Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Special Representative to Iraq, Indian Deputy Prime Minister, Reshuffle and Iran.
Special Representative to Iraq
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that Sir Jeremy Greenstock would be replacing John Sawers as the Government’s Special Representative in Iraq. He would take up his appointment in September following the completion of his posting as UK ambassador to the UN. It went without saying that the Prime Minister held Sir Jeremy Greenstock in the highest regard and had been hugely impressed by his work in the United Nations, particularly during the recent negotiations on Iraq. This appointment should be seen as underlining the strength of the Government’s commitment to Iraq and our determination to put Iraq in the hands of its people. David Richmond who was currently the UK’s ambassador on the EU Political and Security Committee in Brussels had been appointed as Sir Jeremy Greenstock’s deputy and would take up his post in July to ensure continuity following John Sawer’s departure. He was an Arabic speaker and his previous postings included Baghdad.
Indian Deputy Prime Minister
The PMOS told journalists that the Prime Minister had just met Deputy Prime Minister Advani of India. They had had a wide-ranging discussion on international and bilateral issues including obviously India-Pakistan and Iraq.
Reshuffle
Questioned as to whether the Scotland and Wales Offices would still exist under the new arrangements the PMOS said that, as he had said on Friday the two Offices would retain their separate identities but they were not separate free-standing Departments as had been before. They were now subsumed within the Department for Constitutional Affairs. There would be one Permanent Secretary for the Department. The staff at the Scotland Office and the Wales Office would report to a minister within that Department: Ann McGuire for Scotland and Don Touhig for Wales and ultimately through them to the Secretaries of State. Asked if the same civil servants would be in the same buildings for each Department the PMOS said that the staff would be based where they could most effectively do their job. The staff would be split between London, Wales and Scotland. Asked if they would remain at Gwydyr House and Dover House for the foreseeable future the PMOS said yes. The PMOS said that he felt journalists were getting wrapped up in the process and missing the point. What this was about what was recognising the success of devolution. More and more of the administration of Scotland and Wales was now being handled by the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, and as a consequence of that making adjustments to the machinery of government were being made which recognised that change. The PMOS said he felt that was a perfectly sensible and straightforward thing to do. Questioned further on what actual changes there would be in the running of the Departments under the auspices of the DCA and what role it would have on devolution issues, the PMOS said that Lord Falconer would have responsibility for the overall devolution settlement. That would include lead responsibility for liaison machinery, overall policy role for the settlement in relation to devolution for the nation and for the British-Irish council. The team of officials responsible for co-ordinating those devolution issues which had been at the ODPM would now move to the DCA. Asked if the DCA would be responsible for the Regional Assemblies policy as well the PMOS said that they would not. Devolution in relation to the Nations would go the DCA but in relation to regional government there was obviously synergy with regards to local government issues which meant the policy more properly resided at the ODPM.
Asked if Alistair Darling would be capable of coping with the extra responsibility of Secretary of State for Scotland including taking a regular parliamentary question time, given the recent announcements concerning transport, such as today which showed things getting worse not better on the trains, the PMOS said that in relation to the SRA issues today, Alistair Darling had already gone on record saying it was not good enough. The PMOS said he accepted there was still a long way to go if railway passengers were to see the service that we all wanted. The reasons for the current condition of railways were complex, far reaching and went back some considerable way to the under-investment and fragmentation that had blighted the railways for many many years. In relation to Transport there was now an additional Junior Transport Minister as a result of the reshuffle. What we had seen as a result of the changes announced on Thursday were very significant, progressive, far-reaching reforms to the judicial system which sought to separate out the judiciary from the executive, a proposal which virtually everyone recognised was sensible, and modernising. When the Westminster process caravan moved on that was what was important and would endure.
Asked if the Prime Minister believed that this was an unacceptable burden for Alistair Darling the PMOS said that the Prime Minister believed Alistair Darling was a very talented Secretary of State. Yes he was taking on some additional responsibilities in respect of the Scotland Office. We had to look at this in a sensible and practical way and accept that as a result of devolution a large part of the job of Secretary of State for Scotland had moved North of the border and we had to accept that as a reality and make adjustments to Whitehall accordingly. Asked whether this would distract from the Transport agenda the PMOS said no. He acknowledged that there were big challenges in relation to Transport and the Government was putting in considerable additional resources. There was a long way to go and the Government accepted that.
Asked if there was no Scot in a future Cabinet whether the job would be done by the Transport Secretary or move elsewhere the PMOS said that journalists might wish to play fantasy reshuffle but he was dealing with the one announced on Thursday and had set out the thinking.
Asked what would happen to the Scottish and Welsh Office buildings the PMOS said that they would continue to be used. The Permanent Secretary decided accommodation matters. Asked if the overall staff would be reduced the PMOS said that staffing issues would be dealt with in the usual way. If adjustments had to be made they could be as was always the case in Whitehall, but the changes had not been announced for that purpose.
In answer to further questions the PMOS pointed out that there had not been the same outcry when Peter Hain had been working on the European Convention at the same time as discharging his Wales functions. He really did not think it was a whole lot different. He had continued and would continue to represent Welsh interests at Westminster very effectively.
Asked what the roles of the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales would be within the Department of Constitutional Affairs the PMOS said we have been going over this ground since Thursday. They would represent Wales and Scotland in Cabinet; they would represent Wales and Scotland in Parliament. Where they would continue to take questions. What had happened was that there was no longer a discrete Secretary of State for Wales or Scotland who had those responsibilities alone. Asked who would answer in the Commons for the DCA the PMOS said it would be David Lammy and Chris Leslie. Asked if it was odd that these dramatic reforms would answered for in Parliament by very junior ministers the PMOS replied that they were both very able ministers who would take forward the brief.
Asked if Peter Hain would be liaising with the IGC on the Convention, the PMOS said we had made it clear already that given the Convention was coming to an end, responsibility for negotiations in the IGC would be for the Foreign Office as was appropriate and that would be taken on by Jack Straw.
Asked if there would be a conflict of interest between the two roles held by Alistair Darling or Peter Hain the PMOS said that he didn’t think so. Were there to be any conflict of interest issues he was sure they would be resolved. Asked if MPs could table questions to the DCA, the PMOS said that there would be Question Time in the usual way taking on the DCA agenda, as there had been for the LCD.
Asked if the Government had consulted the Queen about the constitutional changes the PMOS said that the Palace had issued a statement on Saturday evening. He thought it answered the question. Asked what it had said that PMOS said they never commented on discussions, and that approval was sought and given by the Queen for all ministerial appointments.
Iran
Asked if the Government had any comments concerning the recent protests in Iran the PMOS said that the issue of Iran would be discussed at the Foreign Ministers Conference in Luxembourg today. We were obviously watching developments closely. The re-election in June 2001 of President Kutami with an increased majority clearly demonstrated the Iranian people’s desire for reform and had given him a strong mandate. We hoped he would continue to push through his policies of political and economic reform. The current demonstration appeared to reflect frustration at the lack of progress but clearly we believed as always that constructive dialogue rather than violent protest was the best way forward.
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