What progress is being made with the millennium development target to make available the benefits of information and communications technologies to people in developing countries. [151163]

Good progress is being made in many developing countries in spreading the benefits of information and communications technology to their people. For example, people in developing countries now own 46 per cent. of all mobile phones, with countries such as Uganda seeing user numbers double each year. By the end of June last year, the number of internet users in China had risen to 68 million. That represents just 5.3 per cent. of the population, so it also demonstrates the considerable challenge that still remains to spread the benefits of ICT throughout developing countries.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. A couple of weeks ago, Martin McCluskey, a young constituent, went to Ghana as part of his gap year in order to teach villagers in a very rural part of the country how to use the computers that they had had for some time, but had lacked the experience and training to make them work. Does my hon. Friend agree that computing technology is a vital development tool, but that there is no point in providing people with computers if we do not also provide the training and expertise to make them work? What help and assistance can the Government give to voluntary schemes such as the one Martin is on, and what direct assistance can the Minister's Department provide for training and knowledge-based skills?

I commend my hon. Friend's constituent for going out to Ghana to work and provide training for people in the village. The House owes a debt of gratitude to the many volunteers who go out from this country to developing countries, and to the work of organisations such as the Voluntary Services Organisation, with which we are working closely in Ghana to provide information on how to use ICT there. We are also working directly with the Ghana education service to help it to use ICT to deliver better access to the curriculum for 30,000 untrained teachers in the country, so that the quality of education in Ghana can improve significantly.

Will the Minister join me in praising the work of Cisco Systems, which, together with the International Telecommunication Union, is establishing more than 20 internet training centres in developing countries? Will the Minister assure the House, however, that, important as it is to try to reduce the digital divide, it will not take away resources from the important fight against HIV/AIDS in developing countries?

I join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to the work not only of the particular company to which he referred, but to a whole series of private sector companies that are seeing what they can do to invest in ICT across the developing world. We need to play our part in the international community to ensure that the regulatory system is such that companies are keen to invest. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we view ICT as a way of spreading messages to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS, so there is no need for the two to be mutually exclusive.

If we are to meet this and all the other development targets, there will need to be a massive increase in overseas aid and assistance. When does my hon. Friend believe that we might reach the target of 0.7 per cent. of gross domestic product on overseas aid? Given that Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands have topped that target for several years, should we not be able to reach it, too?

My hon. Friend will know that we remain committed to the 0.7 per cent. target. We believe that we will have reached 0.4 per cent. by 2005–06, when the budget for international development will have risen to £4.5 billion. My hon. Friend will also know how much that contrasts with the record of the Conservatives, who saw moneys on international development halved in their 18 years in office.

If he will make a statement on the growth of HIV/AIDS in southern Asia. [151164]

HIV/AIDS is a critical development issue for south Asia. At over 4 million, India has the second largest number of HIV infections of any country in the world. If current rates of growth continue, there may be 25 million people infected in that country alone by 2010. Although numbers of people infected with HIV in other south Asian countries remain low, the conditions are in place for a rapid increase in transmission without comprehensive action. The recent "Call for Action on HIV/AIDS", which the Government published on 1 December, recognises the importance of action in south Asia to achieve a more effective global response to this epidemic.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. As he says, it is possible that by 2010 India will have more cases than anywhere else in the world. Does he agree that the world needs to focus as much on Asia as on Africa, because a similar potential tragedy is happening in Asia? In particular, what are the Government doing to work with the Indian Government to reduce the impact on India, and with neighbouring countries to try to reduce the spread of this disease to Bangladesh and Pakistan?

My hon. Friend is right: there is a window of opportunity at the moment to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in south Asia so that it does not reach the levels in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. We are funding the National AIDS Control Organisation of India to the tune of £123 million and are working with it closely on the design of a more effective strategy. We are also working closely with similar AIDS-control organisations in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and shortly will be doing the same in Nepal. South Asian countries themselves are beginning to recognise the importance of further work on HIV/AIDS. We need to see their Governments taking more of a lead in the fight to prevent discrimination and stigma from halting and inhibiting the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In 2002, the Prime Minister pledged that Africa would be a priority in his second term of government. With an HIV/AIDS pandemic threatening in southern Asia, and with African populations devastated by HIV/AIDS, it is now time for the Prime Minister to turn his words into more decisive action. Does the Minister agree that making international development a priority of the United Kingdom presidencies of the EU and the G8 would give the international community the impetus it needs to preempt a disaster in southern Asia and make decisive, positive changes in Africa?

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would want to congratulate this Government on the fact that there has been a sevenfold increase since 1997 in the amount of money we are spending to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS. As he knows, we are committed to spending £1 billion in Africa by 2005–06. As for the £320 million that has not yet been allocated, we have said that we shall make HIV/AIDS a priority for that spend. I am sure that there will be further discussions about this during our presidencies of the G8 and the European Union.

What steps are being taken to avoid making the mistakes in south Asia that were made in Africa? I am thinking particularly of mother-to-child transmission. What steps are being taken to ensure that reproductive health services and the AIDS services are brought closer together to stop the tragic transmission of HIV from mothers to children?

My hon. Friend will be aware that the issue of mother-to-child transmission has been a big problem in the spread of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. We are working very closely with south Asian Governments in designing effective prevention programmes that will prevent the mistakes that were made in tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic earlier in Africa from occurring in south Asia.

The Minister will be aware that there have been some claims recently that the number of people affected in Africa is not as great as was once claimed. Bearing in mind the importance of that, the difficulty of ensuring accuracy, and the crucial importance of maintaining confidence in what is happening, is the hon. Gentleman certain that there is a good system in place for measuring accurately the number of people involved, so that we do not get a fuss about claim and counter-claim, which is currently affecting confidence in tackling the disease in Africa?

It is certainly true that there have been a number of expressions of concern about the statistics. We are confident that the statistics used by UNAIDS—the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS—which we use in order to understand the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are accurate. The continuing worry about the level of the statistics is a matter of concern, but we need to get on with scaling up our response and the response of the international community, instead of worrying about the concerns or a small number of people about the statistics.

If he will make a statement on the efforts that his Department is making to improve standards of living in Zimbabwe. [151166]

The disastrous policies of the Government of Zimbabwe have led to economic collapse and a major humanitarian crisis. Zimbabwe has been suspended from the IMF, and maize production is a fraction of what it was a few years ago. The UK and other donors are trying to relieve the increasing suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans through humanitarian aid. DFID has contributed £62 million for humanitarian assistance since the crisis began in 2001, and provides further funds to help tackle HIV/AIDS.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer, but can he assure the House that there is a fair distribution of that aid in Zimbabwe, and that it is not used for political purposes?

I can assure my hon. Friend that the international community, which is providing support to meet the crisis in Zimbabwe—the UK is the second largest contributor of humanitarian aid—is very clear and very firm in not tolerating any political interference in the distribution of food aid. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed with the Government of Zimbabwe. The same cannot be said about the operations of the grain marketing board, which is under the control of the Government of Zimbabwe. If any hon. Members have particular concerns about the operation and distribution of food aid, I ask them to draw them to my attention, and I repeat my pledge that I shall investigate them. So far, despite the concerns, the system appears to be operating reasonably well.

When inflation in Zimbabwe is running at approximately 600 per cent., 6 million people in that country face the prospect of starvation, and one quarter of all adults there are HIV positive, what assessment has the right hon. Gentleman made of the extent of currency manipulation of aid moneys by ZANU-PF officials and their business allies?

The hon. Gentleman is right to draw the attention of the House to the scale of the economic catastrophe. I would add to the list that he has just given the fact that GDP has collapsed by 40 per cent. in the last three years. I have not, and the Department has not, made an assessment of the particular issue that the hon. Gentleman raises about currency speculation, because we are rightly devoting our effort and attention to feeding the people who need to be assisted. The latest statistics indicate that the number of those in need this year will be higher than was previously thought, in particular because the assessment from!rural areas indicates that there are now more people in need.

I respect what the Secretary of State said, but I urge him to conduct an assessment, given that the European Communities Court of Auditors Report for 2002 shows that no less than 89 per cent. of EU aid money is wasted because ZANU-PF spivs buy hard currency at official rates, sell it at black market rates and pocket the exorbitant difference between the two. What plans can the right hon. Gentleman develop to ensure that donor states and the European Union can take control of the conversion of aid moneys into local currency, in the interests in Zimbabwe of the long-suffering people of that beautiful but beleaguered country?

I shall gladly look further into the point that the hon. Gentleman has raised. But the most important step that we can take, and that I can take as Secretary of State, is to ensure that the development assistance that we give directly is not used in that way. Most of it goes on humanitarian aid. The other projects relate to health and HIV/AIDS. As the hon. Gentleman will know, we have very strong systems in place to make sure that the problem he refers to does not occur in relation to UK aid.

Sadly, the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans has gone off the main agenda globally, but they continue to suffer intensely, particularly on food aid—[Interruption.]

Order. I ask that the House allow the hon. Gentleman to be heard.

Has my right hon. Friend had talks with Zimbabwe's neighbouring countries with a view to their intervening to ensure that food aid is distributed fairly and is not distributed by ZANU-PF people?

As I said in answer to an earlier question, we and the other donors work very hard to ensure that the aid that the international community gives is not diverted in the way that my hon. Friend is concerned about. In all of our conversations and discussions with neighbouring countries, we raise the problem of Zimbabwe, because in the end this is a catastrophe for the people of that country. We are doing our bit to assist and to make sure that the people do not suffer any more because they happen to have a rotten Government, but a resolution within Zimbabwe itself is required if the situation is to be brought to an end.

Will the Secretary of State consider airlifting food aid to opposition areas if it can be proved that the corrupt regime in Zimbabwe is, for political purposes, stopping those people being adequately fed?

As I said earlier, if hon. Members or others have any evidence of interference in the proper distribution of the international food aid, including that which the UK supports, I shall be happy to consider what needs to be done. I can only say that so far the system that we have, and the strong and determined response of the international community in making clear to the Zimbabwean authorities that we will not tolerate such interference, indicates to me that distribution is working reasonably well; but I will continue to consider all measures that are necessary to ensure that the food gets to the people who need it.

If he will make a statement on the steps being taken by the United Nations to increase its effectiveness in fighting poverty. [151167]

The UN and its institutions play a unique role in promoting development and fighting poverty. The UN's reform programme aims to achieve better co-ordination by the different UN agencies and better support for countries' own poverty reduction plans. The Secretary-General intends to hold an event in 2005 to take stock of progress towards the millennium development goals.

I welcome the Minister's response, and particularly the work of his Department, but he will be aware that many of the economic statistics that are used by international institutions do not fully reflect the work that goes into alleviating poverty and protecting the environment. Will he undertake to consider the proposals of various economists for new statistical measures that will more accurately reflect the work on poverty?

I am always happy to consider the ideas of others for measuring as effectively as possible the progress that we are or are not making internationally on meeting the millennium development goals. The UN monitors progress towards those goals using information drawn from a number of sources, and it covers tangible matters, such as the percentage of the population that has access to clean water, literacy rates, and the percentage of the population that is being lifted out of poverty. In the millennium development goals, we have a clear set of indicators against which we and the people of developing countries can judge whether we are making progress.

What assessment has the Secretary of State made on the impact of the US Administration's withdrawal of funds to the United Nations Population Fund and its reproductive health policies, which is having a deleterious effect on many poverty reduction programmes around the world?

I agree that that decision is regrettable. It is a matter for the US Administration, but as the hon. Gentleman knows, we are strong supporters of the UNFPA, because work on reproductive health in particular is fundamental to improving mothers' health and to a better life for children, and it is also fundamental to tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Is my right hon. Friend prepared to consider strengthening the links between training for democracy, citizenship, labour market development and industrial relations when awarding aid?

We will shortly produce a policy document on labour standards, and my hon. Friend draws attention to an important contribution that the Labour movement can make in countries by putting pressure on Governments to increase people's living standards. I shall ensure that I send my hon. Friend a copy, because it deals with one of the ways, along with civil society and a thriving democracy, that Governments can be called to account on the extent to which they tackle poverty and improve health and education. [Interruption.]

Order. The House is very noisy, and it is unfair to the Minister and to the Members who are asking questions.

If he will make a statement on the progress of reconstruction in Iraq. [151168]

In spite of the security situation in Iraq, the coalition provisional authority, together with Iraqi ministries, is making significant progress with reconstruction. Large numbers of projects are under way, and finance pledged at the Madrid donors conference last October is now beginning to assist. DFID will publish its interim country assistance plan for Iraq shortly, and we are making good progress with our projects in the south of Iraq, which will significantly improve the provision of essential services to over 5 million people.

Given the many warnings beforehand of what would happen following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, why did the National Audit Office team visiting Iraq find that plans to co-ordinate the civilian response following the armed intervention were not well developed?

The planning was for the worst possible outcome, and as the hon. Gentleman will be aware, the effort and money that DFID committed to that was to ensure that if the worst did come about, we were ready to deal with any humanitarian crisis. Thankfully, that proved not to be the case because the conflict was much less extensive in scale and shorter than people had anticipated, and since then we have rightly turned our attention to the improvement of essential services and infrastructure. As the hon. Gentleman will be aware because he can see the statistics, considerable progress has been made in recent months in improving the lives of ordinary Iraqis, which is fundamental not just to their own future but to the success of the political process in which we are also now engaged.

What can my right hon. Friend do to help my constituent Mr. Merzook's elderly parents from Baghdad, who wept in my office last Friday because they lost all their possessions—their clothes, their home, their car—when three American rockets hit their house, and they have been unable to get any help or compensation since that date?

I am very concerned to hear about the case my hon. Friend raises. If she lets me have the details, I undertake to pass them on to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.

The Secretary of State's previous answer just will not wash. After eight calls from this Dispatch Box alone for a comprehensive plan for reconstructing Iraq, on 3 February the Prime Minister told us:

"We are well aware that we must have a humanitarian plan that is every bit as viable and well worked out as a military plan."—[Official Report, 3 February 2003; Vol.399, c.36.]

"coordinated plans to bridge the gap between what the Armed Forces achieved in the short term and what was required to be done in the … longer term were not … well developed."?

The answer to the hon. Gentleman's question is to be found in what has happened. There are 17,000 reconstruction projects in Iraq as a result of the coalition's work; the food distribution system is working; nearly all the 240 hospitals in Iraq are now functioning; medical supply distribution is working, apart from some shortages; routine vaccination for children has restarted; most of the children are back in school; water and sanitation are improving; and the electricity supply is now above what it was before the conflict. Those achievements are clear evidence of the steps that we have taken to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis because that is what they are entitled to see. [Interruption.]

Order. I must appeal to the House. We have only two minutes remaining and we must be able to hear hon. Members speak.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear President Bush advocate the establishment of free trade unions in Iraq as part of the process of reconstruction, but is my right hon. Friend aware that under law 151 passed in 1987 under Saddam Hussein, trade unions are banned in the public sector, which means that, technically, only under privatisation can trade unions exist properly within Iraq? Should it not be made clear that the circumstances in Iraq are such that the free trade unions advocated by President Bush can develop?

I welcome calls from any quarter in support of the principle of free trade unionism, for reasons that my hon. Friend and I well understand. I was aware of the law to which he refers. It is one of a number of things that Saddam Hussein did that led to the enormous suffering that the Iraqi people experienced over 30 years, and it is one of many things that Iraqi self-government will have to put right. In the end, of course, it is for the Iraqis themselves to determine the new structure of law. My hon. Friend is, however, right to say that free trade unions are a fundamental part of a free society, and I, like him, look forward to the day when they can operate in Iraq, because it will be a further indication that that country is recovering from the nightmare that it has experienced over the past 30 years.

If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 28th January.

Before I list my engagements for the day, I am sure that the whole House will want to join me in expressing our deep condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the British soldier who has been tragically killed in Afghanistan today. Our thoughts are also with those who were wounded in that attack.

I join the Prime Minister in expressing condolences to the family and friends of that serving member of our armed forces.

I gather that the hon. Gentleman is right, in that that is what the post-primary review body has recommended. I heard what he said, and no doubt there will be strong feelings on both sides of that argument. I simply point out to him that if we were fortunate enough to get devolved institutions back up and running in Northern Ireland, this would be a devolved matter again. Perhaps I can look forward to his help in securing that.

As we now learn on the anniversary of the miners strike that the enemy within turns out to be the BBC, had we not better privatise it sooner rather than later?

This is a day for diplomacy, at least at this stage.

May I first—[Interruption.]

Order. I am not going to allow shouting. If there is any more shouting, the Members in question will have to be removed from the Chamber.

May I first join the Prime Minister in expressing my sincere sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of the British soldier killed in Afghanistan today?

I most certainly will give the right hon. and learned Gentleman the assurance that he seeks. Nobody, as far as I am aware, has leaked that from the Government or any part of government—I do not believe that to be the case. The chairman of the Conservative party was on television last night saying that the leaking of this document was a despicable act from "a morally bankrupt Government." Perhaps the right hon. and learned Gentleman would now produce the evidence for that statement.

Is not the best way of getting the evidence for there to be a proper inquiry entirely independent of Government? Will we have such an inquiry? And, by the way, who does the Prime Minister think benefited from the leak?

As we have already made clear, we are very happy that there should be an inquiry, and that is why we are in touch with Lord Hutton. If he recommends a certain course of action, we will take it.

I hope that we get a full inquiry independent of Government, and I advise the Prime Minister, to coin a phrase, not to prejudge that inquiry.

First let me return to the inquiry, because I do not think that this point should be let go. The right hon. and learned Gentleman says that he does not want to prejudge the inquiry, but that is precisely what the chairman of the Conservative party has done. I therefore ask him again either to substantiate the claim that the Government leaked the document or to withdraw it, because he is getting rather a reputation for making such allegations when there is no substance to them.

"The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction poses a danger that we ignore at our peril… The threat to world peace from Iraq is acute and we must combat it with all legitimate means at our disposal."

Of course we supported the war; we still support the war, but we also want to get at the truth. The Prime Minister may not understand that it is important to get at the truth, but we do. He may not understand that it is possible both to support the war and to get at the truth, but we do.

"what we are going to do is assemble that evidence and present it properly".

When the Iraq survey group completes its work, which is what we have said right from the very beginning. It is surely right that when we have a group in Iraq looking at the evidence, we wait until that group concludes before we publish it.

"There was and is, in my view, a valid and legitimate case for having gone to war with Iraq. There was no need to lie, there was no need to mislead people in order to make that case. And to mislead the House of Commons and the nation in order to gain support for going to war is a very, very serious matter indeed.

"What people are increasingly coming to realise is that we have a Prime Minister who is a stranger to the truth".

We all know, Mr. Speaker, that a wider inquiry than the one that the Prime Minister has set out is necessary to test that allegation, so there is nothing for me to withdraw.

"massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories, workings by scientists"

"plans to develop long range ballistic missiles."

As a matter of fact, that evidence has already been published by the Iraq survey group. Let me remind the right hon. and learned Gentleman that Dr. Kay said that the ISG has found documents and equipment at undeclared laboratories and facilities. Dr. Kay continued:

"Secondly, they have found substantial evidence of research and design work on longer-range missile delivery systems."

"the Iraqis continued research and development right up until the end to improve their ability to produce ricin."

Will the Prime Minister place in the Library of the House of Commons today the massive evidence that he says has already seen published of

"a huge system of clandestine laboratories, workings by scientists, plans to develop long-range ballistic missiles"?

The evidence is, of course, in the Iraq survey group report. Let me make one other point to the right hon. and learned Gentleman: there is, of course, a legitimate debate about whether the conflict in Iraq was right. That is a legitimate debate in which there can be legitimate disagreements. It is completely unnecessary to have a debate that suggests that somehow we deliberately misled the public on that case. The plain fact is that that allegation is particularly absurd coming from him and the Conservative party, as I recall that even before the publication of the famous dossier he and his colleagues were urging me to take action and accusing me of dithering for not having done so. Whoever else can make that claim, frankly it does not lie in his mouth to make it.

More!

Order. Some hon. Gentlemen are too near the Chair to start shouting.

If children do not develop competence in core skills in their early years, their expectations of going to university remain extremely low. Does my right hon. Friend agree that further funding and progress in that sector lie at the heart of widening access to university, just as much as the provisions in the Higher Education Bill?

I obviously agree with my hon. Friend. She is right to point out that at the moment university students are funded by the taxpayer to a far more generous extent than pre-school years, primary school pupils or secondary school pupils. Her other point is surely right: 90 per cent. of young people who get two good A-levels go to university, and therefore the biggest determinant of whether people go to university is the quality of the education that they receive prior to university. For that very reason, it is important to continue the investment in pre-school years, in primary schools and in secondary schools.

Moving on from the rather rapid rewriting of history that we have just been entertained by, will the Prime Minister revisit more recent history—the outcome of last night's vote on his policy on top-up fees? Looking back to yesterday evening and the events that led up to the Division, does he think that it was decided by the overwhelming merits of the argument or that his close friend and near neighbour the Chancellor bailed him out at the eleventh hour?

It was, of course, a result of the combined efforts of the Government to present a wonderful case to the public. I would prefer to have a narrow victory trying to do the right thing for the country than to have a narrow defeat trying to do the wrong thing.

The Chancellor's face says it all. Will the Prime Minister join me in making representations to you, Mr. Speaker, that—given the considerable public and parliamentary interest—the legislation should be considered on the Floor of the House by a Committee of the whole House? That way, Members representing all parts of the United Kingdom and all parts of the Labour party would be able to contribute.

No, I think that it should be considered in the normal way. What could be considered on the Floor of the House is a return to the debate between us about the Liberal Democrats and how they will fund their commitments. I have further information for the House on that one. It will be recalled that I was telling the right hon. Gentleman that he had a whole lot of spending commitments that he could not finance. The Liberal Democrats have recently published a document with a list of their spending commitments, several of which seem—mysteriously—to have vanished. That includes one on transport, on which the document states:

"Policy: Nearly £2 billion more for the railways…Liberal Democrat response: no longer a commitment due to changed circumstances."

"Policy: Training places for at least an extra 4,600 doctors and 27,500 nurses…Libdem response: these policies are now 'out of date'".

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the BBC, under its charter, has a right to provide news and current affairs that is independent, objective and balanced? Does he think that the coverage of the leak of the Hutton inquiry report last night measured up to that standard?

It is surely right, especially if there is to be an inquiry into it, that people do not make a judgment until they hear the facts. I can personally tell the House that I want nothing to detract from the Hutton report being heard in an unalloyed and unadulterated way by the British public. I hope that the media today allow that to happen.

Will the Prime Minister join me in condemning the decision by the Conservative-controlled Essex county council to abolish the school meals service from April? For many children, it is the main meal of the day, and for some children it is the only hot meal of the day. Will the Prime Minister engage ministerial colleagues in seeing what can be done to change that decision? For a start, will he revoke the Government's 1999 order behind which the Tories are hiding for their dastardly deed?

Of course, in the end such decisions are for local authorities, but we believe that the provision of school meals for pupils, especially from the poorest backgrounds, has a beneficial effect on their education. Unfortunately, some of our youngsters go to school without having had a proper meal. It means that they do not learn or pay attention in their lessons as well as they should, and it is for that reason that we are deeply committed to ensuring that the funding is there for local authorities to provide that service. I will look into the point that the hon. Gentleman raises.

May I commend my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on the time, effort and commitment he spent on freeing the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein? Will he give similar time, effort and commitment to freeing the Palestinian people of the illegal separation wall and barbed wire fence that runs through their land and to freeing them from the tyranny and repression of the Israeli occupation of their land?

I understand the strength of feeling on that issue. We have already made it clear—the Foreign Secretary has done so—that we do not agree with the building of the wall on Palestinian land and we have urged the Israeli Government to reroute the fence away from Palestinian land. It is important to emphasise two other points. First, we want to try to get back to negotiation on the road map as soon as possible, as that is the only prospect for long-term peace. Secondly, in the meantime, the immediate priority is to get an initiative together on security that allows the Israelis some confidence that they will not continually have suicide bombers coming into Israel and killing large numbers of innocent people. The Palestinians are suffering in this situation, and the Israelis are suffering. The only way to bridge between where we are and where we need to be—a renegotiation on the basis of the road map—is a proper security initiative that at least gives us the confidence that 100 per cent. effort is being applied on the Palestinian side.

Why are the balance of payments deficits and the fiscal deficits so hopelessly out of control?

I do not accept that for an instant. If the hon. Gentleman looks back to the time when I used to shadow him in the House of Commons, back in the late '80s and early '90s, he will find that the deficits on both were a darn sight worse than they are today. What is more, that was without our economic record—the lowest inflation, the lowest interest rates, the lowest unemployment and the highest employment for decades. I would have thought that he would be congratulating us on having got rid of the old boom and bust under the Tories and replacing it with economic stability.

I know that the Prime Minister agrees that the aerospace industry is of crucial importance to the United Kingdom economy. I am sure, therefore, that he will share my pleasure at Monday's announcement that the AirTanker Ltd. proposal has been selected by the Ministry of Defence for its future strategic tanker programme. That was welcome news for the workers at Rolls-Royce and Airbus in my constituency. Can my right hon. Friend assure me that the complex negotiations needed for that very innovative contract will be completed as soon as possible?

I can give my hon. Friend that assurance, although obviously there is a long way to go, because the negotiations are, necessarily, detailed. This week, the Government announced that we have begun negotiations with Air Tanker for the MOD's £13 billion pound future strategic tanker aircraft. If successful, the AirTanker bid will obviously be good news for the UK, creating several thousand jobs across the country, including in my hon. Friend's constituency—that comes along with a more optimistic CBI industrial trends survey, issued today. I recognise the tremendous importance not just of the jobs in my hon. Friend's constituency but also of the skilled workforce who would benefit from such a bid being successful.

Does the Prime Minister intend to become the last person on the planet to maintain that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction capable of being deployed in 45 minutes?

It is not merely I who have maintained that Saddam Hussein had such weapons; it has been maintained by almost every country that has looked at the issue. That is why, in November 2002, the United Nations unanimously declared the existence of those weapons a threat to the world.

The Prime Minister will be aware of my constituent's son, Joseph Scholes, who committed suicide at Stoke Heath prison at the tender age of 16 years. My constituent, Yvonne Scholes, is calling for a full public inquiry into her son's death—not just an inquest, a full public inquiry—to examine all aspects of his death, including sentencing and the practice of allocating young, vulnerable people to adult prisons. Will the Prime Minister do all that he can to ensure that that inquiry comes about?

I offer my sympathies to the family of Joseph Scholes on his tragic death, which happened, I think, in March 2002 when he was only 16 years old. I understand from my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary that the ombudsman for the Prison Service is conducting an investigation into the death, and I understand that a coroner's inquest will also be conducted. I also point out that the Prison Service has implemented the safer custody programme to help prisoners, especially young people and those in prison for the first time. The Youth Justice Board is specifically involved in that programme. I will look into the details of the investigation and write to my hon. Friend to try to give him some idea of what its time lines will be.

If it turns out that Saddam Hussein transferred his weapons of mass destruction to another country in the region, and given the Prime Minister's logic in taking this country to war with Iraq, what Action would he take against that country?

I think that we should wait to see whether those claims are justified. I know that the Iraq survey group is specifically looking at the evidence for any such suggestion. There is one major difference between Saddam Hussein and any other country: Saddam Hussein actually used those weapons, not merely against his own people but against a neighbouring country.

May I remind my right hon. Friend that next week there will be another important Second Reading? The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill will be introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Dr. Francis) with cross-party support. May I urge my right hon. Friend to give Government support for the Bill, which will benefit the 9,000 carers in my constituency? If any Ministers are wavering, they can have a private meeting with me in my office and I will persuade them.

On behalf of Ministers, I thank my hon. Friend kindly; I have had a few private meetings with them over the past few days.

Which will come to light first, the identity of the leaker or the existence of the weapons of mass destruction?

Should not we simply allow any inquiry that Lord Hutton orders to take its course? I hope that the hon. Gentleman will agree that it is particularly invidious for anybody, including the chairman of the Conservative party, to state that the Government have done something when it is apparent that there is absolutely no evidence to support that.

What help can the Prime Minister promise Liverpool and the rest of the north-west for housing regeneration, to match assistance already given to the south-east? Does he look forward to the prospect of a strong, elected North West regional assembly replacing the regional housing quangos and campaigning for a fair deal for the region?

It is precisely for those reasons that we have given people a vote on the issue of regional assemblies. I think that about £500 million will he going into nine pathfinder areas, to work with regeneration authorities to tackle the position to which my hon. Friend refers. The other tremendously important thing is that we keep money going into regeneration projects, the new deal, Sure Start and dealing with antisocial behaviour. Those are all important parts of rebuilding those communities.

Does the Prime Minister accept that the headlines which followed the publication of his dossier in September 2002 and which we know that his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, was extremely anxious to orchestrate, were wholly misleading?

I do not accept that we misled people in any shape or form. The report that will be published later today will deal with all those issues and the hon. Gentleman should wait for it.

Does my right hon. Friend believe that investment in youth services is an important part of tackling antisocial behaviour, and if so, what impact does he think that the cuts of £46,000 in the Watford area youth service budget and of £84,000 in play and early years staffing will have when they are implemented, as proposed by Liberal Democrat-controlled Watford borough council?

As my hon. Friend knows, for 2003–04, we shall provide about £500 million to the youth service. We think it extremely important that those programmes be maintained, and I am sorry if they are being cut in her area. I am sure that will do nothing either for the young people in her area or to tackle antisocial behaviour. It is not merely spending that is important, but also support for the antisocial behaviour legislation, and I am sorry that the Liberal Democrats voted against it.

What exactly did the Prime Minister mean when he promised the British people that "We will not introduce top-up fees"? Does he understand that many people now find that promise somewhat misleading?

The existing fee structure was the payment of up-front fees, with no maintenance grant for students, and top-up fees were an unrestricted, existing fee top-up. What is now being introduced is not that at all. What is being introduced is the abolition of up-front fees, so that no family has to pay those up-front fees, with maintenance grants reintroduced for the poorest students and a far fairer system of repayment for graduates, once they have graduated, plus a cap, set in legislation, until 2010. Surely that is better than the policies—in so far as one can understand them—of the Opposition.

"the principle that students contribute is there. We are not saying the whole system is completely tax-payer funded."

Order.

There are at least another five policies, but I have run out of time—

Order.