| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member's letter of 8 February, ref. G/66P50 3515/96. [21228]
Mr. Clappison: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 14 March 1996.
Environment Council
Mr. Hargreaves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Environment Council on 4 March. [21695]
Mr. Gummer: Together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, I represented the UK at the Environment Council in Brussels on 4 March.
The Council discussed the Commission's proposed amendment to the leghold traps regulation. In response to UK representations, the Commission was invited to produce a fixed timetable as soon as possible for concluding negotiations that they are conducting with the fur producer countries. The Council also accepted my proposal that the import ban on furs obtained from leghold traps should come into force on 1 January 1997 unless the Community's final attempts at a negotiated agreement with the producer states on the introduction of alternative humane traps succeeds.
Council conclusions were agreed on the Commission's communication on the wise use and conservation of wetlands. During the open debate, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales welcomed the conclusions and advised the Council of the extensive action already taken by the United Kingdom to conserve wetlands which are well protected by national and European legislation. My right hon. Friend also provided the Council with a comprehensive report on the latest state of play in respect of the Sea Empress incident, paying particular tribute to all those who had been involved in the clean-up, and expressing the hope that the Commission would respond favourably to his request for financial assistance.
Council conclusions were agreed on the forthcoming 1996 session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and on the Community strategy for the protection of the ozone layer. I supported common positions which were agreed on the amendments to the waste shipments regulation and on the labelling of dangerous substances directive--67/548. The Council also agreed a Community negotiating mandate for a protocol to the Barcelona convention on the shipment of
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 9
hazardous waste and on the Community negotiating mandate for an amendment to the Paris Commission to allow the use of hexachloroethane in certain limited circumstances.
The Council discussed the annexes to the proposed biocides directive and, for the first time, considered the Commission proposal to control emissions from off-road vehicles and the Commission communication on CO2 emissions from cars. These will all be discussed further at the June Environment Council. There were brief presentations from the Commission on the recently published communication on EC water policy and on the review of the fifth action programme.
I also attended a joint meeting with Environment Ministers of central and eastern Europe as part of the structured dialogue process. This showed continued enthusiasm for the environment for Europe process and indicated that most of the central and eastern countries were making good progress on the approximation of EC environmental legislation.
Mr. Dunn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action has been taken to implement the recommendation of the Select Committee on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill that an interdepartmental working party be convened to consider the problem of perceived blight. [21694]
Sir Paul Beresford:
An interdepartmental working group has been established under the chairmanship of an official from my Department. The terms of reference of the group are as follows:
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 10
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the appointees to date to each of the new regional environmental protection advisory committees indicating the criteria by which they were selected. [21091]
Mr. Clappison:
My right hon. Friend has appointed the chairmen of six of the seven regional committees in England, as follows:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has appointed Graham Court as chairman of the committee in Wales.
Further appointments, of individual members to each committee, are matters for the agency itself in accordance with the membership schemes recently approved by my right hon. Friend.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken in respect of the training camp set up at Orsac, Bosnia; and if he will make a statement. [20744]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
It is our understanding that the training camp at Orsac is no longer in operation.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian Government in respect of Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, a member of the Baha'i community in Yazad, charged with apostasy from Islam; and if he will make a statement. [20798]
Mr. Hanley:
The Iranian Government are aware of our concern about Mr. Mahrami's situation. We understand that the death sentence imposed by the Islamic revolutionary court in Yazd has been overruled by the supreme court and that legal proceedings are continuing. We and our European partners will continue to monitor developments closely.
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 11
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support proposals at the forthcoming intergovernmental conference to safeguard the needs of disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [20799]
Mr. David Davis:
We are committed to safeguarding the needs of disabled people and have taken positive action in this area with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We believe that the best way of effectively dealing with the problem of discrimination against disabled people is through strong national legislation of this kind.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the ownership of the foreign reserves and bullion held by the Government of Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China; and if he will make a statement. [20826]
Mr. Hanley:
Hong Kong's financial reserves will in their entirety become those of the Hong Kong special administrative region.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of (a) the current value of the bullion and foreign reserves held by the Government of Hong Kong and (b) its value when the sovereignty of Hong Kong will be transferred to the People's Republic of China; and if he will make a statement. [20894]
Mr. Hanley:
As at the end of December 1995, the value of the bullion and foreign exchange reserves of the Hong Kong exchange fund was US$57.1 billion. It is not possible to forecast the precise value of the reserves on the transfer of sovereignty, but we have every confidence that Hong Kong will maintain one of the highest levels of reserves in the world, especially in relation to the size of its population.
To review the scope, cause and effects of blight arising during the various stage of major infrastructure projects and to consider whether any practical changes can be made to the existing arrangements for property purchase and compensation, bearing in mind the concerns of the House of Commons Select Committee on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill about those whose properties decline in value because of the perception of potential purchasers rather than because of any physical effects. In meeting this remit the working party will consider in particular:
--whether it is possible to define "generalised blight" in a way which would meet the concerns of the Select Committee without increasing or extending the blighting effects of major proposals;
--the extent and duration of the effects of blight on property values both in the shorter and longer term and the interaction with other local and national valuation effects;
--the scope for minimising blight by adopting a different approach to the provision of infrastructure and the selection of sites and the effect of such an approach on the existing arrangements for public consultation and participation in planning decisions;
--any relevant overseas experience;
--the likely costs of any new arrangements and their effect on the provision of infrastructure;
--any wider effects of any new arrangements on property values generally, including a comparison with the values of properties affected by other development proposals;
--if any remedy for those affected by "generalised blight" is considered appropriate, the practical application of such a remedy including the basis on which it might be determined, the eligibility of property owners, the geographical coverage in relation to the development proposals and the point at which it would be offered; and
--any implications for the existing principles of the land compensation code or for the current arrangements for discretionary purchase.
In carrying though this work, the working party will also have regard to the principles of good administration.
Many nominations for these posts were received in response to our public invitation and candidates were assessed according to their experience and knowledge in relation to the committees' functions and regions and their ability to lead these high profile committees.
Brian Alexander: North West
Penny Perry: Midlands
Betty Goble: Anglian
John Ferguson: Thames
Robert Crossett: Southern
Dennis Mitchell: South West
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |