Fro
715
Written Answers
um WRITE
8 FEBRUARY 1990
Gorman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of any debt list agreed between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Angola.
Mr. Maude: Angola's outstanding debt to Her Majesty's Government is all owed to ECGD. For commercial reasons, ECGD does not reveal detailed figures for debt that it is owed by individual countries, or for its outstanding guarantees. A copy of the United Kingdom-Angola debt agreement No. 1 (1987) which rescheduled some of Angola's debt payments to ECGD is available in the Library of the House. A second rescheduling was negotiated last year and an agreement will be signed shortly. Lists of debt covered by the rescheduling are not published. As for private sector debt, figures for debts to United Kingdom banks are given in table 15 of the Bank of England's Quarterly Bulletin, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Figures for debts to other private sector institutions are not available.
Bangladesh
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met members or officials of the Government of Bangladesh; what issues are outstanding; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs looks forward to making his first contacts with Bangladeshi Ministers when opportunity arises. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development is visiting Bangladesh at the moment and plans to call on President Ershad today. We have excellent relations with Bangladesh, and are not aware of any major outstanding issues between us.
Preventable Loss
Mr. Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of preventable loss arising from theft or misappropriation in his Department.
Mr. Maude: A revision of the inventory of valuable items in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in train and should be completed shortly.
Mr. Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list the number of professionally qualified loss prevention staff employed by his Department and the qualifications held by such staff, excluding qualifications obtained during police or military service.
Mr. Maude: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs no specialist loss-prevention staff, but we employ our own cadres of security officers, at home and overseas, to supervise security arrangements in buildings for which we are responsible. They receive training in all aspects of their duties, which include loss prevention.
Hong Kong
HKD
Mr. Stanbrook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Hong Kong Government have made provision for war service to be included in the calculation of pensions for their expatriate staff.
364 CW80/2 Job 1-3
Written Answers
716
Mr. Maude: The Hong Kong Government are still considering whether to include war service in the calculation of pensions for expatriate staff. At the turn of the year they sought, and were given, further information about the British Government's war service credit scheme for colonial pensioners. I will inform my hon. Friend when a decision has been made.
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he is doing to improve the living and sanitation conditions at detention camps for Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong.
Mr. Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 12 January, c. 791-92.
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of Vietnamese boat people who have tried to commit suicide in detainment camps in Hong Kong in 1990.
Mr. Maude: Since 1 January 1990, seven people have inflicted injuries upon themselves in Hong Kong's detention centres. None of the injuries has been serious.
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to give assistance to improve the environmental health conditions and housing in the Kwun Tong public housing area in Hong Kong.
Mr. Maude: As part of a comprehensive redevelopment programme to renew the urban environment, over 58,000 old public housing flats will be demolished, and about 55,000 new flats will be constructed between 1990 and 2001 in the Kwun Tong area, partly to provide replacement accommodation and partly to provide new housing for those in need. Planned environmental health improve- ments include the closure of a local refuse dump, restrictions on the sulphur content of industrial fuel oil, and the introduction of vehicle emission controls.
Foreign Affairs Council
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 5 February.
Mr. Hurd: The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 5 February. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend the Minister for Trade and I represented the United Kingdom.
Following our informal discussions in Dublin on 20 January, Ministers had a preliminary discussion of the prospects for extending the Community's relations with, and assistance to, the countries of eastern Europe. Preliminary suggestions from the Commission closely reflect United Kingdom ideas, which we put to partners before the
The Strasbourg European Council. Commission also presented its proposals for the creation of a European training foundation and a mobility scheme for students (TEMPUS). These fulfil the mandate from the Strasbourg European Council to extend training assistance to the countries of eastern Europe. The Council separately agreed on the importance of the forthcoming CSCE economic conference in Bonn as an opportunity to monitor and encourage the development of market