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Written Answers
4 FEBRUARY 1988
aircraft: and a total of approximately £4-25 million has been made available in selective financial assistance to suppliers of equipment to the Airbus programme.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Fiji
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has had any recent representations from groups in Britain about the situation in Fiji; and if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's present attitude to the Fijian Government.
Mr. Eggar: We have received virtually no such representations recently. We welcome the move from a military Government to a predominantly civilian Government in Fiji, which we hope will be a step towards a return to parliamentary democracy and constitutional government.
India ("Panorama" Programme)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has received any representa- tions from the High Commissioner for India concerning the recent "Panorama” programme about the Indian Government, shown on BBC1 on 18 January; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Tim Eggar: No. The BBC has full editorial responsibility for the programmes it broadcasts.
Royal Prerogative
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if pursuant to his answer of 1 February, he will provide the information on the exercise of the royal prerogative requested in respect of Hong Kong.
Mr. Eggar: The constitutional arrangements for Hong Kong are set out in letters patent and royal instructions, which are issued from time to time in exercise of the royal prerogative. The Governor of Hong Kong exercises his powers in accordance with letters patent and royal instruction and any other laws in force in the colony.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, he will provide the information on the exercise of the royal prerogative requested in respect of the Falkland Islands.
Mr. Eggar: Under the Falkland Islands Constitution Order 1985, the executive authority of the Falkland Islands is, subject to the constitution and any other law, exercised on behalf of Her Majesty by the governor either directly or through officers subordinate to him. The governor is obliged by the terms of the constitution to act in accordance with any instructions which Her Majesty may from time to time give him through a Secretary of State.
THE ARTS
Library Services
Mr. Goodlad: To ask the Minister for the Arts what plans he has for the privatisation of local authority library services; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Luce: I have no plans for the privatisation of these services. However, I hope to provide new opportunities help public libraries to find additional resources for improving their services by allowing them to charge for wider range of additional and specialised services, perhaps in partnership with the private sector, and by encouraging them to contract-out parts of their operations. I shall shortly be issuing a consultative paper on how this might best be done.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Smoke Detectors
Ms. Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the light of recent announcements about the dangers of foam in domestic furniture, he will consider zero-rating smoke detectors for value added tax purposes.
Mr. Lilley: No. The case for zero-rating smoke detectors cannot be considered in isolation from many other equally deserving candidates for special treatment. To grant relief from VAT in all these cases would be unacceptably expensive in revenue terms and would in the long run undermine the broad-based nature of the tax.
Inflation
Mr. Atkinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which are his latest prospects for the inflation rate in 1988. Mr. Lilley: The forecast in the Autumn Statement was that inflation would be 44 per cent. in the fourth quarter of 1988. My right hon. Friend will present a new forecast at Budget time in the usual way.
“Adjustment With a Human Face”
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the United Nations Children's Fund's recent study entitled "Adjustment With a Human Face”, a copy of which has been forwarded to him; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley: The IMF recognises the need to take full account of the effect of structural adjustment on the poor and we shall continue to encourage this both at the policy design stage and when new programmes are implemented. It is important to recognise that in many cases adjustment policies are in fact of direct benefit to the very poorest groups in developing countries the rural poor. One important example of this is increasing the artificially low prices farmers receive for their crops-which often both directly improves income distribution and encourages more domestic food production. Structural adjustment measures such as this are essential in the poorest countries if they are to achieve better economic growth, and thus better living conditions for all, including the poorest.
EMPLOYMENT
MSC (London Docklands)
Mr. Leighton: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what have been the main activities and projects of the Manpower Services Commission in London docklands over the last six years; and what have been the practical results.
DATE 4./2/88
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