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Bristol-Plymouth-Penzance Rail Link
Sir Robert Hicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a progress report on his Department's application to the European Commission for financial assistance with the funding of a feasibility study for the Bristol-Plymouth-Penzance rail link under the provisions of the trans-European network programme; and if he will make a statement. [37254]
Mr. Watts: The TENS finance committee, which is composed of representatives of member states and determines the allocation of funds to projects, is to meet on 25 July. The committee will consider on the basis of member states' bids, which for the United Kingdom includes the feasibility study for the Bristol-Penzance-Plymouth rail link, how the funds available in 1996 should be allocated. We will be pressing the merits of the UK bid at the meeting. I refer my hon. Friend also to the reply given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Tyler) on 8 July, Official Report, column 78-79.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
EU Referendums
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was (a) the date and (b) the outcome of the latest referendum held in each EU member state on matters relating to the EU. [35828]
Mr. David Davis: The dates and outcome of the latest referenda held in European Union member states on matters relating to the EU are as follows.
| Outcome | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Subject | For | Against | |
| Percentage | Percentage | |||
| Austria | June 1994 | EU Accession | 66.6 | 33.4 |
| Belgium | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| Denmark | May 1993 | Treaty on European Union | 56.7 | 43.3 |
| Germany | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| Greece | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| Spain | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| France | September 1992 | Treaty on European Union | 51.01 | 48.99 |
| Ireland | June 1992 | Treaty on European Union | 69.05 | 30.95 |
| Italy | June 1989 | European Parliament power to amend the Treaties | 88 | 12 |
| Luxembourg | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| Netherlands | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| Portugal | Never | -- | -- | -- |
| Finland | October 1994 | EU Accession | 56.9 | 43.1 |
| Sweden | November 1994 | EU Accession | 52 | 48 |
Prince Michael of Kent
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits involving costs to public funds were made abroad in 1995-96 by Prince Michael of Kent; on what dates; at what cost; and which visits were made by use of the Royal squadron. [35965]
Mr. Rifkind: Prince Michael did not undertake any official visits during this period.
Bosnia
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has made to the Amnesty International report on Bosnia Herzegovina, "Bury my Brother's Bones", a copy of which has been sent to him. [37435]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: We believe that all those who have committed war crimes should be brought to justice, that the missing should be traced, mass graves exhumed
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and the bodily remains identified and returned to the next of kin for decent burial. The Government fully support the work of the experts group on exhumations and missing persons and the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Last year we donated £4 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help fund its tracing work in former Yugoslavia. We recently donated vehicles to help the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia's exhumations currently taking place around Srebrenica.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 9 July, Official Report, column 107, when he expects to come to a conclusion on the International Court of Justice's opinion on nuclear weapons; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the opinion and the Government's response to it. [37434]
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 8 July in respect of the use of nuclear weapons. [37353]
Mr. David Davis: The court's advisory opinion is long and complex and we are studying it. But we do not believe that it gives rise to any new factors affecting the fundamentals of United Kingdom and NATO defence policy, including the continuing importance of nuclear deterrence in maintaining peace and stability in Europe.
A copy of the court's opinion has been placed in the Library of the House.
Law of the Sea Convention
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the status of Rockall within the UN law of the sea convention 1982; and what plans Her Majesty's Government have to sign the convention. [36950]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: Rockall is an island within the meaning of article 121(1) of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea and has a territorial sea of 12 miles. Measuring British fishing limits from Rockall is believed to be inconsistent with the provision in article 121(3) of UNCLOS that rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone.
The Government announced on 20 July 1994 that the United Kingdom would accede to the convention in due course. Timing of the UK's accession remains under review. Parliament will be informed as soon as the Government have taken a decision.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Slave Trade
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to encourage
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co-operation between the police and social services to help the victims of the trafficking in human beings. [36564]
Mr. Maclean: None. This is an operational matter for chief officers of police and social services.
Toughened Safety Glassware
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to magistrates that the use of toughened safety glassware be made a condition of pub and club licences. [36700]
Mr. Maclean: We have no plans to do so. Licensing authorities already have wide powers under both the liquor and entertainment licensing laws to require the use of toughened glass or synthetic drinking vessels on particular occasions or in particular premises if they consider the circumstances justify them doing so.
Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) cautions and (b) prosecutions have been made under regulation 97 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. [36849]
Mr. Maclean: Written warnings and prosecutions for offences under regulation 97 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 cannot be separately identified from other offences of causing noise by motor vehicles in the statistics collected centrally.
In England and Wales during 1994, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were 560 written warnings issued for noise offences of all types connected with motor vehicles, and 7,823 court proceedings taken. In addition, 735 fixed penalty notices were issued for noise offences during 1994.
Amusement Arcades
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of British amusement arcade operators are not members of the British Amusement Catering Trades Association; and what restrictions he proposes to apply to access in these venues. [37065]
Mr. Kirkhope: The British Amusements Catering Trades Association estimates that 20 per cent. of British amusement arcade operators are not members of the association.
The same legal restrictions apply to all amusement arcades irrespective of BACTA membership. The Deregulation (Gaming Machines and Betting Office Facilities) Order 1996, which came into force on 20 June, imposed an age limit of 18 on access to arcades or designated areas within them which have all-cash amusement-with-prizes machines paying up to £10.
We have no plans to restrict access to arcades which have no all-cash machines.
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans his Department has to introduce a statutory age restriction with regard to the
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playing of amusement-with-prizes machines; and how this will be enforced; [37063]
Mr. Kirkhope:
The Deregulation (Gaming Machines and Betting Office Facilities) Order 1996 came into force on 20 June. Under this, local authorities can permit amusement-with-prizes machines making all-cash payments up to £10 in arcades or designated parts of arcades which exclude people under age 18. Local authorities also enforce the provisions.
(2) what plans he has in respect of persons of any age having unlimited access to machines with cash prizes of less than £10. [37064]
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