| Previous Section | Home Page |
NORTHERN IRELAND
Agriculture
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out for each of the last four years the volume of the main agricultural commodities recorded as
Column 622
flowing in each direction between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and the financial amounts payable from European Community resources in respect of each category.Mr. Viggers [holding answer 13 March 1989] : The information available from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise records on the volume of trade in main agricultural commodities is given in the table. The financial amounts payable which may have derived from the European Community are not separately identifiable.
Column 621
|c|Imports and Exports of Agricultural Commodities Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland|c|
Description Imports to Northern Exports from Northern
Ireland from Republic of Ireland to Republic of
Ireland Ireland
|1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live animals
Cattle |206,030 |210,974 |148,891 |177,328 |22,717 |13,548 |14,152 |27,998
Pigs |62,116 |66,777 |59,584 |45,371 |177,561 |64,160 |2,909 |5,552
Poultry |2,611,066|3,349,596|2,884,803|1,527,165|2,118,484|3,227,280|3,780,784|5,681,032
Products
Meat of bovine animals
Fresh, chilled or frozen<1>
(tonnes) |59,757 |86,375 |89,376 |64,321 |14,687 |9,984 |9,459 |10,610
Meat of swine
Fresh, chilled or frozen
(tonnes) |13,046 |17,078 |20,743 |19,911 |15,725 |16,785 |13,067 |12,511
Poultrymeat: fresh, chilled
or frozen (tonnes) |2,066 |2,133 |3,536 |n/a |7,350 |8,368 |8,427 |n/a
Eggs in shell ('000) |3,830 |4,550 |7,760 |10,896 |160,094 |114,588 |70,151 |58,530
Cereals (tonnes)<2> |140,227 |230,430 |269,328 |215,196 |10,996 |7,904 |8,181 |4,475
Butter (tonnes) |1,782 |2,560 |2,307 |2,866 |464 |2,411 |3,093 |243
Skimmed Milk Powder (tonnes) |300 |463 |1,562 |1,168 |878 |535 |1,242 |378
<1> A significant proportion of these imports are believed to have been in transit to Great Britain.
<2> Barley, oats and wheat. Excludes cereal seed.
PRIVY COUNCIL
Salary
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Lord President of the Council what allowances are included in the official income of the Secretary of State for Health ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wakeham : None. The official salary received by the Secretary of State for Health is set in accordance with the Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 1988. He receives a ministerial salary of £34, 479 and a reduced parliamentary salary of £18,148. In addition he retains an entitlement to allowances available to other Members.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Demonstrations (Lhasa)
Mr. Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Chinese Government about the recent shootings of demonstrators in Lhasa ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 622
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 March to the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Grant) at column 364. In addition the ambassadors of the troika in Peking have carried out a demarche on behalf of the Twelve at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the situation in Tibet, in context of the commitment of the Chinese authorities to ensure full respect for human rights.
European Court of Human Rights
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the number of cases to date in which the United Kingdom has appeared before the European Court of Human Rights for breach of article 10 of the European convention ; what was the judgment given ; how many cases and who are the claimants that are pending to date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The European Court of Human Rights has found a violation of article 10 of the European convention in one case brought against the United Kingdom. In The
Column 623
Sunday Times judgment of 26 April 1979, which concerned contempt of court, the court found a violation by 11 votes to nine. There are five cases pending before the Commission in which the Government have submitted, or have been requested to submit, observations on article 10 of the convention. In three of these cases the applicants have not agreed to their identity being disclosed. The remaining two cases have been brought by Times Newspapers Ltd. and Neil, and by Atkinson and others.Israel
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further talks he proposes to have with the Israeli authorities about open discussions to seek a solution to mutual problems ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We remain in close touch with the Israeli authorities and look forward to welcoming Mr. Shamir to London soon.
Council of Europe
Sir Geoffrey Finsberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether relations between the European Community and the Council of Europe were discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 March ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The Council discussed relations between the EC and the Council of Europe and agreed to continue the existing practical co- operation and to intensify political level contacts between the two organisations.
Foreign Affairs Council
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 20 March.
Mr. Eggar : The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 20 March. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State represented the United Kingdom, accompanied by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State.
The Council was preceded by an informal meeting of EC and EFTA Foreign Ministers. This noted the close economic and political links between EC and EFTA, and the importance of strengthening and expanding co-operation on the lines laid down in the 1984 Luxembourg declaration. The meeting welcomed M. Delors' call for a more structured relationship and the results of the meeting of EFTA Heads of Government in Oslo on 15 March, and agreed to establish a new bilateral dialogue with a view to a further ministerial meeting in the autumn. The United Kingdom warmly welcomes this new drive to deepen the relationship between the Community and its EFTA neighbours.
The Council discussed progress in the GATT Uruguay round and preparations for the meeting of the GATT trade negotiations committee in Geneva in early April confirming the guidance given to the Commission in November.
The Council also agreed to improve contacts between the Community and the Council of Europe.
Column 624
An EC-Malta Association Council also took place.In the framework of political co-operation the Twelve reaffirmed the unacceptability of Iranian behaviour over the Rushdie affair and the continuing ban on high-level visits.
Chemical Weapons
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to investigate the links between the firm Pen-Tsao-Materia-Medica Centre, based in Hong Kong, the firm Imhausen-Chemie A. G. based in Lahr, and the export of chemicals for the alleged chemical warfare agent factory at Rabta in Libya ; and if he will raise the matter of dual-use chemicals export from the European Community at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting of the EEC.
Mr. Waldegrave : Investigations by the Hong Kong authorities do not indicate that there has been any breach of Hong Kong law. We do not have any evidence that material has been shipped through Hong Kong to Libya.
The Foreign Affairs Council on 20 February adopted an EC directive controlling the export of eight "core" chemical precursors. All these chemicals were already subject to United Kingdom export control. The United Kingdom continues to work closely with other countries to tighten restrictions on the export of chemical weapon-related precursors and equipment.
Ex-President Marcos
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonweath Affairs if he has received any representations from the Philippines Government to help them trace such assets of former President Marcos as may be in Britain or have been in Britain.
Mr. Eggar : The Philippines authorities have brought several cases to our attention. We have always co-operated fully.
Namibia
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what information he has concerning the organisations which will be responsible for the registering and processing of Namibian detainees held by the South West Africa People's Organisation after the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 435 ;
(2) if he will make a statement outlining the provisions which are made in the United Nations settlement plan for the safe return of Namibians held in South West Africa People's Organisation camps in Angola and Zambia ;
(3) what information he has on the number and names of Namibians currently detained in South West Africa People's Organisation camps in Angola and Zambia ;
(4) what representations he has received during the last year concerning the fate and condition of Namibian detainees held by the South West Africa People's Organisation in Angola and Zambia ; (5) what steps he is taking to encourage the establishment of mechanisms in Angola and Zambia to ensure that Namibians resident outside Namibia are given a free and voluntary choice whether to return to Namibia to take part in free and fair elections under the United Nations plan ; and if he will make a statement ;
Column 625
(6) what recent steps he has taken within the United Nations or other organisations to ensure that the lives of those Namibians detained by the South West Africa People's Organisation are not endangered and that they are permitted to return to Namibia to participate in the forthcoming elections ;(7) what recent representations he has made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees concerning the Namibian detainees held by the South West Africa People's Organisation in their camps in Angola and Zambia ; and what response was received to these representations.
Mr. Eggar : We condemn human rights abuses whenever they may occur. We are aware of allegations of ill-treatment by SWAPO of detainees held in their camps in Angola and Zambia. This is primarily a matter for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to investigate, but we have raised the issue with SWAPO. We have also made our concern known to the office of the high commissioner.
The United Nations plan for Namibian independence provides for the release of political prisoners and detainees and the voluntary return of exiles. We shall naturally do everything we can do to assist the United Nations Secretary General and his staff to ensure that all the provisions of the United Nations plan are implemented.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on the status of the informal understandings reached in 1982 on the question of United Nations impartiality during the implementation of the United Nations settlement plan for Namibia ;
(2) what is Her Majesty's Government's policy as to the extent to which the United Nations is to be regarded as responsible for guaranteeing that relevant parties adhere to the letter and spirit of the impartiality package referred to in the United Nations Secretary General's report of 23 January on the question of Namibia ; (3) whether he has any information about any mechanisms which may be in place to ensure that all relevant parties concerned with the United Nations settlement plan for Namibia adhere to the provisions of the impartiality package ;
(4) whether he will place in the Library a copy of the details of the impartiality package referred to in the United Nations Secretary General's report on 23 January on the question of Namibia.
Mr. Eggar : The provisions of the impartiality package referred to in the hon. Member's question have not been made public. However, the United Nations Secretary General confirmed in his report of 23 January (United Nations document S/20412) that the package remained binding on the parties. The Secretary General's report was in turn approved by United Nations Security Council resolution 632 of 16 February. We for our part shall do all we can to assist the United Nations Secretary General and his staff in ensuring that the provisions of the impartiality package are fully applied.
Brazil
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on
Column 626
recent progress by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on development loans to Brazil, relating to the power sector and rain forest.Mr. Chris Patten : The World Bank has development lending for the Brazilian power sector under consideration. The scope of the bank's proposed second power sector loan is under review between the bank and the Brazilian authorities. I cannot say when these discussions will be concluded or what the outcome will be. I have given an assurance to concerned non-governmental organisations that we will consult them, if and when a loan is put to the World Bank's executive board, before we decide what line to take.
Kampuchea
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conditions under which Her Majesty's Government will be prepared to give reconstruction aid for use internally in Kampuchea.
Mr. Chris Patten : We shall not consider Government-to-Government aid for reconstruction until Vietnam has fully withdrawn from its illegal occupation of Cambodia.
ENVIRONMENT
Rights of Way
18. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has had about the working of the footpath and rights of way sections of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A number of representations on these sections have been received. We are awaiting the advice of the Countryside Commission, which is monitoring the operations of the rights of way provisions in the 1981 Act and which has already published two reports.
Rating Reform
19. Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate what the average community charge would have been in April 1989, based on the estimated level of domestic rates.
Mr. Ridley : Illustrative community charge figures for 1989-90 will be published when local authority budget returns have been received.
25. Sir Hugh Rossi : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what a ward sister would pay (a) in community charge and (b) in a system of capital value rates plus local income tax paid in the proportions of 80-20, respectively, if she lived in a typical one-bedroom flat in Hornsey.
Mr. Ridley : A ward sister earning £15,000 living in a flat in Hornsey worth £70,000 would pay a community charge of £291 (disregarding the transitional safety net) and £875 under a system of capital value rates plus local income tax.
32. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on the same basis as table E5 in the Green Paper, "Paying for Local Government", what percentage
Column 627
of householders in Barnsley, Central constituency whose equivalent net income falls in the range of (a) £100 to £200 per week and (b) £400 to £500 per week would, on 1988-89 figures, pay a higher net community charge, un-safety netted, than net rates.61. Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on the same basis as table F5 in the Green Paper, "Paying for Local Government", what percentage of householders in The Wrekin constituency, whose equivalent net income falls in the range of (a) £100 to £200 per week and (b) £400 to £500 per week would, on 1988- 89 figures, pay a higher net community charge, un-safety netted, than net rates.
100. Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on the same basis as table F5 in the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government", what percentage of householders in Norwich, South constituency whose equivalent net income falls in the range of (a) £100 to £200 per week and (b) £400 to £500 per week would, on 1988-89 figures, pay a higher net community charge, un-safety netted, than net rates.
Mr. Gummer : The information requested is not available. The table in the Green Paper was based on a sample survey which cannot provide reliable estimates for individual constituencies.
101. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received on the proposed introduction of the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : My right hon. Friend and I receive a variety of representations about the new system of local government finance. Recently, they have tended to be concerned with the detail of the community charge regulations.
103. Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the proposed timetable for the community charge regulations for England and Wales being laid before the House.
Mr. Gummer : The following statutory instruments on the community charge in England and Wales were laid before the House on 17 March. The Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989
The Personal Community Charge (Students) Regulations 1989 The Personal Community Charge (Exemptions) Order 1989
The Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals Regulations 1989 The Valuation and Community Charge Tribunals (Transfer of Jurisdiction) Regulations 1989
The Community Charge (Information Concerning Social Security) Regulations 1989
These form the bulk of the regulations on the community charge. Further regulations will be laid later this year, in the summer and autumn.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the present status of the Price Waterhouse study on the forecast of costs ; and whether he intends to carry out any further assessments of the unit costs of implementing and calculating the community charge.
Mr. Gummer : The Government commissioned the firm of Price Waterhouse to undertake an independent study of
Column 628
preparation and collection costs of rates reform in England and Wales. The report was published in June 1988 and its findings taken into account in allocating resources to charging authorities. I have no plans to carry out a further study.Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any representations from the European Commission of the implementation of the community charge ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider exempting from the community charge those who have been deemed educationally subnormal or statemented under the Education Act 1981.
Mr. Gummer : The Local Government Finance Act 1988 provides a community charge exemption for adults who are severely mentally impaired, as defined in the Act. I have no plans to amend that definition.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to seek to enable local authorities to make arrangements with individuals who wish to pay the community charge on behalf of another charge payer.
Mr. Gummer : It was always envisaged that local authorities could offer this facility, and practice note No. 12 published last month contained advice on its implications.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those organisations which have requested copies of "You and the Community Charge", published in December 1988 and the number of copies distributed.
Mr. Ridley : The booklet has been requested by local authorities ; educational establishments ; charitable, church and voluntary bodies ; businesses ; and political organisations.
In addition, hon. Members and many members of the public have asked for copies. In total, approximately 900,000 copies have been distributed so far. Orders for a further 100,000 are currently being dealt with. Demand continues.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many copies of "You and the Community Charge", published in December 1988, have been printed to date ; what were the initial one-off costs of art work and creative design ; and what is the total cost to date of copies printed.
Mr. Ridley : My Department has printed 1,800,000 copies so far, reflecting a continuing high demand for this booklet. Art work and design cost £10,227. Printing has cost £115,427.
Agricultural Land (Building)
20. Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to encourage the release of agricultural land for building at a faster rate ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 629
Mr. Howard : No. It is frequently inappropriate to release agricultural land for building.
Young People (Housing)
21. Mr. Haynes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any new proposals for enabling young people to enter the housing market either as tenants or owner-occupiers.
Mr. Trippier : The Government have provided for an 80 per cent. increase over the next three years in the finance available to the Housing Corporation to provide new houses to rent and to promote low-cost home ownership including shared ownership. The deregulation of new private lettings will also encourage landlords to make more homes available to rent
Land Disposals
22. Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many directives he has made to owners of land on the land register under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 to dispose of their holdings ; and, of these, how many have been disposed of.
31. Mr. Nicholas Baker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many directives he has made to owners of land on the land register to dispose of their holdings ; and, of these, how many have been disposed of.
40. Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many directives he has made to owners of land on the land register to dispose of their holdings ; and, of these, how many have been disposed of.
Mr. Trippier : The power to direct disposal of land entered on the land register can only be exercised site by site. By the end of February 1989 I had directed the owners of 77 sites to take steps to dispose of their interest in the Land. To date 42 of the sites have been sold.
Wildlife Preservation
23. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he is taking to preserve wildlife.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 already afford protection to all birds and to other species of animal or plant considered to be endangered and to any area of land considered to be of special scientific interest by reason of its flora, fauna or geographical or physiographical features. The schedules of protected species are reviewed every five years and, as a result of the last quinquennial review, 48 species of animals and 31 species of plants received added protection. The next review is scheduled for 1991.
County Hall, London
24. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his response to the request by the County Hall Development Group for a waiver from Lambeth Council's request for an environmental impact statement.
Mr. Howard : My right hon. Friend directed on 14 March that an environmental statement was not required.
Column 630
Chlorofluorocarbons
26. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received seeking the ban on the use of products in his Department which contain
chlorofluorocarbons.
Mr. Ridley : I have received a number of representations about the use of chlorofluorocarbons by Government Departments.
45. Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the world's chlorofluorocarbon production is made in Britain.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Figures for United Kingdom production of CFCs are not available for reasons of commercial confidentiality. In 1986, it is estimated that the European Community accounted for some 40 per cent. of world CFC production.
65. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken since the international ozone conference to encourage the replacement of chlorofluorocarbons and halons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A message will be delivered from my right hon. Friend as chairman of the "Saving the Ozone Layer" conference on the first day of the meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol in Helsinki on 2 May.
75. Mr. Harry Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what percentage cuts in (a) consumption and (b) production of chlorofluorocarbons Her Majesty's Government are committed ; and by when.
| Next Section
| Home Page |