Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Middle East and Lord Levy
Middle East
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that the Prime Minister had spoken about the Middle East with Javier Solana and had phoned Kofi Annan who had informed the Prime Minister that a UN envoy was going to the Middle East. The Prime Minister had also spoken with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Fuad Siniora, and offered his support with any negotiations that might help resolve the issue. Asked who was supposed to be negotiating, the PMOS said that we hoped that the Lebanese and Israeli governments would hold talks, but equally we recognised that the UN envoy would go between the Palestinians, the Israelis and the Lebanese to try and resolve matters.
The discussion at Cabinet this morning and the discussions with both the UN Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Lebanon had all underscored the need for urgency in this matter. It was a very serious situation and everybody needed to show proper restraint but also those who had been kidnapped needed to be released.
Asked to what extent the British government held the Lebanese government responsible for the activities of Hezbollah, the PMOS said that what we wished was that the Lebanese government exercised its sovereignty to try and de-escalate the situation. What was more important than pointing fingers was that people moved on to try and resolve this issue and resolving the issue meant that those who had been kidnapped were released and that the tension was taken out of the situation. Everybody needed to act with restraint, but restraint also meant that the hostages should be released.
The PMOS also announced that the Iraqi government had taken responsibility for the Al Muthanna province.
Lord Levy
Asked if anyone at Downing Street had been approached by the police, the PMOS said that he wasn’t giving a running commentary on the police investigation. He would not comment on any other police investigation and he wasn’t going to do so on this one. Asked if the Prime Minister had been approached, the PMOS said no.
Leader of Commons, Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Press Briefing
Forthcoming Business
The Leader said that on Monday, July 17, Bridget Prentice would lead for the Government on remaining stages of the Compensation Bill (Lords). On July 18, the House would consider Lords amendments to the Health Bill and Lords amendments to the Government of Wales Bill. These would be followed by a motion on reports of the Public Accounts Committee, which could be a wide-ranging debate. The details were listed in Hansard.
On Wednesday, July 19, there would be a half-day Opposition debate on the topic of Home Information Packs (Yvette Cooper and Phil Woolas for the Government). This would be followed by remaining stages of the Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill (Nick Ainger). The House would be asked on Thursday, July 20, to approve the Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order (John Reid), followed by a debate on international development on a motion for the adjournment.
In the following week, provisional business would include - on July 24 - the second reading of the Welfare Reform Bill (John Hutton), which was a carry-over measure to run through into the next session. On July 25, MPs would then debate a motion on the retirement of the Clerk of the House, and this would be followed by consideration of Lords amendments to the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill (David Hanson) and a debate on the Summer Recess adjournment motion (Nigel Griffiths).
Other
The Leader mentioned that the Lebanese Government was multi-party, composed of five representatives from the Shia community and, as he recalled, two from Hezbollah and another who had links with Hezbollah.
Asked if he has been questioned by police in relation to the donations investigation, the Leader said he had not. In response to further questions, he wanted to make it clear that it was a police investigation and that he had never previously commented about ongoing investigations. He did not intend to do so now.
The Leader, asked to comment on the role of Lord Levy during his period at the Foreign Office, said that it was a private role, complementing the work of Ministers and officials. He was - and continued to be - very helpful to the work of British Government in dealing with what was probably the most difficult international issue of all. Everyone knew it was a private role. While it was an official role, he explained that it was undertaken in the glare of publicity. There was nothing secret about it.
Asked if he expected a Commons statement next week on the Home Secretary’s conclusions of the review of the department, the Leader said that, where there was an announcement to be made, it would be made to the House of Commons and, hopefully, it would be in the form of an oral statement. He could not give a precise date.
He was asked if there were plans for a draft Corporate Manslaughter Bill before the summer recess. The Leader responded that the Business had been announced. The Government remained committed to such a Bill. Plans for it were on target and he hoped to be making an announcement about it shortly. Pressed to say if it would be before the recess, he hoped that it could be done.
The Leader was asked about progress of his conversations with others on the issue of party funding. He said it was good. It was an issue that concerned all parties. He had pointed out in a recent speech that there had been a halving of people who were members of political parties and a trebling in the amount being spent by parties in real terms during the last quarter of a century. The key challenge for everyone was to end the arms race on spending between the parties.
In response to a question on the "deluge" of written Ministerial statements that usually appeared on the last sitting day before the recess, the Leader said he was making efforts inside government to change the arrangements and to encourage the departments to bring out such statements beforehand. He conceded, as he had stated during Business Questions earlier, that there were bound to be some on the last day. To laughter, he said there were "no conspiracies" about the releases; statements issued on the last day always received more attention in any case. To further laughter, he said that it was much better - if the aim was to ensure that something difficult went unnoticed by the media - to make an oral statement to the House. That, he explained, was a reference to the reduction in routine reporting of what took place in the Chamber. He was encouraging Ministerial colleagues to avoid issuing statements on the last day.
He was asked if he would be around during the recess "to assist" the Deputy Prime Minister. The Leader said he tried to keep his holiday arrangements quiet so that he could get away. He referred to the recent remarks of the Prime Minister, who had said that the arrangements for the DPM were the same as existed previously.
The Leader was asked if he was aware of further material to be issued after the Chancellor’s answer today on the fundamental spending review. He said the Chancellor had announced a 66-page document and the opposition parties had received it in advance. The Leader insisted that the arrangement for the announcement was perfectly proper, and had allowed 20 minutes discussion on it instead of just a possible five minutes if it had been done by way of a usual oral reply.
The Leader said, in reply to a further question, that he could not anticipate details of the amendment to the list of proscribed organisations. He pointed out that there was a very thorough and fair process given to decisions on whether a particular organisation should be proscribed. If they were, they also had a right of appeal.
He was asked if the Lords Appointments Commission should be placed on a statutory basis. The Leader said that the Government would look the recommendations of the Public Administration select committee report and produce a measured response. He further said that, on the issue of party funding, the Committee on Standards in Public Life under Patrick Neill QC had been asked in 1997 had been asked to look at it. This had led to legislation in 1999. One of the issues of concern then related to blind trusts, on which action had been taken in the measure. The Leader said that, at that stage, no-one had noticed that loans was an issue, and they were not included in the specified definitions in the Act. As soon as the problem had been spotted, a decision was made to address it in the Electoral Administration Bill.
Asked if he would interpret the present actions of the Israeli Government, he said that was a question for it. The Leader said there was been a long discussion at Cabinet earlier on the Middle East, including a report from the Foreign Secretary and comment from the Prime Minister. It was a very serious situation. Mr Straw said that it was as grave as any that he could remember going back to his period as Foreign Secretary. It required restraint to be exercised in a serious way on all sides. It also required action by Syria, the Lebanese Government and Iran. He went on to give his assessment of the problems in south Lebanon, explaining that there was a territorial dispute in that area between Syria and the Lebanon. That was an issue that needed to be addressed.
delicious
digg
facebook
