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12 May 2003 : Column WA1

Written Answers

Monday, 12th May 2003.

North/South Language Body

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 2 April (WA 132) concerning the budgets of the implementation bodies, which Unionist political adviser approved the three-year cut to the Language Body's budget; when and in what form was the approval; and whether they consider that changing the budgets for three years constitutes care and maintenance as accepted by the Ulster Unionist Party in order to keep the bodies working during the suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive. [HL2440]

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): No Unionist political adviser was asked to approve the budget for the North/South Language Body. It is not for the Government to comment on Ulster Unionist Party's understanding of these matters.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 2 April (WA 132) concerning the budgets of the implementation bodies, when the cuts to the Language Body's budget were announced by the government of the Republic of Ireland; in what form was the announcement; whether the Irish Parliament was informed; and, if so, when and how. [HL2441]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Announcements by the Irish Government are a matter for the Irish Government.

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What consultations they had with the Republic of Ireland's Department for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs before that department answered a written question in the Irish Parliament on 3 December 2002 and outlined a cut of 16 per cent in the Government's contribution to the Language Implementation Body. [HL2474]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The prospect of a reduction in the provision for the North/South Language Body was discussed at a meeting on 11 September 2002 of officials of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and representatives of the Body. Details were not mentioned as the estimates process was not yet completed. Officials in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure were advised on 12 November that the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs 2003 provision for the North/South Language Body would be £7.82 million compared to £8.27 million in 2002 Estimates Volume. The

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Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs advised the body of this a few days later.

North/South Ministerial Council

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Which Northern Ireland political party advisers have agreed to decisions of the North/South Ministerial Council since the suspension of the devolved administration in Northern Ireland; on what dates; what those decisions were; and in what form they were given and recorded.[HL2471]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Decisions of the British and Irish Government under the agreement of 19 November 2002 are not subject to agreement by political party advisers.

Decisions made by the two governments under this agreement up until 28 March have been placed in the Library. I hope to publish shortly details of further decisions taken since then.

Government of the Republic of Ireland: Budget-setting

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they consider it appropriate that the Government of the Republic of Ireland can set budgets which include contributions by the Government of the United Kingdom.[HL2475]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Irish Government do not set budgets which include contributions by the British Government.

China: Family Policy

Lord Chan asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will raise with the Government of China the illicit sale of babies by Chinese women reportedly attempting to avoid fines for over-quota births under China's one child policy.[HL2543]

The Secretary of State for International Development (Baroness Amos): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development last discussed China's one-child policy with the Chinese State Family Planning Minister in May 2002.

We are aware of media reports of the illicit trade in babies. We have made clear to the Chinese our view that family planning policies should be based on free and informed parental choice and not on coercion.

Colombia: Children

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they are helping the Government of Colombia and the parties to the conflict in that country to reach a humanitarian agreement forbidding the recruitment of children under 18 into armed units, and treating juvenile ex-combatants as

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    victims rather than criminals; and if so, whether they are receiving support from UNICEF and the Corps Diplomatique in Bogota.[HL2570]

Baroness Amos: We are very concerned about this grave abuse committed by all the illegal armed groups in Colombia. We fully supported the Chairperson's Statement on Colombia at the recent Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, which condemned recruitment of children, called for their immediate demobilisation and urged Colombia to ratify the relevant protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed confllict.

Through the British Embassy in Colombia, we have recently funded a Save the Children Fund project to rehabilitate and guarantee the rights of ex-combatant children in Colombia. UNICEF works with the Colombian Government to prevent the recruitment of children, and to rehabilitate and reintegrate child soldiers.

Afghanistan: Opium Poppy Cultivation

Lord Blaker asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Further to the answer given by the Baroness Amos on 28 April (HL Deb, col. 445) regarding the cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan, whether they wish to make any correction to that answer; and what are the figures in hectares for such cultivation in the years 2001 and 2002 respectively.[HL2623]

Baroness Amos: On 28 April I undertook to provide further detail on opium cultivation in Afghanistan if necessary. This was contained in my letter to the noble Lord on 29 April.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, reported that the level of cultivation in 2002 was 74,000 hectares (compared to 91,000 hectares in 1999, 82,000 hectares in 2000 and 8,000 hectares in 2001). The UNODC is in the process of carrying out the 2003 survey. Its results will be published in the autumn. In March 2003, the UNODC published an Opium Rapid Assessment Survey for Afghanistan. This gave an early insight into the pattern of opium poppy cultivation for the 2002–03 growing season but did not predict the level of opium poppy cultivation for 2003 or beyond. It did find however that there was a trend for farmers to cultivate opium poppy in increasingly remote and inaccessible areas.

President Karzai signalled his determination to rid Afghanistan of drugs by banning the production, processing and trafficking of drugs in January 2002. A compensated eradication programme to tackle the 2002 opium poppy crop followed this, which the UK provided financial and logistical support for. The Afghan authorities believe this led to the destruction of 17,300 hectares of opium poppy, nearly 25 per cent of the poppy crop. This was the figure I referred to in the House on 28 April (Official Report, Col. 445).

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Nigeria: Case of Amina Lawal

The Earl of Listowel asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What representations they have made to the Nigerian Government with regard to the case of Amina Lawal, the mother condemned to be stoned to death for adultery by the Nigerian Supreme Court.[HL2682]

Baroness Amos: Her Majesty's Government oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. We and our EU partners regularly raise our concerns about this case with the appropriate authorities in Nigeria. On 4 September 2002, in a meeting with President Obasanjo, I expressed our concern about the harsh sentences imposed under the Sharia penal codes, emphasising the strength of feeling against them in the UK and reiterating Her Majesty's Government's opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.

Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will make any representations to the government of Nigeria concerning the reports of the decision to uphold the death sentence for Amina Lawal, condemned for the crime of adultery on 19 August 2002, to be buried up to her neck and stoned to death on 3 June.[HL2689]

Baroness Amos: I refer the noble Baroness to the Answer I give to the noble Earl of Listowel today (HL2682).

Northern Ireland: Jurors

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

    When the criteria for exemption for jury selection in Northern Ireland were last reviewed or reformed.[HL2584]

The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The Juries (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 which came into operation on 31 July 1996 revised the law relating to the qualification for, and exemption from, jury service as well as the empanelling, summoning and balloting of jurors.

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