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14 DECEMBER 1977
countries' human rights records; and whether in particular he consulted Am- nesty International.
Mr. Luard: The evidence was drawn not only from my right hon. Friend's Department's own resources, but from a wide variety of published material, in- cluding some from non-govemmental
organisations.
Mr. Hugh Jenkins asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, further to the reply to the hon. Member for Putney on 7th December, whether he is satisfied with the Com- mission on Human Rights' performance in relation to the detention of political prisoners in Indonesia.
Mr. Luard: As I said in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend on 7th December-[Vol. 940, c. 771]—we are not satisfied with the Commission's past performance. But, as my bon. Friend will be aware, the Indonesiaa Government have undertaken to release or bring to trial all political prisoners by 1979.
Hong Kong
Mr. Kenneth Clarke asked the Secre- tary of State for Foreign and Common- wealth Affairs what progress is being made by the Hong Kong Government in introducing retirement, sickness, and death benefits into the colony's social security system.
Mr. Luard: A Green Paper on the fur- ther development of social security in Hong Kong has recently been published. The proposals in the paper include a con- tributory sickness, injury and death bene- fit scheme. The paper also covers the possibility of introducing retirement benefits.
Western European Union
Mr. Whitebead asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total annual cost for 1974, 1975 and 1976 to Great Britain of (a) the Assembly of Western Union, (b) the administration of Western Euro- pean Union and (c) delegations and sup- porting staff attending full sessions and committees of Western European Union.
Mr. Judd: Figures available are for financial years 1974-75, 1975-76 and
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1976-77. On this basis the total annual cost to the United Kingdom of (a) the Assembly of Western European Union was £93,657 in 1974-75; £134,020 in 1975-76 and £154,775 in 1976-77; of (b) the administration of Western European Union was £250,670 in 1974-75 ; £326,343 in 1975-76 and £385,785 in 1975-77; of
(c) delegations and support staff attend- ing full sessions, and committees of Western European Union was £20,036. in 1974-75, £28,396 in 1975-76 and £46,865 in 1976-77.
War Laws (Geneva Conventions) Mr. MacFarquhar asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government have yet decided whether to sign the two addi- tional protocols to the Geneva Conven- tions of 1949 which were adopted at the Humanitarian Law Conference in June of the current year; and if he will make a
statement.
Mr. Luard: The two protocols were opened for signature on 12th December 1977. Protocol I relates to the protection of victims of international armed con- flicts and Protocol II to the protection of
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flicts.
Signature of both protocols on behalf of the United Kingdom took place COL.
on 12th December.
The Government consider that, over- all, the two protocols mark a valuable advance in humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts. In Protocol I we par- ticularly welcome the increased protection for the sick and wounded and for medical aircraft; the improved arrangements for information on persons reported missing; the protection of the civilian population against direct attack, and the new pro- visions on implementation and enforce- ment both of the protocol and the Geneva Conventions. Protocol II pro- vides the minimum standards of conduct to be observed by both sides in civil wars, a field previously covered only by a single article in each of the four 1949 Geneva Conventions. We welcome the fundamental guarantees provided by Pro- tocol II, in relation to, e.g., accused and detained
wounded and sick and medical personnel persons, protection of the
and protection of the civilian population.
The United Kingdom's signature of the protocols was accompanied by formal
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