---

ACP Banana Regime

Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they propose to take to help Caribbean banana producers following the agreement of European Union agricultural ministers to end their preferential tariff regime. [HL3098]

31 Jul 1998 : Column WA302

Lord Donoughue: The Council of European Union Agriculture Ministers on 22-26 June agreed changes to the EU bananas regime to bring it into conformity with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules whilst maintaining preferential access to the EU market for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bananas. This was one of the UK's Presidency priorities and the deal the Government secured honours both our commitments to ACP countries under the Lome Convention and our obligations to the WTO; a declaration agreed by the Council recognised this.

Access for traditional ACP banana producers will be 857,700 tonnes at zero tariff, significantly above the current level of ACP sendings. The ACP countries have separately agreed to work together to ensure that the interests of the more vulnerable suppliers are not put at risk. Commonwealth Caribbean suppliers should now be able to export to the EU all the marketable bananas they can produce.

The operation of the revised import arrangements will be reviewed in 2004 but no date has been set for their termination. This should help to provide a reasonable period for the ACP suppliers to restructure their industries and improve their competitivity. Discussions on a new aid framework for the traditional suppliers are continuing. This should be agreed very soon.

Substantial financial assistance is already channelled to the Windward Islands via the EU: Stabex funds alone have exceeded 160 million ecu since 1992.

BSE Statistics

Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Donoughue on 20 April (WA 180-181), whether they will update the figures on the number of cases of BSE in Great Britain.[HL2997]

Lord Donoughue: The following table shows the number of cases of BSE confirmed in Great Britain during each week of 1997 and during each of the first 29 weeks of this year, together with the moving annual total of cases reported.

Annual total cases reported (52 week moving total) and number confirmed each week 1997 and January to 17 July 1998

Week Number	Number confirmed each week	52 week Total Reported
1997
1	80	10,476
2	203	10,310
3	167	10,146
4	136	9,931
5	103	9,717
6	121	9,523
7	179	9,333
8	136	9,200
9	114	9,042
10	133	8,888
11	86	8,735
12	109	8,529
13	95	8,271
14	16	8,161
15	74	8,099
16	211	7,980
17	58	7,861
18	112	7,747
19	23	7,660
20	109	7,541
21	195	7,420
22	64	7,314
23	132	7,259
24	76	7,176
25	113	7,096
26	119	7,055
27	73	6,984
28	72	6,900
29	103	6,833
30	86	6,766
31	108	6,697
32	53	6,596
33	43	6,558
34	6	6,471
35	51	6,434
36	79	6,376
37	45	6,271
38	93	6,207
39	84	6,127
40	58	6,072
41	173	6,002
42	95	5,952
43	71	5,889
44	32	5,783
45	82	5,726
46	28	5,721
47	102	5,673
48	76	5,663
49	77	5,640
50	103	5,613
51	25	5,588
52	34	5,595
1998
1	58	5,572
2	65	5,551
3	70	5,524
4	88	5,528
5	89	5,524
6	140	5,497
7	156	5,447
8	122	5,438
9	57	5,426
10	138	5,402
11	56	5,352
12	71	5,309
13	55	5,311
14	94	5,287
15	55	5,271
16	21	5,249
17	41	5,231
18	102	5,186
19	96	5,167
20	36	5,121
21	73	5,100
22	26	5,088
23	31	5,055
24	160	5,046
25	83	5,039
26	63	4,976
27	49	4,950
28	41	4,936
29	61	4,909

Note:

Week 1 is the week ending on the first Friday of the year.

31 Jul 1998 : Column WA304

Adjustments to figures published previously for the 52 week total reported for the last week of 1997 and the early weeks of 1998 reflect information which has become available since the reply given on 20 April 1998 (WA 180-181) was prepared.

Court Welfare Service

Lord Bassam of Brighton asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the Government intend to take forward consideration of the case for setting up a new court welfare service.[HL3249]

The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): Following the announcement on 16 February (Hansard, Commons, cols. 465) of a review of the scope for improving the effectiveness of the welfare services currently provided by several agencies in family proceedings through the creation of a new unified service, my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for the Home Department, Health and Wales and I are today publishing a consultation paper seeking wider views on these issues. Copies of the paper are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses, are being sent to a wide range of interested bodies and will be gladly sent to individuals on request. The closing date for responses is 13 November.

Kosovo: Arms Control Measures

Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether NATO or any other international grouping is seeking to prevent new arms reaching those fighting in Kosovo; and, if so, how.[HL2774]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): Foreign Ministers of the Contact Group of countries meeting on 9 March 1998 decided to pursue a UN Security Council resolution imposing an embargo on the sale and supply of arms and related material to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Kosovo. This was adopted as UNSCR 1160 on 31 March.

Those international organisations, including the OSCE with a presence in the region, have undertaken to support the UN Secretary-General's efforts to monitor the implementation of the resolution.

Kosovo: Moscow Agreement Implementation

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made in Kosovo in implementing the Moscow Agreement of 16 June and any subsequent agreements, with particular regard to:


(a) the ending of repressive action against civilians;


(b) Serb-Kosovan political negotiations, including the subject of autonomy for Kosovo;

31 Jul 1998 : Column WA305

(c) the return of all refugees, including those internally displaced;


(d) free access for international humanitarian organisations and for aid supplies;


(e) renewed membership of the Organisations for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for Yugoslavia and access for an OSCE Peace Mission; and, if little progress has been made, what action by international organisations (including NATO) is proposed; and when the next meeting of the Kosovo Contact Group will take place.[HL2817]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: On 8 July, the contact group meeting in Bonn assessed that, while there had been some limited progress, particularly in access for humanitarian organisations, Belgrade needed to take further action to implement fully the undertakings made by President Milosevic in Moscow on 16 June and the requirements of the contact group.

The contact group on 8 July and the EU General Affairs Council on 13 July called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to pave the way for a dialogue on the future status of Kosovo. To date, neither side has heeded this call.

EU Troika Political Directors are visiting Belgrade and Pristina on 28-30 July and will press for a ceasefire and the start of a dialogue. The contact group has already given both sides a list of basic principles for a resolution of the Kosovo issue, and is now developing a paper on options for a settlement for transmission to the parties.

There has been little progress in securing the return of refugees and displaced persons. UNHCR estimate that 107,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Kosovo since the beginning of the crisis.

An OSCE assessment mission visited the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) on 14-22 July. The mission concluded that there was a need for the rapid re-establishment of the long term missions to Kosovo, the Sandzak and Vojvodina. However, the authorities in Belgrade insisted that they were only prepared to accept the long term mission to Kosovo in return for the simultaneous participation of the FRY in the OSCE. It remains the UK view that the FRY should make further progress on the issues identified by Snr. Gonzalez in December 1996 before the FRY participates in the work of the OSCE.

NATO planning on a full range of options continues. No date has been fixed for the next meeting of the contact group.

International Criminal Court

Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their current policy towards the establishment of an International Criminal Court; how far this coincides with the policy of the United States; and what consultations are taking place between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and

31 Jul 1998 : Column WA306

Commonwealth Office on the United Kingdom's position.[HL2884]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to the House on 20 July (H.L. Deb., cols. 623-625). Unlike the UK, the US was unable to support the Statute which was adopted by the Rome Conference. The FCO and MoD have been in close touch throughout the several years of preparation for the conference and MoD officials played a full and active part in the UK Delegation to the conference.

---