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20 Nov 1996 : Column WA137

Written Answers

Wednesday, 20th November 1996.

Iran: Human Rights

Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they have noted the report by the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in which he refers to "indications that the social climate in the Islamic Republic is becoming less tolerant", and what advice they will give to Members of Parliament or United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament who are invited to Iran, sometimes with their wives, as guests of the government.

Lord Chesham: We value all reports by the UN Special Representative on Human Rights in Iran. We have noted Mr. Copithorne's recent interim report and will continue to maintain pressure on Iran to improve their performance. Our advice to parliamentarians about the situation in Iran is based on information drawn from various sources. The advice reflects changing circumstances and is specific to each visit.

NATO Enlargement and the Soviet Union

Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether at any time during the negotiations which led to the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from East Germany, or to either of those severally:


    (a) any British minister; or


    (b) anybody acting for NATO; or


    (c) to their knowledge, any other member of NATO

    gave the Soviet Union to understand, whether formally or informally, that NATO would not be expanded eastwards.

Lord Chesham: No British Minister ever made any formal undertaking to the Soviet Union that NATO would not expand eastwards. We cannot comment on what impression the Soviet Union might have gained from the many informal exchanges which took place at that time, in very different circumstances.

It is not for the UK to comment on what other governments or individuals might have said.

UN Dues: Arrears

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Which member states of the United Nations are still in arrears with their contributions to (a) the regular budget and (b) the budget for peacekeeping operations, and by how much; and what representations they are making to the states concerned.

Lord Chesham: At 31st October, 65 member states owed a total of 309 million dollars in assessed

20 Nov 1996 : Column WA138

contributions to the UN Regular Budget in respect of prior years. At the same time, 127 member states owed some 1.4 billion dollars to UN peacekeeping budgets. Details of the member states and the amounts owed are listed below.

We take every opportunity to urge all member states to pay their UN dues, promptly and in full, in accordance with their legal obligation to do so. The EU proposals for UN financial reform include penalties for member states who fail to pay their dues.

Member states with outstanding contributions for prior years to the UN regular budget

US Dollars
Afghanistan198,557
Armenia1,555,124
Azerbaijan2,791,562
Belarus7,196,256
Bhutan 211,006
Bosnia and Herzegovina731,386
Bulgaria826,722
Burundi150,455
Cape Verde193,455
Central African Republic366,609
Chad190,627
Comoros391,612
Congo157,310
Croatia970,142
Cuba250,508
Djibouti161,006
Dominica242,684
Dominican Republic18,693
Ecuador86,175
Equatorial Guinea69,929
Estonia789,730
Gambia153,784
Georgia3,186,531
Grenada227,133
Guatemala 151,297
Guinea63,626
Guinea Bissau199,357
Haiti269,765
Honduras45,810
Iran5,000,215
Iraq4,174,324
Israel1,813,722
Kazakstan4,251,725
Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)677,036
Kyrgyzstan764,850
Latvia2,085,173
Liberia552,351
Lithuania1,287,389
Macedonia (The Former Yugoslav Republic)99,278
Madagascar79,957
Malawi6,116
Mali186,458
Mauritania136,895
Moldova (Republic of)1,417,669
Nicaragua155,408
Panama110,084
Rwanda309,918
Saint Kitts and Nevis3,108
Saint Vincent and Grenadines148,101
Sao Tome and Principe191,951
Seychelles94,240
Sierra Leone73,658
Somalia588,538
Tajikistan1,662,249
Tanzania98,664
Togo100,643
Trinidad and Tobago24,153
Ukraine40,368,302
United States of America206,160,131
Uruguay437,111
Uzbekistan3,523,024
Yemen99,112
Yugoslavia9,527,979
Vanuatu145,239
Venezuela551,668
Total308,753,289

20 Nov 1996 : Column WA139

Member states with outstanding contributions for prior years to UN peacekeeping budgets

US Dollars
Afghanistan111,810
Angola14,011
Antigua and Barbuda253
Argentina77,061
Armenia1,848,341
Azerbaijan4,040,941
Bahrain57,505
Bangladesh42,008
Barbados6,921
Belarus47,661,664
Belize75,450
Benin11,045
Bhutan31,783
Bolivia284,590
Bosnia and Herzegovina415,503
Brazil5,609,205
Bulgaria1,180,132
Burkina Faso125,523
Burundi145,296
Cambodia258,041
Cameroon33,523
Cape Verde117,093
Central African Republic176,691
Chad120,070
Chile1,289,060
Comoros142,429
Congo216,026
Costa Rica226,537
Cote d'Ivoire1,134
Croatia2,372,156
Cuba1,294,899
Cyprus2,083
Djibouti129,854
Dominica67,933
Dominican Republic553,046
Ecuador601,391
El Salvador274,073
Equatorial Guinea174,523
Estonia820,299
Ethiopia14,245
Fiji112,459
Gabon312,469
Gambia156,890
Georgia3,696,505
Germany937,943
Greece342,849
Grenada83,171
Guatemala513,562
Guinea127,531
Guinea Bissau110,981
Haiti38,425
Honduras209,986
Hungary2,654,346
Iceland200,090
Indonesia1,876,907
Iran13,376,515
Iraq3,568,459
Israel25,581
Jamaica65,911
Kazakstan5,199,191
Kenya25,588
Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)955,671
Kyrgyzstan1,099,191
Latvia2,230,596
Lebanon128,997
Lesotho782
Liberia285,707
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya6,680,113
Lithuania1,247,696
Macedonia (The Former Yugoslav Republic)256,402
Madagascar170,435
Malawi111,899
Maldives106,492
Mali110,052
Marshall Islands37,893
Mauritania169,809
Moldova (Republic of)2,773,518
Mongolia253,149
Morocco191,049
Mozambique4,271
Nepal39,944
Nicaragua170,351
Niger125,741
Nigeria1,152,223
Oman69,009
Panama246,610
Papua New Guinea60,232
Peru1,537,917
Poland13,220,320
Qatar822,973
Romania45,599
Russian Federation293,013,703
Rwanda112,474
Saint Lucia26,132
Saint Vincent and Grenadines120,176
Samoa15,011
San Marino1,492
Sao Tome and Principe118,759
Senegal74,494
Seychelles105,166
Sierra Leone169,922
Slovenia350,107
Solomon Islands78,644
Somalia123,535
Sudan125,718
Swaziland39,386
Syrian Arab Republic1,139,650
Tajikistan898,744
Tanzania (United Republic of)106,310
Thailand5,249
Togo108,401
Trinidad and Tobago825,188
Turkey3,011,442
Turkmenistan1,099,191
Ukraine185,303,514
United Arab Emirates2,966,962
United States of America729,337,574
Uruguay341,274
Uzbekistan4,846,698
Vanuatu129,195
Venezuela9,290,687
Vietnam238,688
Yemen168,614
Yugoslavia3,784,485
Zaire133,727
Zambia26,721
Zimbabwe14,187
Total1,376,815,368

20 Nov 1996 : Column WA141

Heathrow: Facilities for Disabled Passengers

Lord McConnell asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they intend to take any steps to ensure the improvement of facilities for disabled passengers at Heathrow Airport Terminal 1; and whether they consider it satisfactory that passengers who request a wheelchair in advance are told that it cannot be provided at the entrance or at the Underground station but that they must go by whatever means they can to the check-in desk, which is a considerable distance away, before wheelchairs can be provided.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen): BAA has worked closely with the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and with the Department of Transport on the development of both facilities and services to meet the needs of the very large numbers of disabled passengers who travel through Heathrow every year.

The responsibility for ground handling arrangements at airports is, however, complex. I have asked departmental officials to follow up with the parties involved to investigate what can be done to tackle this specific problem.

Bus Services: Quality Indicators

Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Who is responsible for providing bus service quality indicators for London buses and outside London; and

    To list the factors used in calculating bus service quality indicators; and

    To list, for the last three years, the bus service quality indicators for bus routes (a) for London buses and (b) outside London in each case by operator and/or area.

Viscount Goschen: In London, bus service quality indicators are a matter for London Transport Buses (LTB). The Secretary of State for Transport sets quality of service targets for the London bus network as a whole, using indicators provided by LTB. The performance of bus services against the targets is regularly reported by LTB. I have today placed in the Library a list of bus service quality indicators and the targets set for London bus routes for the last three years, including the factors used in calculating them.

In the deregulated market outside London the use of service quality indicators is a matter for the commercial judgement of bus operators and, in the case of tendered services, a matter for the local authorities concerned.

20 Nov 1996 : Column WA142

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