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Written Answers
Monday, 14th July 2003.
The first Written Answer should have been printed in the Official Report of Monday, 30th June.Fire Service College Task Group
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the final report of the Fire Service College task group will be published.[HL3674]
The Minister of State, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker): In May 2002 Alan Whitehead MP announced the creation of a task group to look into the future of the Fire Service College. The group has now reported, and I have arranged for copies of its report to be placed in the House Libraries today.
The task group concluded that there was a need for a central Fire Service training facility to serve as a centre of intellectual leadership for the Fire Service. It should take forward work on vocational development through the integrated personal development system, the civil contingency response arising from the events of September 11, and the modernisation agenda opened up by the Bain report. It recommended that a national workforce development/training strategy should be drawn up, which would define the role of the college in relation to other providers. It also recommended that there should be a long-term plan for improving the college's infrastructure and services.
I have accepted these and other recommendations of the report. I have agreed that the college should be given a £5 million grant to invest in its infrastructure this financial year, plus £2.5 million to invest in urban search and rescue facilities; and that it should actively examine ways of involving the private sector in its future development. This investment in the college should enable it to develop as a centre of excellence, and play a key role in the modernisation of the fire service.
Disabled Facilities Grant: Gypsy Sites
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they are taking to ensure that the disabled facilities grant is extended to people who live on gypsy sites run by local authorities or registered social landlords, and not only to those who live in "qualifying park homes".[HL3835]
Lord Rooker: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be writing shortly to key interested parties, including the noble Lord, setting out proposals for amending the definition of a qualifying park home in relation to eligibility for disabled facililties grant to include all occupiers of caravans.
Northern Ireland: Morning-after Pill
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What surveys they have carried out to indicate (a) support; and (b) opposition to the widespread use of the morning-after pill in Northern Ireland; and whether they will place in the Library of the House the results of any such survey.[HL3308]
The Lord President of the Council (Lord Williams of Mostyn): No such surveys have been carried out.
Alastair Campbell: Accountability
Lord McNally asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which Minister accepts overall responsibility for Alastair Campbell's department.[HL3713]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Alastair Campbell is the Director of Communications and Strategy at No. 10. He is appointed by the Prime Minister under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. He is accountable to the Prime Minister.
Ministerial Responsibilities: Publication of Changes
Lord Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the dates on which final lists of ministerial responsibilities were published by each of the departments affected by the ministerial changes announced on 12 and 13 June.[HL3812]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: A full list of Ministers was placed on the No. 10 and Cabinet Office websites on Tuesday 17 June.
The revised list of ministerial responsibilities, which provides a detailed breakdown of individual ministerial portfolios, will be published shortly in both electronic and paper form.
The dates on which individual departments published details of their Ministers' responsibilities are not held centrally.
British Overseas Territories
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What arrangements are being made to provide technical and financial assistance to reduce the impact of the trading arrangements of the World Trade Organisation and the Free Trade Area of the Americas on British Overseas Territories in terms of adjustment periods, special and deferential treatment and resource needs.[HL3448]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): The provisions of the World Trade Organisation do not apply to the British Overseas Territories, with the exception of Gibraltar, which is covered by the EC's membership to the extent that the EC Treaty applies to Gibraltar. Negotiations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) are at an early stage and it remains unclear what, if any, implications the FTAA might have for the Overseas Territories. We will keep this under close review.
Montserrat: CARICOM and OECS
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether there would be implications for the United Kingdom as a result of Montserrat's participation in the proposed CARICOM single market and economy and the Caribbean Court of Justice.[HL3450]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The British Government encourage Montserrat to play a full role in regional affairs, including through its membership of CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The British Overseas Territories require prior British Government approval, in the form of an entrustment, before undertaking international commitments. We hope to work together with the Government of Montserrat and the CARICOM Secretariat to assess the implications of Montserrat's full participation in the CARICOM single market and economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for Montserrat and the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Government have already issued several entrustments to the Government of Montserrat to sign various protocols pertaining to CSME, but further entrustments will be required for full participation. The Government of Montserrat have not yet requested entrustments in relation to the CCJ.
Burma
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to raise the issue of atrocities by the Burmese military against the Karen, Karenni and Shan people in Burma at the United Nations Security Council[HL3649]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The United Nations Security Council has not formally considered the issue of Burma. However, we are in discussions with Security Council partners to help to bring this about. Should Burma feature on the Security Council agenda, the Government would ensure that the plight of Burma's ethnic minority groups was taken fully into account.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will lobby the United Nations Security Council for a global arms and investment embargo against Burma.[HL3650]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are in discussions with partners in the Security Council to determine whether the Security Council can consider the issue of Burma. The Government are encouraging all the appropriate bodies of the UN to tackle the issue of helping to bring about national reconciliation, respect for human rights and democracy in Burma. Despite our efforts, there is currently no consensus for Security Council action for a global arms and investment embargo against Burma.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will lobby at the United Nations Security Council for the setting up of an international criminal tribunal on Burma to try members of the Burmese military regime for alleged atrocities against the Karen, Karenni and Shan people.[HL3651]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK is one of the strongest critics of the Burmese regime's violations of human rights. There has been a consistent pattern of serious violations over many years in Burma, particularly against ethnic minorities. These have been highlighted in UK co-sponsored resolutions on Burma in both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. There is currently no international criminal tribunal with jurisdiction over Burma; and ultimately, it will be for the people of Burma to decide how they view this period of their history. The UK is against impunity for breaches of international law. That is why it is one of the strongest supporters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is able to try cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Since the beginning of 2003, on how many occasions the British Ambassador in Rangoon raised concerns with the Burmese military regime regarding atrocities against the Karen, Karenni and Shan people; and what response the Ambassador received on each occasion.[HL3653]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UK has been at the forefront of international action to bring pressure to bear on the Burmese regime to improve the human rights situation and restore democracy. Our Ambassador and other UK Government representatives regularly raise a wide range of human rights abuses including those against ethnic minorities, in their contacts with senior regime figures. However, these contacts are limited in view of the current state of relations between the United Kingdom and the
Burmese regime. Responses have so far been unsatisfactory.
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