TNAG-1106-FCO40-1356-Narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 5

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73,556

Written Answers

Treaty Organisation is based permit member States to support policies which call for the alteration of the boundaries of other member States; and, if so, what is the relevant clause in the treaty.

Mr. Hurd: Under article 1 of the North Atlantic Treaty, member States undertake to settle any interna- tional dispute in which they may be involved by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat or use of force. The treaty does not address the question of boundaries in the sense implied by the question.

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Written Answers

14 DECEMBER 1981

Primary £

Secondary £

Nursery

Gloucestershire

227,491

Hampshire

137

1,612,335

Hereford and Worcester

472,451

Hertfordshire

686,063

Humberside

1,809

69,537

Isle of Wight

11,045

Kent

917,885

Lancashire

1,938,625

Leicestershire

Lincolnshire

Norfolk

166,020

784,745

302,111

North Yorkshire

7,504

514,477

Northamptonshire

55,191

Northumber and

Nottinghamshire

130,238

Oxfordshire

Salop

Somerset RECEIVED MY REGISTRY N97,236

Staffordshite

21 DECTARI

Suffolk

112,249 459,271

Surrey

943 8

DESK OFFICER'

Warwickshire

INDEX

West Sussex.

PA

Action Taken

Wiltshire

No

C96

ENGLAND TOTAL

219,000

21/12 122279/12

32.225.000.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Child Benefit

156,000

Mr. Peter Bottomley asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of parents have opted to receive their child benefit weekly.

Mr. John Patten: The issue of option letters began on 5 November and will continue until March 1982. It is therefore not possible to say what percentage will opt for weekly payment. Claimants can opt for weekly payments any time during the six months after the expiry of the order book issued immediately before the option letter.

RUC (Long Service Medal)

Sir John Biggs-Davison asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it remains the position that the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve is not included in the Royal Warrant governing the award of the Special Constabulary Long Service Medal.

Mr. John Patten [pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1981, c. 473.]: That is the present position.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Hong Kong (Narcotics) -

Sir Anthony Royle asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the actions taken by the Hong Kong Government to deal with the narcotics problem.

Mr. Humphrey Atkins: Seizure of drugs and arrest of traffickers continue. Programmes for the treatment of drug addicts have considerably reduced the numbers of known addicts.

NATO (Boundaries Policies)

Mr. Kilfedder asked the Lord Privy Seal if he considers that the treaties upon which the North Atlantic

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United States Deputy Secretary of State (Talks)

Mr. Kilfedder asked the Lord Privy Seal to what extent he discussed Northern Ireland or the unification of Ireland in his talks with Mr. William Clark, United States deputy Secretary of State.

A

Mr. Humphrey Atkins: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Sir J. Biggs-Davison) on 7 December. I would add that the unification of Ireland was not discussed.

Mr. Michael Brown asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement regarding his discussions with the United States deputy Secretary of State.

Mr. Humphrey Atkins: I met the United States deputy Secretary of State on 3 December and our discussions covered matters of common interest including East-West relations, the Middle East and Southern African questions.

Venice Declaration

OINT ⠀

Mr. Moyle asked the Lord Privy Seal whether, following the visit to Israel of the Foreign Minister of France, he remains satisfied with the level of co-operation between the signatories of the Venice Declaration in pursuing the aims of the declaration; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hurd: The Ten remain committed, through successive decisions of the European Council, to pursue progress towards a settlement on the basis of the principles of the Venice Declaration. These continue in our view to reflect the fundamental balance which will have to be struck if a negotiated settlement is to be reached. We have no reason to believe that this view is not shared by all our partners. I would draw the hon. Gentleman's attention to the identical statements made by the French Government and Her Majesty's Government when announcing on 23 November their willingness to join in the multinational force in Sinai.

Hijacking (Withdrawal of Air Services)

Mr. Ernie Ross asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will set out the circumstances in which Her Majesty's Government decide to withdraw air services to a country because of that country's inadequate action in the case of air hijacking.

Mr. Hurd: Her Majesty's Government are a party to the 1970 Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, article 7 of which stipulates that a contracting state in the territory of which an alleged hijacker is found shall either extradite him or submit the case to its competent authorities for the purpose of prosecution. In the 1978 Bonn Declaration, Her Majesty's

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