Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Spokesman and the Leader of the House of Commons on: Iran, United Nations, Forthcoming Business, Casinos Policy, Iran Developments, Parliamentary Standards Committee Report and Machinery of Government Change
Iran
Asked whether the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) had any comments on suggestions that Iran may have gone back on their promise to release the UK service woman, the PMS said these issues were being discussed at the UN. Our Ambassador at the UN had said he hoped there would be a statement hopefully later on today. Asked whether COBRA was meeting daily, the PMS said COBRA was meeting regularly. Asked whether Downing Street was chairing the meeting, the PMS said no.
United Nations
Asked whether the UK took over chairmanship of the UN Security Council this weekend, the PMS said she believed so.
Forthcoming Business
The Leader announced business for the week after the East recess would be: Monday, April 16 - second reading of the Mental Health Bill [Lords] (Patricia Hewitt and Rosie Winterton for the Government); Tuesday, April 17 - Opposition Day (8th Allotted Day): debate on an Opposition motion, subject to be announced; Wednesday, April 18 - remaining stages of the Pensions Bill (James Purnell and James Plaskitt); Thursday, April 19 - motion to take note of the Outstanding Reports of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Government has replied (Details will be given in the Official Report), followed by a debate on Marine Environment on a motion for the Adjournment of the House (Ben Bradshaw); Friday, April 20 - Private Members Bills.
Provisional Business for the following week: Monday, April 23 - second reading of the Finance Bill; Tuesday, April 24 - Opposition Day (9th Allotted Day): there will be a debate on an Opposition motion, subject to be announced; Wednesday, April 25 - a motion relating to the Crossrail Bill, followed by the Chairman of Ways and Means has named opposed Private Business for consideration; Thursday, April 26 - a debate on Defence in the UK on a motion for the Adjournment of the House (to be confirmed); Friday, April 27 - Private Members Bills.
He also announced two debates in Westminster Hall: Thursday, April 19 - a debate on the report from the Trade and Industry Committee “New Nuclear? Examining the Issues”; Thursday, April 26 - a debate on the report from the Transport Committee “How Fair are the Fares? Train fares and ticketing.”
Casinos Policy
Asked if the policy was “still alive”, the Leader said it was, because the powers in the original Act remained and, as Tessa Jowell had said last night in a brief statement after the decision in the House of Lords, the Government was reflecting on how to take the matter forward. He said the Government would come back to Parliament in due course on it. Pressed further, the Leader said he was not in a position to go into detail. He suggested that journalists should read the resolution passed in the House of Lords by three votes and pointed out that a lot of the concerns had been about process. That was being looked at, but he declined to comment in further detail at present. Decisions were not required overnight because of the Easter recess and the forthcoming period of elections.
Asked if there had to be a specific interval before the legislation could be brought back before Parliament, the Leader said he did not think so. He pointed out that, for affirmative Orders as this one was, they had to go through both Houses of Parliament.
Iran Developments
The Leader was asked, from his previous experience as Foreign Secretary dealing with the issue, if he would characterise the present situation. Mr Straw said that the negotiations were being handled by Margaret Beckett and the Prime Minister, together with other Foreign Office Ministers and diplomatic staff. He wished to be very careful about what he said in response to the questioner.
From his own experience, not least dealing with the situation in 2004, he knew that the situation was bound to be worrying until it was resolved and, frankly, one could never know how long it would take. Mr Straw added that, on behalf of the Foreign Secretary, he could reassure family and colleagues of the 15 captured naval personnel that everything was being done to secure their release as quickly as possible.
Later, asked if he had given any thought to using his personal contacts with Iran in mediation, Mr Straw said he had not. He said that, from the experience of previous crises, it was necessary to have pretty clear lines. He did not think it would be appropriate for him to be involved. Mr Straw said that the situation was obvious: the naval personnel had been in Iraqi waters, they had been picked up without justification and the British Government had leant over backwards to provide an opportunity for their release by the Iranian authorities without loss of face or embarrassment to them. The opportunities had been lost and it was now a more difficult phase. Mr Straw said he thought that external intermediaries could make life more difficult.
Asked if he was confident that a UN statement could be secured, Mr Straw said that it was a matter for the Foreign Office, but he hoped there could be one quickly. He could not say for certain, but there ought to be one. The Leader said Iran’s behaviour was not acceptable to any members of the international community.
Parliamentary Standards Committee Report
Asked if he agreed with the conclusion of a report criticising the conduct of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Straw said he did and was quite clear that the Committee was quite correct to say that he had been “ill-advised” in directly promoting the issue of access to his office and party fund-raising. Mr Straw said that it underlined the need to impose much more effective spending limits on the parties, because it was that issue which was driving the need for funds in all the main parties. Donation caps may or may not have a role, but unless the total amount that could be spent either at or between elections was pinned down effectively, he thought that the kind of conduct identified in the Committee report would continue. The Leader said that was not good for British politics or public life.
Later, in response to a further question, Mr Straw said that it was the Committee which had come up with some hard-hitting conclusions - but he was happy to endorse them. The Leader said the fundamental issue was that the spending “arms race” had to be ended. While everything else might be important, it was subsidiary to that main issue, which was the driver.
Machinery of Government Change
Asked if he was happy with the proposal to split up the Home Office, Mr Straw said that he was perfectly happy about it. When speculation first appeared about two months ago, he recalled saying in a radio interview at the time that there had been a change from the time when he had been Home Secretary. Then, terrorism has been a serious concern but, following September 11 and July 7, it had become a total preoccupation anyone who was Home Secretary. He had pointed out that the nature of the demands on the Home Office and the Home Secretary had changed as a result of the change in the terrorist threat. The work of the Home Office had always been subject to adjustment. John Reid, in his comments to the House earlier, had made the point that, originally, there were just three departments of state - the Exchequer, the Foreign Office and the Home Office. Every domestic department now was an off-shoot of the Home Office.
The Leader said that, in addition, there was increasing focus on the criminal justice system, including the courts and the prisons. Back in 1992, his party’s manifesto contained just four paragraphs on law and order - and one related to fencing off waste land! Put to Mr Straw that the change appeared to have been undertaken with indecent haste, he disagreed. The Leader said that today’s announced changes would not take effect until early May - much longer than had occurred previously in machinery of government announcements. Consideration of the latest change had been going on for some time. Asked if there was some kind of “celestial alignment” involved, since the Home Office change would come on the day after the formation of a devolved administration in Northern Ireland on May 8, the Leader said he was not a very good astrologer. He advised the journalist to read the astrological advice at the back of his own newspaper.
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