1
173
Written Answers
2 DECEMBER 1971
financial years; and if he will make a statement about future policy.
Mr. Eldon Griffiths: Grants offered to the British Chess Federation during the past five years were as follows:
1966-67
1967-68
1968-69
1969-70
1970-71
£
Nil
Nil
Nil
120
569
During the current financial year grants totalling £155 have been offered to the British Chess Federation towards travel expenses of a competitor participating in an overseas championship and a delegate to an overseas conference. The Federa- tion has been told that the Department will consider for grant any applications in respect of overseas events or confer- ences which take place before 31st March,] 1972. Future arrangements are under consideration.
Waste and Refuse
Mr. Darling asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for an inquiry as a matter of urgency into the current research projects of research councils, universities, indus- tries, etc., on the extraction and pro- cessing of usable raw materials from in- dustrial waste and domestic refuse, and on the disposal of unusable waste, with a view to co-ordinating and extending such projects in order that he may seek to provide enforceable rules concerning waste processing and disposal of all in- dustries and local authorities.
Mr. Peter Walker: In Circular 26/71 issued on 27th April, 1971, I announced that I accepted that the disposal of waste should be co-ordinated over reasonably large areas and that there should be a greater measure of control. To achieve this end future responsibility for refuse disposal has been allocated to the new county councils in the Local Government Bill now before Parliament Proposals for an authorisation procedure to be operated by the new county councils for the disposal or treatment of all solid wastes are under consideration in the light of the reports of the Working Party on Refuse Disposal and the Technical Committee on the Disposal of Solid Toxic Wastes. Such an authorisation procedure will require legislation.
With regard to reclamation, some re- search work into the need for and scope
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Written Answers
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of, more intensive recovery of materials from industrial and domestic waste is being undertaken by the Warren Spring Laboratory, who are represented on niv Department's Standing Committee on Re- search into Refuse Storage, Collection and Disposal which is in a position to consider and assess the priorities of various items of research in this field.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH
AFFAIRS
Hong Kong (Chinese Language) Mr. James Johnson asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances the Chinese language is used in the law courts of Hong Kong.
Mr. Anthony Royle: Court records are kept in English and legal argument is witness whose language is Chinese may conducted in English but a litigant or use Chinese in any court proceedings and the proceedings are interpreted for him.
Mr. James Johnson asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present position regard- ing the use of the Chinese language in the secondary schools of Hong Kong; and what changes are contemplated.
าร
Mr. Anthony Royle: There are two major types of Secondary School in Hong Kong: Anglo-Chinese, and Middle Schools. The former teach all subjects, apart from Chinese studies, in English; the latter teach all subjects except English, in Chinese. The aim is to improve the standard of English in the Chinese schools and the standard of Chinese in the Anglo-Chinese schools.
Grenada Declaration for Political Union
Mr. Marten asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's attitude towards the Grenada Declaration for Political Union among certain Caribbean Associated States, where Great Britain has respon- sibility for their external affairs.
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