Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Cabinet Committees, EU Development Ministers Meeting and Director of Public Prosecution.
Cabinet Committees
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) advised that the correct figure for number of Cabinet Committees that the Chancellor chaired, as he had said this morning, was three and not two as had been suggested subsequently. He was also joint chair of the Regulatory Committee. The PMOS apologised for the confusion.
Asked about the Anti-Social Behaviour Committee and the roles of David Miliband and Hazel Blears the PMOS said that the ASB Committee would draw together the issues relating to Respect and the responsibility for the different aspects of that Respect agenda were a clear breakdown along the Department lines. The Home Office was responsible for things like ASBOs, working with the police and the drinks industry. The ODPM was responsible for strengthening communities, dealing with problems such as graffiti and sink estates. Education was responsible for talking to schools, parents about discipline and those sorts of issues and in Health they were responsible for making sure staff were not beaten up and so on. Those aspects still belonged within Departments. What was important, just like the Prime Minister chairing an ad hoc committee on street crime had produced real results, was how bringing together the different strands of Respect would have an impact on the ground. That did not mean each Departments did not have their own distinct areas of responsibility. They did.
Asked what David Miliband’s primary function was in the ODPM the PMOS said, as he had at the time of the reshuffle, his appointment reflected the breadth of the agenda within that department. He was also there to help John Prescott implement the policies in that department across the board.
EU Development Ministers Meeting
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) advised that there was an announcement today from Brussels following the EU Development Minister’s meeting of an agreement to increase the collective aid target for the EU from 0.39% Gross National Income (GNI) by 2010 up to 0.56% GNI. We believed that this was a significant boost and it meant that we would move faster toward the UN Millenium Goals, which were on the agenda for New York. It was also a significant boost to getting a comprehensive package at the G8. Equally, as a word of caution, this was only one part of the financing package and we continued to push forward for progress on multilateral debt, trade and the IFF within the EU and the G8 groups. There would be words from Hilary Benn and people should contact DfiD for those.
In response to the suggestion that we had wanted a 0.7% increase and that was what Hilary Benn had been pushing for but our European partners had not felt they could go along with it the PMOS said that what was important that we reached the 0.7% by the target date, 2015. In terms of the EU as a whole this was a significant step forward and that was what it would be seen as. This was only one part of the package, but it was a significant boost within that part of the package.
Director of Public Prosecution
Asked if the views of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) on lower degrees of murder without mandatory sentences came as a surprise to the Prime Minister the PMOS said that the DPP was an independent figure and therefore it was right and proper that the DPP aired his own views. In terms of response to them there was, as we had already announced, a murder review getting underway and no doubt his views would be part of the consideration of that. Asked again if it was a surprise the PMOS said that it would be a surprise to him if the DPP had done anything other than air his own independent views. It was important that he was independent and we would not in anyway suggest that he was anything other than an independent figure. Equally though we had announced a review and his views would be taken into account. In response to the suggestion that the only thing in the Manifesto about murder was a recent Criminal Justice Bill to ensure that for the most heinous murders life meant life, but that there was nothing in it to seek a mandate for removing life tariffs the PMOS said that it was correct that the policy for murder was that life meant life. In terms of not compromising on mandatory sentences for murder we announced the review on murder and people should wait to see what came out of that. Asked about timing for that review and whether there was a deliberate decision to not begin that review till after the election the PMOS said that the review was only just getting underway and therefore it was best to be given time to take place. In terms of when the review started the election was part of the consideration but now that it was out of the way things could continue.
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