asked Her Majesty's Government:When United Kingdom Ministers last met Ministers of the Scottish. Executive; what subjects were discussed; when they will meet again; and with what frequency will such meetings take place. [HL1796]

Meetings between United Kingdom Ministers and Scottish Executive Ministers take place on a regular and frequent basis to discuss a whole range of issues of common interest and concern.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Audit Commission fees payable by National Health Trusts for audits during 1999-2000 have been uprated by 4.25 per cent when the general NHS inflation uplift for that year is only 2.5 per cent. [HL1795]

The setting of audit fees is a matter for the Audit Commission itself, which operates independently of Her Majesty's Government. I have asked the Chair of the Commission to write to the noble Baroness with an explanation of the fee increases.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the statement by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 15 March (H.L. Deb., col. 1541) that "First, we want to evaluate the voluntary approach" to hotel registration, (a) how long the evaluation period will last; and (b) what percentage take-up of the scheme will be considered by the Government to be sufficient to avoid the consideration of a statutory scheme for hotel registration. [HL1606]

It is most important that we give the voluntary approach to the new quality standards enough time to make an impact. Take-up of the new standards is already approaching 50 per cent and further progress will be reviewed at next year's Tourism Summit. We support efforts by the English Tourism Council, the AA and the RAC to encourage more properties to join. These include the ETC's new "Stepping Stones" initiative, aimed at encouraging those establishments which do not currently participate in or meet the minimum national standard.The new quality standards have made an encouraging start but they are in their infancy. It is too soon to predict what take-up percentage will he sufficient to improve the quality of accommodation to the competitive levels that we consider necessary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:By what legislative or regulatory procedure they will introduce a half price television licence fee for those people who are registered blind. [HL1689]

On 31 March, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State issued a determination under Section 2(2) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 (as amended), introducing a 50 per cent reduction in the television licence fee for people who are registered blind, with effect from 1 April. Copies of the determination have been placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 29 February (WA 62), what representation has been made to the Republic of Ireland Government about its annual celebration of the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin. [HL1703]

None. The annual celebration of 1916 is a matter for the Irish Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What they have done to implement the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Istanbul Summit resolution towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Chechnya. [HL1693]

Her Majesty's Government, acting in concert with other Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) participating states, has repeatedly pressed the Russian Government to honour the language in the summit declaration on the conflict in Chechnya. The Russian Government has so far rejected calls to use the good offices of the OSCE to find a political solution to the conflict. However, it recently allowed the head of the OSCE Assistance Group to Chechnya to visit the region to assess whether the security conditions would permit the early return of the group. The OSCE Chairman in Office is expected to visit the region later this month.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they regard Maskhadov's government as the only legitimate authority of Chechnya. [HL1694]

We recognise Chechnya as an integral part of the Russian Federation. The UK position is shared by our international partners. President Maskhadov was elected in 1997 in a process recognised as democratic by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Foreign Secretary has met any Chechen officials since the start of the present conflict in Chechnya. [HL1695]

The Foreign Secretary has not met any Chechen officials since the start of the present conflict in Chechnya.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the intentions of the Russian Federation to hold Russian Presidential elections within the territory of Chechnya at the time of war activities within the area. [HL1696]

The Russian Presidential elections, held on 26 March, were monitored by observers acting for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). An OSCE mission that visited the region prior to the elections concluded that, given the security situation, normal conditions for voting did not exist in Chechnya. The OSCE did not monitor voting in Chechnya, but preliminary results show a turn-out of 465,000 of those registered to vote in Chechnya—approximately 65 per cent of the electorate, which is close to the national turn-out.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support suspension or even exclusion of Russia from the Council of Europe due to the violation of human rights by the Russian Military in Chechnya. [HL1697]

We expect Russia, like all Council of Europe members, to meet its obligations. The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly passed a recommendation on 27 January calling on Russia to meet several conditions related to human rights in Chechnya. The Assembly will meet on 4-7 April to assess Russian progress towards meeting the conditions. It would be premature to make a judgment on Russian progress before all the evidence is presented.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the face of violation of human rights in Chechnya by the Russian authorities, the principle of territorial integrity should not be applied in the case of Chechnya. [HL1718]

Both my right honourable friend the Prime Minister and my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary have raised allegations of human rights violations in Chechnya at the highest level in Russia. We have urged a full investigation of these allegations. But the Government recognise Chechnya as an integral part of the territory of the Russian Federation. The UK position is shared by our international partners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many British diplomats are on secondment in the Foreign Ministries of other European Union member states; and what is the normal length of such secondments. [HL1719]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently has one officer in each of the Foreign Ministries of the following EU member states: Portugal, Holland and Germany. These assignments vary in length, but are generally between six months and one year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many nationals from other European Union member states' Foreign Ministries are working in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; from which countries; and what is the normal length of such secondments. [HL1720]

There are three nationals from other European Union member states' Foreign Ministries currently working in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Two are from Germany and one is from France. The normal secondment length is one year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Common Foreign and Security Policy working groups there are. [HL1722]

There are twenty-eight.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many British diplomats (a) based in London and (b) based in Europe are normally engaged in working groups on the Common Foreign and Security Policy in Brussels. [HL1721]

The United Kingdom is represented at all working group meetings: usually by one London-based member of staff, and by one member of staff based at the United Kingdom Representation to the European Union.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they endorse the view of former President Carter as expressed in the

No. But the Government do agree that further early steps need to be taken toward; nuclear disarmament and continue to press for progress.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What priorities they have so far identified for the reform and regeneration of the United Nations. [HL1724]

We strongly support the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to modernise the UN to make it more efficient and effective and better able to meet the needs of all its members. In particular, we want to see the implementation of modern management and budgetary practices. Together with our EU partners, we look forward to a high-level discussion on strengthening the UN at the Millennium Summit in New York in September.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Bearing in mind the implications of the European security and defence initiative for the Western European Union, what they envisage as the future role of the WEU Parliamentary Assembly, with particular reference to European nations which are members of NATO but not of the European Union and European and European nations which are members of neither NATO nor the European Union. [HL1725]

We are committed to parliamentary scrutiny of European defence by national parliaments. Discussions on the future of the WEU Assembly are at an early stage. The WEU Assembly proposal for the creation of a European Security and Defence Assembly is one of the options under consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will seek to have Zimbabwe's human rights record investigated by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. [H L1729]

Although deeply worrying, developments in Zimbabwe do not, at this stage, amount to serious or persistent violations of human rights which would trigger an investigation by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG).

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the European Union flight ban against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was suspended. [HL1744]

I refer to the Written Answer given by the Minister of State for Europe to my honourable friend the member for Gedling on 14 March 2000, Official Report, column 142W. The EC regulation required to give effect to Common Position 2000/176/CFSP suspending the flight ban against the FRY was adopted by the Council of the European Union on 20 March 2000. EC Regulation 607/2000 came into force on 22 March and, in addition to suspending EC Regulation 2151/1999 imposing the flight ban until 28 August 2000, permits, in relation to the suspension of the flight ban, specific exemptions from Regulation 1294/1999 concerning a freeze of funds and a ban on investment and from Regulation 2111/1999 prohibiting the sale and supply of petroleum and petroleum products to certain parts of the FRY.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the forthcoming business in the Council of European Union for April and list the major European Union events for the next six months. [HL1745]

See attached.This calendar is primarily concerned with European Union matters, but certain other relevant events are also included. Events and dates quoted are based on the information available on the date of issue.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support the creation of a working group to consider the draft optional protocol to the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. [HL1728]

The United Kingdom is playing an active role in the discussion of a possible optional protocol to the United Nations International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the current session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. The United Kingdom will be seeking clarity on the mandate and timescale of any new working group before taking a final position.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What they are doing to ensure that the forthcoming United Nations Millennium NGO Forum will receive representations from adequate numbers of Asian and black-led non-governmental organisations. [HL 1746]

We strongly support the Millennium Forum's commitment to ensuring that the event be truly representative of global civil society by securing the participation of civil society groups from developed and developing countries. We have offered financial assistance to the forum to help fund the attendance of civil society representatives from less developed countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to review KFOR's efforts to keep the peace in Kosovo. [HL1755]

KFOR operations are kept under constant review, both nationally and in NATO. The North Atlantic Council is briefed on developments at its weekly meetings. The NATO Secretary-General sends monthly reports on KFOR to the United Nations Secretary-General. NATO Ministers will have an opportunity to take stock of the situation in Kosovo at their ministerial meetings in May and June.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of the recent bombings by the government of Sudan on a civilian hospital and on targets in northern Uganda; and, if so, how they will respond to these developments in the light of their current policy of "critical dialogue". [HL1787]

We are aware of reports of aerial bombings of civilian targets in Sudan. It has been through our dialogue, both bilateral and EU, that we have been able to raise both the general issue and specific incidents with the Government of Sudan.At last year's UN Commission on Human Rights, the EU also sponsored a consensus resolution on Sudan which called on the Government to "stop immediately the indiscriminate bombardment of civilian and humanitarian centres, which runs counter to the fundamental principles of human rights and humanitarian law". We expect the EU to sponsor a resolution again this year and shall continue to keep this issue high on our agenda.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether sufficient progress is being made in Kosovo towards the restoration of the rule of law in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. [HL1648]

There has been substantial progress, although much remains to be done. Almost 400 local judges and prosecutors have been appointed, including Kosovo Serbs and other minorities. The UN Mission has also appointed over 200 lay judges. Three hundred and fifty Kosovars have graduated from the new police training school, including Serbs, other minorities and around 100 women. We have 40 UK police officers at the training school. We intend to offer UK candidates to serve as international judges and prosecutors in Kosovo.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is their policy to provide assistance in the form of police, judges and others with the function of restoring a stable system of criminal and civil justice. [HL1647]

Yes. The UK has deployed 60 police to the UN International Police and we intend to double this contribution. We also contribute 40 UK police officers to the school training the future Kosovo police. We intend to contribute the core of a new Criminal Intelligence Unit to work in the UN police. We intend to offer UK judges and lawyers to work with the UN Mission in Kosovo.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which member states of the European Union and which members of the Commonwealth have statutory or constitutional provision to prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion. [HL1642]

Information on statutory and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on grounds of religion in all EU and Commonwealth states is not held centrally. To provide the information requested for all 69 states would be a major undertaking which would incur disproportionate cost.The Home Secretary has commissioned research into the nature and scale of religious discrimination in England and Wales. This project, to be completed in autumn this year, will consider the legal and constitutional position in other jurisdictions. The interim report, published on 31 January, includes an initial analysis of approaches to tackling religious discrimination in several Commonwealth and EU jurisdictions. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the research project's website at:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have about the re-arrest of Mr Abdul Wahab Hussain, who was released on 17 March after more than four years of imprisonment in Bahrain without charge or trial; and whether they will raise his case and those of other long-term detainees in Bahrain at the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. [HL1628]

We have asked our Embassy in Bahrain for full details of Mr Hussein's case and in particular the circumstances surrounding his recent re-arrest, which we view with concern.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which are the 80 or so licence holders who have code powers to dig up the roads; and what steps they have in mind to curtail their activities, with a view to diminishing the nuisance they cause to the public. [HL1727]

The following 86 companies hold licences granting code powers, which allow the operator to install and maintain equipment on the public highway, subject to conditions laid down in the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and subsidiary legislation.The number of individual licences with code powers is greater than 86 as a number of companies hold more than one regional licence. The full list is regularly updated and available on the OFTEL web site (www.oftel.gov.uk).There are no plans to restrict new construction by these operators, but the Government have recently consulted widely on ways to diminish disruption caused by streetworks.