community Liaison Committee (LCLC), HSE's NII is pressing BNFL to establish an early decommissioning programme. Following an inspection of B30 in June 2001, NII served an improvement notice requiring BNFL to prepare a decommissioning plan which is required by April 2003.
In addition, NII issued a legal instrument in August 2000 to require 90 per cent of the radioactive sludges accumulated in B30 to be recovered by 2010. Following discussions with NII and the Environment agency about airborne contamination arising from the open pond, BNFL is instigating direct monitoring and considering reasonably practicable measures to reduce airborne releases.
Further detailed information is included in NII's routine reports to the Sellafield LCLC which are available on HSE's website.
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