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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Good progress has been made during the Belgian Presidency in the negotiations with the
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four EFTA applicants for Community membership, Norway, Sweden, Austria and Finland. But some difficult issues remain to be settled, notably agriculture and regional policy. Decisive progress is needed in the next few months if the target of entry of these four applicants into the Community by 1 January 1995 is to be met.Far East (Exports)
22. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts his Department is making to promote British exports to the far east ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : All FCO posts in the far east have export promotion as a top priority. They seek out export opportunities, advise British companies on the business to be won in their markets, lobby on their behalf for major contracts and against discrimination, organise visits by ministers and trade missions with the specific object of winning business amongst other tasks. I am happy to say that our exports to China are 90 per cent. up this year, to the Philipines 59 per cent., to Thailand 43 per cent., to South Korea 25 per cent., to Malaysia 51 per cent., to Hong Kong 33 per cent., to Singapore 25 per cent. and to Taiwan 20 per cent.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
23. Sir Fergus Montgomery : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress on talks to bring the GATT round to a successful conclusion.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave earlier to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Mr. Milligan).
Election Observers
24. Sir Michael Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely demand for parliamentary support in observing elections in newly emerging democracies in 1994.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We hope that there will be several elections in emerging democracies in 1994 to which missions of international observers will be invited. The most notable is the election in South Africa, but there will be elections in Ukraine, Moldova and Kazakhstan, and possibly in Mozambique, Malawi, Belarus and the Occupied Territories. The numbers of observers required will depend on how each observer mission is organised. The United Kingdom hopes to send observers as appropriate either bilaterally or through missions organised by the United Nations, Commonwealth or European Union.
Bosnia
25. Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he intends to take, through the United Nations, to secure the reopening of Tusla airport in central Bosnia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is urgently
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considering options for re-opening Tuzla airport. Much depends upon the cooperation of the warring parties to ensure the security of relief flights. Progress has been made in talks between UNPROFOR and the local Bosnian authorities, but agreement has yet to be reached with the Bosnian Serb army, whose artillery is within range of the airport.35. Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with his European Community counterparts on efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : At their meeting with the parties in Geneva on 29 November, European Union Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of a peace settlement if a humanitarian disaster is to be avoided. The subsequent peace talks made some progress in clarifying positions. The European Council on 10-11 December agreed to urge the parties to continue negotiating, and to maintain pressure on the Serbs to make further territorial concessions on the scale demanded by the Bosnian Government.
Kashmir
26. Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had recently with the Indian Government regarding human rights violations in Kashmir.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have repeatedly impressed on the Indian Government our concerns about human rights abuses in Kashmir.
Zimbabwe
29. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to visit Zimbabwe to discuss bilateral relations.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no plans at present to visit Zimbabwe.
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to President Mugabe about the continued imprisonment in Zimbabwe of Michael Smith, Kevin Woods, Barry Bawden, Philip Conjwayo and Charles Beahan and seek a reprieve of their death sentences on humanitarian grounds.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : On 10 December, the Zimbabwe Supreme Court commuted the death sentences on Woods, Conjwayo and Smith--a British citizen--to life imprisonment. They had been found guilty of murder. We have no plans to make representations on their behalf, or on behalf of Bawden and Beahan--also a British citizen--who were imprisoned for attempting to rescue the others.
Councils of Ministers
30. Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has made, following the decisions of the European Councils in Edinburgh 1992 and Brussels 1993, to increase the transparency and accountability of decision-making, including the recording of votes of each member state, at
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meetings of European Community Councils of Ministers at which his Department is represented ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Foreign Affairs Council on 6 December agreed that votes on legislative decisions would be published automatically unless a majority of the Council opposed this. This is a more automatic procedure than that agreed on 4 October, and fully consistent with the conclusions of the Edinburgh European Council last December. VotinZ -- Transcaucasus States
31. Dr. Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to meet leaders of the Transcaucasus states of the former Soviet Union ; and if he will make a statement about developments in that region.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has no current plans to meet leaders of the Transcaucasus although I hope there will be opportunities for meetings in the near future.
We attach great importance to encouraging peace and stability in the Transcaucasus and fully support the efforts currently being made to resolve disputes by negotiation. We welcome the start of talks between the Abkhaz and the Georgians under United Nations auspices. We also support the CSCE's continuing efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, as well as its contribution to resolution of the political problems in South Ossetia.
South Africa
33. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what help Her Majesty's Government intend to give in the coming year to South Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We will continue to give South Africa as much moral and practical support as we can. This includes a growing aid programme, which last year totalled over £11.5 million, with a similar sum as our share of EC aid.
34. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other representatives of the Security Council of the United Nations concerning the upcoming general election in South Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are in close contact with Security Council partners, the Secretary-General, the Secretariat and the United Nations observer mission already in South Africa (UNOMSA)--as we are with our European Union and Commonwealth partners--about international assistance in support of the election process in South Africa.
India
36. Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indian Government regarding the incidence of abortion of female foetuses and infanticide of new-born females.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : India acceded to the convention on the rights of the child in December 1992 and is bound by its provisions. The Indian Government also attended the world conference on human rights this year, when the conference called upon states to repeal laws and remove practices which discriminate against and cause harm to the girl child. We are encouraging all states, including India, to implement these measures.
Northern Ireland
37. Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the involvement of the United States Administration in the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hurd : President Clinton has several times expressed his firm support for the efforts of the British and Irish Governments to promote talks on the future of Northern Ireland. I much welcome this.
Yugoslavia
38. Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's latest policy towards the conflict in former Yugoslavia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We continue to support the co-chairmen of the International Conference on the former Yugoslavia in their efforts to secure peaceful settlements in Bosnia and Croatia. The European Union Foreign Ministers' meeting with the parties on 29 November has helped to restart negotiations on Bosnia. The European Union is meanwhile committed through the winter to continue and enhance its efforts to provide humanitarian aid. The United Kingdom remains one of the largest donors, having given over £152 million.
Russia
39. Mr. Thomason : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's view on the progress of reform in Russia and the impact on United Kingdom policy.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The largest democratic consultation in the history of Russia took place on 12 December, involving multi-party elections and a referendum on a new constitution. It demonstrates how far democratic reform has progressed in post-Soviet Russia. We welcome the adoption by the Russian people of a constitution which provides for democracy and human rights. This process will further strengthen our bilateral relations.
Serbia
40. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he recently had about sanctions in Serbia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Sanctions were discussed by European Union Foreign Ministers during their meeting with the parties in Geneva on 29 November, and by European Union Heads of Government at the European Council on 10 11 December.
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Sub-Saharan Africa
Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he intends to take to assist moves towards democracy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We will continue, with our European partners, to encourage democracy and democratic values in sub-Saharan Africa in political contacts, through our aid programme and, where possible, in providing support for elections.
Cuba
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the reason for Her Majesty's Government's abstention on the vote at the United Nations calling for the lifting by the United States of America of its financial and trade blockade on Cuba.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : With the majority of European Union member states, we abstained because we believe the United States embargo against Cuba is primarily a bilateral matter for those two governments.
Sudan
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when was the last time that a British Foreign Office Minister visited Sudan ; and when he plans to visit Khartoum to stimulate a peace initiative.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The then Foreign Secretary visited Sudan in September 1988. We continue to look closely at all possible ways of helping bring about an end to the civil war in Sudan, and have welcomed the peace initiative of the Kenyan, Ugandan, Ethiopian and Eritrean Presidents. There are no firm plans for a visit to Sudan by a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister at present, but we do not rule out this option.
Korean Peninsula
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest decision of the Security Council of the United Nations concerning the situation on the Korean peninsula ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : On 11 May the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution, SCR 825, calling on North Korea to reconsider its stated intention to withdraw from the Nuclear non-proliferation treaty and to honour all its obligations under that treaty, including complying with its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Council also decided to remain seized of the matter and to consider further action as necessary.
United Nations Members
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the member states of the United Nations with populations of fewer than 2.8 million, with their current population and gross national product per head in each case for the latest available year.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information is as follows :
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Country |Population '000 |GNP per capita US$
|(1991) |(1991)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andorra |50 |n/a
Antigua and Barbuda |80 |4,770
Bahamas |256 |11,720
Bahrain |518 |6,910
Barbados |258 |6,630
Belize |193 |2,050
Bhutan |1,467 |180
Botswana |1,289 |2,590
Brunei |264 |n/a
Cape Verde |383 |750
Comoros |492 |500
Congo |2,351 |1,120
Cyprus |708 |8,640
Djibouti |441 |n/a
Dominica |72 |2,440
Equatorial Guinea |426 |330
Estonia |1,591 |3,830
Fiji |751 |1,830
Gabon |1,168 |3,780
Gambia |901 |360
Grenada |91 |2,180
Guinea-Bissau |999 |190
Guyana |802 |290
Iceland |258 |22,580
Jamaica |2,440 |1,380
Kuwait |2,212 |n/a
Latvia |2,693 |3,410
Lesotho |1,816 |580
Liberia |2,639 |n/a
Liechtenstein |28 |n/a
Luxembourg |378 |31,080
Maldives |221 |460
Marshall Islands |48 |n/a
Malta |356 |6,850
Mauritania |2,023 |510
Mauritius |1,083 |2,420
Micronesia |102 |n/a
Monaco |28 |n/a
Mongolia |2,184 |n/a
Namibia |1,834 |1,120
Oman |1,618 |n/a
Panama |2,460 |2,180
Qatar |452 |n/a
Saint Kitts and Nevis |39 |3,960
Saint Lucia |152 |2,500
Saint Vincent |108 |1,730
San Marino |20 |n/a
Sao Tome and Principe |120 |350
Seychelles |69 |5,110
Solomon Islands |326 |560
Suriname |457 |3,610
Swaziland |825 |1,060
Trinidad and Tobago |1,249 |3,620
United Arab Emirates |1,630 |n/a
Vanuatu |156 |1,120
Western Samoa |168 |930
Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia |1.9 million |<1>-
Slovenia |1.8 million |<1>-
<1>- No data for 1991, but the per capita GNP of the former Yugoslavia in 1990 US$ 2,
940.
Somalia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits have been made by Foreign Office staff to Somalia in the current year ; where they went ; and what were the lessons from their visits.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Foreign Office staff from London, the British embassy in Addis Ababa and the British High Commission in Nairobi have made a total of 15 visits to
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Somalia this year. They visited Mogadishu, Kismayo, Baidoa, Hargeisa, Belet Huen, Berbera and Bossasso. The visits were made in order to assess the humanitarian and political situation on the ground.Seeds (Intellectual Property Rights)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made on behalf of the Government, within European Union discussions about the general agreement on tariffs and trade, concerning the potential impact on farmers in Commonwealth countries of proposals made within the GATT negotiations for the enforcement of intellectual property rights over varieties of seeds.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : No specific representations have been necessary. The trade-related intellectual
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property agreement (TRIPs) in the GATT Uruguay round is a good one. It aims to establish minimum property rights for new products, including new varieties of plants. It is compatible with, and complementary to, the international convention for the protection of new varieties of plants (UPOV convention).Departmental Offices (Heating Bills)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, by location, the annual heating fuel bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.
Mr. Goodlad : The information is as follows :
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Statistics are available only from 1 April 1990 (1 April 1991 for Hanslope Park) when the FCO
assume responsibility for the payment of utility
charges from the Property Services Agency
|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FCO London
Old Public Offices, Whitehall |8,899.31 |6,471.83 |7,341.94 |<4>887.35
Old Admiralty Building |2,887.82 |4,916.52 |4,136.92 |<4>1,169.17
2/3/4 Matthew Parker street |15,127.87 |17,218.43 |15,677.95 |<3>3,988.42
Cromwell house, Millbank |7,865.21 |7,049.86 |5,391.35 |<4>1,997.38
Clive house, Petty France |5,148.88 |5,495.93 |3,545.11 |<3>1,576.53
20 Victoria street |<1>- |8,770.37 |11,425.95 |<3>3,858.84
8 Cleveland Row |n/a |n/a |808.41 |<6>198.40
1 Carlton Gardens |2,929.87 |7,960.15 |7,105.69 |<6>1,720.70
Buckinghamshire
Hanslope Park complex |n/a |73,262.37 |<2>116,438.04|<4>31,332.58
ODA
London
94 Victoria street |<3>- |<3>- |<3>- |<3>-
East Kilbride
Abercrombie house |14,515.00 |18,979.00 |18,863.00 |<4>7,899.00
<1>Not occupied by FCO in 1990-91.
<2>Includes accounts for part of 1991-92 paid in following year and not readily identifiable.
<3>Cost of utilities included in common service charges and not readily identifiable.
<4>November.
<5>October.
<6>September.
WALES
Sheep Quota Scheme
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions officers from the agricultural section of his Department have met Mr. or Mrs. G. E. Lockett of Ty Loch, Betws Garnon, Caernarfon, to discuss the difficulties facing them because of the rules of the new sheep quota scheme ; and if he will find a method to alleviate their difficulties.
Mr. Redwood : One meeting and six telephone calls have taken place. Mr. and Mrs. Lockett should by now have received a letter from the divisional office explaining that, as first-time claimants in 1992, they are eligible to apply for quota from "the pool".
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales at what date the national reserve will be made available and distributed to sheep farmers who have been so far denied a quota under the new scheme.
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Mr. Redwood : The statutory instrument giving details of the national reserve for sheep quota came into force on 7 December. The deadline for receipt of applications for categories 1 and 2 is 7 January 1994. Quota allocations will then be made as soon as possible. Applications to the remaining categories of the 1993 sheep quota national reserve will be invited after we have dealt with categories 1 and 2.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 7 December, Official Report , column 179 , what is the exact number of representations he has received on the question of the operation of the siphon in the context of sheep quota where it applies to changes in existing partnerships ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I have received representations from 10 Members of Parliament and both farming unions in Wales. My officials have also received inquiries from a number of individuals and other interested organisations.
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Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now take immediate and urgent steps to reverse the cuts in hill livestock compensatory allowance payments and restore these to their original value.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the reduction in farm incomes in Wales resulting from the recent reductions in hill livestock compensatory allowance payments ; and what is his estimate of the maximum likely loss of income to any individual farming unit.
Mr. Redwood : Based on expected eligible livestock numbers it is estimated that total payments of hill livestock compensatory allowances to Welsh producers under the 1994 scheme will be £5.5 million lower than under the 1993 scheme. Figures are not available for the maximum reduction in payment to any individual farming unit. The reduced 1994 payments should be seen in the context of rising overall farm incomes in the less-favoured areas and an overall increase in subsidy resulting from changes in other agricultural support.
Home Improvement Grants
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the average waiting time between application and completion of work involving mandatory home improvement grants for the whole of Wales, and for each district council in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested is not available centrally.
School Inspections
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the financing of school inspections ; what amount will be lost to each education authority's inspection and advisory services ; and whether each education authority will receive a rebate if the actual cost of inspections is less than the estimate made at the start of the financial year.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The responsibility for school inspections rests with the office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in Wales. Resources have been transferred from local to central Government for this purpose at the all-Wales level and in consultation with the Assembly of Welsh Counties. They amount to £0.933 million, £3.283 million and £4.651 in 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96 respectively. The overall transfer sum remains appropriate and there is no question of it being revisited.
Arable Aid and Payments
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales by how much payments to Welsh arable farmers will be increased under the arable aid payments scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I am consulting the industry about the
regionalisation proposals I announced on 29 October. Payment levels will depend on the terms of the final plan
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for the 1993-94 planting year which I shall announce as soon as possible after 17 December, which is the closing date for comments on my proposals.Home Renovation Grants
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the number of applications received by each district council in Wales for home renovation grants, together with the percentage of these applications as a proportion of the total number of houses in each district, and the total number of such applications received for Wales as a whole.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information requested is not available centrally.
Student Grants
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the proposed 10 per cent. reduction in student grants.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend has received two letters on this subject.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the timing of the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering for unitary authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : I have received several representations and hope to make an announcement soon about the timetable for extending competitive tendering in Wales.
District Council Elections
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that no elections will be held during 1994 in those Welsh district councils which retain elections by thirds.
Mr. Redwood : No. The elections due in May 1994 will go ahead.
Badgers
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether, following publication of the new five-year programme, badger culling will now cease in Wales ;
(2) if there will be a suspension of badger culling following the announcement of the revised procedure.
Mr. Redwood : My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced the Government's revised approach regarding badgers and tuberculosis on 8 December. This gave details of the action programme which it has been decided to set in place, which includes a trial of a new badger control strategy to run for at least five years based on the application of the test for tuberculosis in the live badger in areas of the south-west of England. In areas outside those proposed for the trial the existing arrangements will continue, which will mean that no action will be taken against badgers on any farm in those areas where there has been a tuberculosis breakdown unless it has been specifically sanctioned by a sub-committee of the consultative panel on badgers and bovine tuberculosis.
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Local Authorities
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will issue guidelines for the listing of the assets of local authorities prior to their transfer to the new unitary councils and the residual authority.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Draft guidance was issued to local authorities on 31 August 1993.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date Welsh local authorities were advised of the proposed draft electoral wards which will be introduced for the unitary planning authorities.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : It is my intention to consult Welsh local authorities on proposed electoral wards soon, taking account of my right hon. Friend's recent announcement that there should be about 1, 250 councillors in the proposed unitary authorities.
Local Government (Powys Model)
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he received regarding the proposed Powys model structure of local government ; if he will list those organisations making such representations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : I have received representations from about 40 organisations and individuals, including the following :
Council of Welsh Districts
Assembly of Welsh Counties
Campaign for Mongomeryshire
Montgomeryshire Conservative Association
Powys County Council
Brecknock Borough Council
Clwyd County Council
Gwynedd County Council
Montgomeryshire District Council
Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council
Aberconwy Borough Council
Ynys Mon Borough Council
Blaenau Gwent Borough Council
Cardiff City Council
Swansea City Council
Meirionnydd Campaign Committee
Carreghofa Community Council
Arfon Borough Council
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