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Research Councils (Employment)

Dr. Strang: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many scientists were employed by (a) the Agriculture and Food Research Council and (b) the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council in each year from 1979 to the present. [17655]

Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 27 February 1997]: Science budget money freed up by institute restructuring will have been recycled for research purposes, either in institutes or universities where there has been significant growth in the number of researchers.

The figures--staff in post--are shown in the table.

Number of scientists employed in AFRC/BBSRC institutes-- 1979 to 1996

Year	Number of scientists
AFRC
1979	3,417
1980	3,360
1981	3,298
1982	3,371
1983	3,316
1984	3,326
1985	3,002
1986	2,997
1987	2,797
1988	2,726
1989	2,649
1990	2,588
1991	2,158
1992	2,190
1993	2,151
BBSRC
1994	2,043
1995	1,979
1996	2,003

Institute of Food Research

Dr. Strang: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many scientists were employed at the Institute of Food Research in each year from 1986 to the latest available date. [17657]

Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 27 February 1997]: Science budget money freed up by institute restructuring will have been recycled for research purposes, either in institutes or universities where there has been significant growth in the number of researchers.

The figures--staff in post--are shown in the table.

Number of scientists employed at IFR--1986 to 1996

Year	Number of scientists
1985-86	534
1986-87	514
1987-88	517
1988-89	463
1989-90	425
1990-91	308
1991-92	338
1992-93	335
1993-94	303
1994-95	313
1995-96	316

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 483

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Disarmament

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress being made at the conference on disarmament to start negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty. [18220]

Mr. David Davis: A work programme for the 1997 session of the conference on disarmament is under discussion in Geneva. We are pressing for negotiations to begin on a fissile material cut-off treaty as a priority.

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 27 November 1996, Official Report, column 321, if he will make a statement on progress in preparing draft legislation in respect of a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. [18256]

Mr. Davis: Preparatory work on legislation needed for the United Kingdom to ratify the comprehensive test ban treaty continues. We hope to include it in the next parliamentary session.

Hong Kong

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the level of the Hong Kong gold and foreign currency reserves on the date of signing the China-UK agreement on the future of Hong Kong. [18082]

Mr. Hanley: The Sino-British joint declaration was signed on 19 December 1984. At the end of December 1984, the value of gold reserves held by the Hong Kong Government was HK$439 million or approximately £49 million at the then exchange rate of £1=HK$9.0344. The value of foreign currency reserves, excluding gold reserves, was HK$50,151 million or £15,550 million.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current level of gold and foreign currency reserves held by the Hong Kong authorities. [18110]

Mr. Hanley: At the end of January 1997, the value of gold reserves held by the Hong Kong Government was HK$182 million or approximately £15 million at the then exchange rate of £1=HK$12.4216. The value of foreign currency reserves, excluding the gold reserves, was HK$510,200 million or £41,070 million.

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he arrived and departed from Hong Kong during his recent visit; what official meetings he had; and with whom. [18353]

Mr. Rifkind: I arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday 15 February and departed on Monday 17 February. I held meetings with the Governor of Hong Kong and senior Hong Kong Government officials including the Chief Secretary Mrs. Anson Chan; with the chief executive designate of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr. C. H. Tung; with members of staff at the British Trade Commission and of the office of the British senior representative, Sino-British joint liaison group; and with members of the Executive and Legislative Councils.

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 484

European Union Offices (Costs)

Mr. Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representative offices, where some staff have diplomatic immunity, the EU has around the world; what are their running costs; how many staff they employ; and what proposals he has to bring about reductions in the cost of the offices and the number of staff. [18092]

Mr. David Davis: The European Commission has 128 representative offices overseas, employing about 2,400 personnel of which some 600 are Brussels-based Commission officials. The granting of diplomatic privileges and immunities for the staff of the representative office is a matter of local custom. For 1996, the budget for the representative offices was £152 million, inclusive of salaries and running costs.

We take every opportunity to press for the terms of service of Commission officials to take full account of the tight budgetary constraints which affect all EU member Governments.

Mr. Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the EU will be spending (a) in the current year and (b) in each of the next five years, on publicity and information offices; and what plans he has to bring about reductions in these amounts. [18093]

Mr. Davis: There is an overall budget of 110,800,000 ecu for all EU information and communication activities in 1997. The budget is set annually and so spending for the next five years has not yet been fixed. The Council agreed to cuts in this budget for 1997, but spending was restored by the European Parliament.

Iran

Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy towards the encouragement of trade with Iran. [17883]

Mr. Hanley: There are restrictions on the sale of military, dual-use and other such goods to Iran as announced by the then Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd), on 1 March 1993, Official Report, column 8. Otherwise, we engage in normal trade.

Burma (Trade)

Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the European Commission's proposal to withdraw preferences for Burma under the generalised system of preferences. [18231]

Mr. David Davis: Our priority on Burma is to promote economic and political reform. We are considering the Commission's proposal on GSP against this background. The Council of Ministers has not yet been asked to take a decision.

3 Mar 1997 : Column: 485

DEFENCE

Findlay Court Martial

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response the Government are making to the European Court of Human Rights judgment on the Findlay court-martial case; and if he will make a statement. [18699]

Mr. Soames: The Government fully support the court-martial system as the appropriate and necessary framework within which to deal with military discipline.

We have recently made a number of changes to reform aspects of the court-martial system as part of the Armed Forces Act 1996. As I said when announcing our preliminary proposals in the Armed Forces Bill to the House on 7 December 1995--Official Report, columns 346-47--the changes represent a valuable and coherent package of reforms and improvements to take the court-martial system into the next century. The new arrangements will enable it to continue to meet the armed forces' requirement to administer justice firmly but fairly.

Although the court found the United Kingdom to be in violation of article 6(1) of the European convention on human rights, the court has recognised our action in reforming the court-martial system, and in its judgment describes the changes we have made, noting with satisfaction that we have done so. The court made clear that its judgment applies to the system that existed before the reforms we have made. These are due to be introduced on 1 April 1997.

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