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Agreement for Co-operation in dealing with Pollution of the North Sea by Oil and Other Harmful SubstancesSigned at Bonn on 13 September 1983
UK Signatory ? Yes
Depositaries : Government of the Federal Republic of Germany Published text : Miscellaneous Series No. 026/1983 Cmnd 9104 Multilateral agreement
Protocol Amending the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft
Signed at Oslo on 2 March 1983
Definitive date of entry into force on 1 September 1989 UK Signatory ? Yes
Depositaries : Norwegian Government
Published text : Miscellaneous No. 12/1983 Cmnd 8942
Treaty Series/Command No. 059/1989 Cm 889
Multilateral agreement
Protocol of 1984 to amend the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971
Adopted at London on 25 May 1984
Signed at London on 1 December 1984
closed on 30 November 1985
UK Signatory ? Yes
Depositaries : International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Published text : Miscellaneous No. 007/1986, Cmnd 9926
Multilateral agreement
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer Adopted at Vienna on 22 March 1985
Signed at Vienna and New York on 22 March 1985
closed on 21 March 1986
Definitive date of entry into force on 22 September 1988 UK Signatory ? Yes
Depositaries : United Nations (UN)
Published text : Miscellaneous No. 013/1985 Cmnd 9652
Treaty Series/Command No. 001/1990 Cm 910
Multilateral agreement
Protocol of 1984 to amend the International Conventaion on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969
Adopted at London on 25 May 1985
Signed at London on 1 December 1985
UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Published text : Miscellaneous No. 008/1986, Cmnd 9927
Multilateral agreement
Protocol Amending the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources
Signed at Paris on 26 March 1986
closed on 30 June 1986
UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : French Government
Published text : Misc No. 003/1987 Cm 87
Multilateral agreement
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer Adopted at Montreal on 16 September 1987
Signed at Montreal on 16 September 1987
Definitive date of entry into force on 1 January 1989
UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : United Nations
Published text : Miscellaneous Series No. 001/1988 Cm 283 Treaty Series/Command No. 019/1990 Cm 977
Multilateral agreement
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal
Adopted at Basel on 22 March 1989
Signed at Berne/New York on 23 March 1989
closed on 22 March 1990
Definitive date of entry into force on 5 May 1992
UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : United Nations
Published text : Miscellaneous Series No. 004/1990 Cm 984
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Multilateral agreementProtocol [further] amending the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft, done at Oslo on 15 February 1972
Signed at Oslo on 5 December 1989
UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : Government of Norway
Published text : Miscellaneous Series No. 010/1990 Cm 1039 Multilateral agreement
Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or their Transboundary Fluxes
Signed at Sofia/New York on 31 October 1988
closed on 5 March 1989
Definitive date of entry into force on 14 February 1991 UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : United Nations
Published text : Miscellaneous Series 016/1989 Cm 885Treaty Series/Command No. 001/1992 Cm 1787
Multilateral agreement
Optional Annex V to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto
Signed at London on 1 June 1978
closed 31 May 1979
Definitive date of entry into force on 31 December 1988 UK Signatory? Yes
Depositaries : International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Published text : Miscellaneous Series No. 027/1978 Cmnd 7347
Dependent Territories
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he intends to put forward for the future government of the dependent territories ; and when they will be implemented.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Wells) to his question of 29 October, Official Report, column 793, which referred to the Caribbean dependent territories. Implementation of these changes has already started. No other changes are planned.
Ahmadi Muslims
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the persecution of the Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have on several occasions expressed to the Pakistani Government our concerns about discrimination against Ahmadis. In 1984 a presidential ordinance made it a criminal offence for an Ahmadi to call himself a Muslim or to preach and propagate his faith. Members of the Ahmadi community have individually suffered from discrimination, although many in the community have prospered in business and the professions. We believe that a recent decision by the Pakistani Government that a citizen's identity card should indicate his religion could make discrimination against Ahmadis and other minority religious groups easier. We have expressed our concern to the Pakistani Government.
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Iran
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps in concert with Her Majesty's Government and their partners in the EC to include on the agenda of the current session of the United Nations General Assembly proposals for concrete measures to exert pressure on the Iranian Government to improve human rights.
Mr. Hurd : In my speech of 22 September at the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the European Community and its member states, I made it clear that Iran's human rights record will affect the extent to which closer relations with and confidence in Iran can be developed. The United Nations Secretary-General's special representative on human rights in Iran, Mr. Galindo-Pohl, will present a report to the United Nations General Assembly later this month. Together with our EC partners, we will work to ensure that his report's findings are fully reflected in any resolution adopted at the General Assembly.
Abu Dhabi
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact he or his Department has had with the head of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi's private office.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Our ambassador in Abu Dhabi had a meeting with the chairman of Sheikh Zayed's private department on 30 January 1992.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi concerning the 17 British citizens who have been detained there concerning the Bank of Credit and Commerce International issue ; and if he will make a statement on the conditions under which they are currently being held.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have made numerous representations to senior officials in Abu Dhabi asking for the detainees to be charged or released. Eight detainees entered Abu Dhabi on British passports. There are a further two dual United Kingdom/Pakistan citizens and one Canadian citizen whom we are helping. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised their case with the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates on 16 May 1992.
They are being held at the police club, which is comfortable and air- conditioned. They are housed two to a room and have the run of one wing. Food is brought in daily from a nearby hotel. The detainees are visited regularly by a doctor.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Her Majesty's Government are doing to urge the Azerbaijani authorities to agree to a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh dispute.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : When he met President Elchibei during his recent visit to Baku, the President of the Board of Trade expressed British support for a general ceasefire
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which would enable the Rome talks to reconvene. He gave President Elchibei a letter from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister which also made this point. Separately, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has been in touch with the Turkish Foreign Minister to suggest that Turkey use its influence in the region to help bring about a peaceful settlement.Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Her Majesty's Government are doing to alleviate the suffering caused by the continuing dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Government are concerned at the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh where humanitarian needs during the forthcoming winter will be considerable. The Government therefore are contributing £250,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross which has representatives in Nagorno-Karabakh and is distributing aid there. This money will be used to help Armenian and Azeri victims of the conflict alike.
Indian Ocean
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's security interests in the Indian ocean outside the Gulf.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, we have a general interest in peace and security in the Indian ocean region. More specifically, we retain sovereignty over British Indian ocean territory in which military facilities are located in Diego Garcia.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Public Record Office
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many papers his Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office ; if he will list their titles ; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. Robert Jackson : About 140 items are on loan to the Cabinet Office and Cabinet Office (OPSS) under the provision of the Public Records Act 1958, section 4(6) of which gives Government Departments a statutory right to retrieve records temporarily from the Public Record Office for their own administrative use. This number changes from day to day as records are returned as soon as departmental action has been completed.
Departmental Properties
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list, for each local authority area in south Yorkshire, how many residential properties are currently owned by his Department ; and if he will list, by location, those residential properties which are empty, giving the type of accommodation available, the length of time each property has been vacant, and its intended future use.
Mr. Robert Jackson : The Office of Public Service and Science does not own any residential properties in south Yorkshire.
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Charter Marks
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to encourage public organisations to apply for the charter mark awards.
Mr. Waldegrave : The charter mark scheme was publicised in both the local and the national press following its launch in January this year. Interested organisations were invited to contact a freefone number to obtain further details of the scheme. Additionally, the scheme was brought to the attention of the relevant bodies by Departments.
We are currently conducting a review of all aspects of the charter mark scheme, and have commissioned some research which will, amongst other things, identify the best ways of publicising the scheme in future years.
Science Budget
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the text of his letter to Sir David Phillips, chairman of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils, seeking the board's advice on the allocation of the science budget in 1993-94 and later years.
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