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Bosnia
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 23 July, Official Report, column 604, on what day he wrote to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; and what response he has received. [11146]
Mr. Doug Henderson: We wrote on 18 July. The OSCE replied on 28 July that registration applications could not be lodged during the appeals period. Polling day arrangements for the housebound remained under consideration. But the OSCE lacked the resources required to enable the housebound to vote at home under international supervision.
Regional or Minority Languages Charter
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government plan to sign the EU charter for regional or minority languages. [11294]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 287
Mr. Doug Henderson:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) on 28 July, Official Report, columns 30-31.
Mr. Mullin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on services of the 1996 review of the BBC World Service. [11104]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The joint FCO-BBC World Service working group will reconvene in the autumn to determine whether the measures it agreed last year to ensure that the continued protection of World Service interests and the maintenance of its special character, style and ethos are functioning satisfactorily. Meanwhile we are monitoring the situation closely.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Indonesia. [11293]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We look forward to pursuing a substantive and broad-based relationship with Indonesia, which reflects the breadth of our bilateral, regional and global interests, and addresses issues of mutual concern, including human rights.
Mr. Canavan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to refuse all export licences for arms sales to Indonesia. [11312]
Mr. Lloyd:
We have no plans to introduce a general arms embargo on Indonesia.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit the People's Republic of China. [11295]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
When they met in Hong Kong, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, invited my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to visit China. My right hon. Friend accepted the invitation and hopes to visit soon.
Mr. McNulty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to publish the first of the reports to Parliament on Hong Kong and the implementation of the Joint Declaration. [11979]
Mr. Fatchett:
The first such report, covering the period January to June 1997, was published today and a copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The report includes a foreword written by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.
I commend the report to the House.
Mr. McNulty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about increasing the number of business men on short-term attachments at posts overseas. [11980]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 288
Mr. Robin Cook:
We made a commitment in our business manifesto to improve the focus of our efforts to back British business selling abroad, to enhance the co-ordination of government trade and investment promotion, and to promote business secondments with this Department.
I am pleased to announce that we have secured a commitment from a number of leading companies to loan members of their staff to this Department to work on specific promotions or projects overseas for periods of a few months. These people will provide valuable expertise to support and promote the activities of the commercial sections of our overseas posts. Each attachment will have a specific focus, such as privatisation projects, inward investment promotion, management of commercial promotions, marketing of UK financial services, or identifying market opportunities in specific sectors.
I welcome the whole-hearted support for this initiative of the Confederation of British Industry. It has encouraged a number of members to participate from the outset, including British Airways, BOC, ICL, Wimpey, British Aerospace, BT, British Steel, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., BUPA, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Glaxo Wellcome. Other companies have expressed a strong interest and I am confident that more attachments will be arranged in the coming months.
This is a commitment to a rolling programme of attachments to strengthen our partnership with business. In the longer term, we hope that companies will be able to second suitable staff to serve as part of the established commercial teams in overseas posts, and in return provide opportunities for this Department's staff to hone their business skills by hosting secondments.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what is the definition of discrimination due to marital status in the burden of proof directive; and if he will make a statement; [11487]
(3) if he will make a statement on the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area proposed in the presidency conclusions at Amsterdam; [11481]
(4) if he will make a statement on the effect of Agenda 2000 on the future allocation of structural funds to the United Kingdom; [11489]
(5) what reforms of the directorates-general will follow the declaration of the Commission in chapter 16 of the Amsterdam treaty; what effect this will have on (a) foreign affairs representations and (b) the British Commissioners; and if he will make a statement; [11431]
(6) if the Schengen secretariat and proposed acquis will be subject to the protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality as outlined in the Amsterdam treaty; [11437]
(7) if he will make a statement on the progressive development of a common defence policy, as expressed in article J.7 of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11435]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 289
(8) what special representatives he expects to be created under the provisions of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11442]
(10) what is the maximum length of time a decision may be deferred on the legality of unilateral action undertaken under article 100a of the treaty of Amsterdam;[11453]
(11) if he will make a statement on the future of the European Coal and Steel Community reserves after 2002;[11483]
(12) for what reasons the additional fields of competence to the (a) Economic and Social Committee and (b) Committee of the Regions are granted by the treaty of Amsterdam; [11417]
(13) if he will make a statement on the declaration on implementing powers in chapter 18 of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11419]
(14) if he will make a statement on the change to the legal base of the Conference of European Affairs Committees, as established in chapter 19 of the Amsterdam treaty; [11421]
(15) if he will make a statement on the application of the deadlines established in article 189b of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11425]
(16) if he will make a statement on the procedural and secretarial implications of article 151 of the Amsterdam treaty; [11427]
(17) what effect article 158(2) of the Amsterdam treaty will have on the selection procedures for (a) the President of the Commission and (b) other Commissioners; and if he will make a statement; [11429]
(18) what measures will be undertaken by Her Majesty's Government to ensure the transposition of agreed legislation into national law; and what measures he plans to take in respect of the practice of gold-plating European legislation; [11479]
(19) what will be the consequences of article L of chapter 17 of the treaty of Amsterdam for European Court of Justice monitoring of employment conditions within the European Community institutions; what estimate he has made of their expenditure implications; and if he will make a statement; [11433]
(20) what scope for preferential use of codes of practice and voluntary conduct rather than legislation is (a) permitted and (b) expected as a consequence of chapter 9 of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11438]
(21) what will be the role of the Western European Union, under the treaty of Amsterdam, in elaborating EU decisions that have defence implications; [11460]
(22) what is the definition of participation in democratic transition processes used in the inter-institutional agreement in chapter 12 of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11444]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 290
(23) if he will make a statement on the implications of paragraph 4 of article 129 of the Amsterdam treaty for domestic policy; [11447]
(24) what measures have been discussed at European Union level on extending the working time directive; what categories of workers are concerned; when the legislation will be implemented; and if he will make a statement; [11451]
(25) what effect the burden of proof directive will have on the basis of the common law concept of presumed innocence; and if he will make a statement; [11486]
(26) if he will make a statement on proposals to include arms export controls in the common foreign and security policy of the European Union; [11482]
(27) who the British representatives will be on the co-ordinating committee under article K. 8 of the Amsterdam treaty; [11405]
(28) if (a) committees of inquiry at the European Parliament and (b) petitions to Members of the European Parliament by aggrieved citizenry will be permitted in the area of title VI material under article K.13 of the Amsterdam treaty; [11406]
(29) what provisions of the Schengen acquis he plans to incorporate into British law in accordance with the protocol incorporating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union in the Amsterdam treaty; what legislation will be required to implement this; and if he will make a statement; [11407]
(30) if he will supply a list of errata for the Amsterdam treaty text as deposited in the House; [11408]
(31) what estimate he has made of the cost of British participation at the Schengen round table established at Amsterdam; [11409]
(32) what is the significance of the reordering of the text in the amended article 2 of the treaty on European Communities according to the new Amsterdam treaty version; [11412]
(33) if Her Majesty's Government will include British representatives from (a) the Federation of Small Businesses, (b) the Institute of Directors and (c) other business groups and unrepresented trades unions as social partners in respect of the structural funds; and if he will make a statement; [11413]
(34) what effect article 163 of the Amsterdam treaty will have on the role of the President of the European commission; [11430]
(35) in which areas the Amsterdam treaty extends the competence of the European Court of Justice; and if he will make a statement; [11432]
(36) to what the reference to article 3b(2) in the protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality refers; [11434]
(37) if he will make a statement on the effect of the Amsterdam treaty on (a) OCCAR and (b) its Western European Union-based arms procurement equivalent;[11440]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 291
(38) in what manner the high representative, as established at the treaty of Amsterdam, will be accountable to (i) the Council of Ministers, (ii) the European Parliament, (iii) national parliaments and (iv) other European Union institutions; [11443]
(39) what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the objectives listed in article 129 of the Amsterdam treaty; [11446]
(40) which parts of the United Kingdom are classified as an island region under chapter 8 of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11450]
(41) if a directive that follows a Commission opinion on the legality of a unilateral ban imposed under article 100a of the treaty of Amsterdam would be agreed under qualified majority voting; [11454]
(42) if he will make a statement on the declaration on genetic engineering appended to the presidency conclusions at Amsterdam; [11484]
(43) what estimate he has made of the costs of implementing the institutional reforms of the treaty of Amsterdam connected with (a) the Committee of the Regions and (b) the Economic and Social Committee;[11418]
(44) what is his policy in respect of the geographic spread of the seats of the institutions of the European Union; and if he will make a statement; [11420]
(45) if he will make a statement on the implications of section V of the Amsterdam treaty for attempts by the United Kingdom to negotiate the repatriation of powers from the European Union; [11422]
(46) what will be the United Kingdom's proportion of total Members of the European Parliament under the treaty of Amsterdam at the entry of those countries for whom entrance to the EU is recommended in Agenda 2000; and if he will make a statement; [11426]
(47) how unclassified documents are to be released to the public in accordance with article 151 of the Amsterdam treaty; what will be the manner of storage of such documents that are withheld; when the latter documents will be released into the public domain; and which non-governmental and non-Commission bodies will have access to them; [11428]
(48) if he will list the circumstances in which a member state can ban products on non-trade grounds under article 100a of the treaty of Amsterdam; [11452]
(49) which social chapter legislation will be acquis by the time the United Kingdom is a voting member on the social chapter; [11480]
(50) what is the current legal basis on which European Union statistics are produced; [11436]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 292
(51) what would be the powers of the European ombudsman in respect of the confidentiality of documents under article 191a of the Amsterdam treaty; [11439]
(52) when the common foreign and security policy will next be reviewed; [11441]
(53) what assessment he has made of the effect of the early warning unit declaration in the Amsterdam treaty on (i) the confidentiality of state secrets and (ii) the intelligence partnership between the United Kingdom and the United States; and if he will make a statement; [11445]
(54) if he will make a statement on the status of Welsh under the treaty of Amsterdam; [11448]
(55) if he will make a statement on the implications of article 6a of the Amsterdam treaty for United Kingdom law in respect of discrimination in the areas covered by the article; [11400]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
I shall write to the hon. Member shortly.
(2) to which categories of individuals article 3 of the burden of proof directive is directed; and what cost analysis of the directive has been undertaken; [11485]
(9) in what circumstances the (a) qualified majority voting and (b) unanimity voting procedure would apply to measures under article 209a of the treaty of Amsterdam; and if he will make a statement; [11449]
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