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Asylum Seekers from Iraq
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have made any estimate of the number of asylum seekers from Iraq who may arrive in the United Kingdom per month following any military operations against Saddam Hussein. [HL1777]
Lord Filkin: A number of Iraqi citizens currently seek asylum in the United Kingdom on a weekly basis. It is not known if the numbers would significantly increase following a conflict in Iraq.
Judicial Appointments
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will give effect in the United Kingdom to the guidance on judicial appointments contained in Recommendation No R(94)12, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 11 October 1994, namely that (i) the authority taking the decision on the selection and career of judges should be independent of the government and the administration; (ii) where constitutional or legal provisions or tradition allow judges to be appointed by the government, there should be guarantees to ensure that the procedures to appoint judges are transparent and independent in practice; and (iii) there should be a special independent and competent body to give the government advice which it follows in practice. [HL1708]
The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): We comply with the recommendation. It is important to read the relevant parts of the text of the recommendation in context and as a whole. The recommendation clearly envisages that the constitutional or legal provisions of some countries allow judges to be appointed by the government. (In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the Lord Chancellor is responsible for appointing, or advising the Queen on the appointment of, virtually all judges. The most senior appointments are made by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister following advice provided by the Lord Chancellor.
The recommendation proposes that in such circumstances there should be guarantees to ensure that the appointment procedures are transparent and independent in practice and will not be influenced by reasons other than merit. One of the examples of such guarantees suggested is that the authority which
makes the decision safeguards against undue or improper influences. That guarantee is given effect here by the fact that there is in this country no higher duty of the holder of the office of Lord Chancellor than to ensure from within government that judicial independence is respected and maintained. Futhermore, the procedures for appointing judges are transparent and subject to the scrutiny of the Commissioners for Judicial Appointments covering England and Wales and Northern Ireland.Iraq: Costs to UK of Military Intervention
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their current estimate of the public expenditure required by the United Kingdom by way of contribution to the costs of the removal by armed intervention to the present regime in Iraq. [HL1703]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Chancellor announced a contingency reserve of £1 billion in the Pre-Budget Report to help meet our international defence responsibilities. The Ministry of Defence has been drawing down against this amount to meet the cost of military preparation to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1441. The Chancellor has now announced an additional three-quarters of a billion pounds to be made available in this financial year for further commitments should this prove necessary.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their current estimate of the public expenditure required by the United Kingdom by way of contribution to the costs of securing, policing and stabilising a new government in Iraq during each of the first three years after any removal of the current regime. [HL1704]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: No such estimate of the costs of such operations over the timescale suggested has been made. If there is a government change in Iraq, the UK Government believe that the role of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions will be vital in addressing the reconstruction of Iraq in the aftermath of any war and are liaising closely with allies on this issue.
Families with Children: Government Policy
Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they regard a couple with three or more children as a large family; and whether the United Kingdom has an unofficial two-child policy. [HL1718]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government have no plans to offer financial or other incentives to couples who have a certain number of children.
The Government are committed to giving all the nation's children the best start in life and have thus increased financial support for families with children through increased child benefit and the introduction of the integrated child tax credit. The Government's approach is based on providing support for all families with children, combined with offering more help to those who need it most, when they need it most. This includes families on lower incomes, those with children under one and parents of disabled children. Similarly, families with more children are eligible for more support.
The Government provide more financial support for the first child through child benefit and, from this April, through the family element of the child tax credit.
Uzbekistan
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will refer to the condition of religious freedom in Uzbekistan in their statement at the forthcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.[HL1622]
The Minister for Trade (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): We are deeply concerned by reports of religious intolerance in Uzbekistan. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised human rights concerns with the Uzbek ambassador in London on 10 February. Our ambassador in Tashkent drew attention to the issue of religious prisoners in Uzbekistan in a public speech last October.
The UK, along with all EU partners, supported the Irish resolution on religious intolerance at last year's session of the Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), and we cosponsored a resolution at the UN General Assembly in November last year on the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance.
We are discussing what action to take on Uzbekistan and other countries with EU partners at this year's session, taking place from 17 March to 25 April.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Lord Lloyd-Webber asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which countries in the Middle East, other than Iraq, have weapons of mass destruction.[HL1685]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We have for some time had concerns about the ambitions of a number of countries in the Middle East to acquire or produce weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
We continue to urge Israel to resolve international concerns about its nuclear programme by acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state.
In the past, we have made public statements of concern about reports that Libya, Syria and Iran are pursuing programmes for the development of WMD and the means for their delivery.
We regularly urge all states in the region to sign and ratify all the treaties and conventions covering the development of weapons of mass destruction.
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their current definition of weapons of mass destruction.[HL1728]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There is no universally accepted definition of the phrase "weapons of mass destruction", but it is generally held to refer to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they believe that Egypt possesses weapons of mass destruction.[HL1729]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We have no evidence to suggest that Egypt possesses weapons of mass destruction.
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they believe that Iran possesses weapons of mass destruction.[HL1730]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There have been long-standing concerns about Iran's ambitions to pursue a nuclear weapons programme.
We regularly urge all states to sign and ratify all the treaties and conventions covering the development of weapons of mass destruction.
The United Kingdom has consistently supported resolutions at the United Nations calling for the creation of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they believe that Israel possesses weapons of mass destruction.[HL1731]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We regularly urge Israel to resolve international concerns about its nuclear status by acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state and to enter into a full safeguards agreement with the IAEA. We also use our regular bilateral contacts with them to raise the issue of Israeli accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
The UK has consistently supported resolutions in the United Nations calling for the establishment of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
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