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Mr. Freeman : I regret that the information requested is not available. The latest available data on hospital infections are for 1985, when the total number of cases of post-operative infection was estimated at 15,540. However it is not possible to identify the proportion of those that resulted in readmissions, or the number of readmissions after surgery which were due solely to post operative infection.
Children's Cancer
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the figures for each of the health authorities in England and Wales, of children's cancer treatment postponements this year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : We do not hold this information centrally.
Leeds Western Health Authority (Chairman)
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Leeds, West of 14 September about the business activities of the chairman of Leeds western health authority.
Mr. Freeman : My hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Health has now written to the hon. Member.
Erythropoietin
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects erythropoietin to be licensed for general use by the medical profession.
Mr. Mellor : For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it is not usual practice to disclose information about whether or not an application for a product licence has been received or the progress of any such application. However in this case I am able to say that a few technical queries remain and are being urgently pursued ; if they are satisfactorily resolved a licence should then be issued shortly.
General Practitioners (Staff Recruitment)
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will seek additional advice from general practitioners' representatives as to the practicality of
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practices recruiting qualified practice staff when subjected to a 10-week delay between submission of applications and receipt of NHS response, pursuant to draft No. 5 of NHS document Ref.4237A/4311/m/4615/HT/1.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 19 October 1989] : The detailed arrangements for handling applications for staff have yet to be finalised and are currently the subject of consultation with the GPs' representatives, the general medical services committee. But I can assure my hon. Friend that there will be no question of a 10-week delay in dealing with such applications.
Prescription Costs
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the prescription costs per patient for the 10 highest spending and the 10 lowest spending family practitioner committees in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 24 October 1989] : The average net ingredient cost per person in 1987-88 for the 10 family practitioner committees in England with the highest spending per person and the 10 family practioner committees in England with the lowest spending per person is listed in the table.
Family Practitioner Committee
|£
---------------------------------
North Tyneside |45.94
Salford |45.67
Bury |42.88
Sunderland |42.71
Barnsley |42.49
Trafford |42.12
Lancashire |42.06
Isle of Wight |41.91
Wirral |41.63
Liverpool |41.48
Cambridgeshire |31.91
Berkshire |31.82
Barnet |31.78
Bromley |31.33
Buckinghamshire |31.14
Gloucestershire |30.94
Bexley and Greenwich |30.93
Enfield and Haringey |30.85
Croydon |30.70
Oxfordshire |30.01
Notes:
1. OPCS family practitioner
committees population data has
been used in this table.
2. Data includes prescriptions
dispensed by pharmacy and
appliance contractors and
dispensing doctors.
3. The Net Ingredient Cost (NIC)
is the basic cost of drugs
before any discounts and does
not include pharmacy costs or
fees.
Contaminated Food
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implications for United Kingdom policy of the guideline levels drawn up for radioactivity-contaminated food in transfrontier trade, drawn up by the Codex alimentarius Commission under the auspices of the World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisations.
Mr. Maclean : I have been asked to reply.
In the event of a future nuclear accident, the United Kingdom would be bound by the maximum levels of
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radioactive contamination established by the European Community. These are set out in Regulation (Euratom) 3954/87, as amended by Regulation (Euratom) 2218/89, and Regulation (EEC) 219/89. The levels established by the Community are entirely consistent with the advisory, de minimis levels recently promulgated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, below which no food control restrictions need apply.EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Teachers (Working Parties)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers trained to teach the three to seven year age range are currently serving on working parties set up by the National Curriculum Council and the Schools Examination and Assessment Council.
Mrs. Rumbold : The information requested is not readily available. Twenty-nine primary teachers and other primary specialists are currently serving on working parties set up by the National Curriculum Council and the School Examinations and Assessment Council.
Soviet and East European Studies
Mr. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects the report of the working committee on Soviet and East European studies, delivered to him on 10 August, will be published ; when he expects to give his view on it ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : The Universities Funding Council, the successor body to the University Grants Committee which commissioned the report on Soviet and East European studies, will be issuing the report to universities soon. The report contains recommendations which also relate to other Government Departments and organisations which I shall consult.
Community Charge
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will provide more funds to colleges and universities so that they can respond to a community charge registration officer in a way that allows them only
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to disclose information about students resident in a particular charging authority area ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Jackson : No. The information needs of community charges registration officers are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
Nutrition Departments
Mr. Simon Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many departments of nutrition there are within medical schools in the United Kingdom undertaking full teaching and research.
Mr. Jackson : Four, though the subject is taught and researched elsewhere in other university departments. The 27 medical schools follow the recommendations of the General Medical Council which provide for nutrition to be included in the undergraduate curriculum.
Nutrition
Mr. Simon Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of its budget the Medical Research Council is devoting to research specifically on nutrition in the prevention of cancer and cardio-vascular disease.
Mr. Jackson : I understand that in the financial year 1988-89, the Medical Research Council devoted about 0.9 per cent. of its overall budget (some £1,250,000) to research projects which were directly related to the study of nutrition as regards the aetiology and prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Many other projects supported by the council in the general area of nutrition research, on which the council's total expenditure is about £6 million annually, may in the longer term also prove to be relevant to the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Research Councils
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the total budgets of the five research councils for the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Mr. Jackson : The details are as follows :
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Research council budgets 1980-81 to 1989-90 £ million
|1980-81|1981-82|1982-83|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFRC |37.477 |41.934 |43.624 |45.773 |46.680 |52.725 |57.149 |54.896 |61.115 |74.565
ESRC |20.219 |20.656 |20.651 |22.893 |21.979 |23.587 |23.820 |24.845 |27.657 |32.018
MRC |72.737 |101.524|107.502|113.717|117.152|122.310|128.340|139.768|149.612|176.343
NERC |46.730 |54.291 |58.035 |61.612 |65.303 |67.880 |70.325 |73.315 |91.859 |114.962
SERC |201.446|216.755|234.402|254.278|278.827|298.388|316.187|357.462|369.334|404.906
Ambleside Infant School
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from the head teacher of Ambleside infant school about inadequate school buildings ; and what reply he has made.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend received a letter on 23 October 1989, from Dorothy Marshall, the head teacher at Ambleside infants school, Aspley, about, among other topics, inadequate buildings at her school. A response will be sent as soon as possible.
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Children (Ethnic Minorities)
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the percentage of children from each of the major ethnic minorities in (a) primary and (b) secondary education in England and Wales.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The information requested is not available centrally, but my right hon. Friend has announced in circular 16/89 that statistics will be collected
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by local education authorities from September 1990 and that aggregate returns will be made to the Department in the summer of 1991.NORTHERN IRELAND
Ministers
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nights each of the Ministers of the Northern Ireland Office spent in Northern Ireland during the months of May, June, July and August.
Mr. Cope : The information requested is as follows :
|May |June |July |August
-----------------------------------------------------
Mr. King |5 |9 |6 |-
Mr. Brooke |- |- |- |7
Mr. Stewart |11 |5 |8 |-
Mr. Cope |- |- |2 |6
Lord Lyell |5 |11 |3 |-
Mr. Bottomley |- |- |2 |10
Dr. Mawhinney |10 |8 |8 |10
Lord Skelmersdale |- |- |4 |6
Mr. Needham |12 |8 |8 |7
Mr. Viggers |10 |9 |9 |-
Accident Statistics
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in each of the past three years for which figures are available, how many persons were (a) killed and (b) injured as a result of (i) road accidents, (ii) accidents in the home and (iii) terrorist attacks.
Mr. Cope : The three most recent years for which information is available is as follows :
|1986 |1987 |1988
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of deaths by road accident |236 |214 |178
Number of injuries by road accident |9,206 |9,722 |10,789
Number of deaths by terrorist attacks |61 |93 |93
Number of injuries by terrorist attacks |1,450 |1,130 |1,047
|1985 |1986 |1987
Number of deaths by accidents in the
home |172 |163 |138
Number of injuries by accidents in the
home |4,183 |4,389 |4,236
Republic of Ireland (Discussions)
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what subjects he expects to discuss at his next meeting with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Brooke : It is anticipated that the next conference will discuss a full range of subjects including cross-border security co-operation, the confidence of the community in the security forces and cross-border social and economic co-operation.
Kincora Boys' Home
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what compensation has been paid to those who were the victims of abuse during residence at the Kincora boys' home ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Needham : A number of claims for compensation have been received by health and social services boards from former residents of Kincora boys' home. To date settlements in respect of five of these claims, amounting to £31,000 plus costs, have been agreed between the parties, and payment in each case has been made. The question of compensation is entirely a matter for settlement between the parties concerned.
UDR
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what decisions he has made in connection with the Ulster Defence Regiment arising from the meeting of the Anglo-Irish Ministerial Conference on Wednesday 5 October.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 19 October 1989] : Questions relating to the Ulster Defence Regiment are primarily for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, but I refer the right hon. Gentleman to references to the Ulster Defence Regiment in the joint statement issued after the meeting of the Anglo-Irish Ministerial Conference on Wednesday 18 October, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Student Loans
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated cost of the introduction of student loans.
Mr. Jackson : I have been asked to reply.
An estimate was included in annex E of Cm. 520. An estimate of administrative costs, not calculated there, was provided in my right hon. Friend's statement on 19 June at columns 21-22. Work is continuing to refine those estimates ; the results will be published in due course.
Allotments
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to bring the Northern Ireland Allotment Act 1932 into line with the legislation for other parts of the United Kingdom on allotments.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : I am aware of a recent request from the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd. for the Northern Ireland legislation to be brought into line with Great Britain. I understand this arose as a result of the concern expressed by one allotment holder about the possible loss of allotment sites in the Belfast city council area. The council has confirmed that it has no plans to dispose of any of its sites. There have been no other complaints about the legislation.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Income Support
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons aged 16 and 17 years have (a) applied for and (b) been refused incomes support for each month on grounds of extreme hardship since 12 September 1988.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information requested is in the table.
Column 539
Applications for Income Support of grounds of "Severe Hardship"
Period Ending |Applications received|Directions refused
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30 September 1988 |341 |107
28 October 1988 |494 |183
25 November 1988 |625 |190
30 December 1988 |940 |293
27 January 1989 |1,092 |387
24 February 1989 |1,278 |518
31 March 1989 |1,566 |554
28 April 1989 |1,561 |562
26 May 1989 |1,379 |427
30 June 1989 |1,799 |666
28 July 1989 |1,742 |569
25 August 1989 |1,821 |571
29 September 1989 |1,849 |558
|---- |----
Total |16,487 |5,585
Notes:
(1) Based on 100 per cent. count of applications received.
(2) Information relates to the number of applications received rather than to the
number of individual young people involved. Some individuals may have applied more than
once.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by region, how many persons aged 16 and 17 years have made applications for income support on the ground of extreme hardship ; how many had been granted at 8 September and 6 October ; and how many at the same dates had been granted income support on the ground of being within exempted categories, shown by category.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The number of applications for income support from 16 and 17-year-olds on grounds of "severe hardship", and the number of directions given to enable benefit to be paid at 8 September and 6 October, are in the table.
The number of 16 and 17-year-olds granted income support because they fall within one of the exempted categories ceased to be collected after October 1988 and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Column 539
DSS administrative
region
Cumulative totals |London North |London South |Midlands |North-East |North-West |Wales and South-West|Scotland |Great Britain
period ending
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 September 1989
Applications received |1,088 |1,033 |1,546 |3,234 |2,061 |1,154 |5,315 |15,431
Directions given |673 |661 |1,026 |2,158 |1,229 |732 |3,623 |10,172
6 October 1989
Applications received |1,196 |1,127 |1,696 |3,558 |2,261 |1,238 |5,740
Directions given |742 |722 |1,137 |2,371 |1,430 |789 |3,937 |11,128
Notes:
1. Based on 100 per cent. count of applications received
2. Information relates to the number of applications received rather than to the number of individual young people involved. Some individuals may have received more than one direction.
Appeal Tribunals
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the number of appeals heard by social security appeal tribunals and the number decided in the claimant's favour, the number decided in favour of the adjudication officer and the number adjourned in each quarter from the third quarter of 1988.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The latest national administrative statistics available on social security appeal tribunals relate to appeals heard in the first quarter of 1989. Information is provided in the table for the quarter ending September 1988, December 1988 and March 1989.
Social security appeal tribunals
Great Britain
Quarter ending:
|30 September 1988|31 December 1988 |31 March 1989
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appeals heard and
decided |47,318 |30,978 |25,370
Decided in favour of
claimant |14,492 |9,684 |8,411
Decided in favour of
Adjudication Officer |32,826 |21,826 |16,959
Adjournments |10,470 |7,270 |6,368
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will show the number of appeals against disqualification from unemployment benefit for all reasons (a) heard and decided and (b) decided in claimants'
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favour, broken down for Great Britain, England, Wales and Scotland and by Department of Social Security region for the last four quarters.Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The latest national administrative statistics available on social security appeal tribunals relate to appeals heard in the quarter ending 31 March 1989. Information about the number of appeals against disqualification from unemployment benefit is not readily available in the form requested. The figures supplied in the table are based on the total number of unemployment benefit appeals for the quarters ending 30 June 1988, 30 September 1988, 31 December 1988 and 31 March 1989.
Social Security Appeal Tribunals
Unemployment Benefit
|Appeals heard and decided|Appeals decided in favour
|of claimant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quarter ending
30 June 1988
Great Britain |5,754 |2,010
England |4,475 |1,519
Wales |367 |159
Scotland |912 |332
Region
North East |898 |271
London North |828 |293
London South |639 |237
Midlands |643 |209
North West |981 |326
Wales/South West |853 |342
Scotland |912 |332
Quarter ending
30 September 1988
Great Britain |5,254 |1,805
England |4,113 |1,400
Wales |358 |130
Scotland |783 |275
Region
North East |912 |237
London North |557 |198
London South |763 |278
Midlands |670 |234
North West |801 |304
Wales/South West |768 |279
Scotland |783 |275
Social Security Appeal Tribunals
Unemployment Benefit
|Appeals heard and decided|Appeals decided in favour
|of claimant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quarter ending
31 December 1988
Great Britain |4,732 |1,754
England |3,613 |1,297
Wales |284 |141
Scotland |835 |316
Region
North East |890 |248
London North |594 |234
London South |530 |159
Midlands |489 |183
North West |750 |320
Wales/South West |644 |294
Scotland |835 |316
Quarter ending
31 March 1989
Great Britain |4,500 |1,795
England |3,461 |1,332
Wales |291 |128
Scotland |748 |335
Region
North East |901 |257
London North |518 |215
London South |505 |196
Midlands |525 |197
North West |643 |304
Wales/South West |660 |291
Scotland |748 |335
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will specify the number of claims referred to adjudication officers by employment service staff because they neglected to avail themselves of or refused suitable employment ; and how many were disqualified from receiving benefit on grounds of neglecting to avail themselves of or refusing suitable employment for the whole year 1988 and to June of the current year.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information requested is available in "Unemployment Benefit Statistics--Annual and Quarterly Analyses of Decisions of Adjudication Officers", copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will specify the number of people referred to adjudication officers by employment service staff because of doubts about their availability for work ; how many were disqualified from receiving benefit on the grounds of non-availability for the whole year of 1988 and to June of
Column 542
the current year ; how many were so referred because of restrictions they placed on their availability ; and how many were disqualified from receiving benefit on grounds of non-availability for work for the whole year 1988 and to June of the current year.Mrs. Gillian Shephard : The information is not available in the precise form requested. Details of the number of decisions on claims to unemployment benefit given by adjudication officers relating to questions on availability are contained in "Unemployment Benefit Statistics--Annual and Quarterly Analyses of Decisions of Adjudication Officers", copies of which are held in the Library.
Earnings Rule (Abolition)
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners he anticipates will benefit by the abolition of the earnings rule ; and what he estimates will be the annual average financial benefit to those pensioners.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : It is expected that approximately 400,000 pensioners will benefit from the abolition of the pension earnings rule from 1 October : those who deferred their entitlement and continued working, those whose entitlement was reduced by earnings over £75 per week and those who earned less than £75. In addition, all future pensioners will have the freedom to choose to continue working and claim their pension. It is not possible to estimate the average financial benefit as this will vary according to each individuals circumstances.
Disablement Benefit
Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the criteria by which the Government decided which occupations should be covered for disablement benefit purposes in relation to prescribed industrial disease ALO.
Mr. Scott : The Government have decided the occupations to be covered on the advice of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council. Reflecting its concern about the implications for National Health Service audiological services, the council has considered it necessary to recommend that coverage be restricted to those considered to be most at risk of having suffered substantial hearing losses as a result of their work.
Benefits (Barnsley)
Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total number of recipients in Barnsley metropolitan district for each year from 1979 to date of (a) supplementary benefit/income support, (b) supplementary pensions and (c) claimants required to be available for work.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 20 October 1989] : The metropolitan district of Barnsley is served by the local offices at Barnsley (East), Barnsley (West) and Wath-on-Dearne, but the boundaries are not conterminous. The information is as follows :
Column 543
Supplementary Benefit/Income Support live load
Barnsley (East) Barnsley (West) Wath-on-Dearne
|<1>A |B |C |A |B |C |A |B |C
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |5,525 |2,464 |1,445 |4,473 |2,666 |817 |4,284 |1,900 |1,151
1980-81 |6,136 |2,464 |2,082 |4,851 |2,650 |1,235 |4,804 |1,872 |1,721
1981-82 |7,556 |2,541 |3,263 |5,706 |2,772 |1,928 |5,782 |1,916 |2,492
1982-83 |8,767 |2,682 |3,978 |6,558 |2,883 |2,437 |6,639 |2,007 |3,032
1983-84 |9,140 |2,563 |4,194 |6,989 |2,708 |2,823 |7,245 |2,040 |3,290
1984-85 |10,492|2,731 |4,794 |7,817 |2,839 |3,174 |7,898 |2,039 |3,504
1985-86 |10,926|2,800 |4,997 |8,192 |2,830 |3,391 |8,147 |1,994 |3,760
1986-87 |11,218|2,718 |5,179 |8,354 |2,809 |3,467 |8,291 |1,987 |3,762
1987-88 |10,900|2,746 |4,662 |8,244 |2,819 |3,203 |8,041 |2,016 |3,398
<2>1988-89 |9,584 |2,626 |3,760 |7,441 |2,683 |2,734 |7,274 |1,826 |2,986
<3>1989-90 |9,725 |2,511 |3,845 |7,792 |2,658 |2,945 |7,609 |1,879 |3,075
<1> A=all claimants, B=pensioners, C=claimants required to be available for
work.
<2> Data for years 1988-89 and 1989-90 are provisional and subject to amendment.
<3> Year 1989-90 is based on data collected to August 1989 only.
Source of data: 100 per cent. count of cases in action, which include a number
of cases where benefit has ceased but other action is continuing.
Benefits
Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the value of (a) child benefit, and (b) invalidity benefit for a married couple as a proportion of average net earnings for all males and all manually employed males for each year between November 1978 and the latest date available.
Mr. Scott [holding answer 24 October 1989] : The information on child benefit is given in the table from April 1979 when the benefit was fully phased in. I regret that information is not available from which to calculate the average value of total invalidity benefit (including additional pension and invalidity allowance) received by married men. The table therefore relates only to basic invalidity pension with an increase for an adult dependant. It takes no account of additional pension or invalidity allowance.
Value of Child Benefit (One Child) Uprating Dates Child Benefit (One C ------------------------------------ April 1979 |5.5 |6.0 November 1980 |4.9 |5.4 November 1981 |5.0 |5.6 November 1982 |5.2 |5.9 November 1983 |5.4 |6.1 November 1984 |5.2 |5.9 November 1985 |4.9 |5.7 July 1986 |4.7 |5.5 April 1987 |4.4 |5.2 April 1988 (2) |4.0 |4.8 April 1989 (2) |3.7<3>|4.4<3>
Value of Basic Invalidity Pension
Uprating Dates Invalidity Pension
(With Adult Dependant)
no children as
percentage of net
average earnings (1)
|All Adult Males |All Male Manuals
--------------------------------------------------------------------
November 1978 |45.3 |48.9
April 1979 |- |-
November 1979 |44.6 |48.4
November 1980 |42.5 |47.6
November 1981 |43.0 |48.8
November 1982 |44.7 |50.9
November 1983 |43.0 |49.1
November 1984 |41.4 |47.4
November 1985 |43.3 |49.9
July 1986 |41.1 |47.8
April 1987 |38.8 |45.7
April 1988 |36.2 |43.3
April 1989 |<3>35.2 |<3>42.2
1. Net average earnings are the estimated gross weekly earnings
less tax and national insurance contributions at the non
contracted-out rate.
2. Child benefit rate unchanged.
3. Provisional.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Visas
72. Mr. Archer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to improve the present arrangements for processing applications for visitors' visas in the high commissions and embassies concerned.
Mr. Sainsbury : The vast majority of visit visa applications received by our posts overseas are processed within 24 hours. We are nevertheless constantly seeking to improve the processing of visit visa applications, particularly where this can be achieved without an increase in overall resources.
Punjab
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Indian Government on the refusal to issue visas to members of Amnesty International to investigate the human rights situation in the Punjab.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have in the past made it clear to the Indian authorities that we regard Amnesty International as a serious and responsible organisation. But the issuing of visas is a matter for the Indian Government.
Somalia
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of renewed civil conflict in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia during the summer on Her Majesty's Government's policies.
Mr. Waldegrave : We regret the deterioration of the situation in Somalia since mid-July which has led us to make further adjustments to our aid programme.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking, directly and in conjunction with other countries, to encourage an end to the internal conflict in Somalia.
Column 545
Mr. Waldegrave : Together with our partners and allies, we continue to urge reconciliation in Somalia and to support efforts to bring about a peaceful solution.
Bulgaria (Ethnic Turks)
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to disassociate Her Majesty's Government from the conclusions in the Council of Europe document 6106 on the departure of some ethnic Turks from Bulgaria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We agree with the authors of the document mentioned by my hon. Friend that the treatment of the ethnic Turkish minority in Bulgaria is cause for grave concern. We have long been critical of Bulgaria's poor human rights record, in particular the campaign of assimilation which has denied fundamental freedoms to the Turkish and other minorities in Bulgaria. We have repeatedly urged the Bulgarian Government to adopt more tolerant policies. I raised this with the Bulgarian ambassador in September.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to meet his North Atlantic Treaty Organisation counterparts to consider the historical basis of the departure of some ethnic Turks from Bulgaria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : We have, on many occasions, urged the Bulgarian authorities to cease their campaign of assimilation of the ethnic Turkish minority, which is the root cause of the mass departure from Bulgaria earlier this year. Many of our partners and allies share our views. We will discuss the issue with them from time to time, as long as the problem persists.
Human Rights (Commonwealth)
Mr. Maples : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on human rights violations in Commonwealth countries ; and if he will list those Commonwealth countries in which elections have not been held in the past five years on the basis of universal adult suffrage with a secret ballot and opposition parties being allowed to participate.
Mr. Waldegrave : We receive representations about human rights in many countries, including some Commonwealth members. Where Commonwealth countries' practice on human rights give cause for concern, we make representations as necessary. Such representations are sometimes more productive if undertaken without publicity, and it would not always be helpful to disclose full details.
Details of the second part of the question are not readily available. I shall reply to my hon. Friend on this part in due course.
Trident
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries whose Governments have indicated to Her Majesty's Government since May 1979 that they consider the United Kingdom's purchase of the Trident nuclear weapons
Column 546
system from the United States of America is compatible with United Kingdom obligations under article VI of the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.Mr. Waldegrave : The purchase by the United Kingdom of Trident missiles from the United States is fully compatible with our obligations under the non-proliferation treaty. We have received no representations from any other Government on the subject.
Namibia
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's attitude to the composition of the United Nations resolution 435 package setting the conditions for the elections in Namibia as it affects the necessity for a two thirds majority decision on the type of constitution to be set up by the elected assembly.
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