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6
Financial year |UK general
|Government
|expenditure on
|education as a
|percentage of GDP
------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |5.4
1984-85 |5.0
1991-92<1> |5.0
<1> Estimated.
Secondary Schools
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in respect of determining the current expenditure limit on the basic needs building costs of a new secondary school place, what ratio is assumed between the notional number of pupils in the school and the actual pupil capacity in learning space at any one time which is the minimum necessary to ensure the essential flexibility required in a timetable for a fully occupied school meeting the requirements of the national curriculum.
Mr. Forth : In determining the distribution of annual capital guidelines to LEAs, allowance for the provision of new schools places is made on the basis of cost multipliers. These reflect the average cost of providing a new school place. They are based on actual LEA building projects, which are themselves subject to the space provision requirements of the school premises regulations.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Iraq
Mr. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what proposals he has to obtain relief for British business men whose firms have suffered from the freezing of Iraqi assets held in the United Kingdom ;
(2) what action he intends to take to deal with the release of Iraqi funds held in the United Kingdom for (a) the settlement of United Kingdom creditors' claims in respect of legitimate trade with Iraq prior to the imposition of sanctions and (b) the financing of trade in goods not embargoed under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : United Nations Security Council Resolution 778 provides for the temporary sequestration of certain unencumbered frozen Iraqi assets to be paid into a UN-administered account to fund UN operations in Iraq and to provide interim funding for the UN compensation commission and fund. The resolution expressly forbids the release of assets for the financing of trade in goods not embargoed, except to the sub- account of the UN escrow account or directly to the United Nations for humanitarian activities in Iraq. British companies may claim from the compensation fund for direct losses as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait. Losses resulting from the operation of the UN embargo and related measures are not within the scope of the compensation commission. The same is true of debts and obligations of Iraq arising prior to 2 August 1990, which should be pursued through the normal mechanisms.
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that the essential aim of the British Government's action in the post-Gulf war situation should be the establishment of peace and democracy in Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We aim to ensure that Iraq implements its obligations under all the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions in full. These include the elimination of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction so that Iraq can never again build a capacity to threaten its neighbours with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons ; and arrangements for compensation for those who suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
We want to see a democratic and pluralistic system in Iraq in which all sectors of the population would enjoy respect for political and human rights. It is difficult to see how this can be achieved while Saddam Hussein remains in power.
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of the number of Iraqi Shias sheltering in the marshes ; what information he has of air attacks on Iraqi Shias in the marshes and of the continued use by Iraqi forces of chemical weapons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : It is difficult to obtain accurate information about the number of people in and around the marshes of southern Iraq but we believe that there are about 200,000 people in the area. There have been no flights of Iraqi aircraft over the marshes since the
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imposition of the no-fly zone on 27 August. We have no conclusive evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Iraqi forces.Sri Lanka
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the safety and protection of the Tamil community during the present military security actions now taking place in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have frequently made clear our concern to the Government of Sri Lanka that they should conduct the anti-terrorist campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam with full respect for the security and human rights of civilians. I emphasised this during my recent visit there. We shall continue to watch the situation closely.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Sri Lanka concerning human rights abuses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have taken every opportunity to raise human rights issues with the Sri Lankan authorities, including during my recent visit there. There has been a marked improvement in Sri Lanka's human rights performance over the last year. We shall continue to watch the situation closely.
Law of the Sea
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the informal consultations which the United Kingdom Government have been participating in regarding the United Nations convention on the law of the sea.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom Government participated in the last round of informal consultations convened by the Secretary General in August 1992, with a view to resolving the difficulties over the seabed mining provisions of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea (part XI).
There was some progress in analysing the problem areas and we shall be participating in the next round of consultations.
Research Projects
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 29 June, Official Report, column 410, if he will list the seven research projects, detailing the institutions involved and the value of each project ; and what change in the number of these projects in universities and polytechnics there has been since 1979.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The seven research projects referred to in my answer of 29 June were as follows :
(a) Cambridge university, department of pure mathe-matics and mathematical studies, research fellowship, £109,683 over three years.
(b) Oxford university, Merton college research fellowship (this fellowship is with the college as a whole rather than with college department), £109,000 over three years.
(c) York university, department of electronics, electrical screening measurements, £101,823 over three years.
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(d) York university, department of electronics, induction field wave impedence effects, £53,055 over three years.(e) Leicester university, department of physics, development and construction of data collection and processing unit for HF radio propagation measurements, £33,151 over one year.
(f) Leicester university, department of physics, analysis of HF radio propagation measurements with reference to high latitude effects, £35,392 over three years.
(g) Leicester university, department of physics, analysis of HF radio propagation measurements, £64,849 over one year.
All these projects are still current (or have been renewed) except for that with York university on induction wave impedence. The foregoing list omitted two recently signed contracts with York university for :
(h) classification of fax image, worth £5,000.
(i) research support in the field of communications simulation and modelling, worth £14,547.
A further contract has since been signed with the Gloucester college of higher education for work on fax image counter orientation image worth £10,000.
The number of projects is subject to change, but to the best of GCHQ's knowledge in the time available there were four contracts current in 1979, with the universities of Loughborough, Leicester, Birmingham and Surrey. The total value of these was £69,000 in 1979.
European Union
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what attempts he has made to extend the provisions of title VI, article K.3(2) of the Maastricht treaty permitting initiation by member states to cover other aspects of Community policy making.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Article K3.2 is one of the provisions governing intergovernmental cooperation, where the Community institutions operate under different rules than under the treaty of Rome. The article could not therefore be extended to cover areas of Community policy.
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to alter the status of the United Kingdom within the United Nations as a result of article J2(3) of the treaty on European union.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The text of the treaty on European union does not necessitate any alteration of the status of the United Kingdom within the United Nations. Article J.5(4) of the treaty safeguards the United Kingdom's ability to fulfil its responsibilities as a permanent member of the Security Council effectively.
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on the overseas responsibility of the United Kingdom, including the dependencies of Hong Kong and the Falkland islands, and in Cyprus and Belize, of the common foreign and security policy under article J1(1) of the treaty on European union.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Implementation of the common foreign and security policy under article J1(1) of the treaty on European union will not alter the United Kingdom's existing overseas responsibilities. Further, the "Declaration on the representation of the interests of the overseas countries and territories referred to in article 227(3) and (5) (a) and (b) of the Treaty establishing the European Community" (annexed to the Maastricht treaty)
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confirms our right and that of other member states to represent the interests of their dependencies in the exceptional case of a divergence between their interests and those of the union. Nor will the common foreign and security policy affect the United Kingdom's military commitments in Cyprus and Belize.European Ombudsman
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government will take to facilitate any inquiries into maladministration by European Community institutions in the United Kingdom which might be made by the Ombudsman of the European Parliament.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Since the ombudsman is to enquire into maladministration by Community institutions or bodies it will be for those institutions and bodies themselves to facilitate his or her inquiries.
Cyprus
Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take during the forthcoming round of talks on Cyprus to be held in New York under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations to effect a resolution of the issue of the Greek Cypriots who have been missing since 1974 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The problem of missing persons is one of the most tragic aspects of the Cyprus dispute. We are making every effort to support the United Nations Secretary General in his work for a just overall settlement in Cyprus.
Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the response of his Department to Council of Europe Document 6589 on the demographic structure of the Cypriot communities ; and if this response will be made when this document is discussed at the Council of Europe meeting in Strasbourg in October.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regards Council of Europe document 6589 as a useful contribution to the limited knowledge on this subject.
This response was not given when the report came before the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly as the Members of Parliament who attend it to speak in their own capacities and not as Government representatives.
Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy as to the extent to which officers of the British High Commission in Cyprus should encourage British parliamentarians on visits to Cyprus to visit the occupied areas in the north ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : As a courtesy to visiting parliamentarians, our High Commissioner in Nicosia offers to arrange appointments with members of either Cypriot community or both.
Mr. Deva : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps towards permitting international commercial air services to northern Cyprus direct from the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Garel-Jones : No. Direct flights to northern Cyprus are permitted by no country except Turkey.
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many diplomats serve in the United Kingdom commission in Nicosia, Cyprus ; how many of these have previous experience of service in Greece and Turkey ; and what is his policy on ensuring a balance of experience in this high commission office.
Mr. Garel-Jones : There are 15 accredited diplomats in the British high commission, Nicosia. Of these two have previously served in Greece. Our policy on staffing the high commission is to ensure that the best available officers are sent to Nicosia and that both Turkish and Greek speakers are on the staff.
UK Nationals (Deaths Abroad)
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps have been taken to record the number of United Kingdom nationals who die abroad.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Our posts report, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office records, the deaths of British nationals abroad in the following circumstances :
(a) where substantial assistance of a consular official has been requested, and provided :
and/or
(b) where consular death registration has been effected. There is no requirement for the death of a British national overseas to be registered at a British consulate.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make further representations to the Spanish Government to secure the prosecution of those responsible for the death of Gary Maher in Tenerife in 1985.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Spanish authorities investigating this case concluded in August 1992 that there was insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution, and the case was closed. It can be re-opened at any time if new evidence is produced.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to facilitate a second opinion on the diagnosis of Spanish doctors to ensure that they do not misdiagnose the cause of death of United Kingdom nationals in Spain.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : One way of obtaining a second opinion on the cause of death of a British national in Spain, following an inquest in Spain, is to repatriate the body to the United Kingdom. When the body of a British national dying abroad from other than natural causes is repatriated to this country, coroners in England and in Wales must hold an inquest. In Scotland the Procurator Fiscal's office is not obliged to conduct a fatal accident inquiry.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what circumstances an autopsy is performed or an inquest held on United Kingdom subjects who have died abroad.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The decision to hold an autopsy or inquest overseas on a United Kingdom subject who has died abroad follows the law of the land in which the person died.
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Where the body of a British national dying abroad from other than natural cause is repatriated to this country, coroners in England and Wales must hold an inquest. In Scotland the Procurator Fiscal's office is not obliged to conduct a fatal accident inquiry. A coroner may call for an autopsy should he consider one necessary to complete the inquest.Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Spanish Government over United Kingdom nationals who are left untreated in hospital wards pending checks on their insurance cover.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have not been notified of any such cases.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Spanish Government to ensure that a full court hearing is held in Spain on the death of Gary Maher in Tenerife in 1985 ; and what explanation he has received for the delay.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : It would be wrong for us to try to influence Spanish judicial procedures. The Spanish authorities have already decided, after a full investigation, that the criminal case should be closed because of insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution. The civil case, which is a private matter, continues.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes he has made or intends to make in the procedures for informing relatives when British citizens die abroad on holiday.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Following a recent case in which the organisation which had undertaken to break the news of a British national's death overseas to the next of kin failed to do so, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has introduced procedures for checking in all cases that such undertakings are met.
BBC World Service
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to commence BBC World Service broadcasts to Uzbekistan in Uzbeki and to Albania in Albanian.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no plans at present for the BBC World Service to introduce an Uzbek service to Uzbekistan. Broadcasts in Albanian to Albania will commence shortly, as soon as the BBC World Service has recruited the necessary staff. The planned output will be one hour per day.
CSCE
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the resolutions passed at the first meeting of the CSCE Assembly, held in Budapest.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 9 July 1992 at column 278.
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Association Agreements
Mr. George Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to proceed with ratification of the association agreements with (a) Poland, (b) Czechoslovakia and (c) Hungary.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Draft Orders in Council designating the EC association agreements with Poland and Hungary as Community treaties under section 1 of the European Communities Act 1972 will be laid before Parliament shortly. United Kingdom ratification will be concluded once the designation procedure has been completed. This requires affirmative resolutions from both Houses of Parliament. No further steps will be taken at this stage on the Czechoslovakia agreement pending decisions on the future of the federation.
Treaty of Rome
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has made to amend the treaty of Rome to allow non-European states to become EC members.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The treaty of Rome provides that any European state may apply for membership of the Community. There are no proposals to amend the treaty to allow non-European states to become EC members.
European Security Policy
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes he will propose to the structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in the light of the implementation of a common European security policy by article J1 of the treaty on European union.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The position of the United Kingdom as a signatory of the North Atlantic treaty will not be affected by a common foreign and security policy. The Maastricht treaty (article J.4.4) makes it clear that the common foreign and security policy
"shall respect the obligations of certain member states under the North Atlantic treaty and be compatible with the common security and defence policy established within that framework."
Macedonia
Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will open diplomatic relations with Macedonia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Since Her Majesty's Government have not recognised the republic as an independent state, the question of opening diplomatic relations has not arisen.
Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial provisions, and how much, he has made within his Department in order to look at the potential for deregulation of each of the regulatory measures for which he has responsibility.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I am not responsible for any regulatory measures.
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Western Sahara
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what actions have been taken at the United Nations to ensure that the proposed referendum in the western Sahara takes place ;
(2) what discussions he has had with the Government of Morocco concerning the referendum in the western Sahara ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : During my visit to Morocco earlier this year, I underlined the need for parties to co-operate fully with the UN Secretary General in his efforts to resolve this dispute. Differences over who should be eligible to vote in the proposed referendum have delayed the implementation of the UN settlement plan, but the Secretary General and his special representative have been working hard to try to overcome these differences. The Secretary General is expected to make a further report to the Security Council in the next few weeks. As a permanent member of the Security Council, we shall continue to give our full support to the Secretary General.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of France concerning the referendum in the western Sahara.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Officials have regularly discussed the Western Sahara with the French. It has been discussed at ministerial level in the framework of European political co-operation.
Bangladesh
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Bangladesh concerning the allegations of human rights abuse in the Chittagong hill tracts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We continue to be concerned about reports of human rights abuses in the Chittagong hill tracts. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Department, raised the matter with the Bangladesh Home Minister on 29 September.
International Investments Ltd., Gibraltar
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will investigate the circumstances which led to the collapse of International Investments Ltd., Gibraltar, and seek compensation for British subjects whose investments were misappropriated.
Mr. Garel-Jones : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 14 July 1992 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in reply to a previous question on this subject by the hon. Member for Antrim, East (Mr. Beggs) International Investments Limited was registered in Gibraltar, not in the United Kingdom, and this is therefore a matter for the Gibraltar authorities, not Her Majesty's Government.
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Falkland Islands
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conclusions he has reached as a result of studying the recent Argentinian/Chilean joint declaration concerning territorial disputes ; what are the implications for the Falkland Islands ; and if he will make a statement.
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