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NATO/Russia Founding Act
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Co-operation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation comes into effect, and when is it proposed that the first session of the Joint Council will take place.
Lord Whitty: The NATO/Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Co-operation and Security came into effect on 27 May 1997 with the signature by Heads of Government of members of the Alliance, the Secretary General of NATO, and the President of Russia. The Act provides for the first meeting of the Joint Council to take place within four months of signature. No date has yet been set.
NATO/Ukraine Charter
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, as reported in Ukraine, Mr. Solana sought to include Ukrainian agreement to the stationing of foreign troops in Ukraine in the agreement finally reached between NATO and Ukraine, and, if so, this proposed provision had been agreed by all members of NATO.
Lord Whitty: The NATO Secretary-General did not raise or seek to include in the NATO-Ukraine Charter, the possibility of Ukrainian agreement to the stationing of foreign troops in Ukraine in the context of the
CFE (Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty) Flank Agreement. The charter, initialled on 29 May, notes that such stationing should take place only with the free consent of the host state or in accordance with internationally-accepted provisions.NATO Enlargement Costs
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their current estimate of the costs of the envisaged enlargement of NATO to include (a) the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland; (b) Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia; and (c) other applicant states.
Lord Whitty: No decision has been taken on which countries will accede to NATO membership. The costs of enlargement, which fall both on the countries which join and on existing members of the Alliance and which will be incurred over a long period, will depend on that decision. Subject to that caveat, we expect the costs of enlargement to be manageable.
NATO: Accession of New Members
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, as stated by US Secretary of State Albright, NATO accession negotiations with invited states could be completed by the end of this year, and accession instruments signed by the December Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
Lord Whitty: We would welcome the early conclusion of accession negotiations with states which will be invited to join NATO at the Madrid Summit, and hope that accession instruments will be signed later in 1997.
NATO: Members' Status
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In the light of the prominence of the US within NATO, and in light of the fact that three members of NATO have nuclear weapons and permanent membership of the Security Council, what meaning they attach to the statement made by NATO's Secretary General, Mr. Solana, that there "will be no second class members on the North Atlantic Alliance".
Lord Whitty: All provisions of the Washington Treaty of 1949 apply equally to all members of the Alliance, and will apply equally to new members.
NATO: Equipment Procurement by New Members
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether in the context of the enlargement of NATO, the sale of new weapons to applicant
- countries will be discussed among the NATO membership, so as to inhibit arms firms from placing undue commercial pressures on those countries.
Lord Whitty: While we expect new members of NATO to participate in the force planning process of the Alliance, decisions on how equipment requirements are met will remain a matter for each country. Decisions on procurement of particular equipment form no part of the criteria against which applications for NATO membership are judged.
Trade with Burma: Policy
Lord Currie of Marylebone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will report on the Government's trade promotion policy towards Burma.
Lord Whitty: We will not provide any financial support to companies for trade missions to Burma or for trade promotion activities within Burma until there is progress towards democratic reform and respect for human rights in Burma. Officials in the UK and at the British Embassy in Rangoon will continue to provide British companies with routine advice about doing business in Burma. Wherever possible such advice will make clear the present realities in Burma, including the political and human rights situation and the state of the economy. It will also draw to businessmen's attention statements by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy leaders discouraging trade and investment in Burma. We shall encourage our EU partners to take similar action.
Year 2000 Date Change
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What action remains to be taken to prepare their computer software for the year 2000; whether this action will be completed in time; and how much it is expected to cost.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: This is essentially the responsibility of individual departments. However my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has recently written to all ministerial Heads of Department to ensure that they are aware of the arrangements which exist for dealing with the year 2000 date change problem.
From within the Cabinet Office (OPS), departments are supported by the Central Information Technology Unit (CITU) and the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA). As part of that support, CITU and CCTA have identified a programme of action to ensure that government's response to the year 2000 problem is co-ordinated and coherent. This involves each department in producing a detailed and costed action plan by October to ensure that all their systems are modified and tested by January 1999.
My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made clear that departments will have to live within their existing running cost limits for 1997-98 and 1998-99, as well as within their overall cash limits. Therefore the cost of preventive and remedial action will be met from existing provision.
The recent National Audit Office report Managing the Millennium Threat demonstrated that the public sector were doing as well as the private sector in tackling the problem.
The CCTA has also produced a six volume set of guides covering every aspect of starting, managing and successfully implementing a full year 2000 compliance programme. The set, called Tackling the Year 2000, forms the most detailed impartial guidance available to date.
Prescription Fraud: Efficiency Scrutiny Report
Lord Stallard asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they intend to publish the report of the Efficiency Scrutiny into Prescription Fraud.
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington): We have now received the report of the Efficiency Scrutiny into Prescription Fraud. We will be publishing it today, and placing a copy in the Library.
New Variant CJD Cases
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many confirmed cases of new variant CJD, by year of onset, have been reported to the Department of Health.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The number of definite and probable cases of new variant CJD reported to the Department of Health by the National CJD Surveileance Unit, as at 16 June 1997, are set out as follows by year of onset:
| Year of onset | Number of cases |
| 1994 | 7 |
| 1995 | 8 |
| 1996 | 3 |
| 1997 | 0 |
| Total | 18 |
NHS Dentistry
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What consideration they have given to the British Dental Association's suggestion for a manpower review of NHS dentistry as recommended in
- paragraph 7.7 of the 26th Report of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: We are giving consideration to the suggestion of a workforce review.
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they accept the recommendation contained in paragraph 7.35 of the 26th Report of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration that sums exceeding £10 million should be paid into access schemes to improve the availability of NHS dentistry.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: We have noted the Review Body's comment about the sums which could be needed to make a significant impact on difficulties of access to the general dental services. We are currently considering how best to use the resources available to help ensure that patients who would otherwise have difficulty receiving general dental services can do so.
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress has been made in providing compensation to dentists in cases where the fee scale is more than one financial year out of date as recommended in paragraph 7.25 of the 26th Report of the Review body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration.
Baroness Jay of Paddington: This was implemented on 1 April 1997. From that date, dentists are automatically paid compensation in cases where the fee scale applicable to a course of treatment is more than one financial year out of date.
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