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Dioxins and Furans
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tests his Ministry has carried out on the levels of dioxins and furans in mothers and babies ; and whether the results of these tests have been published.
Mr. Maclean : In 1989 the Department analysed single pooled samples of human milk from both Glasgow and Edinburgh for dioxins and furans as part of a worldwide survey conducted by the WHO regional office for Europe. The results, which were similar to those reported by other western European countries, were published in a scientific paper, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Jopling : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the cost of offering environmentally sensitive area grants to farmers in each of the national parks in England and Wales using similar take-up percentages as exist in those areas which are of a similar nature and region.
Mr. Gummer [pursuant to the answer, 13 November 1991] : I am today announcing my proposals to designate 12 further environmentally sensitive areas. They are :
In 1992 :
Exmoor
Hampshire Avon
Lake District
North Dorset and South Wiltshire Downs
North West Kent Coast/South Western Peak ;
In 1993 :
Blackdown Hills, Devon/Somerset border
Cotswold Hills
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DartmoorEssex Coast
Shropshire Hills
Upper Thames Tributaries.
The new designations will more than treble the amount of farmland within the 10 existing ESAs in England.
Environmentally sensitive areas have proved a tremendous success since they were first introduced in 1987. They help farmers to conserve special habitats, landscapes and features of historic interest. Their contribution to protecting areas of national environmental importance has been acclaimed by farmers and environmentalists alike, and they have paved the way for similar schemes throughout Europe.
We are starting work immediately on six of the new areas so that they can come into operation next summer. The other six areas will open for applications the following year.
The ESA scheme has proved an excellent example of the way in which agricultural and environmental policies can operate in harmony to conserve the best features of our countryside. We have pioneered this approach in the United Kingdom and I am delighted to be able to announce this major extension of the scheme.
ENERGY
Natural Gas
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the latest estimates of natural gas reserves for which production access exists or is planned (a) in the United Kingdom sector of the North sea, (b) in the Irish sea, (c) in the English channel and (d) in the western approaches.
Mr. Moynihan : My Department's latest estimates of recoverable gas reserves in the United Kingdom are set out in table 4 of my right hon. Friend's report to Parliament of April this year on the "Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the United Kingdom", also known as the Brown Book, which is available in the House of Commons Library. Apart from reserves for Morecambe in the Irish sea and some very small onshore sources, all figures shown for fields in production or under development relate to fields in the United Kingdom sector of the North sea.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of natural gas consumption by all United Kingdom users, by general category, during 1990-91.
Mr. Moynihan : The latest estimate of natural gas consumption by all United Kingdom users, by main category of user, in the period April 1990 to March 1991 is as follows :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coal Reserves
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest estimate of coal reserves for which production access exists or is planned in the United Kingdom in each standard region.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : This is a matter for British Coal, which publishes estimates for total United Kingdom reserves in their annual report. My Department does not keep separate figures.
Oil Consumption
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of oil consumption by all United Kingdom users, by general category, during 1990-91.
Mr. Moynihan : The latest estimate of petroleum consumption by all United Kingdom users, by main category of user, in the period April 1990 to March 1991 is as follows :
|Million
|tonnes
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fuel producers
Refineries<1> |6.5
Power stations |6.1
Gas industry |0.1
|--
Total fuel producers |12.7
Final energy consumption (excluding fuel producers)
Iron and steel industry |0.7
Other industry |7.7
Transport |43.0
Domestic |2.3
Other final users<2> |4.2
|--
Total final energy consumption |58.0
Non-energy use<3> |8.9
Total petroleum consumption<4> |<5>79.6
<1> Fuel used in refineries (including refinery losses).
<2> Mainly public administration, commerce, and agriculture.
<3> Feedstocks for petrochemical plants plus other non-energy uses.
<4> Excluding deliveries to international marine bunkers.
<5> Due to rounding the sum of the constituent items may not equal
the totals.
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Nuclear Power Stations
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of electricity generated for the grid by nuclear power stations in 1990-91.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The latest estimate for electricity generated, net of electricity used on works, by nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom in 1990-91 is 60,689 GW hours. This figure covers electricity generated by Nuclear Electric, Scottish Nuclear, British Nuclear Fuels and the Atomic Energy Authority.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list, by electricity generated and efficiency, nuclear power stations operating in the United Kingdom during 1990-91.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Nuclear power stations operating in the United Kingdom during the financial year 1990-91 are listed in the table :
Nuclear Electric |AEA |BNFL plc |Scottish plc |Nuclear Ltd. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bradwell |Winfrith |Calder Hall |Hunterston Dungeness A' |(from |ChapelCross |B' Hinkley Point A' |October 1990 |Torness Oldbury |no longer Sizewell A'supplies the Trawsfynnyd |grid) Wylfa |Dounreay Dungeness B' Hartlepool Heysham I Heysham II Hinkley Point B'
Gross electricity supplied to the grid from nuclear power stations in the financial year 1990-91 was 61 Terawatt hours. Information on output and efficiency by station is a commercial matter for the companies.
Oil Reserves
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the latest estimate of oil reserves for which production access exists or is planned (a) in the United Kingdom sector of the North sea and (b) in the western approaches.
Mr. Moynihan : My Department's latest estimates of recoverable oil reserves in the United Kingdom are set out in table 3 of my right hon. Friend's report to Parliament of April this year on the "Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the United Kingdom", also known as the Brown Book, which is available in the House of Commons Library. Apart from a small contribution from onshore sources, the figures shown for fields in production and under development relate entirely to fields in the United Kingdom sector of the North sea.
Coal Consumption
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his latest estimate of coal consumption by all United Kingdom users, by general category, during 1990-91.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The information requested for coal consumption in the United Kingdom in the period April 1990 to March 1991 is as follows :
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|million tonnes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumption by fuel producers:
Power stations |81.9
Coke ovens |10.7
Other fuel producers<1> |1.6
|--
Total fuel producers: |94.2
Final consumption (excluding fuel producers):
Industry |7.4
Domestic |5.2
Other final users<2> |1.2
|--
Total final consumption: |13.8
|---
Total coal consumption: |107.9
<1> Includes consumption by collieries.
<2> Mainly public administration and commerce.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Nepal
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights situation in Nepal following the May 1991 general election.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are convinced that the best overall safeguard for human rights in Nepal lies in the country's recent transition to full parliamentary democracy. We welcomed the Government's decision in mid-June to release all prisoners who had been detained under the previous regime for religious activities.
Guyana
20. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts Her Majesty's Government have made to ensure that the forthcoming elections in Guyana are free and fair.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have urged President Hoyte and other Guyanese Ministers to take all possible steps to restore public and international confidence in the electoral system. I recently summoned the Guyanese High Commissioner to express concern at reports of serious inaccuracies in the electoral list and have made the same point to the visiting Guyanese Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the results of his latest meeting with President Hoyte of Guyana.
Mr. Garel-Jones : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not met President Hoyte. There have, however, been numerous recent meetings between United Kingdom and Guyanese Ministers, the latest between myself and Guyanese Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Murray, on 18 November. On each occasion, the opportunity has been taken to repeat that we expect free and fair elections in Guyana.
Burma
21. Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the question of human rights in Burma.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received numerous representations from members of the public, hon. Members, non-governmental organisations and others.
European Integration
22. Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about European integration.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The Government see the movement towards closer political union in the European Community as an evolving process, but we hope that it will be possible to make a further step forward at the Maastricht European Council, building on the existing wide range of co- operation.
Croatia and Slovenia
23. Mr. Wilkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what criteria he has denied official British recognition of the democratically elected governments of Croatia and Slovenia ; and what were his reasons for urging his European Community counterparts to do likewise.
Mr. Hurd : This question is constantly reviewed. Those Yugoslav republics which want independence will get it. But recognition would not stop the fighting. We have to judge whether recognition of the two republics now would increase the very real danger of civil war in the other republics.
European Frontiers
24. Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he intends to take to ensure respect in Europe for existing frontiers.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We will continue to uphold the principles and provisions of the Helsinki final act and other CSCE documents which include respect for the territorial integrity of states and the recognition that frontiers can be changed in accordance with international law, by peaceful means and agreement.
Middle East
25. Sir Richard Luce : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's position with regard to the middle east conference in Madrid.
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the middle east situation.
36. Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the middle east peace process.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The Madrid conference was an important step towards peace in the middle east. We congratulate the United States Secretary of State on his achievement. We look forward to the early resumption of bilateral talks between the parties and to the launching of broader discussions of regional issues in which we expect to play a part. We shall continue to do all we can to ensure the success of the process.
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35. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to visit the middle east to discuss the prospects for peace in the region ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Garel-Jones : My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to visit the middle east.
Sudan
26. Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to discuss the situation in the Sudan with leaders in that country.
Mr. Garel-Jones : My right hon. Friend has no such plans at present. Our embassy in Khartoum follows developments in Sudan closely and puts across to the Government our views on the situation there.
Yugoslavia
27. Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about the situation in Yugoslavia.
Mr. Garel-Jones : On 8 November, we and our EC partners made clear our condemnation of the use of force by agreeing a number of economic measures against Yugoslavia. We are now working towards a UN Security Council resolution imposing an embargo on the sale of oil to Yugoslavia.
34. Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he intends to take to secure the establishment of structures to provide for the protection of minorities and minority rights before full recognition is given to any of the republics within Yugoslavia.
Mr. Garel-Jones : There can be no stability in the region without credible guarantees of minority rights. This must be a major element in any political settlement.
Foreign Affairs Council
28. Mr. Ray Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he intends to raise at the next Foreign Affairs Council.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The provisional agenda for the Foreign Affairs Council on 2-3 December is :
--preparation for European Council ;
--Uruguay Round ;
--EC/Egypt ;
--Yugoslavia.
There will also be a further conclave of Foreign Ministers to discuss political union on 2 December.
United Kingdom Dependent Territories
29. Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he is giving to a review of the constitutional position of United Kingdom dependent territories.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Constitutions of dependent territories are periodically reviewed, normally at the request of the elected representatives of the territory. This ad hoc process is appropriate and flexible and fully discharges our
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international obligations under article 73 of the UN charter. It is implicit in article 73 that the constitutional arrangements must be tailored to the particular circumstances of each territory.Kashmir
31. Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning human rights violations in Kashmir.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received representations from a number of hon. Members, members of the public and other interested organisations.
European Economic Area
32. Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the recent agreement between the European Community and EFTA on a new economic area common to members of each organisation.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We warmly welcome the political agreement on the European economic area reached on 21 October. The EEA will extend the EC's single market to the EFTA countries from 1993, creating the world's largest single market. It will be good for Britain, the Community and the wider Europe.
Cambodia
33. Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has regarding the disappearance of the leadership of the site 8 refugee camp on the Thai/Cambodia border ; and what is the view of Her Majesty's Government on the implications for the credibility of the Cambodia settlement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Shortly before the comprehensive political settlement was signed on 23 October, elected administrators at the site 8 camp were summoned to Khmer Rouge headquarters in Cambodia and replaced. At the same time it appears that preparations were also made to return the inhabitants of the camps to Cambodia. At the urgent request of the United Kingdom and others, the United Nations Secretary-General intervened and all the Cambodian parties, including the Khmer Rouge, undertook that there would be no forcible repatriation from the camps that they control. Now that the comprehensive political settlement has been signed, we expect all signatories to meet their obligations under it.
Turkey
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what weight Her Majesty's Government have given, in considering whether to support the application for EC membership from Turkey, to the human rights situation in Turkey ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Her Majesty's Government believe that applications for European Community membership should be considered on their merits taking into account all the relevant economic and political criteria, including respect for human rights. The Council, in December 1989,
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concluded that the Turkish application was premature, but agreed that measures should be put in place to strengthen the Community's relations with Turkey.Turks and Caicos Islands
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the current situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands ; and if he will make a statement about the political, economic and financial position of this colony.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The new Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands are working closely with us to pursue their political and developmental priorities and to ensure the good government of the territory. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will carry forward the discussion when he sees the Chief Minister, the hon. C. Washington Misick, on 28 November.
EC Treaty of Union
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will outline the areas of policy in which the EC and its institutions would seek participation in terms of the draft treaty of union considered by Foreign Ministers on 12 and 13 November ; and if he will publish a list of the areas in which EC participation is not sought in terms of the draft.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The latest composite draft treaty texts circulated by the Dutch presidency, which are available in the Library, provide a comprehensive survey of all the areas where it is proposed to amend the existing provisions of the treaty of Rome. They also include the proposals for increasing inter-governmental co-operation within the framework of the Union.
Eastern Europe
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what increases he has made in the United Kingdom's diplomatic representation in eastern European countries over the past year ; if he has any plans for further increases ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Since November 1990 10 additional staff have been posted to eastern European countries, excluding the Soviet Union. We keep our representation in the region under constant review.
Korea
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the admission of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary gave on 16 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns), at c. 156.
Vietnamese Refugees
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held between the British Government and the United
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States authorities on the recent repatriation of Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong to Vietnam and if he will make a statement.Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 12 November 1991, at c. 480.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese refugees have been accepted into the United Kingdom at the latest date.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Between 1975 and 31 October 1991, 18,032 Vietnamese refugees were resettled in the United Kingdom from places of first asylum in south-east Asia. In addition, a further 4,203 Vietnamese were settled in the United Kingdom under the orderly departure programme.
Lockerbie
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to inform other Governments of the results so far of the Lockerbie investigation ; and what steps he is taking to ensure that high-performance plastic explosive is made only under Government authority and incorporates a substantial signature to assist detection.
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