House of Commons Hansard Debates for 4 Apr 1990

Jacques Delors

57. Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet Jacques Delors, and what matters he hopes to discuss.

73. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the President of the European Commission ; and what matters he hopes to discuss.

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74. Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the President of the European Commission ; and what matters he hopes to discuss.

92. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet Jacques Delors ; and what matters he hopes to discuss.

Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs next expects to meet the President of the Commission at a meeting of Foreign Ministers on 21 April, at which the special informal meeting of EC Heads of State or Government on 28 April will be discussed.

Council of Ministers

54. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the General Affairs Council of Ministers meeting of 2 to 3 April.

61. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the General Affairs Council of Ministers meeting of 2 to 3 April.

86. Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the General Affairs Council of Ministers meeting of 2 to 3 April.

Mr. Maude : The Council which my right hon. Friend and I attended considered preparations for the inter-governmental conference due to open before the end of the year, and Herr Genscher reported on recent developments in Germany. The Commission reported on talks in Tokyo on EC/Japan trade ; and on progress in EC/EFTA discussions ; and on the signature of a trade, commercial and economic agreement with Czechoslovakia. We proposed that all quantitative restrictions on imports from Czechoslovakia should be removed from 1 July. The council discussed work on immigration problems, and member states' policies on visas for eastern Europe. My right hon. Friend argued for further measures of Community support to the black population of South Africa, and a trade and co-operation agreement with Argentina was signed.

Ministers of the Twelve agreed, at my right hon. Friend's suggestion, to issue a further statement on Lithuania, urging restraint and dialogue as the way to achieve an outcome acceptable to all.

Irish Republic

55. Mr. Gow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Foreign Minister of the Irish Republic about the claim of articles 2 and 3 of the Republic's constitution and of the Irish Supreme Court to jurisdiction over part of Her Majesty's dominions.

Mr. Hurd : We are in regular touch with the Irish Government. A judgment of the Irish Supreme Court cannot affect Northern Ireland's position within the United Kingdom in international law. Irrespective of articles 2 and 3 of the Irish constitution, both

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Governments are agreed that any change in the status of Northern Ireland would come about only with the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland.

Chancellor Kohl

56. Mr. Snape : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet Chancellor Kohl, and what issues he hopes to discuss.

Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Chancellor Kohl at the Anglo-German summit on 30 March. At that meeting the two sides had a useful and wide-ranging discussion on matters of mutual interest, including the external aspects of German unification.

We remain in close contact with the Federal German Government. Our next meeting with Chancellor Kohl is likely to be at the EC summit in Dublin on 28 April.

Mr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters were discussed during his recent meeting with Chancellor Kohl on 29 and 30 March.

Mr. Maude : A range of issues were discussed during Chancellor Kohl's visit on 29 and 30 March, including German unification, NATO matters, Lithuania, South Africa and the European Community.

Anti-Semitism

59. Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement regarding anti- semitism in eastern Europe.

Mr. Waldegrave : We of course deplore anti-semitism in all its forms and will do all we can to counter it. Our embassies are monitoring the situation in eastern Europe carefully. Although some incidents have been reported, we think that there has been no general increase in anti-semitism in the area, although the free atmosphere has allowed it to be expressed more openly. We will be glad to have the hon. and learned Member's own assessment after his forthcoming visit to the area.

Nelson Mandela

60. Mr. Adams : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet Nelson Mandela, and what matters he hopes to discuss.

91. Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to have discussions with Nelson Mandela ; and what issues will be raised.

Mr. Waldegrave : When they met briefly in Namibia on 21 March, Mr. Mandela told my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs that he hoped to have a further meeting before long. My right hon. Friend looks forward to discussing with him the recent positive developments in South Africa, and the best way to maintain a process of peaceful change.

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Bulgaria

64. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet the Foreign Minister of Bulgaria to discuss ways in which the United Kingdom can assist in the establishment of democracy ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no firm plans to meet the Bulgarian Foreign Minister again. They met in Ottawa in February and had a useful discussion. I met Mr. Dimitrov in Sofia also in February and at the recent Council of Europe Ministers meeting in Lisbon. A group of Bulgarian politicians recently visited London under the auspices of the Great Britain -East Europe Centre and the IPU to study our democracy in action. We greatly welcome progress towards democracy in Bulgaria and hope the election to be held on 10 June will be completely free and fair.

EC Organisations (Siting)

65. Mr. Day : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for Britain's bid for the siting of the European Environment Agency and the European bank for reconstruction and development.

Mr. Maude : We continue to pursue vigorously our bids to have the European Environment Agency and the European bank for reconstruction and development located in the United Kingdom. Both our candidates, Cambridge and London respectively, have an excellent case and are strong contenders.

Cambodia

68. Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent diplomatic efforts Her Majesty's Government have made to find a solution to the situation in Cambodia.

Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lester) on 26 March by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Anglo-German Summit

69. Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the outcome of the Anglo-German summit on 30 March.

83. Mr. Temple-Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the outcome of the Anglo-German summit on 30 March.

Mr. Maude : At the Anglo-German summit in London on 30 March, my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had useful discussions with their German opposite numbers on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. The successful occasion underlined our close relations with the Federal Republic of Germany, one of our most important allies and partners.

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Lithuania

72. Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consideration the British Government have given to their relations with Lithuania and the Soviet Union.

87. Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consideration the British Government have given to their relations with Lithuania and the Soviet Union.

90. Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consideration the British Government have given to their relations with Lithuania and the Soviet Union.

Mr. Waldegrave : We support the right of the Baltic peoples to decide their own future, and have welcomed the considerable progress made in the past two years.

In view of recent developments in Lithuania, we think it vital that restraint should be shown on all sides and that progress should be made through dialogue between the Soviet authorities and the Lithuanians. We attach particular importance to the repeated statements by the Soviet leadership that there is no question of use of force. We have made clear our concerns to the Soviet authorities.

Herr Genscher

79. Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to meet Herr Genscher ; and what he proposes to discuss.

Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met the West German Foreign Minister during the Anglo-German summit on 30 March, where they had useful discussions on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including the external aspects of German reunification. They meet frequently and shall certainly do so again soon at, for example, NATO and EC meetings.

UN Peacekeeping Forces

81. Mr Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what budget Her Majesty's Government set for this year's contribution to United Nations peacekeeping forces' activities.

Mr. Sainsbury : The 1990-91 supply estimates published in March 1990 seek provision of £34.680 million for the United Kingdom's contribution to specific United Nations peacekeeping operations. In addition, a small number of United Nations peacekeeping operations are financed directly from the United Nation's regular budget.

Kuwait

88. Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the Kuwait Government ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister at the EC/GCC ministerial meeting in Muscat on 17 March where Foreign Ministers of both groupings discussed issues of common interest. His last bilateral meeting with a Kuwaiti Minister was in November 1989 with the Minister of the Interior.

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Council of Europe

89. Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy as to whether the wider role which the Council of Europe has recently developed should lead to an acceptance that it be involved in formal and continuing consideration of at least some aspects of the conference on security and co -operation in Europe.

Mr. Waldegrave : Both the Council of Europe and the CSCE have crucial roles in furthering democratic values in Europe. These roles should complement and not duplicate one another. The Council of Europe's special ministerial meeting in Lisbon on 23-24 March agreed that the Council of Europe should be represented in a member state's delegation at the forthcoming CSCE conference on the human dimension in Copenhagen.

Foreign Policy

Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many volumes of the series on British foreign policy 1945-55, "Documents on British Policy Overseas," have been produced ; how many copies have been distributed to (a) United Kingdom embassies or diplomatic missions abroad and (b) United Kingdom universities and research institutes ; how many departmental staff or consultants to his Department are employed on preparation and production of the series ; and what has been the cost to date in current prices of the series.

Mr. Sainsbury : The series "Documents on British Policy Overseas," announced in the House of Commons by Sir Alec Douglas-Home on 2 July 1973, is a collection of the most important documents in the archives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relating to British policy overseas, and is regarded as an indispensable source for British foreign policy in the period from 1945 to 1955. The following eight volumes have been published so far :

Series I (1945-50)

Volume I The Conference at Potsdam, July-August 1945 (HMSO, 1984) £85.

Volume II Conferences and Conversations 1945 : London, Washington and Moscow (HMSO, 1985) £75.

Volume III Britain and America : Negotiation of the United States Loan, August-December 1945 (HMSO, 1987) £35.

Volume IV Britain and America : Atomic Energy, Bases and Food, December 1945-July 1946 (HMSO, 1987) £35.

Volume V Germany and Western Europe, 11 August-31 December 1945 (HMSO, 1990) £55.

Series II (1950-55)

Volume I The Schuman Plan, the Council of Europe and Western European Integration 1950-1952 (HMSO, 1986) £70.

Volume II The London Conferences, 1950 (HMSO, 1987) £35. Volume III German Rearmament, 1950 (HMSO, 1989) £39.

British embassies and diplomatic missions abroad do not receive copies of DBPO, but information material is sent to overseas posts and copies of the volumes are available on loan from the FCO library. In cases where a volume is of particular current relevance to an embassy a copy may be supplied for retention.

United Kingdom universities and research institutes purchase their copies of DBPO.

DBPO is produced by a small team of independent historians working in the historical branch of the library and records department of the Foreign and

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Commonwealth Office. The editorial staff, who also provide historical advice within the FCO, comprise two editors, two assistant editors and three research assistants. No consultants are employed. The costs of the printing and publication of DBPO are borne by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, and are recovered by it as revenue from sales.

Whitehead Detention Centre

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking concerning the recent case of the suffocation of a child at birth due to lack of medical facilities at the Whitehead detention centre clinic ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Maude : The Hong Kong authorities have recently completed a thorough investigation of this case.

The medical evidence indicates that the child died at least 24 hours before the onset of labour and probably considerably earlier. The child did not suffocate at birth.

The allegations of inadequate medical facilities are unfounded. Whitehead has a well-equipped clinic but it is the usual practice to transfer women in labour to a nearby hospital as happened in this case.

Ministers' Meeting, Lisbon

Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Lisbon.

Mr. Maude : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Sir G. Finsberg) on 26 March.

Indonesia

Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on changes in the human rights situation in East Timor since January.

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Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 29 March to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon).

Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the policy of the Indonesian Government towards people demonstrating in favour of independence from Indonesia.

Mr. Sainsbury : We have received written representations from two human rights organisations and several Members of Parliament.

Correspondence (MEPs)

Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many communications he has received from Members of the European Parliament since 18 June 1989, that concern local or United Kingdom matters ; and if he will make it his practice where such matters are involved to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with a copy of the correspondence and the reply for information.

Mr. Maude : Where Members of the European Parliament raise matters in correspondence which are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As with other correspondence, replies to such communications would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way. We have received no such communications since 18 June 1989.

A separate arrangement applies in respect of consular cases, under which our normal practice is to copy correspondence with MEPs to the appropriate hon. Member in view of the direct personal involvement in such cases of hon. Members' constituents.

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