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1365
Oral Answers
26 APRIL 1978
Oral Answers
1366
increase the administrative back-up for developments which will not be endorsed the force?
by and are not acceptable to the people of Gibraltar.
Mr. Luard: I confirm that generally
the situation in Hong Kong regarding the police, and public support for the police, is very satisfactory at the present time. I think that recent actions have helped to bring about that situation.
The report of the police team is not yet available. One of the objects of sending out that team was to help to restore morale within the police and to help generally in the improved organisation of the police force in Hong Kong.
Mr. Ronald Atkins: Is the inadequacy of the Hong Kong police force a reason why child labour continues to be employed on a large scale and why so many sweat shops continue to exist in Hong Kong?
Mr. Leard: I think that my hon. Friend knows that the regulations govern- ing the employment of child labour and other conditions of work in Hong Kong have been progressively and dramatically improved in the last year or so.
Gibraltar
10. Mr. Albert Roberts asked the Sec- retary of State for Foreign and Common- wealth Affairs if any progress has been achieved during the recent discussions between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Spain concerning Gibraltar and the outstanding differences between the two countries.
Mr. Judd : My right hon. Friend has nothing to add to the report on his meet- ing with the Spanish Foreign Minister on 15th March which he gave to the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Mr. Lewis) on 22nd March.
Mr. Roberts: Does my hon. Friend realise that we understand the strategic value of Gibraltar? Does he appreciate that this sordid business has gone on since 1704 over 250 years ago? Does he fur- ther realise that the true indigenous people of Gibraltar are Spaniards? Does he agree that it is high time that we came to an amicable arrangement?
Mr. Judd: Our basic position remains unchanged. Nationally we want to see the best possible relationships between Gibraltar and Spain, but as a Government we are not prepared to envisage any
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Mr. Farr: Will the Minister confirm the last point that he made, namely, that no change whatsoever in the status of Gibraltar can take place without the wholehearted and total support of the people of Gibraltar?
Mr. Judd: Our position is as it has always been. We are not prepared to envisage any changes which are not acceptable to the people of Gibraltar.
Moscow
12. Mr. Greville Janner asked the Sec- retary of State for Foreign and Com- monwealth Affairs whether be will seek to pay an official visit to Moscow.
Mr, Luard: My right hon. Friend has no present plans to do so.
Mr. Janner: As my right hon. Friend is not planning to go to Moscow at the moment, will he now protest at the con- tinued imprisonment of members of the Moscow-Helsinki monitoring committee?, In particular, can he tell the House any- thing of the fate of Anatole Shcharansky, who has been held incommunicado for over 12 months?
Mr. Luard: My right hon. Friend and the Government generally have made known their concern on these questions many times in this House and on other occasions. During the Belgrade confer- ence there was prolonged discussion about matters of this kind. We are well aware of the situation of Mr. Shcharan- sky and opportunity is taken on appro- priate occasions to make known our
concern.
Mr. Boscawen: In view of the fact that 4 million or 5 million individuals inside the Soviet Union can and do listen regu larly to the BBC, will the Minister ensure that, within the resources available for overseas broadcasts, greater priority is given to the size of transmitters and other facilities for the BBC to continue its transmissions there?
Mr. Luard: I agree that the facilities and transmitters available to the BBC's overseas broadcasts are matters of con- siderable concern to us. These matters were commented on in the CPRS report about overseas representation. I assure
No comments yet.
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