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Mr. Flynn : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what new proposals he has to improve the law on leases on commercial property.
Mr. John M. Taylor : As I announced in my answer on 31 March to my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Hendry), Official Report, column 197, the Government have, after careful consideration, decided to implement the recommendations in the Law Commission's report on Landlord and Tenant Law : Privity of Contract and Estate (Law Com. No. 174), for future leases but not for existing leases. My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has also announced the publication of a consultation paper on upward-only rent reviews, confidentiality clauses and dispute resolution procedures in relation to new
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commercial leases. The Government will carefully examine the responses before considering whether it is appropriate to legislate or take any other action on any of these issues.Mr. Allen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department further to his answer of 12 February, Official Report, column 788, what changes have taken place since 1 January in the total number of (a) Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, (b) Lords Justices of Appeal, (c) Heads of Division, (d) High Court judges, (e) circuit judges, (f) recorders, (g) assistant recorders, (h) stipendiary magistrates, and (i) full-time chairmen who are (i) men, (ii) women, (iii) barristers, (iv) solicitors, (v) black or Asian, and (vi) ex-Oxford or Cambridge ; and if he will give revised figures for the average ages in each category.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The available information, as at 1 July 1993, is set out in the table, with net changes since 1 January 1993 shown in brackets. As before, the figures for black or Asian office-holders are believed to be correct, but since the formal recording of the ethnic background of applicants for judicial office began only on 1 October 1991, such information may be incomplete. Aggregated information is not generally kept on the university background of judges or their average ages and no new information is available in relation to these matters.
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Number Men Women <1>BarristerSolicitor Black/Asian ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lords of Appeal in Ordinary |10 |10 |- |10 |- |- Lords Justices |29 |(+2) |28 |(+2) |1 |29 |(+2) |- |- Heads of Division (excludes Lord Chancellor) |4 |4 |- |4 |- |- High Court Judges |88 |(+4) |83 |(+3) |5 |(+1) |87 |(+3) |1 |(+1) |- Circuit Judges |491 |(+9) |463 |(+5) |28 |(+4) |436 |(+11)|55 |(-2) |2 Recorders |815 |(+51)|778 |(+51)|37 |743 |(+42)|72 |(+9) |8 |(+2) Assistant Recorders (excludes Assistant Recorders in training) |436 |(-50)|386 |(-49)|50 |(-1) |359 |(-48)|77 |(-2) |9 |(+1) Stipendiary Magistrates |77 |(-1) |68 |(-1) |9 |38 |39 |(-1) |1 Industrial Tribunal Chairmen |70 |(+9) |59 |(+9) |11 |35 |(+4) |35 |(+5) |1 Value Added Tax Tribunal Chairmen |3 |3 |- |3 |- |- Social Security Appeal Tribunal Chairmen |29 |(+4) |20 |(+1) |9 |(+3) |7 |(+3) |22 |(+1) |- <1>Or member of the Faculty of Advocates.
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects a final decision to be made on the eligibility for legal aid of Mrs. J. M. Ward, 4 St. John's road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Decisions on the grant of civil legal aid are a matter for the Legal Aid Board. I understand that the legal director of the Legal Aid Board wrote to the hon. Member on 7 July explaining in detail the background to this case and the current position.
31. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on further discussions he has had on issues arising from the Asil Nadir case.
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The Attorney-General : I have no plans to do so.
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) witten and (b) oral representations he received from honourable Members regarding the case of Mr. Nadir before his departure from the United Kingdom.
The Attorney-General : Pursuant to my answer given on 10 June 1993, col. 334, to the honourable Member for Walsall, North, I should add to that list letters written by two honourable Members to the then Home Secretary about Mr. Nadir to which my predecessor replied on points relating to the arrest and investigation. Because of the indirect route by which they came to my office they were not recorded on the departmental register of Members' correspondence so as to be included in my original answer. The overall number of Members who have made representations to me or my predecessor is therefore eight rather than six--since the honourable Member for East Hampshire (Mr. Mates) made both oral and written representations, he figured twice in my answer of 10 June. I have not included questions tabled by honourable Members in replies relating to representations.
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My reference to correspondence from whichever part of the House, Official Report, 30 June 1993, col. 969, was founded on recollection of a list prepared by officials detailing all occasions when the case was raised through parliamentary channels which included reference to a question asked by the right honourable Member for Strangford (Mr. Taylor) on 12 November 1990, col. 34.32. Mr. Bates : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the proportion of Crown Prosecution Service prosecutions in the magistrates courts which are successful.
The Solicitor-General : For the year ending 31 March 1993, 97.6 per cent. of cases which proceeded to a hearing in the magistrates court resulted in either a guilty plea or a conviction.
33. Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to reassess the constitutional and legal functions of his office.
The Attorney-General : The constitutional and legal functions of my office have an essential part to play in the administration of justice. My object is to uphold them.
34. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the staffing of the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Solicitor-General : The Crown Prosecution Service has recently completed a recruitment campaign which has resulted in a further 45 experienced lawyers being recommended for appointment. There are now very few vacancies for either legal or administrative staff.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Attorney-General what recent representations have been made to the Gibraltar authorities regarding the letter of request for information relating to inquiries into International Investments Ltd. Gibraltar, in liquidation.
The Attorney-General : Officials of the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland have been in recent oral and written communication with Senior Crown Counsel of the Attorney-General's Chambers in Gibraltar in order to finalise arrangements for the attendance of counsel and the investigating officer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary at a judicial hearing scheduled to take place in Gibraltar on 12 July 1993. This hearing is in response to the letter of request for evidence in relation to the affairs of International Investments Ltd. (In Liquidation) issued by Belfast magistrates court on 1 November 1990 and forwarded to the Gibraltar authorities on 5 November 1990 under the provisions of article 9 of the Criminal Justice (Evidence Etc) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Attorney-General how many persons of Greek- Cypriot ethnicity are employed in the Serious Fraud Office.
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The Attorney-General : The Serious Fraud Office is aware of only one employee whose ethnic origins lie within the Greek Cypriot community. Ethnic survey questionnaires are issued to all staff joining the Serious Fraud Office and are completed on a voluntary basis. The categories covered are those agreed with the civil service unions for the purposes of such a survey and do not isolate Greek Cypriot origins as a separate ethnicity.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Attorney-General how many staff in his Department have as their primary function work in connection with his duty of providing advice on matters involving adherence to international law in respect of the United Nations and use of force.
The Attorney-General : One member of my Department has as his primary function work in connection with my duty of providing advice on matters involving adherence to international law.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what provision was made in the terms of the sale of House of Commons silverware for scrap to forbid resale or to require erasure of identifying marks or the scrapping of the material.
Mr. Colin Shepherd : This is a matter for the Director of Catering Services and I shall ask her to write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Harris : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on the Vote Office.
Mr Beith : In April 1992 Vote responsibility for parliamentary printing, publications and supply services was transferred from Her Majesty's Stationery Office to the House. An interim arrangement was entered into with HMSO to ensure continuity of existing services. In May 1993, the House of Commons Commission approved in principle the establishment of new systems for the management of the printing and publishing requirements of the House. The particular aim of the changes was to bring closer together within individual Departments the management responsibility for generating House documents and the financial responsibility for paying for those publications. As part of this process, the Commission has agreed the transfer of the Vote Office from the Library Department to the Clerk's Department with effect from 1 November 1993 ; and the creation within that Office of improved facilities for the production of certain internal House documents.
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the market-testing programme has cost his Department since November 1992.
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Mr. Gummer : Since November 1992, the cost of my Department's market-testing programme has amounted to approximately £729,000 and the Department has already achieved efficiency savings in the relevant activities worth about £1 million annually. This is in advance both of the results of the majority of tenders and of calculating the gains expected from Property Holdings' programme of putting out professional services to competitive tender which is due for completion at the end of this year.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whom he has consulted in regard to miscellaneous paper 179 (1993) on the advice given by his Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee in its letter of 10 October 1992 on British Nuclear Fuels plc's proposals for the return of waste resulting from reprocessing of nuclear spent fuel to overseas utilities.
Mr. Yeo : There have been no formal consultations on RWMAC's advice in its report on waste substitution. There remain a number of technical points on which we require further information from RWMAC before their advice can be considered properly.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses he has received to his Department's consultation document on building regulations (conservation of fuel and power) ; and what proportion (a) endorsed the Government's insulation proposals, (b) wished to see a reduction in, or postponement of, the Government's insulation proposals and (c) sought an improvement in the Government's insulation proposals giving a greater reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and an improved rate of energy conservation.
Mr. Baldry : A total of 170 responses have been received to the consultation document which proposed strengthening of the building regulations for the conservation of fuel and power. The proposals include improved standards of insulation for roofs, walls, floors, windows and doors together with alternative higher standards for roofs and floors.
To date the Department has analysed 70 per cent. of the responses. Of these :
(a) 26 per cent. favour the recommendations in the consultation document. A further 28 per cent. did not specifically comment on the insulation standards, and it could be assumed that they are also content with the proposals ;
(b) 8 per cent. wished to see the alternative higher standards for roofs or floors ;
(c) 8 per cent. wished to see a reduction or postponement of the insulation proposals ; and
(d) 30 per cent. sought an improvement in one or more of the insulation standards.
In deciding what action to take in the light of these responses, the reasoning behind the arguments advanced will of course be given due weight rather than relying on a numerical breakdown of this sort.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when section 61 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will be implemented.
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Mr. Yeo : The Secretary of State announced on 24 March, Official Report, columns 633-34, a review of responsibilities for contaminated land and liabilities. The duties and powers of authorities under section 61 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in respect of landfill sites form part of the subject matter of the review. The Government do not propose to bring section 61 of the Act into force while it is still the subject of that review.
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of whether the establishment of letting value under part I of the Housing and Urban Development Bill 1993 will be prevented by the absence of or withholding of estate records ; and what forms of indirect alternative evidence of letting value including pre-1963 rating records there are, from which such letting values could appropriately be derived.
Mr. Baldry : We have no evidence from landlords, tenants, or professional bodies that the derivation of letting values in relation to the rent test in section 4 of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 has caused difficulties. We do not anticipate any difficulties with establishing letting values for the purposes of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Bill. Most professional valuers have the knowledge and experience to do it.
Estate records are not essential to the assessment of letting values, although they might provide evidence to show that a particular lease is not at a low rent.
Indirect alternative evidence includes pre-1963 rating records, calculations deduced from capital values and the experience of solicitors and valuers in practice at the relevant time. In many cases, in particular for very old leases, the rent will often be so low as to create no doubt that it is a low rent as defined.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the latest efforts to attract the 2000 Olympic Games to Manchester.
Sir George Young : The Government are doing all they can to back Manchester's bid to stage the Millennium Games in Britain. In particular :- -
We have made available up to £75 million to support the bid and the immediate construction of key facilities. Excellent progress is being made on the Olympic arena, the national cycling centre and the acquisition and clearance of the site for the Olympic stadium in East Manchester.
There has been a large number of visits by International Olympic Committee members to Manchester in recent months and over 70 members will have seen what Manchester offers by the time the IOC decide the nomination on 23 September. Minsiters are playing a full part in these discussions.
We have given full backing to Manchester's recent initiative for a $25 million Millennium Foundation to help with the training and travel cost of teams competing in the Manchester Olympic Games. This far-sighted proposal will promote equality of opportunity and provide assistance for teams who need it.
The Prime Minister welcomed members of the IOC to Downing street on 28 June ; he is meeting IOC President Samaranch again this week ; and he has announced that he will be going to Monte Carlo to help promote Manchester's bid at the time of the IOC vote in September.
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Water ContaminationMr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to publish the full reports prepared by the drinking water inspectorate on all water contamination incidents.
Mr. Yeo : Reports by the drinking water inspectorate will continue to be made public where its investigations of the particular incident show that there are lessons to be learnt or reveal issues of general interest.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, following his recent announcement on a further consultation period for THORP, he will set out the terms of reference for the consultation.
Mr. Yeo : The consultation will provide an opportunity for public comment on the additional material mentioned in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on 28 June to the hon. Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Thompson), Official Report, col. 392.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to comply with the Paris Commission resolution regarding radioactive discharges from nuclear reprocessing plants ; by what dates he will supply the information detailed in the resolution ; by what means he intends to consult the Paris Commission ; and how this relates to the further consultation period recently announced for THORP.
Mr. Yeo : I assume that the hon. Member is referring to Paris Commission recommendations 93/5. The United Kingdom did not accept this recommendation. We shall therefore be taking no specific action as a result of it.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the HMIP report on draft authorisations for the discharge of radioactive wastes from Sellafield will be published.
Mr. Yeo : The inspectors' report will be made available when the further round of public consultation which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 28 June is initiated.
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy as to the proportion of seats which should be reserved for tenant representatives on the management committees of housing associations formed to take over local authority housing stock ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir George Young : This is a matter for the Housing Corporation as the body responsible for regulating housing associations. The corporation encourages the involvement of tenants on the committees of LSVT associations but does not specify any particular proportion of seats for them.
The corporation also expects committee members to have an appropriate range of financial, legal and management skills relevant to the running of a housing association.
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Mr. Rooney : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much grant has been paid by his Department to Shelter for each of the last three years ; and what proportion of the total grants budget this represents.
Mr. Baldry : Shelter has received grants under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 of £422,000 in 1990-91 ; £916,500 in 1991-92, and £995,500 in 1992-93, to provide specialist homelessness advice to citizens advice bureaux outside London and an emergency homelessness telephone advice service in London. These payments represented 21 per cent., 20 per cent., and 17 per cent. of the funds allocated for section 73 schemes around the country in each of those years.
Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to abolish local authorities' power to introduce registration schemes for houses in multiple occupation under section 346 of the Housing Act 1985.
Sir George Young : The Department has reviewed local authorities' power to set up HMO registration schemes. We have no plans to remove this power.
Mr. Willetts : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the report of the joint working party on the internal management of local authorities in England will be published.
Mr. Curry : The working party's report will be published tomorrow and copies will be available in the Libraries of both Houses by 11 am.
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects his survey of local authorities to evaluate the impact of the code of guidance on homelessness legislation on their homelessness policies to be completed ; and when he expects to publish it.
Sir George Young [holding answer Friday 9 July] : Research on the evaluation of the code of guidance is currently being commissioned. The study is due to start in August 1993 and is expected to be completed by the end of 1994. The Department expects to publish the results in due course.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the Audit Commission's review of the Local Government Commission costings.
Mr. Gummer : It is for the Local Government Commission to decide whether to publish any opinions provided to it by the Audit Commission. I have therefore written to the chairman of the Commission, Sir John Banham, to ask if he would write to the hon. Member with his comments.
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Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he discussed the matter of nuclear testing with his Chinese counterpart during his recent visit to China.
Mr. Goodlad : No. My right hon. Friend did, however, raise proliferation issues--both in relation to North Korea and the sales of Chinese M-11 missiles to Pakistan.
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the German constitutional court to rule on the constitutional validity in Germany of the Maastricht treaty ; and what is his estimate of the effect on the ratification process.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The German Constitutional Court held an oral hearing on the constitutional validity of the Maastricht treaty on 1-2 July. A ruling is not expected before the end of September. The Maastricht treaty will enter into force on the first day of the month following ratification by the last signatory state to do so.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to enable citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to obtain in that country visas to visit the United Kingdom.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have no plans to issue visas in Skopje at present. The office of the British Government representative in Skopje has just been set up, and is operating as a one-person post. Even when it reaches planned full strength, with two United Kingdom diplomats, it will have neither the capacity nor resources to offer such a service. Whether the post might offer a service at some time in the future would depend on both demand and the availability of resources, in the light of competing priorities.
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Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where is the nearest United Kingdom diplomatic point to Macedonia at which citizens of that country can obtain a visa to visit the United Kingdom.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The British embassy in Sofia is able to issue visas to Macedonians wishing to visit the United Kingdom. Macedonians may also apply for visit visas at any other British mission offering a full visa service.
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the effect of the multi-fibre arrangement on developing countries' economies ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : A number of hon. Members have written to me and to ministerial colleagues on this subject. The Government support a progressive and orderly phasing out of the multi-fibre arrangement. We recognise the positive impact that the removal of trade barriers can have on economic development and the eradication of poverty in the third world. Free and fair trade in textiles and clothing is a goal to which we are committed. However, the ending of the MFA must be conditional upon our trading partners elsewhere giving a commitment to open their markets to our exports and to abide more closely by GATT rules and disciplines.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the destination, dates and purpose of each official overseas visit he has undertaken since April 1992.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Secretary of State's visits are as follows :
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Destination |Purpose of visit |Dates ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkey |Bilateral |21-23 April 1992 Greece |Bilateral |23 April 1992 Portugal |Informal EC Foreign Ministers Meeting |1-2 May 1992 Spain |Bilateral |2-4 May 1992 Czechoslovakia |Bilateral |4-5 May 1992 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |10-11 May 1992 France |In attendance upon Her Majesty The Queen |12 May 1992 Italy |Bilateral |15 May 1992 Kuwait |Gulf Cooperation Council |15-16 May 1992 Egypt |Bilateral |16-17 May 1992 Mexico |Bilateral |26-30 May 1992 France |In attendance upon Her Majesty The Queen |9-12 June 1992 Luxembourg |Foreign Affairs Council |14-15 June 1992 Germany |Western European Union Ministerial |18-19 June 1992 | Meeting Luxembourg |EC Foreign Ministers Conclave |20 June 1992 Portugal |European Council |25-27 June 1992 Germas |15-18 July 1992 Macedonia |Official Talks |18 July 1992 Albania |Official Talks |18-19 July 1992 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |19-20 July 1992 Philippines |ASEAN Conference |23-26 July 1992 Hong Kong |Official Talks |26-28 July 1992 Malaysia |Bilateral |28-29 July 1992 South Africa |Bilateral |1-4 September 1992 USA |47th Session of the United Nations |21-30 September 1992 | General Assembly Luxembourg |Foreign Affairs Council |4-5 October 1992 Portugal |Bilateral |7 October 1992 Spain |Bilateral |7-8 October 1992 Netherlands |Bilateral |9 October 1992 Belgium |Bilateral |9-10 October 1992 Germany |In attendance upon Her Majesty The Queen |19-23 October 1992 France |Council of Europe |27 October 1992 Philippines |EC/ASEAN Ministerial |29-30 October 1992 Pakistan |Bilateral |31 October to |1 November 1992 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |8-9 November 1992 Italy |Western European Union Ministerial |19-20 November 1992 | Meeting Belgium |EC Foreign Ministers Conclave |26-27 November 1992 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council and EC Foreign |6-8 December 1992 | Ministers Conclave Sweden |CSCE Ministerial Meeting |14-15 December 1992 Switzerland |International Conference on the former |15-16 December 1992 | Yugoslavia Belgium |North Atlantic Council Ministerial Meeting|16-17 December 1992 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |20-21 December 1992 Ghana |Bilateral |3-4 January 1993 Nigeria |Bilateral |4-5 January 1993 Argentina |Bilateral |6-10 January 1993 Chile |Bilateral |10-11 January 1993 France |Bilateral |13-14 January 1993 Netherlands |Bilateral |20 January 1993 Belgium |Bilateral |25 January 1993 Switzerland |World Economic Forum |29-31 January 1993 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |31 January to |2 February 1993 France |Council of Europe |2 February 1993 Germany |30th Munich (Wehrkunde) Conference on |5-6 February 1993 | Security Policy Germany |Bilateral |17 February 1993 France |Bilateral |24 February 1993 Belgium |North Atlantic Council Ministerial Meeting|25-26 February 1993 Spain |Anglo/Spanish Talks on Gibraltar |28 February to |1 March 1993 USA |United Nations |3 March 1993 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |7-8 March 1993 USA |Bilateral |24-25 March 1993 Germany |Address the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung |29 March 1993 France |Bilateral |1 April 1993 Russia |Bilateral |2 April 1993 Indonesia |Bilateral |3-5 April 1993 Japan |Bilateral |6-7 April 1993 Korea |Bilateral |7-9 April 1993 Japan |Joint Ministerial G7 Meeting |12-15 April 1993 Denmark |EC Foreign Ministers Informal Weekend |24-25 April 1993 Finland |Bilateral |25-26 April 1993 Sweden |Bilateral |26-27 April 1993 Ireland |Bilateral |30 April 1993 Hungary |In attendance upon Her Majesty The Queen |6-7 May 1993 Belgium |Foreign Affairs Council |9-10 May 1993 France |Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly |13-14 May 1993 Italy |Western European Union |19 May 1993 USA |Bilateral |21 May 1993 Denmark |EC Foreign Ministers Troika with Turkey |24 May 1993 Belgium |Bilateral |24 May 1993 France |Bilateral |1 June 1993 Romania |Bilateral |1-3 June 1993 Bulgaria |Bilateral |3-4 June 1993 Macedonia |Bilateral |4 June 1993 Luxembourg |Foreign Affairs Council |7-9 June 1993 Greece |Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic |9-11 June 1993 | Council Denmark |European Council |21-22 June 1993 Singapore |Bilateral |5-6 July 1993 Japan |G7 Economic Summit |7-8 July 1993 China |Bilateral |8-9 July 1993 Hong Kong |Official Talks |9 July 1993
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Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the peace negotiations in the former Yugoslavia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We fully support the continuing efforts of Lord Owen and Mr. Stoltenberg to secure a peace settlement, acceptable to all parties and based on the principles of the London conference. The latest peace proposal for Bosnia-Herzegovina is a Serb and Croat initiative which has not been endorsed by the international community. We are actively supporting the co-chairmen's efforts to encourage all three sides to engage in serious negotiations.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise at the next meeting of EC Ministers Croatia's response to the warning of the EC Foreign Ministers on 8 June of their obligations to co-operate with the international community in ensuring a peaceful resolution of the problems in the Krajinas and in Bosnia-Herzegovina ; what is his policy towards the introduction of sanctions against Croatia ; and if he will make a statement.
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