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industries have access to the best resources available to train their work forces. To that end, MAFF has been instrumental in providing resources to the industry training organisation for agriculture and commercial horticulture, ATB-Landbase Ltd., and in helping to ensure that those organisations, such as the TECs, which guide and provide training and education of direct interest to the land-based industries, are aware of the training needs of businesses in the rural economy.Over the last year, the Ministry has developed its contacts with several TECs on a regional basis. We have discussed how rural initiatives can be developed in partnership with businesses and training providers, and how the available resources can best be targeted to meet the training needs of the industry. Visits by Ministers to TECs
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are a feature of their regional programmes. MAFF and the consortium of rural TECs are members of the national rural education and training strategy whose aim is to contribute to the development of the rural education and training infrastructure. NRETS is currently considering how existing training and education mechanisms are meeting the changing needs of the land-based industries and we look forward to its advice.Fish Marketing
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will introduce a marketing development scheme for fisheries similar to those under the Agriculture Act 1993.
Mr. Jack : The establishment of a marketing development scheme for fishery products similar to that already adopted under the Agriculture Act 1993 would not be in accordance with the EU rules on state aids in the fisheries sector. These rules are currently under review in Brussels, but it remains to be seen whether the Union will decide to change them in this respect.
State Veterinary Service
Mr. Morley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 22 June, Official Report , column 169 , which interested parties he intends to consult regarding the future of the state veterinary service.
Mr. Soames : My right hon. Friend intends to consult very widely, and would welcome the views of any interested person or body.
Integrated Administration and Control
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her estimate of the proportion of eligible farm holdings, which submitted admissible integrated administration and control scheme documentation by the closing date in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Mr. Jack : At the time of distributing the IACS forms we could not predict how many forms would be returned in an admissible state. We were able to accept 155,977 applications as having been lodged with United Kingdom Agriculture Departments by the 15 May deadline ; of these 81,863 were received in England, 20,329 in Wales, 25,416 in Scotland and 28,369 in Northern Ireland. An application may relate to more than one farm holding. Departments are still carrying out detailed checks to determine eligibility for payment of these applications.
WALES
Neighbourhood Watch
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each district council area in Wales and for Wales as a whole the number of neighbourhood watch schemes in operation as at 31 December 1993.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information is not held in the form requested. It is collated at police force level, and the available information is as follows :
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Police Force |Total at
|31 December 1993
-----------------------------------------------------
Dyfed-Powys Police |1,257
Gwent Police |210
North Wales Police |2,989
South Wales Police |1,292
|---
Total |5,748
Temporary Jobs
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many temporary jobs were available in jobcentres in the week ended 28 May in each Welsh travel-to-work area and in total in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Information on vacancies for temporary jobs is available only on a quarterly basis. During the period 10 January 1994 to 8 April 1994 the number of vacancies for temporary jobs notified to jobcentres in Wales was 10,400. Information is not available for travel-to- work areas.
Road Safety Education
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will issue guidelines to all initial teacher training colleges recommending that they include road safety education on all PGCE and B.Ed. courses ;
(2) if he will make it his policy to provide a specific allocation of financial resources for the training of teachers in road safety education.
Sir Wyn Roberts : No. The Government set out the criteria which all courses of initial teacher training must meet, focusing on the subject knowledge and teaching skills new teachers require to be effective in the classroom. It is for the initial teacher training institutions to decide on the inclusion of cross-curricular elements such as road safety education in the courses they provide. The funding made available to initial teacher training providers by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and through tuition fees is intended to reflect the costs of all aspects of the training courses and it would be inappropriate to make special provision for road safety education which is an optional element of these courses. Separately, the Department provides funding to the British Institute of Traffic Education Research to provide the services of the Traffic Education Officer for Wales. Among other things, the duties of this officer involve advising on the handling of road user education in schools and organising seminars for student teachers.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to (a) place a general duty upon all schools to provide road safety education and (b) include child casualty reduction as a stated aim in their programmes of preventive health and safety education.
Sir Wyn Roberts : There are opportunities within the framework of the national curriculum for road safety education. It is for local education authorities and schools to determine the organisation of any such education and whether it should be delivered in the context of individual national curriculum subjects or as part of a cross-curricular programme.
The Government's strategy for reducing road accidents involving children is set out in the document "Children and
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Roads : A Safer Way", a copy of which is in the Library of the House and which includes a section on road safety education in schools. Road safety officers in individual authorities provide advice to schools and a range of teaching materials is available. The Welsh Office provides funding for the services of the traffic education officer for Wales who advises on the handling of road user education in schools and organises seminars for student teachers.Column 512
Arable Subsidies
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by county the amount of European Union arable subsidy received for the latest year for which figures are available ; and what were the figures for each of the previous four years.
Mr. Redwood : The arable area payments scheme was introduced in 1992 and the first payments were made in 1993. There are therefore no comparable figures for previous years. Payments made since 1993 to date are as follows :
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SimplifiedMain scheme
|scheme
|Cereals |Oilseeds |Protein |Set-aside|Total
County |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |410,500 |201,003 |92,365 |50,903 |87,646 |842,417
Dyfed |1,023,574|386,878 |127,527 |68,800 |156,527 |763,306
Gwent |258,122 |275,784 |158,478 |37,083 |108,494 |837,961
Gwynedd |201,997 |86,392 |14,143 |12,367 |32,826 |347,725
Mid Glamorgan |35,322 |120,958 |55,760 |21,705 |47,289 |281,034
Powys |362,912 |267,031 |68,021 |21,568 |96,698 |816,230
South Glamorgan |97,319 |219,383 |39,986 |29,344 |78,977 |465,009
West Glamorgan |72,248 |12,258 |12,059 |- |5,074 |101,909
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |2,461,994|1,569,957|568,339 |241,770 |613,531 |5,455,591
Law Students
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many students studying for a law degree in the University of Wales failed to secure legal traineeship in each year since (a) 1991-92, (b) 1992-93 and (c) 1993-94.
Sir Wyn Roberts : This information is not held centrally.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what decisions his Department has taken in respect of training and enterprise councils over the past 12 months ; and if he will make a statement on his Department's involvement with TECs over the same period.
Sir Wyn Roberts : In the last 12 months my right hon. Friend has provided strategic and planning guidance to TECs ; officials have negotiated contracts based on assessments of TECs' corporate and business plans and in the light of the resources available ; and TEC performance has been monitored and reviewed. Throughout the year decisions were taken in the context of the TEC operating agreement and variations to business plans made as appropriate.
Student Employment (Summer Vacation)
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what financial support he proposes to help Welsh students who fail to find employment during the summer vacation and whose parents are unable to support them ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Student support arrangements through the mandatory grant and loan make more resources available to students than through grant alone. The student loan is intended to cover the whole of the academic year
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including the summer vacation period. In addition, further and higher education institutions in Wales receive access funds to provide discretionary help to students in particular financial need. Access funds totalling £1.262 million for the current academic year were distributed by the Welsh funding councils to FHE institutions in Wales.Tourism
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many applicants for section 4 grants were made by tourism operators in Wales in (a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992 and (d) 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested on the number of section 4 applications is as follows :
|Total applications
---------------------------------------------------------
1990 |210
1991 |316
1992 |646
1993 |467
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total value of section 4 grants made to tourism operators in Wales in (a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992 and (d) 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested on the value of section 4 grants is as follows :
|Total value
|approved (£)
---------------------------------------
1990 |3,838,409
1991 |3,159,654
1992 |4,845,233
1993 |5,138,717
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Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many section 4 grants have been allocated to those involved in tourism services in (a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992 and (d) 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested on the number of section 4 grants made is as follows :
|Total approved
---------------------------------------------
1990 |163
1991 |169
1992 |488
1993 |426
Pollution
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many prosecutions have been brought against farmers for alleged pollution incidents in Wales in (a) 1991, (b) 1992, (c) 1993 and (d) in the last six months ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : This information is not held centrally. Information on numbers of prosecutions brought by the National Rivers Authority in its Welsh region following farm water pollution incidents is contained in the authority's annual reports on "Water Pollution Incidents in England and Wales", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many companies in Wales were taken to court for polluting the environment in 1993 ; how many of them were successfully prosecuted ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution prosecuted three companies in 1993. All three prosecutions were successful.
Information about prosecutions undertaken by the National Rivers Authority is included in its annual reports, copies of which are held in the Library of the House.
Details of prosecution actions by local authorities are not held centrally.
Infertility, Gwent
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if Gwent health authority has sought from his Department advice as to the most cost- effective and cost-efficient means of providing for infertility investigation and treatment in its area.
Advanced Technology Programme
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the effects of cuts in the advanced technology programme in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : The effects of cuts will be minimal in Wales.
Transport Planning Policy
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will issue a document on transport planning policy guidance.
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Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend is currently reviewing planning policy guidance note 13, "Highways Considerations in Development Control", and revised guidance will issue in due course.
Warner Report
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of Dr. Morton Warner's report for the Welsh Health Planning Forum on the future supply and demand for hospital beds and other medical facilities in Wales, with particular reference to Powys and Neath.
Mr. Redwood : Copies of the Welsh Health Planning Forum document "Health and Social Care 2010" have been placed in the Library of the House. Policy for the NHS Wales is to provide the number of beds needed to fulfil the promises of the patients charter.
NHS Trusts (Job Losses)
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has received from national health service trusts about their estimates for job losses (a) up to the end of the current financial year and (b) in the next financial year.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : There is no requirement for NHS trusts to inform the Welsh Office of any changes in the numbers of employees.
Local Government (Wales) Bill
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Minister of State's oral statement of 16 June, Official Report, column 773, giving the final date on which instructions were given to parliamentary counsel for drafting amendments to clause 44 of the Local Government (Wales) Bill [Lords] , on what previous occasions his Department instructed parliamentary counsel in relation to the amendments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Details of such exchanges between Government Departments are not normally divulged.
Social Services
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for developing the inspection of social services in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones [pursuant to his reply, 23 June 1994, Official Report, c. 274-75] : I regret that an incomplete answer was given. full reply is as follows :
In June 1993, I published a consultation document "Inspecting Social Services in Wales". This set out proposals for applying three key principles of the citizens charter--that inspectors should be independent of the services they inspect, that lay people should be involved in inspections, and that inspection reports should be accessible to the public.
I intend that during 1994 there should be clear and demonstrable progress, both nationally and locally, towards the wider implementation of the citizens charter principles.
The social services inspectorate for Wales has already made considerable progress. For some years its inspection reports have been available to the public. A small group is
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being established to advise on the social services inspectorate's inspection work ; half its membership will represent service users, carers and wider lay interests, and half will be drawn from local authorities and providers of services in the independent sector. Since February 1994, inspection teams have begun to include lay assessors ; inspection reports will take full account of their views and observations.I propose to issue shortly, for a brief consultation, draft guidance on how the same principles should be applied to the work of "arm's-length" inspection units in local authority social services departments.
The new guidance will give local authority chief executives the important role of commissioning independent annual reports on the work of inspection units. These reports will focus on whether units apply the same standards to both local authority and independent provision, and on how effectively local authorities respond when improvements are shown to be needed.
The guidance will call for a change in the composition of advisory committees for inspection units. By the end of 1994 the number of lay people unconnected with the authority should be increased so that they form a majority on advisory committees.
I intend, too, that during 1994 we will begin to see lay people involved in social services inspections, and their views reflected in inspection reports. It will not be possible to include lay people in every inspection, but there must be substantial lay involvement on a regular and continuing basis.
The consultation document restated the Government's commitment to open reporting. I have been greatly encouraged to see that most county councils in Wales are already making inspection reports publicly available. I intend that by the end of 1994 this should be normal practice for all authorities.
This requirement for open reporting will cover joint inspections by local authorities and health authorities of premises dually registered as both residential care homes and nursing homes. I believe that progress towards joint working will be further helped if both sectors are working to the same citizens charter principles. I shall be consulting health authorities, nursing home associations and others about how this can best be done.
Health Expenditure
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of total budget in each Welsh district health authority and trust was spent on (a) managerial, (b) administrative and (c) clerical costs in each year since 1991-92.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The percentages of total expenditure by each district health authority and national health service trust in Wales accounted for by spending on managerial, administrative and clerical costs in 1991-92 and 1992-93 were as follows :
Percentage
Authority |Managerial
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92
Clwyd |1.5 |6.1
East Dyfed |1.2 |6.6
Gwent |0.9 |6.3
Gwynedd |0.7 |6.3
Mid Glamorgan |0.3 |6.0
Pembrokeshire |1.0 |6.3
Powys |1.5 |3.8
South Glamorgan |2.4 |8.2
West Glamorgan |1.2 |5.8
1992-93
Clwyd |2.1 |5.6
East Dyfed |1.3 |6.7
Gwent |1.1 |6.8
Gwynedd |0.5 |6.9
Mid Glamorgan |0.6 |3.2
Pembrokeshire |0.2 |0.1
Powys |1.6 |4.2
South Glamorgan |2.3 |8.9
West Glamorgan |1.0 |5.7
Pembrokeshire NHS Trust |2.0 |8.9
Sources:
Health Authorities Annual Accounts/Financial Returns
Pembrokeshire NHS Trust Annual Accounts/Financial Returns (1992-93 only).
House Burglaries
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many house burglaries were reported in Wales and for each county in Wales for the year 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean : I have been asked to reply.
The table shows the number of domestic burglaries recorded in each police force in Wales in 1993. The information is not available centrally for counties and 1994 data are not yet available.
Domestic burglaries recorded in Wales in 1993, by police force Force |Number -------------------------- Dyfed Powys |1,567 Gwent |3,315 North Wales |3,917 South Wales |14,478 Wales |23,277
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Liberia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the response of the United Nations to Tanzania's proposed withdrawal from the peacekeeping operation in Liberia ; and what reason was given by Tanzania for this withdrawal.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Tanzania has not made a definite decision to withdraw from the ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Liberia. The United Nations is in negotiation with the Tanzanians to solve problems which have arisen with logistic support for the Tanzanian battalion.
Inhumane Weapons Convention
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to strengthen mines protocol No. 11 to the 1981 inhumane weapons convention.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : A review conference on the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention has been called for 1995, the main aim of which will be to consider strengthening protocol II on the use of land mines. We are already playing a full role in the preparations for that conference.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy and rationale with regard to the ratification of the 1980 inhumane weapons convention.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The United Kingdom has signed the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention, and we are now working actively towards ratification. We hope to achieve this soon, certainly in time for the review conference in 1995.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is seeking to extend the 1980 inhumane weapons convention to cover internal conflicts.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The application of the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention to non-international conflicts is one of the issues being considered by the expert groups preparing for the review conference on the convention in 1995. We are playing a full role in this process.
South Lebanon
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances the Israeli Government have given him about their intentions for South Lebanon and on the time scale and diplomatic procedures for the fulfilment of those intentions.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has received assurances from Prime Minister Rabin that Israel recognises its international border with Lebanon and has no territorial claim on Lebanese territory. On 18 April, in a speech to the Knesset, Prime Minister Rabin proposed that, "In the first phase, the Lebanese army be deployed up to the Northern border of the security zone. For six months, it must prove its ability to maintain total calm and to disarm Hizbullah in Southern Lebanon. If this is proven and total quiet reigns on the Northern border of the security zone, we will begin peace negotiations that I hope will last three months. We will be prepared to withdraw to the International border between Lebanon and Israel on three conditions : Full peace and normalisation ; appropriate security arrangements ; and, of course, our commitments to the Southern Lebanese Army and the residents of Southern Lebanon, the integration of the South Lebanese Army within the Lebanese army and a guarantee to residents of Southern Lebanon that they will not be harmed."
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Israel gave undertakings to withdraw from South Lebanon before he lifted the arms embargo on Israel.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Prime Minister Rabin has given my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs assurances that Israel recognises its international border with Lebanon and has no territorial claim on Lebanese territory.
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Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's involvement with TECs.
Mr. Goodlad : My Department has in the past received help with our new entrant training programme for technical staff. A redundancy task force is now providing assistance in the design of a redundancy package ; and the TECs have provided information and presentations on national vocational qualifications and Investors in People.
Bosnia
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to funding the restoration of Bosnia-Herzegovina's historic monuments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have taken the lead in the international effort to restore Sarajevo library, and have made a substantial contribution to restocking books. We are considering together with the international community the broader general need for reconstruction once there is a lasting peace settlement.
Entry Clearance
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when instructions for entitlement to free entry clearance were sent to all the relevant posts : and if he will deposit in the Library a copy of the instructions.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The payment, or waiver, of consular fees, which include fees for entry clearances, is regulated by the Consular Fees Act 1980 and the Consular Fees Orders, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Their texts are included in "Diplomatic Service Procedure", which is issued to all missions overseas.
Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the commitments the UN Security Council has made to peacekeeping operations in (a) 1992, (b) 1993 and (c) 1994 to the latest date ; what are the total estimated expenditure on each of these commitments ; and what the estimated United Kingdom contribution is to each of them.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The following figures are taken from the UN status of contribution reports, as at 30 April 1994 :
Year and |Total United |United Kingdom
Peacekeeping
Operation
|Nations Costs ($)|Assessment ($)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992
UNEF/UNDOF (Golan Heights) |35,202,425 |2,120,982
UNIFIL (Lebanon) |144,962,169 |8,792,954
UNAVEM (Angola) |56,604,651 |3,420,182
ONUCA (Central America) |12,120,754 |724,660
UNIKOM (Iraq/Kuwait) |60,869,647 |3,651,915
ONUSAL (El Salvador) |36,260,035 |2,175,387
UNAMIC (Cambodia) |33,294,358 |2,010,720
UNTAC (Cambodia) |801,823,206 |48,813,331
UNPROFOR (Yugoslavia) |250,455,801 |15,254,166
UNOSOM (Somalia) |108,441,298 |6,584,483
|------- |-------
Totals |1,540,034,344 |93,548,780
1993
UNEF/UNDOF (Golan Heights) |34,876,514 |2,197,941
UNIFIL (Lebanon) |145,743,422 |9,222,081
UNAVEM (Angola) |39,455,995 |2,452,303
UNIKOM (Iraq/Kuwait) |47,724,255 |3,003,584
ONUSAL (El Salvador) |26,820,645 |1,645,125
UNTAC (Cambodia) |633,052,039 |39,817,868
UNPROFOR (Yugoslavia) |1,000,492,613 |63,180,260
UNOSOM (Somalia) |487,363,740 |30,982,123
UNUMOZ (Mozambique) |193,305,270 |12,186,193
UNFICYP<1> (Cyprus) |8,547,112 |538,081
|------ |-----
Totals |2,617,381,605 |165,225,559
1994
UNEF/UNDOF (Golan Heights) Nil at 30 April 1994
As at end April 1994
UNIFIL (Lebanon) |22,551,241 |1,427,407
UNAVEM (Angola) |11,160,876 |699,901
UNIKOM (Iraq/Kuwait) Nil at 30 April 1994
ONUSAL (El Salvador) |18,261,194 |1,126,194
UNTAC (Cambodia) |100,000,000 |6,372,790
UNMLTC (Cambodia) |734,462 |46,145
UNPROFOR (Yugoslavia) |721,870,851 |45,940,530
UNOSOM (Somalia) |581,887,289 |37,037,392
ONUMOZ (Mozambique) |138,891,762 |8,810,223
UNFICYP (Cyprus) |10,207,835 |641,833
UNOMIG (Georgia) |2,470,084 |155,453
UNMIH (Haiti) |1,509,915 |95,725
UNOMIL (Liberia) |39,801,097 |2,521,099
UNAMIR (Rwanda) |83,054,455 |5,265,229
|------ |-----
Totals |1,732,401,061 |110,139,921
<1> UNFICYP was only brought onto United Nations assessed contribution funding
on 15 June 1993. It was previously funded through voluntary contributions.
MINURSO (Western Sahara) was established in 1991. Costs for subsequent years
have been met from the original resources.
Korea
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the documents submitted to the Foreign Affairs Council in Corfu on the European Union policy position on the Korean nuclear problem.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : At the European Council meeting in Corfu, Heads of Government expressed their deep concern at North Korea's continued failure to comply with its safeguards agreement, and their hope that exchanges currently being pursued would rapidly result in a satisfactory solution to the crisis. A copy of the presidency's conclusions has been placed in the Library of the House.
Czech Republic
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the United Kingdom's relationship with the Czech Republic ; what ministerial visits have taken place to the Czech Republic in the past 12 months ; and what official Czech visits have been made to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom's relations with the Czech Republic are close and cordial.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Prague on 5 to 6 May. Four other British Ministers have
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