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Written Answers
*1 JULY 1975
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Guatemala
Mr. Fauids asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the recent discussions with the Government of Guatemala.
Mr. Rowlands: We have had two meetings this year with Guatemalan representatives at which various proposals for a settlement of the dispute over Belize were examined. So far, no con- clusions have been reached. Further meetings are proposed.
Belize
Mr. Faulds asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the discussions with the delegation from the Government of Belize which visited the United Kingdom last week.
Mr. Rowlands: The delegation from the Belizean Government had useful dis- cussions with me and with officials on aspects of the dispute with Guatemala over Belize, on development aid and administration matters,
- Public Appointments
Mr. Edelman asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the percentage change in the number of offices of profit outside the appointments system of the Civil Ser- vice Commission within his gift between 1st January 1963 and 1st January 1975, and in their total value.
Mr. Hattersley: As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State said in reply to my hon. Friend on 20th March 1975 -[Vol. 888. c. 513-4]-there are only four such appointments in the FCO and overseas, with a total gross value of £46,700. Comparable information for 1963 is not readily available.
Hong Kong (Vietnamese Refugees) Sir P. Bryan asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial or other help Her Majesty's Government has given to the Hong Kong Government to deal with the problem of refugees from Vietnam.
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Mr. Hattersley: We have directly approached about 14 countries about resettlement. On possible admission to the United Kingdom I would refer to my May. We are offering the Hong Kong right hon. Friend's statement on 21st Government £50,000, in addition to the £20,000 already given, to help care for the refugees while in transit.
Rhine Navigation
of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Mr. David Watkins asked the Secretary Affairs what proposals concerning the prosperity of River Rhine navigation are currently being deliberated upon by the Central Rhine Commission; and to what extent British interests are affected by such proposals.
Mr. Rowlands: Proposals for promot- ing the prosperity of Rhine navigation under consideration at present time include:
(a) Establishment of a laying-up fund for purpose of evening out temporary fluctuations in freight rates caused primarily by seasonal changes in water levels on the Rhine. agreement should be ready for submission to An Governments concerned by the end of this year;
(b) Agreement on new uniform construction and use and traffic regulations for goods and .passenger vessels in the interests of safety, and on new rules for the registration of vessels;
(c) Supervision of engineering works to en- sure that navigation is not obstructed and con- sultation on hydro-technic projects affecting the flow of the river;
(d) Measures which may be needed to deal with new trading conditions once the Rhine is linked with the Danube sometime in the early 1980s.
All the above are of benefit to British interests on the Rhine, both as shippers and carriers of goods. These interests are particularly in the field of shipborne at present relatively small but growing, barges.
Passports
Mr. Trotter asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many passports have been issued by his Department in each of the last three years to immigrants who have claimed to have lost their original British pass- ports.
Mr. Rowlands: Such statistics are not maintained.
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