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pa
British
Nationality Scheme
22/12.
17 NOVEMBER 1992
Written Answers
TIKI)
MEI
HICD 341
kitten Answers
the Russian naval air force and the Russian air force based there. Kaliningrad is a significant staging-post for Russian ground troops withdrawn from Germany and Poland.
HKD)
Hong Kong
Mr. Renton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for economic, political and democratic growth in Hong Kong as outlined in the Governor's speech last month to the Legislative Council; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad: The Government fully endorse the economic, social and political policies for Hong Kong set out in the Governor's address to the Legislative Council on 7 October.
The economic prospects of Hong Kong are very encouraging. Hong Kong's projected annual GDP growth between now and 1997 is expected to average 5 per cent. in real terms. The growing economic co-operation between the territory and southern China has enabled Hong Kong to benefit from the remarkable rates of growth in China in recent years.
The best way to protect Hong Kong's prosperity and stability in the years ahead is to maintain the territory's way of life. The Governor made a number of proposals in his speech aimed at making the administration of Hong Kong more effective and broadening the participation of Hong Kong people in running their own affairs. We consider that these proposals are consistent with the joint declaration and the basic law. The Governor has made clear that he is willing to consider alternative proposals if these meet the requirement of being open, fair and commanding widespread support in Hong Kong.
Mr. Marlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Hong Kong citizens have applied for United Kingdom passports; what is the likely proportion that will be granted passports; and how many dependants are likely to attach to each passport granted.
Mr. Goodlad: Some 66,511 Hong Kong residents have applied to date for British citizenship in the first phase of the British nationality scheme under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990. About 39,418 of them are expected to be successful in their application.
Present indications are that the principal beneficiaries each have two dependants on average.
Iraq
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in the light of the documents made available in the Matrix Churchill court case, he will make further inquiries into the circumstances of the death of journalist Jonathan Moyle in 1990; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: As I told the House on 21 January 1991, we have previously looked into media reports that Mr. Moyle may have come across information about Chilean arms sales to Iraq, but we have no evidence to substantiate this.
Mr. Jonathan Moyle's tragic death is still under investigation by the Chilean authorities, and the British Embassy in Santiago remains in touch with those authorities.
83 CW62/31 Job &-1
Bosnia
196
164
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of any formal or informal agreement reached by EC ministers for EC member states to receive families from Bosnian detention camps this year; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: This question was discussed at the EC Foreign Affairs Council on 9 November but no agreement, formal or informal, was reached. We have offered to accept 150 (plus dependants) in the first instance and are looking at what more we can do. We understand that EC partners have made similar offers.
Public Works Contracts
SAU
ECD)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates on which regulations equivalent to the Public Works Contracts Regulations 1991 were enacted or came into force in each other EC member state.
Mr. Garel-Jones: The material requested is not held centrally and will need some time to be collected. I will provide as full a response as I can as soon as possible.
Wilton Park
Information
Mr. Sumberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the appointment of a departmental board for the Wilton Park executive agency; and whether targets have been agreed for the current year.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: The Wilton Park departmental board was appointed earlier this year and held its first meeting on 23 October. I have agreed the recommendation of the board that the following key targets be adopted for this financial year:
to increase income from £790,000 to £876,000; to recover 72-5 per cent. of costs;
to increase the overall number of Wilton Park
Conference participants from 720 to 860;
to reduce the average cost to the FCO of each
participant from £426 to £387.
Foreign Affairs Council
ECD
Mr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 9 November.
Mr. Hurd: I chaired the Foreign Affairs Council on 9 November. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and, on trade issues including GATT, my hon. Friend the Minister of Trade represented the United Kingdom.
There was a discussion of guiding principles on subsidiarity on the basis of a draft presidency paper. It was agreed that COREPER would report to the next meeting of the Council. There was discussion on how to introduce greater openness into the work of the Community following the discussion at the European Council in Birmingham. COREPER will take this work forward too.
Progress in ratifying the Maastricht treaty was discussed informally. The Danish Foreign Minister explained the Danish proposals. We as presidency agreed to liaise closely with the Danes and our other partners to
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.