Search Results

1-20 of 897 results for subject:USA

Show detailed: On Off

Results: 10 20 50 100

Sort by: Newest first Oldest first

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the US Government about the role of the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Africa; and if she will make a statement.

Asked by

Robert Key (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for International Development

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

87872; 396 c904W;396 c902W

House

House of Commons

Dept for International Development

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the members of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, regarding the role of the US Millennium Challenge Corporation in Africa.

Asked by

Robert Key (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for International Development

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

87873; 396 c904W;396 c902W

House

House of Commons

Macdonald of Tradeston, Lord

Lords statement on what was the outcome of the EU Transport Council on 5-6 December. [HL 809].

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

HL 809; 642 c144-6WA

House

House of Lords

Hunt of Kings Heath, Lord

Lords statement on when they will announce plans to secure plasma supplies. [HL 808].

Asked by

Lord Burlison (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 December 2002

Reference

HL 808; 642 c119-20WA

House

House of Lords

RAF FYLINGDALES AND NMD

That this House notes the request by the United States Government to upgrade facilities at RAF Fylingdales as part of their National Missile Defence programme; recognises that there are huge moral, economic, technological and legal issues raised by NMD; welcomes the Government's commitment to a wide ranging public debate on...

Primary sponsor

Alan Simpson (Labour)

Type

Early day motions

Date

18 December 2002

Reference

436

House

House of Commons

Dept for Transport

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the outcome was of the Transport Council held in Brussels on 5th December; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. - Including figures.

Asked by

Jim Hood (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Transport

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

12 December 2002

For answer on

18 December 2002

Answered on

18 December 2002

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the outcome was of the Transport Council held in Brussels on 5 December; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [87253] Mr. Jamieson: The transport segment of the Transport, Energy and Telecommunications Council was held in Brussels on 5-6 December, my right hon. Friend Minister of State for Transport attended on the first day, and I attended on the second day, when the Prestige incident was discussed. The Council came to an agreement on the Single European Sky package. The aim of the four regulations making up the package is to improve the efficiency of air traffic management across the EU, thereby reducing air traffic delays. The United Kingdom has been a strong supporter of this package from the outset and I am very pleased to be able to report the successful outcome. Civil/military co-operation is an important aspect of air traffic management, and the member states made a declaration agreeing to co-operate on military aspects. The Commission presented its recent Communication on the consequences for European aviation policy of the recent ECJ rulings on aviation agreements. The Commission called for rapid progress on concluding an EU-US aviation agreement, the Commissioner having written to Ministers, asking them to denounce their existing agreements with the US, which, following the ECJ rulings, the Commission believed were no longer valid. There was general agreement that member states and the Commission needed to discuss the consequences of the ruling urgently, including the question of a Commission mandate for negotiations with the US. COREPER was asked to work on proposals to be put to the Council. The Council agreed on a Regulation providing for new levels of compensation to air passengers in the event of denied boarding, cancellation and delay. A majority of Ministers accepted three levels of compensation: 250 euros for all flights of 1,500 km or less, 400 euros for intra-EU flights of more than 1,500 km and other flights between 1,500-3,500 km, and 600 euros for all other flights. These compensation levels will be reviewed four years after the Regulation comes into effect. The UK voted against the Regulation because in the absence of a link to the ticket price it could damage the interests of consumers of "no-frills" air services. During the debate, the Minister of State had voiced concern at the impact on the services of no-frills carriers, pointing out that the minimum compensation level was almost four times the average cost of a no-frills ticket. Following a suggestion from some member states that the scope of the Regulation be extended to certain passengers returning to the EU from non-Community airports, it was agreed that the Commission would publish a report on this issue. Conclusions were agreed setting out the basis for the continuation of the Galileo satellite navigation project, including the tendering procedure, and addressing the importance of relations with third countries. A final decision on whether to include a Public Regulated Service (PRS) in the project is to be taken before the end- of 2003. The UK and the Netherlands entered a Minutes Statement stressing that they could not accept any PRS that would overlay the US GPS M-Code. The Council debated the second package of rail measures. The presidency noted the progress that had been made on this package of five proposals, designed to progress the development of more harmonised technical standards for interoperability, harmonise safety regulation processes, to open up access to the market for all rail freight services, and to establish a European Rail Agency. In discussion of the main outstanding issues on the safety and interoperability proposals there was a consensus for member states to be able to maintain safety levels above any harmonised minimum standard, and general support for extending the scope of the interoperability requirements. The presidency concluded that work should continue on the package. Greece made clear that it hoped to reach agreement during its presidency. There was a debate on action to be taken following the Prestige accident. I, in common with other Ministers and the Commission, generally welcomed the presidency's approach in the Conclusions put to the Council. I joined others in arguing for better quality port state control inspections, and expressed the UK view that in general there should be co-ordinated EU actions leading to improvements in the international regulatory framework. The Conclusions reaffirmed the support of member states for the establishment of a supplementary compensation fund, developed in the IMO, to the benefit of the victims of oil pollution. This would enhance the existing international fund. The UK's concern was that the EU should not commit itself at this stage to its own fund in the event of failure of negotiations in the IMO, for fear of prejudicing those negotiations, and we secured an amendment to this effect. The Conclusions also include commitments to a faster phasing out of single-hulled tankers and restrictions on those carrying very heavy oil. There is to be an analysis of available double-hull tanker capacity. Also included are: better implementation of port state control obligations, and possible measures by member states to prohibit within 200 miles of their coasts traffic carrying dangerous and polluting goods. The Council agreed on a Regulation establishing the Marco Polo programme to grant community financial aid to projects designed to achieve the shift of freight transport from road to other modes. The programme will have a total budget of 75 million euros. Political agreement was reached on a Regulation to prohibit the use of environmentally damaging anti- fouling paints on ships, in accordance with the latest IMO agreements. Conclusions were agreed on the integration of environment and sustainable development into transport policy, a continuation of the process begun at the Cardiff European Council in 1998. The Council debated the issue of Alpine transit and the ecopoint system for transit through Austria. Agreement could not be reached, and the presidency submitted the dossier to the General Affairs and External Relations Council. During the Council, Ministers signed the Agreement on Maritime Transport between the European Community and its member states, and the People's Republic of China.

Date

18 December 2002

Reference

87253; 396 c812-4W;396 c810-2W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Defence

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the Armed Forces' IFF status for preventing friendly fire incidents.

Asked by

Paul Keetch (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 December 2002

Reference

87921; 396 c807W;396 c805W

House

House of Commons

Symons of Vernham Dean, Baroness

Whether permission has been given for Turkish air cases to be used by a United States-led coalition in the event of military action against Iraq. [HL 469].

Asked by

Lord Moynihan (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

HL 469; 642 c96WA

House

House of Lords

Bach, Lord

Lords statement on whether a request has been made by the US Administration for the use of Fylingdales for missile defence purposes. [HL 773].

Asked by

Lord Tomlinson (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

HL 773; 642 c101-2WA

House

House of Lords

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the (a) countries of origin and (b) background of the alleged Al-Qaeda terrorists who carried out the terrorist attacks on the USA on 11th September 2001.

Asked by

Llew Smith (Labour)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

87588; 396 c755W;396 c754W

House

House of Commons

Filkin, Lord

Lords statement on what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Brussels on 28 and 29 November and what their stance was on the issues discussed, including their voting record. - Inc fact that the A points were approved as in document PTS A62 (14754/02)...

Asked by

Lord Temple-Morris (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

HL 718; 642 c93-5WA

House

House of Lords

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who made the decision that the United States should be (a) in charge of the translation and distribution of and (b) given permission to edit the Iraqi dossier to the United Nations of its weapons of mass destruction capacity.

Asked by

Lynne Jones (Labour)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

87414; 396 c763W;396 c762W

House

House of Commons

Prime Minister

To ask the Prime Minister, how much debt arising out of the Second World War US/UK land/lease programme remains outstanding; what recent discussions he has had with President Bush on this issue; whether he has sought its cancellation; and if he will make a statement. - Inc ref to 28...

Asked by

Gerald Howarth (Conservative)

Answering body

Prime Minister

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

87760; 396 c663-4W;396 c679-80W

House

House of Commons

Written statement on a request from the United States to upgrade the Early Warning Radar at RAF Fylingdales for missile defence purposes

Written statement on a request from the United States to upgrade the Early Warning Radar at RAF Fylingdales for missile defence purposes.

Member

Geoffrey Hoon (Labour)

Department

Ministry of Defence

Type

Written statements

Date

17 December 2002

Reference

396 c45-7WS;396 c46-7WS

House

House of Commons

Hunt of Kings Heath, Lord

Given the side-effects to patients in recent trials conducted at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York (Wall Street Journal, 3 December), whether they will ban the use of tissue from aborted foetuses in research for parkinsons disease. [HL 522].

Asked by

Baroness Cox (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 December 2002

Reference

HL 522; 642 c75WA

House

House of Lords

Amos, Baroness

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 27 November 2002 at 641 c45-6, whether they consider the British detainees at Camp X-ray in Cuba to be in good health; whether the men can receive and send letters to their families; and when they expect that...

Asked by

Lord Hylton (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 December 2002

Reference

HL 581; 624 c63-4WA

House

House of Lords

Home Office

Statement on what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Brussels on 28th and 29th November; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Asked by

Jim Hood (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

3 December 2002

For answer on

16 December 2002

Answered on

16 December 2002

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Brussels on 28 and 29 November; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [85856] Mr. Bob Ainsworth: My hon. Friend (Lord Filkin) and the noble Baroness Scotland of Asthal represented the United Kingdom at the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council in Brussels on 28-29 November. The A points were approved as in document PTS A 62 (14754/02) (a copy of which has been placed in the Library) with the exception of item 16. Ministers signed the Protocol to the Europol Convention agreed at item 4. The presidency advised on progress in implementing the Seville European Council conclusions, presenting a report on action taken to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking and on management of the external border. Member states urged the Commission to produce its overdue report on financial resources for repatriation, border management and migration projects. The Commission explained that the financial resources had to come from the current financial perspective, which required re-evaluation of existing commitments within the JHA and External Relations budgets, but that national expenditure would need to remain a significant source of funding. The Council adopted negotiating mandates for the Commission to pursue readmission agreements with Turkey, Albania, Algeria and China. The aim will be to agree arrangements with those countries for the return of their nationals who have entered the EU illegally. Over lunch, Ministers also discussed the application of the readmission provision in the Cotonou agreement. This would allow member states to approach African Caribbean and Pacific areas countries bilaterally to ask them to take back their nationals. The Council discussed the time limits to be applied for determining responsibility for an asylum claim in the regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the member states by a third-country national (Dublin II). The presidency concluded that member states would have one week in which to accept or reject a compromise package comprising a time limit of one year for responsibility on the basis of illegal entry across the external frontier and five months for tolerated illegal presence in a member state. The Council agreed that the latter criterion should apply only to asylum seekers illegally present after the entry into force of the regulation. The Council also agreed to a minutes statement addressing the possible future inclusion in the regulation's scope of applicants for subsidiary protection. The Council held a brief discussion of Articles 1-19 of the Council directive on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third-country nationals and stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection concerning the definition of a refugee and those entitled to subsidiary protection. However, two member states maintained reservations on the text. With the exception of one member state, Ministers agreed to amend Article 16 of the directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers in member states in line with a United Kingdom proposal allowing for the refusal of support to asylum seekers making late applications. The one other remaining reserve on the text was lifted following a change to Article 11 concerning access to labour markets. The Council also agreed a statement declaring the European Free Trade Areas and Accession States (from the date of signature of the Accession Treaties) to be safe third countries for the purposes of asylum. The Council adopted a Community programme on the return of third country nationals to source countries and a programme intended specifically to address returns to Afghanistan. The Council also took note of Council conclusions agreed by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 November concerning the integration of immigration policy into the Union's relations with third countries. Lord Filkin welcomed the conclusions as a positive first step but called for the monitoring of returns projects to ensure that they were effective. The Council agreed a package of provisions on child abduction for inclusion in the regulation concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibility. These were based on retention of existing Hague Convention arrangements with additional rules where a non-return order has been issued under the 1980 Hague Convention on Child Abduction. In order to encourage other member states to accept the compromise, Baroness Scotland proposed the creation of a strict timetable to initiate custody proceedings in the home court following a non-return order. Consequently, member states were also able to agree the Council Decision authorising the member states, in the interest of the European Community, to sign the Convention on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition, enforcement and co-operation in respect of parental responsibility and measures for the protection of children. The Council agreed to revise the negotiating mandated for the draft agreement between the European Union and United States of America on judicial co-operation in criminal matters and on extradition. The Council discussed a presidency compromise package intended to address member states' outstanding reservations on the proposed offences in the Framework Decision combating racism and xenophobia. Lord Filkin, with four other member states, agreed that proposal struck the right balance between punishing racist and xenophobic acts and protecting freedom of expression. However, the remaining member states were divided in either expressing fundamental problems with the scope of the instrument or wanting to go substantially further, in particular in reducing the threshold for criminal liability. The presidency sought agreement to its compromise proposal regarding the abolition of the dual criminality requirement in the Framework Decision on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to financial penalties. This would enable member states to maintain dual criminality for a transitional period of up to five years. Although this was acceptable to the majority of delegations, including the United Kingdom, five member states maintained reservations. Two member states maintained reservations on the proposed penalties for trafficking in small quantities of drugs in the Framework Decision laying down minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal acts and penalties in the field of drug trafficking. Two member states also maintained reservations on the scope of the offences of active and passive corruption in Article 2 of the Framework Decision on combating corruption in the private sector. Under Any Other Business the presidency emphasised the importance of securing an agreement between Europol and the United States of America on the exchange of personal data. The Commission also asked the Council to consider its proposal for a Council Decision on financing certain activities carried out by Europol to fight terrorism. The latter point would be considered at the December JHA Council.

Date

16 December 2002

Reference

85856; 396 c626-8W;396 c642-4W

House

House of Commons

Dept of Trade and Industry

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what information her Department has (a) received and (b) sought from BNFL Westinghouse in the United States on its plutonium immobilization Programme.

Asked by

Alan Simpson (Labour)

Answering body

Department of Trade and Industry

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

11 December 2002

Reference

86168; 396 c328W

House

House of Commons

Written statement on Guantanamo Bay detainees

Written statement on Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Member

Mike O'Brien (Labour)

Department

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written statements

Date

11 December 2002

Reference

396 c17-8WS

House

House of Commons

Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional resources are available to the police to deal with the recent names given to them by US detectives investigating internet child pornography. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Debra Shipley (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

2 December 2002

For answer on

10 December 2002

Answered on

10 December 2002

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources are available to the police to deal with the recent names given to them by US detectives investigating internet child pornography. [85410] Hilary Benn: The new National Policing Plan requires forces to include child protection in their local policing plans, strengthen their partnership arrangements and carefully select and train staff working in this area. This reinforces the Joint Chief Inspectors' Report on Arrangements to Safeguard Children recommendation that police forces and authorities should review the role, remit, location and status of child protection units to ensure that child protection is dealt with to a consistently high standard. As part of the investment programme for police services in England and Wales, this year (2002-03) the police received an overall funding increase of 6.1 per cent. (on top of record spending and a record increase of 10.1 per cent. in 2001-02) taking the total provision to £9,010 million. In addition policing will receive an increase of £1.5 billion for policing as a wholeby 2005-06 over the 2002-03 figure.The Home Office has also decided to provide an additional £ 1/2 million in this financial year only to assist the Association of Chief Police Officers national structure to support operations to combat child abuse on the internet. Operational decisions on allocation of police resources to combating child exploitation rest with police authorities and chief officers. There is no central record of the additional resources which chief officers across forces may have allocated to deal with investigations resulting from this operation.

Date

10 December 2002

Reference

85410; 396 c237-8W

House

House of Commons

Librarians' tools

Type

House

Session

Month

Department

Member

Primary member

Answering member

Legislative stage

Legislation

Subject

Publisher