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Written Answers
Thursday, 13th February 1997.
NATO Enlargement
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What reasons remain for expanding NATO in the light of the successful development of Partnership for Peace which had not been envisaged when NATO expansion was first studied and in the light of general problems arising from the proposed expansion.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey): Partnership for Peace and enlargement to the east have always been considered parallel processes. The NATO summit of 10th/11th January 1994, at which Partnership for Peace was launched, made clear that NATO expected and would welcome enlargement to democratic states to the east.
Riyadh Bombing, November 1995
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether any of the evidence given at the trial of five Saudi men, who were convicted of the bombing in Riyadh in November 1995 which killed five Americans, has been disclosed to the states which agreed at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit to co-operate more closely against terrorism.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: We have not received such information.
Liberia: Elections
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What recommendations have been made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as requested by the Security Council, on the type of assistance which the international community could contribute towards the holding of free and fair elections in Liberia, and whether the 20th May date originally planned for the elections is still to be maintained.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: A United Nations technical team visited Liberia in December to determine how a viable and credible framework for free and fair elections could be established by 20th May. Their recommendations are shortly to be considered by ECOWAS and the United Nations.
Asylum Seekers
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether law and practice in the United Kingdom are in accordance with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' guidelines, which state that asylum seekers should be able to challenge their
- detention promptly "before a competent, independent and impartial authority"; if so, how this is achieved; and, if not, in what respects it is not achieved.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch): Detention powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971 are used only as a last resort. Temporary admission is granted wherever possible and detention is authorised only where there are good grounds for believing that the person will not comply with the terms of temporary admission.
The initial decision to detain is reviewed regularly and at progressively more senior levels within the Immigration Service. There is provision for any detainee who has an appeal outstanding or who has been detained for more than seven days pending further examination to apply to the independent appellate authorities for bail. In addition, detention may be challenged in the courts and bail may be sought once a case is before the courts on an application for judicial review.
The Government are satisfied that their detention policy does not represent a breach of the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or any other international obligations.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What has been the annual cost during each of the past five years of detaining asylum seekers in Her Majesty's prisons.
Baroness Blatch: The annual cost during each of the past five years of detaining asylum seekers under the Immigration Act 1971 in Prison Service establishments cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost, since accounting systems do not distinguish between those and other immigration detainees and those on remand or serving a prison sentence.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What proportion of asylum seekers detained in prison are awaiting an initial decision or the outcome of an appeal.
Baroness Blatch: This information is not available. I can, however, say that as at 31st January 1997 there were a total of 324 people solely detained in prisons under the powers contained in Schedules 2 and 3 to the Immigration Act 1971 who had claimed asylum at some stage.
Blood, Meat and Bone Meal Fertilisers
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether bone meal, meat and blood are safe for use as fertilisers in the growing of vegetables.
Lord Lucas: The sale and use of meat and bone meal as a fertiliser on agricultural land has been prohibited. The ban follows a recommendation of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) that
mammalian meat and bone meal should be prohibited in any circumstances where there might be a risk of ruminant animals ingesting such material.The ban applies to commercial horticulture but not where plants are propagated and grown in greenhouses or similar glass or plastic structures. Since the measure is concerned with preventing BSE from reaching ruminants, there is no restriction on the use of meat and bone meal fertilisers in private gardens. Such fertilisers must not contain material derived from BSE suspects or animals slaughtered under the Over Thirty Months Scheme, or specified bovine materials.
The SEAC has advised that there is no reason to forbid the spreading of blood on the land.
CFE Treaty
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their policy towards the updating of the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty; and
Whether they will seek, in negotiations on updating the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (a) further overall reductions in military manpower and equipment in Europe, and (b) the prevention of the new arms races based on the modernisation of deployed weapons, on new production facilities and on research and development; and whether they will ensure that the existing verification and information exchange regimes, which are fully equipped to monitor such matters, are used.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe): Our aim is to co-operate fully with other States Parties to improve the operation of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty in the changing European environment, and hence the security of each State Party. We hope in particular to develop further binding mechanisms which enhance mutual confidence, transparency, stability and predictability, while taking into account the legitimate security interest of each State Party.
We also wish to explore, with other States Parties, the scope for reducing further the present limits on equipment holdings, but not those for manpower. The OSCE Lisbon Summit mandate for adaptation of the Treaty does not address military manpower, which is covered by a separate political agreement (the Concluding Act of the Negotiation on Personnel Strength of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe).
As to modernisation of deployed weapons, new production facilities and research and development, these are neither within the scope of the existing CFE Treaty nor covered by the OSCE mandate for its
adaptation. We shall seek to enhance existing verification and information exchange regimes in the context of equipment numbers and deployments.Sea Ferret Missile
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they are taking any part in the development of the US small sea-launched cruise missile, Sea Ferret; whether they participated in the December 1996 exercise in which the missile was used to locate, among other targets, a nuclear power station; and, if so, what type of war-fighting is being contemplated.
Earl Howe: Her Majesty's Government have no involvement in the development or testing of a US sea-launched cruise missile designated Sea Ferret.
Peaceful Uses of Space: WEU/ESA Collaboration
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is standing in the way of the Western European Union collaborating with the European Space Agency on matters relating to the peaceful uses of space, which previous answers from the Government make clear include surveillance satellites of all kinds.
Earl Howe: Arrangements are already in place to enable the WEU Satellite Centre to acquire and use European Space Agency (ESA) imagery, respecting constraints of ESA's convention, which specifically states that its activities shall be for exclusively peaceful purposes.
HELIOS II and Horus Satellites
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to take part in the development of HELIOS II and Horus satellites, along with Germany and France, and, if not, why not.
Earl Howe: The HELIOS II and Horus satellites are a Franco-German initiative. There has never been any suggestion of direct UK participation in this programme. The UK will continue, however, to take part in the work of the WEU Space Group and, together with her partners, will consider, on their merits, any concrete proposals that may emerge for WEU participation in the HELIOS II/Horus programme.
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