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485
Written Answers
Vietnamese Refugees
8 APRIL 1982
Dr. Edmund Marshall asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese refugees are now in Hong Kong.
Mr. Rifkind: On 7 April there were 10,440 Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong.
A
Arms Supplies
Mr. Newens asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will introduce more rigorous conditions on the supply of arms and military equipment to military regimes in the light of the experience of supplying Argentina.
Mr. Hurd: The Export of Goods (Control) Order already provides for the licensing of all exports of arms and military equipment. Such licences are only granted after strict scrutiny by both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. The Export of Goods (Control) Order also provides for the revocation of licences once they have been issued. This provision has now been implemented in the case of goods destined for Argentina.
Namibia
Mr. Iain Mills asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conclusions reached as a result of the recent meeting between his representative in the Western Five Namibia Contact Group and the South Africa Foreign Minister.
Mr. Onslow: The Five have transmitted to SWAPO, the Front Line States, the South African Government and the Namibian internal parties suggestions for a modification of the way in which the Five's proposals for the Namibian constituent assembly elections could be implemented. The Five will determine the next steps when they have received and studied the reactions of all those concerned.
Soviet Trade Delegation
Mr. Richard Shepherd asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there has been any reduction in the permitted level for staff at the Soviet trade delegation.
Mr. Hurd: The permitted level for the Soviet trade delegation has been reduced from 47 to 46 following the departure from the United Kingdom of Mr. V. R. Zadneprovskiy, whose withdrawal was requested because he had been engaging in activities incompatible with his
status.
European Community Officials (Pensions)
Mr. Arthur Lewis asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Report the level of pay and pensions paid to each of the higher grades of officials in the European Community; to what extent United Kingdom tax is payable on pay and pensions of officials and former officials resident in the United Kingdom; if he will list the amount of tax payable by an official or former official resident in the United Kingdom in respect of salary or
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Written Answers
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pension payable at each grade and assuming that it represents total income, or, in the case of a pension, one- half total income; and if he will list the equivalent amount of tax payable on a similar income or pension, subject to full values of United Kingdom tax, on the same assumptions.
Mr. Hurd: The levels of pay of officials in the European Community in grades A1, A2 and A3 are published in the official Journal (L47 of 19 February 1982). They are given below. The levels of pensions depend on a number of factors including length of service. As the Financial Secretary to the Treasury explained to the hon. Member on 23 March, no United Kingdom tax is chargeable on any pay or pension of officials or former officials of the European Community. Community tax is payable. This is calculated on a sliding scale up to a maximum of 45 per cent. on monthly salaries exceeding 50,735 Belgian francs (£584).
United Kingdom tax would not be chargeable on income from an employment carried out wholly overseas if the employee remained outside the United Kingdom for 365 qualifying days. The United Kingdom tax chargeable on a resident of the United Kingdom receiving a pension from a member State amounting to one half of his total income would depend on his personal circumstances and the size of the other income.
Grade
Al
A2
A3
Pay in Belgian Francs per month (Sterling-in-brackers)
24314 HKK 243 k
Minimum
• 227,923 (£2,620)
-Maximum
288,088 (£3,311)
202,423 (£2,327)
259,828 (£2,986),
167,880 (£) 930).
238,188 (£2,738)
PREX
PA
ation Taken
Nicaragua
No
! CaE 28/0/ AF29144
Mr. Deakins asked the Lord Privy Seal what outstanding British financial claims exist against Nicaragua; when these were incurred; and why no action was taken to recover the sums involved until recently.
Mr. Peter Rees: I have been asked the reply.
The present amount of arrears on ECGD guaranteed debt is over £1 million. The amounts due to British exporters without ECGD cover is not known. There is no evidence or arrears of payments under commercial United Kingdom bank loans.
ECGD cover was restricted in October 1978 and finally withdrawn in March 1979 because of the economic problems caused by the civil war and acute shortage of foreign exchange which followed. These decisions were taken on the basis of ECGD's commercial assessment of the risk.
It is not true that no action has been taken to recover the sums involved. ECGD participated in multilateral debt rescheduling talks in October 1980 but these negotiations came to nothing. Nicaragua is now pursuing bilateral negotiations with creditor countries and exploratory talks have already taken place between ECGD and Nicaraguan Government officials.
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