33
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Written Answers
PRECEIV
20 JANUARY 1986
The treaty is consistent with 'andupports the s of the United Nations. We, in common with others, took the unusual step of registering disapproval of these Resolutions by hot participating in the vote on them. at the 40th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Hong Kong
Mr. Wigley asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of the number of people who will become stateless during the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong.
Mr. Eggar: None. We have already undertaken that no former Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizens will become stateless as a result of the Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong.
Mr. Ashdown asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government or the Hong Kong Government propose to introduce direct elections to the Legislative or Executive Council at any time before sovereignty for the whole territory is transferred in 1997.
Mr. Eggar: It was announced by the Hong Kong Government in their white paper on the further Development of representative government in Hong Kong in 1984 that there would be a review in 1987 of the future development of representative government in Hong Kong, and that this would include the question of the introduction of direct elections. I cannot anticipate the outcome of that review.
Terrorism (Convention)
Mr. Gow asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of the Republic of Ireland about the accession of that Government to the European convention on the suppression of terrorism; and when he expects that accession to take place.
Mr. Eggar: The Government of the Republic of Ireland are well aware of our views on this subject. They announced in the joint communiqué of November 1985 (Cmnd. 9657) their intention to accede to the European convention on the suppression of terrorism as soon as possible.
Republic of Ireland (Extradition)
Mr. Gow asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is satisfied with the present arrangements for the extradition from the Republic of Ireland of those suspected of haing committed criminal offences within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Eggar: Extradition arrangements between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom provide for a comparatively simple and expeditious procedure based on the endorsement in the second jurisdiction of warrants of arrest in the first. Over a broad band of criminal offences some 25 persons per year on average are extradited from the Republic to the United Kingdom. In the joint communiqué issued at the signing of the Anglo- Irish agreement on 15 November 1985 (Cmnd. 9657), the Government of the Republic of Ireland expressed their
r. Thuyết
Written Answers
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intention to accede to the European convention on the suppression of terrorism as soon as possible. Irish accession to the convention should improve the position as far as security-related offences are concerned.
Atlantic Fisheries
Mr. Foulkes asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects an announcement to be made of the scope and nature of a multilaterally based fisheries conservation and manage- ment regime in the south west Atlantic.
Mr. Eggar: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation is at present carrying out a technical study of the south west Atlantic fishery. We hope this will lead on without delay to discussion and agreement on multilateral fisheries conservation and management arrangements for the area. We fully support the FAO's initiative and have urged all the governments involved to co-operate actively.
Westland plc
Sir Russell Johnston asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what directions were conveyed by him to Her Majesty's ambassador in Rome to seek to discourage the Italian Government from giving public support to the European consortium's bid for Westland Helicopters; when these directions were sent; and what form they took.
Mr. Cartwright asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make public the text of the communications sent to Her Majesty's Government's embassy in Rome referred to by the right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine) in the debate on Westland plc on Wednesday 15 January.
Mr. Gordon Brown asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the instruction issued to his officials in Italy about Italian involvement in the Westland consortium.
Sir Geoffrey Howe: On 7 January the Italian Prime Minister issued a statement which said, among other things, that the Italian Government hoped it would still be possible to choose the European option. This was the first public statement on the matter by the Italian Government. It is not our policy to publish the texts of confidential telegrams. However, following this statement, on 8 January Her Majesty's ambassador in Rome was instructed to point out to the Italian Prime Minister's office that the British Government's position on Westland's prospects for European collaboration had been set out in the Prime Minister's letter of 1 January to Sir John Cuckney.
This letter had been published. Lord Bridges was instructed also to emphasise that Westland was a private company and that it was for the Board of Westland and the shareholders to decide on the relative merits of the proposals made by Sikorsky-Fiat and by the European consortium. It was not helpful for Governments to make public statements about matters of this kind which were internal to the United Kingdom and the concern of the private sector.
Mr. Spearing asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning any part played by his Department, and specifically Her Majesty's embassy in Rome, in relation to plans to assist Westland plc.
DATE
2011
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