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Written Answers
Monday, 3rd November 2003.
Government Bills: Committee Stages in each House
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish a table showing the number of hours of consideration given to completed Committee stages of each government Bill in the current Session in each House of Parliament. [HL4980]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): The following table shows the number of hours spent in Committee in both Houses on each government Bill this Session.
Figures are given to the nearest hour (or 15 minutes when Committee took under 1 hour).
| Bill | Approximate time in Committee in the House of Lords(1) | Approximate time in Committee in the House of Commons(2) |
| Anti-social Behaviour | 16 hrs | 28 hrs |
| Arms Control and Disarmament (Inspections) | 15 mins | 30 mins |
| Communications | 45 hrs | 64 hrs |
| Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) | 11 hrs | 10 hrs |
| Consolidated Fund | negatived | formal |
| Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) | negatived | formal |
| Courts | 27 hrs | 13 hrs |
| +Crime (International Co-operation) | 17 hrs | 19 hrs |
| Criminal Justice | 60 hrs | 85 hrs |
| +Electricity (Miscellaneous Provisions) | 3 hrs | 3 hrs |
| +European Parliament (Representation) | 2 hrs | 12 hrs |
| European Union (Accessions) | 15 mins | 3 hrs |
| +Extradition | 35 hrs | 16 hrs |
| Finance | negatived | 68 hrs |
| +Fire Services | 11 hrs | 5 hrs |
| +Health (Wales) | 2 hrs | 6 hrs |
| Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) | 39 hrs | 53 hrs |
| Hunting | not completed | 81 hrs |
| Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) | negatived | 3 hrs |
| Industrial Development (Financial Assistance) | negatived | 1 hr |
| Licensing | 31 hrs | 43 hrs |
| +Local Government | 30 hrs | 37 hrs |
| National Minimum Wage (Enforcement Notices) | 15 mins | 30 mins |
| Northern Ireland (Monitoring Commission) | 2 hrs | 2 hrs |
| Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections and Periods of Suspension) | 15 mins | 30 mins |
| Northern Ireland Assembly Elections | 0 mins** | 30 mins |
| Planning and Compulsory Purchase | (Carried over in the Commons) | 31 hrs |
| +Police (Northern Ireland) | 6 hrs** | 16 hrs |
| +Railways and Transport Safety | 8 hrs | 38 hrs |
| Regional Assemblies (Preparations) | 22 hrs | 28 hrs |
| Sexual Offences | 31 hrs | 24 hrs |
| +Waste and Emissions Trading | 8 hrs | 21 hrs |
| +Water | 27 hrs | 13 hrs |
+=Taken in Grand Committee in the House of Lords
** These figures are different from those given in House of Lords Written Answer 4918. This is due to a clerical error when working out the previous answer.
(1) No official figures are kept of this information. Figures in the table are calculated from the House of Lords Official Report (Hansard). Figures include any divisions held but do not include time where Committee was adjourned for statements or dinner break business.
(2) No official figures are kept of this information. Figures in the table are calculated from the House of Commons Official Report (Hansard) and have been verified by Bill Teams. Programming committees, Money Resolutions and motions for approval etc are not included.
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): The UK has pledged £322 million over five years for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for Afghanistan. Since September 2001 the UK has spent more than £191 million, £75 million of which was disbursed in financial year 2002–03; £55 million has been allocated for the current financial year 2003–04. The UK also provides significant levels of multilateral assistance through our contributions to the UN, European Commission (19 per cent of 1 billion euros over five years) and international development banks. Further information will be contained in a joint DfID/FCO fact sheet, which is currently being finalised and will be be available in the Library of the House shortly.
Figures for expenditure in support of British military operations in Afghanistan in the current financial year will be published in the Winter Supplementary Estimates. In financial year 2002–03 costs of £310 million were incurred supporting our military operations in Afghanistan.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo provide for a jurisdiction in areas not previously subject to the laws of war; and[HL4926]
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo provide defendants with a legal remedy for violation of any procedural or other protections in the military commission instructions that might benefit them; and[HL4927]
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo provide that potentially exculpatory information may be withdrawn from military defence counsel if the prosecution does not intend to introduce such evidence at trial.[HL4930]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The order and instructions relating to military commissions can be found on the US Department of Defense website www.defenselink.mil.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The order and instructions relating to military commissions can be found on the US Department of Defense website www.defenselink.mil.
However, in addition, the Attorney-General, who has represented the Government in discussions with the US Administration about the military commissions, issued a statement on 22 July, following
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The order and instructions relating to military commissions can be found on the US Department of Defense website www.defenselink.mil.
However, in addition, the Attorney-General, who has represented the Government in discussions with the US Administration about the military commissions, issued a statement on 22 July, following the first round of talks. This included a reference to the question of communications between defendants and their lawyers. Part of the statement says ". . . the US has assured us that . . . exceptionally, conversations between Begg or Abbasi and his defence counsel would not be monitored or reviewed by US authorities."
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The order and instructions relating to military commissions can be found on the US Department of Defense website www.defenselink.mil.
However, in addition, the Attorney-General, who has represented the Government in discussions with the US Administration about the military commissions, issued a statement on 22 July, following the first round of talks. This included a reference to the question of capital punishment. Part of the statement says ". . . the US has assured us that . . . the prosecution will not seek the death penalty in the cases of Feroz Abbasi and Moazzem Begg."
How much they plan to spend in Afghanistan in 2004; how much they spent in 2002 and in 2003 so far; and whether they will provide a breakdown of expenditure in each of these years, including the proportion spent on military operations and the proportion spent on civil reconstruction.[HL4705]
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo are under the control of the President of the United States with no appeal to a civil court; and[HL4925]
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo provide that defendants may be represented without their consent by lawyers assigned to them.[HL4928]
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo provide that communications between defendants and their lawyers may be monitored by the United States Defense Department.[HL4929]
Further to the answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 15 October (HL Deb, col. 936), whether the rules published by the United States Government for the trial by military commissions of British citizens and others held at Guantanamo provide that a guilty verdict for capital and other offences may be made by a two-thirds majority of the commission.[HL4943]
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