The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: 1992

  • PMQT Written Answers – 10 June 1992

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 10th June 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Data Protection

    Mr. Cohen : To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s arrangements for consulting the Data Protection Registrar during the planning stage of any initiative involving the collection, use or disclosure of personal data; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    When planning any project involving information technology, the standing instructions include a specific action to consider the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1984. In any case of doubt, the Data Protection Registrar is consulted. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is satisfied with the effectiveness of these arrangements.

     

    International Parliamentary Assemblies

    Sir Anthony Grant : To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy on the appointment of non-elected persons to the United Kingdom delegations to those international parliamentary assemblies for which he makes appointments.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    Any appointments my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister makes to United Kingdom delegations to international parliamentary assemblies are made in accordance with the rules of the assembly concerned.

     

    Energy Tax

    Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Prime Minister if Her Majesty’s Government intend to support the EC energy tax proposal.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    The Government will examine the European Commission’s recent draft directive on a carbon/energy tax carefully, taking account of the outcome of the Rio summit, and the actions taken by other major countries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

     

    Brazil

    Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss with the authorities in Brazil what bilateral action can be taken to provide for the (a) housing requirements, (b) education requirements and (c) medical requirements of street children in Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Newton [holding answer 8 June 1992] : I have been asked to reply.

    We provide assistance under the ODA joint funding scheme to programmes for street children and other groups carried out in Brazil by non-governmental organisations. We are open to requests for external professional advice under our bilateral technical co-operation programme to Brazil.

    Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss with the authorities in Brazil what bilateral action can be taken to (a) tackle the plight of street children and (b) bring to justice their killers.

    Mr. Newton [holding answer 8 June 1992] : I have been asked to reply.

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister plans to raise the matter during his visit. While it is for the Brazilian authorities to take measures to resolve the problem, we are doing what we can to alleviate the plight of street children by assisting the non-governmental organisations which work with them.

    Mr. Alton : To ask the Prime Minister what representations he intends to make about the plight of assassinated street children in Brazil, during his visit to Rio de Janeiro; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Newton [holding answer 8 June 1992] : I have been asked to reply.

    The Government share the hon. Member’s concern. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister plans to raise the matter in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Mr Major’s Speech in Bogota – 10 June 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s speech made in Bogota on Wednesday 10th June 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I say firstly how good it is to be back in Colombia. I came here in 1984 for my first visit and several things struck me when I made that visit at that time – the courage, the warmth and the friendliness of the people of Colombia as well as the beauty of the country was the thing that struck most in my mind through those years. It made at that time a very deep and a very lasting impression upon me, I was determined than to come back but I am delighted to have had the opportunity of doing so in the last day or so.

    It is often said, sometimes by realists and sometimes by cynics, that people get the leaders they deserve. If that is so then I think the people of Colombia are both fortunate and to be congratulated. In ex-President Barco and in President Gaviria they have chosen leaders exemplary for their courage and for their capacity and willingness to tackle deep-seated and difficult problems.

    But I am glad also to be back here in Colombia today because in our own way we are making a little bit of history. Anglo-Colombian relations go back a long way. One of the very first contacts was in Cartagena, where I had the pleasure of a most enjoyable evening last night. Francis Drake, whom I must claim some ancestral responsibility for, at least on a nations basis, visited in 1586, I am not sure he was your most welcome visitor over the past 500 years, but there was at least one positive result from that visit – the construction of the magnificent ramparts of Cartagena. Admiral Vernon with 27,000 men and 3,000 artillery pieces had planned a visit a little later, in 1741, but Blas de Leso had other ideas and on that occasion he carried the day.

    Since then Anglo/Colombian naval relations have been perhaps on a slightly more even keel than they were during those two visits. And since the time of the naval mission before the Second World War we have built a pattern of fruitful cooperation which continues to this day and will continue in the future.

    But our links of course were in no sense limited to the sea. Britain has played a prominent and I think honourable part in Simon Bolivar’s campaign for the liberation of Colombia. And many of those who fought alongside him in those campaigns stayed on to link their fortunes and those of their descendants with the new nation.

    In Belgrave Square we have a statue of the liberator and on that statue are inscribed some of his own words, and perhaps I might quote them to you, they read as follows:

    “I am convinced that England alone is capable of protecting the world’s precious rights as she is great, glorious and wise.”

    It was very generous of him to write in that fashion. Later in a letter to General Sucre, Simon Bolivar wrote that he was, and I quote again from his letter: “beside myself with joy and happiness at the very thought that our interests and policies may be linked with Great Britain”.

    That is the end of the quote but the courage, the idealism and the dynamism of the man who wrote those words are an inspiration for all of us today who want to make a success of the partnership between Britain and Colombia. It is a partnership that I believe is secure, it is a partnership I have no doubt after my discussions with President Gaviria over the last two days that is set to remain and to grow in the years ahead.

    At the time of the liberation we bore arms together. Since then our cooperation has taken a more peaceful turn trade, investment, the development of cultural and educational links. And now our two governments are working together on another vitally important matter, working together to combat the evils of drug trafficking.

    And I would like to salute President Gaviria and his predecessor for the immensely brave stand that they have taken on that subject. I launched our bilateral cooperation at the United Nations when I was Foreign Secretary in 1989. Since then it has been a success, it is helping to save lives and during my visit I want to build on those foundations. There is real scope for increased cooperation in trade and investment, British Petroleum’s recent find at Cusiana, which the President and I and many others had the opportunity of visiting this morning, is one good example.

    But a crucial element, an element that is fundamental to the relationship, is our shared commitment to democracy. For us in the United Kingdom the most encouraging development in Colombia has been the growing vitality of democracy in your country. I mentioned ex-President Barco, now active in the cause of Angle-Colombian relations as Ambassador in London, I should also mention Luis Carlos Galan and the worldwide shock of his evil murder. President Gaviria showed enormous courage in stepping into the breach, I pray tribute, unreservedly, to his leadership then and subsequent.

    And yet that same courage is visible elsewhere. It is I believe visible in the efforts of many Colombians, many prominent, many less prominent, some almost unknown, who continue to make your democratic institutions work despite the dangers that exist.

    That courage and the President’s leadership has been rewarded by the strides that Colombia has made, the calling of a constituent assembly, the new constitution, progress in bringing many of the guerrillas to the negotiating table and then into the political mainstream, the prosecution of the war against the drug barons and the progressive liberalisation of the economy. Those are remarkable achievements upon which all Colombians deserve to be congratulated.

    Our cooperation in many of those areas, based on a shared cultural heritage, is reason enough for a British Prime Minister to come here. But there is another reason. We have not forgotten and will not forget the principled stand that Colombia took in 1982 condemning the unjustifiable use of force. So, Mr President, I take pride in being the first British Prime Minister to visit Colombia, indeed I believe the first British Prime Minister in office to visit South America.

    The Joint Declaration that we have signed sets the seal on our friendship. It expresses our determination to develop that friendship in all its aspects. Britain is at present the third largest foreign investor in Colombia. British Petroleum has a 40 percent interest in Cusiana. There are subsidiaries of 22 British companies working here.

    The President and I have agreed in the last 2 days that we will negotiate an investment promotion and protection agreement to encourage even more investment in the years ahead. Our anti-narcotics programme, bilaterally and through the European Community, is worth nearly 20 million sterling. Kenneth Clarke, our Home Secretary, looks forward to visiting Colombia later this year to assess that programme and to see what more we can do to help. I want to build more of that Ministerial cooperation in the coming years and I am sure the luncheon may care to know that I have invited the President to visit Britain as our guest next year.

    Mr President, the winds of change have been blowing through our own European continent, they have blown away in the whole of the Eastern half of that continent the tyrannies of the last 50 years and brought in democracies and free markets. Because our eyes have been so firmly fixed on that peaceful revolution we have perhaps overlooked the peaceful revolution in Latin America for the winds of change have been blowing through your continent as well.

    In this country you have a long tradition of democracy. Elsewhere in the hemisphere democracy and constitutional rule have been returned and have been reinforced. Free markets, essential, essential to individual liberty and choice and economic growth, free markets have been opened up.

    In the 19th century Britain and Latin America were significant trading partners. How ironic it is that as the jet age began after the Second World War so our paths diverged. Now there is nothing to stop them coming together again, and indeed there is every reason today for them to come together again. The well of historical, cultural and commercial ties has in no sense run dry. Latin America is a source of inspiration in many fields: literary, cultural, economic.

    Yours is a region of infinite natural resource and environmental potential. It is a region moving towards full democracy, an open trading system, steady economic growth, sound administration and respect for human rights. These are firm foundations for our rediscovered relationship.

    Colombia herself, if I may say so, symbolises this transformation. You face problem on a huge scale from drugs trafficking and terrorists. You have tackled them heroically. You have secured growth in the economy every year for the past 30 years, you have not had to reschedule your debts. You have preserved and strengthened democratic institutions.

    Those are, by any reckoning, substantial achievements and how much greater will Colombia’s achievements be once the violence against which you have fought so long has been conquered.

    I have no doubt in saying that I believe the future is bright here in Colombia. My government has recognised the significance of the transformation the Colombians themselves have brought about. We look forward to being South America’s partner, to being Colombia’s partner, in a common future that lies ahead of us. We look forward to building that relationship in the years ahead.

    In our bilateral relationships there is much to be done. But President Gaviria, I believe you and I can claim that we have made a good start in the last two days and in the months and years ahead I look forward to your government and my government continuing that start and building upon it. Thank you for your hospitality today.

  • Mr Major’s Bogota Press Conference – 10 June 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s press conference, held in Bogota on Wednesday 10th June 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Let me say at the outset I am very pleased to be back in Colombia, it is not my first visit, it is however the first visit by a British Prime Minister both to Colombia and to South America and I am most grateful to President Gaviria, his wife and colleagues, for the warmth of their welcome and for their hospitality during this visit.

    I had three purposes in coming here. First, to reaffirm our support for Colombian democracy, her market economy and her brave and successful fight against drug trafficking. Second, to develop our bilateral relationship, especially in the trade field. We are, the United Kingdom, the third largest investor in Colombia, 22 subsidiaries of British companies work here, the oil find at Cusiana, which we visited this morning, is the largest BP find for 25 years. And thirdly, to revitalise our relationship with Latin America as a whole.

    The text of our joint declaration brings out the extent of our cooperation. Bilaterally and through the European Community Britain has contributed nearly 20 million sterling to the fight against drug trafficking, help which I first announced as Foreign Secretary at the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. We plan now to enhance that cooperation, the Home Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, will visit Colombia later this year.

    We have agreed to set up a bilateral trade promotions group to encourage trade and investment. We intend to negotiate, very shortly, an agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, and we are looking at the scope for a double taxation agreement.

    These developments will add substance to our relationship. I have also invited President Gaviria to visit Britain as the guest of the British government next year and I am delighted that he has accepted that invitation. The return of democracy and free markets to South America gives us the chance to strengthen our links. We are, as I said a moment ago, one of the biggest investors in Latin America already, my visit here has shown the potential for building on a sound existing basis for cooperation and for revitalising an old friendship. That is our intention and I believe we have made a good start in the last two days.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION (Adam Boulton, Sky):

    In the battle against drugs how concerned are you that in fact drugs are a pretty important source of income for countries in Latin America and therefore you cannot move too quickly to stop the trade?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I do not think we can afford to delay in stopping the trade. There is a great development in the economies of Latin America and one has seen some of that in the last couple of days in Colombia, but one sees that development mirrored in other parts of Latin America as well. I do not believe there can be any justifiable delay in cracking down on drugs, drugs are the source of a great deal of violence and discontent in Latin America and the end product of the drug trade is the cause of a great deal of misery and death in other parts of the world as well. So there is no cause, no justification and no intention for delaying in cracking down on that problem.

    QUESTION:

    My question is in two parts, in which other areas might British companies be investing in Colombia; and the second part is the concession made by the European Community to the GSP to the Andean Pact countries to help them with their support for the work they are doing on fighting drugs, will that be extended in the future and to which areas?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Upon the latter point first, I cannot commit the whole of the European Community but I think they would look very sensitively at the prospects for extension. There is great concern in the European Community, particularly about drugs but a great interest as well in developing its relationship with Latin America generally.

    On the question of the investment by BP, there are a number of other investments, large investments, by British subsidiaries in Colombia and I have no doubt that that will continue, not just in the oil industry but across, I hope, a wide range of industry as well.

    QUESTION (Paul Reynolds, BBC):

    How can you persuade people in Colombia who might be minded to support some of the opposition groups that companies like BP are not simply here to exploit the resources of Colombia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    They certainly are not here just for that purpose and I think the best way of persuading anyone who might doubt that is to have a look at what has happened to the prosperity of other countries that have had large investments such as the BP investment in Cusiana, there is no doubt the successful development of Cusiana, the successful exploitation of the oil reserves that it seems might well be there, will have a dramatic, beneficial, revitalising effect on the Colombian economy and I think that is the point that needs to be made and I have no doubt that President Gaviria and his colleagues will make that point very forcibly.

    QUESTION (Adriana Ajalla):

    What was the principal reason why you chose to visit the BP site at Cusiana and how can you be sure that that kind of investment is not going to destroy the natural environment and the resources of Colombia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    On the first point, I particularly wanted to see the investment, it is state of the art investment, it is one of the biggest investments that I think anyone will have made in Colombia externally at any stage, it has some of the most dramatic and modern engineering skills that anyone has ever seen. And I think therefore that it was something I particularly wished to see.

    As for the environment, it was very noticeable this morning in the questions that the President and I asked the engineers who were there, the immense trouble that they are taking with the water and mud that they bring out of the earth with the drilling, that it goes through several processes to make sure that it is absolutely environmentally repaired before it trickles back down to local streams. A great deal of expenditure and care is going into environmental protection at Cusiana, has done, is doing, and I was assured this morning by the BP executives would continue to do in the future.

    QUESTION (Kirsty, Sky News):

    You are leaving Colombia now to go on to Rio, you have been balancing your pro-environmentalist stance against your relationship with the States, do you think you will be able to sustain that in Rio and what do you hope to get out of that?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have made it perfectly clear what our stance is on the environment. I think that the Rio conference is immensely important but it is not the end of environmental changes, it is a further step in a continuing process of environmental protection, and for that reason we have examined the conventions very carefully and we will be able to sign all the conventions. We had some difficulties with the biodiversity convention, I think we have now negotiated our way into a position to sign that. So I very much hope that people will see the Rio convention as a success and from the benchmark that is set at Rio we will, be able to move further forward in due course.

    QUESTION (Adrian Croft):

    While you were at Cusiana today there were some rumours in the London markets that you might have gone missing in Colombia. I would like you to comment on that; and given Colombia’s reputation for violence do you think that it is a deterrent to foreign investment in the country because of guerrilla and other violence?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    As you can see, I have not gone missing in Colombia. Were I to go missing I cannot think of many nicer pieces to go missing in but I can promise you that I am in rude health and I certainly have not gone missing.

    I think the way in which the Colombian government, President Barco and now President Gaviria, have tackled the problems of the guerrillas and the problems of violence has been remarkable, remarkable for their persistence, remarkable for their courage and remarkable for the growing success that they have had and I warmly congratulate them on what they have achieved.

    QUESTION (Alistair Campbell):

    Your visit has been overshadowed at home rather by what the Daily Telegraph calls a Cabinet crisis over Europe and I wonder what you are going to do to regain and maintain unity and whether you have considered conducting a reshuffle from South America?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There is no Cabinet crisis and there is no difference of view whatever amongst any members of the Cabinet on the question of our European policy. I set out the government’s policy in the House of Commons last week, it has not changed, that policy is fully supported, has been in private and is in public by every member of the Cabinet and statements to that effect I understand have been issued this morning. I cannot tell over the medium term what the fate of the Maastricht treaty will be after the Danish referendum, until the Danes ratify the treaty clearly it cannot enter into force. But I can say this about the treaty, the treaty embodies much that we have long sought in Europe, it was worth attaining and I believe the treaty is worth keeping and it would be folly to throw away the gains that we have in that treaty rather than building on those gains for the future.

    So I think in the difficulties following the Danish referendum result we do need cool heads and careful coordination, but Cabinet has decided our policy and each and every single member of Cabinet fully supports that policy.

    QUESTION (Lida Fonseca):

    Bearing in mind that Great Britain takes over the Presidency of the Community in the second half of this year, how will that affect and play through into the Community’s and Britain’s relations with Latin America; and what is the state of the races so far as the Argentine claim on the Falkland Islands is concerned?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    On the latter point, there is no change in the relationship. The Falklands in international law and in our view are British and remain so. But beyond that we are of course keen to improve our relationship with Argentina and are doing so and we will continue to do so in the future.
    On the first part of your question over the European Community, the position is as follows. There is a general wish in the community, both amongst the nations bilaterally and the Community collectively to improve its relationship with Latin America and we will continue that policy throughout the next six months. And in that respect I think my visit to Colombia and Rio, and the visit to Rio of many other European Heads of Government will greatly help in moving the policy.

  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in Cartagena – 9 June 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s doorstep interview in Cartagena on Tuesday 9th June 1992.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, the first ever visit by someone in your job while in office to this country, you have had some talks, how are things going?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think the talks are going extremely well, it is 8 years since I was last in Colombia and the change in the country has been very profound, the way in which they run their economy, the sheer grip the government is now beginning to get on a whole series of very difficult problems, not least of course drugs.

    QUESTION:

    You seem to be suggesting there is something in this for Britain, not just Colombia?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Oh I do not think it is a one-way option, the whole of Latin America has changed dramatically in the last decade, it is becoming an increasingly important part of the world in terms of trade. We had an excellent relationship in the 18th and 19th century, it fell away a little over the last 50 years or so. I believe the prospects of Latin America in the future are very good, I think British companies ought to recognise those prospects and we ought to recognise the remarkable changes there have been in this part of the world.

    QUESTION:

    I suppose most people who think of Colombia they think of drugs and the Medillin cartel and other cartels, do you think there is any sign that that war against illegal drugs is being won?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It is certainly not going to be won in the short term but I think there are several things to be said about it. Firstly a number of the drug barons are now in custody, awaiting trial, and we must wait and see how the trials turn out. Secondly, the Colombian government are tackling this problem with very great courage, very great physical courage as well as political courage, and in the last few years we have been one of that principal allies, we have committed a lot of resources, a lot of advice, a lot of know-how in order to assist them in dealing with their drugs problems. We will continue to do that, that is not just an altruistic degree of help, if the drugs are produced anywhere in the world, Colombia or elsewhere, their end use might be in Europe or in the United Kingdom. If we can cut off the drugs at source we can save lives at home.

    QUESTION:

    Ministerial involvement in that area is not going to stop with your visit here?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    No it is not, I very much hope the Home Secretary will be back to examine the whole programme to see how it is progressing some time in the autumn, we have not finalised dates yet but I am sure he will now be coming.

    QUESTION:

    This is a democratic country but it is a country on edge, there is a guerrilla war of some kind going on as well as problems with the drugs barons, tomorrow some people say you are exposing yourself to great risks where the guerrillas have been extremely active, how do you feel about that?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am looking forward to the visit, there is a lot to be seen there and I will be in extremely good company because I suspect you are coming with me.

    QUESTION:

    I am now but you do not think you will be in danger?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have no idea but I need to go and see this, there are British companies there, they are working there, they are exploring there, they have new oil discoveries, they are going to develop it and I want to see that development, I think it is somewhere I should go and I am looking forward to the visit.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 9 June 1992

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 9th June 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Newham

    Q6. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to the London borough of Newham.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making further visits to many parts of the country and hopes to include different parts of London among them.

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 9 June.

    Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 9 June.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is visiting Colombia to have discussions with President Gavria on a wide range of issues. He will carry out other official duties including an inspection of an anti-narcotics police training school.

     

    Earth Summit

    Mr. Burns : To ask the Prime Minister what is his assessment of the likely outcome of the Earth summit in Rio.

    The Prime Minister : I am committed to the success of the Earth summit and will attend the meeting with other world leaders. We shall sign the framework convention on climate change and have joined with other members of the European Community in urging all countries to sign and ratify it as soon as possible thereafter. This convention will be a significant first step in tackling the global problems of climate change.

    We shall also sign the convention on biodiversity, which should provide an initial step in protecting natural habitats and the range of species throughout the world. This will be subject to satisfactory arrangements that take full account of our concern about financial commitments.

    We have already announced that we will provide new and additional financial resources through the global environment facility to assist developing countries in meeting the incremental costs of their commitments under the convention.

    We hope that an effective statement of principles on the sustainable development of the world’s forests will be agreed and a process to follow the principles up.

    Agenda 21 provides a coherent framework for action by all to achieve more sustainable types of development and growth. We attach great importance to its agreement at the meeting. We hope that it will contain a declaration of basic principles and that stronger machinery will be established to carry forward work at a national and international level.

  • PMQT – 9 June 1992

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 9th June 1992. Tony Newton responded on behalf of John Major.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 9 June.

    The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Tony Newton): I have been asked to reply.

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is visiting Colombia to have discussions with President Gaviria on a wide range of issues. He will carry out other official duties including an inspection of an anti-narcotics police training school.

    Mr. Campbell-Savours : Is the Leader of the House aware of the major argument that broke out in Rio de Janeiro last night at the Earth summit between my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd), Labour’s spokeswoman for overseas development, and Baroness Chalker, the Minister, on the £10 billion decline in the Government’s aid programme over the past 13 years? Will he confirm that when the Prime Minister told the House last week that over the past 13 years since the fall of the Labour Government, there has been a real increase in overseas aid as a proportion of gross domestic product, he was wrong, he was in error, and had not done his homework?

    Mr. Newton : I cannot say that I have had a detailed blow-by-blow account of the conversation in Rio last night. What I do know is that underlying my right hon. Friend’s statement last week is the fact that we spent more than £1.8 billion in the past financial year–an increase of 4.7 per cent. in real terms over the previous year. Our aid is planned to continue to grow in real terms to almost £2 billion in 1994-95. I also hope that the hon. Gentleman will point out to his right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition, who claimed that we had cut by half our aid to third-world countries, that our aid has gone up from £727 million to more than £1.8 billion in the past financial year.

    Mrs. Lait : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the new common agricultural policy agreement led by the British Government is advantageous to the British consumer, fair to the British farmer and is likely to break the deadlock at the general agreement on tariffs and trade talks?

    Mr. Newton : I very much agree with my hon. Friend that the agreement is not only very advantageous to this country and to the sensible development of agricultural policies in Europe, since it reduces the burden of the CAP on consumers by £8 billion for the Community as a whole, but it will help to restore the credibility of the Community in the GATT negotiations and will make a settlement of those negotiations, devoutly desired by hon. Members of all parties, more likely.

     

    Q2. Mr. Hanson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 9 June.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hanson : Is the Leader of the House aware that since privatisation the number of water cut-offs has trebled, and that in Wales it has increased even further? Is he further aware that since privatisation the salaries and bonuses of water company chairmen have risen by 290 per cent., and that in Wales they have risen by 211 per cent? Is that not a case of Tory policy making the rich richer and the poor poorer? Will the right hon. Gentleman today take the opportunity to condemn the water companies for their actions, and will he put pressure on the authorities to take steps in this regard?

    Mr. Newton : What I am aware of is that, largely as a result of the inaction of the previous Labour Government– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. This is a waste of precious time.

    Mr. Newton : And– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. The House must come to order and hear what the Leader of the House has to say.

    Mr. Newton : And the– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. It is now my turn. Will the House please come to order, so that at least I can hear what the Leader of the House has to say?

    Mr. Newton : What I am aware of is that, as a result of long neglect of water investment under the previous Administration, there has been a considerable need to improve investment in supply and water quality. Since privatisation, the level of water investment has doubled, and it has more than doubled since five years before privatisation.

     

    Q3. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 9 June.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Dr. Goodson-Wickes : Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the first-ever visit by a serving Prime Minister of this country to any country in South America? Does not our right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s choice of Colombia for his first port of call give us an opportunity to endorse our historical, if somewhat neglected, links with that country ; to thank it for its support during the Falklands war ; and to promote further co-operation in our joint efforts to fight the menace of drug trafficking?

    Mr. Newton : I agree with my hon. Friend. This first-ever visit by a serving British Prime Minister to a South American country is indeed very welcome : it reflects the factors mentioned by my hon. Friend, and provides a further opportunity to enhance the already close co-operation that exists between this country and Colombia in combating the drugs menace.

    Mr. Hattersley : Can the Leader of the House confirm that information given to newspapers yesterday by the Foreign Office that Britain is attempting to negotiate a protocol to the Maastricht treaty, to prepare the House for a resubmission of the Maastricht Bill?

    Mr. Newton : What I can tell the right hon. Gentleman is that the possibility to which he has referred is clearly one among a range of others that can sensibly be considered in the uncertain circumstances that have followed the Danish referendum. [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order.

    Mr. Newton : I was giving the right hon. Gentleman, I hope, a straightforward and clear-cut answer– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order.

    Mr. Newton : As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement yesterday, it is obviously necessary, following the Danish referendum last week–this is acknowledged on all sides–to look at all possible ways of moving forward in the wake of the Danish decision. What I indicated in the early part of my remarks does no more than confirm that one of the possibilities which can clearly be considered, but without commitment at this stage, is that to which the right hon. Gentleman referred.

    Mr. Hattersley : It is indeed a strange Government who are categorical to newspapers on one day and evasive to the House of Commons on the next. Does the Leader of the House understand that the time has gone when progress can be made on the Maastricht Bill by contrivance and manipulation? There are many of us on both sides of the House, long- standing enthusiasts for European unity– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order.

    Mr. Hattersley : There are many of us on both sides of sides of the House, long-standing enthusiasts for European unity, who will support progress only of a Bill that is clear, honest and comprehensive and which includes those parts of the treaty most of benefit to the British people, and that specifically includes the social chapter.

    Mr. Newton : There is a slight contrast, I think, between what the right hon. Gentleman is telling us this afternoon and what his right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) appeared to tell us yesterday afternoon, which was that he was both for and against the treaty, depending upon what happened in other quarters. The British Government’s position is absolutely clear and entirely in line with what I said a few moments ago ; that is, that it is necessary, not simply for one country–this one–but for 12, including not least the Danes, to consider the position created by the events of last week and to look at various ways forward from there. That is a sensible policy and it is absurd for the right hon. Gentleman to pretend that there is a simple, neat and immediate answer.

    Mr. Cormack : Does my right hon. Friend agree that there are few less agreeable sights than that of a pack of greedy voyeurs on the make? Will he please convey the good wishes of the House to the Prince and Princess of Wales, our thanks for their past services and hopes for their future happiness?

    Mr. Newton : My hon. Friend will understand that I would not wish to be drawn into comment on the stories that have been appearing in the press, but there will be very widespread support in all parts of the House for the comments made by the Press Complaints Commission yesterday. As my hon. Friend knows, our right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage will take into account the views of the Press Complaints Commission in his forthcoming review of press self-regulation, which is due to start in July. He will have the support of the whole House in doing precisely that.

     

    North Atlantic Treaty

    Q4. Dr. Godman : To ask the Prime Minister if it is the intention of Her Majesty’s Government to initiate discussions at the forthcoming NATO ministerial meeting in Oslo on matters relating to article 4 and article 12 of the North Atlantic treaty ; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    Articles 4 and 12 of the North Atlantic treaty were not discussed. But the North Atlantic Council communique, copies of which have been placed in the Library, made it clear that NATO was prepared to support peacekeeping activities on a case-by-case basis under the auspices of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe.

    Dr. Godman : With reference to article 4 of the treaty, and more specifically paragraph 17 of United Nations resolution 757, will the Leader of the House confirm that NATO forces will not be employed in a peacekeeping role in the former republic of Yugoslavia except with the unanimous agreement of the 16 nations which comprise NATO and under the specific command of the United Nations? If such a role is even to be considered, will Her Majesty’s Government press the case for the command structure to be European, rather than American-led?

    Mr. Newton : The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that work is in progress within the alliance to establish precisely how and under what conditions NATO might undertake peacekeeping activity on behalf of or under CSCE auspices. Clearly, the expectation is that such activity would be conducted in consultation with our European partners in that organisation.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 8 June 1992

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 8th June 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Ministerial Advisers

    Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the special advisers appointed to Government Ministers in this Parliament and their previous occupations.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    The names and pre-election occupations of special advisers appointed in this Parliament are as follows :

    Name |Previous occupation

    —————————————————————————————

    1. Adams | Special Adviser
    2. S. Bercow | Sallingbury Casey
    3. Bickham | Special Adviser
    4. Burke | Special Adviser
    5. Caine | Special Adviser
    6. W. D. Cameron | Conservative Central Office

    Dr. E. Cottrell | Conservative Central Office

    Sir P. Cradock | Special Adviser

    Mr. Fraser | Special Adviser

    Sir C. Foster | Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte

    1. M. Grantham | Special Adviser
    2. Green | Television Presenter
    3. S. Hole | Special Adviser

    Mrs. S. Hogg | Special Adviser

    1. Hopson | Communications Consultant
    2. Kemp | Special Adviser

    Mrs. T. Keswick | Special Adviser

    Mrs. E. Laing | Special Adviser

    1. Mackay | Special Adviser
    2. Marsh | Special Adviser
    3. Mayhew | Special Adviser
    4. McManus |Conservative Central Office
    5. J. E. Miller | Special Adviser
    6. Poole |James Capel

    Mrs. K. Ramsay | Special Adviser

    Dr. W. Robinson | Special Adviser

    1. Rock |Conservative Central Office
    2. Rosling | Special Adviser
    3. Ruffley | Special Adviser
    4. Stewart | Special Adviser

    Lady Strathnaver | Special Adviser

    1. True | Special Adviser
    2. R. Wilton | Special Adviser
    3. Young | Special Adviser

    ** Amendment made on 12th June 1992.

     

    Honours List

    Sir Anthony Grant : To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy on the confidentiality of proposed recommendations by him for honours until they are formally announced; what steps are taken when such confidence is breached; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister treats such recommendations in strict confidence until they are announced and asks others to treat them similarly.

  • Mr Major’s Comments on the Bio-Diversity Agreement – 7 June 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on the bio-diversity agreement, made in the United States on 7th June 1992.

    [The Prime Minister was asked whether he has persuaded President Bush to sign the Bio-Diversity Agreement on behalf of the United States of America].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have problems with the bio-diversity convention as well as the United States. We have problems with some of the financial proposals and some of the other allied projects as well.

    I think we will probably be able to solve them, but the difficulties that we instinctively see with them are a great deal less than those the United States sees.

  • Mr Bush’s Welcome Statement to John Major – 6 June 1992

    Below is the text of Mr Bush’s welcome statement to John Major, held at Camp David on 6th June 1992.

    PRESIDENT BUSH:

    Forty-eight years ago today, Ike and Monty, Churchill and FDR, Allied soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, heroes all, forged the greatest armada in the history of man, the D-day invasion. Our goal was a legacy of peace. And to achieve it, we first had to win a war. June 6th, 1944, told the world that aggression will not stand. So it’s fitting that the Prime Minister and I meet on this historic anniversary of a new beginning in Europe to talk about our countries’ enduring special relationship and the future challenges that we face in this promising new world.

    Already we’ve responded to each other not with just the formal handshake of two allies but with the embrace of two friends. And we meet as leaders of nations joined by a common culture and civilization, recalling how Dwight Eisenhower, beloved in Britain and America, once said of freedom, “To preserve it, the Londoner will fight, and so will the citizen of Abilene.”

    Over more than four decades of the cold war, we reaffirmed our relationship. Then came the Persian Gulf where, again, we stood fast so that liberty could prevail. Years from now, people will still marvel at British and American heroism in Operation Desert Storm. People will also note how the last year reaffirmed the strength of our alliance, the value of the rule of law, and that England will always be our friend.

    Our nation sprang from England’s belief in the sanctity of the individual. Today, that belief has never been stronger, our alliance never firmer, our desire never deeper to build a free and peaceful world.

    So Mr. Prime Minister, let me thank you, sir, for your determination and Britain’s example to the world. Welcome back to the U.S.A., and I look forward to discussing a wide array of subjects with you in the couple of days ahead.

    Thank you very much for coming our way again.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 5 June 1992

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 5th June 1992.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Nuclear Test Veterans

    Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister if he has any plans to further consider awarding compensation to veterans of British nuclear tests and, or their families; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : The Government will consider sympathetically a claim for compensation on behalf of any ex-service man who can be shown to have suffered ill health from exposure to ionising radiation as a result of duties in connection with the nuclear test programme. An expert study conducted in 1988 by the National Radiological Protection Board conceded that the overall incidence of death and malignant disease among British nuclear test veterans has been no worse than for people who were not involved in the tests. A further report from the NRPB on more recent data on mortality and cancer evidence is expected later this year.

     

    Libya

    Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister when he received the proposals from the United Nations for a meeting between representatives of the United Kingdom and Libyan Governments to discuss security issues relating to the supply of arms to the Provisional IRA; what will be the areas of discussion at the meeting on 9 June; and if he will explain the manner in which these arrangements were made public.

    The Prime Minister : The United Nations Secretary-General told us on 14 May that the Libyan Foreign Minister had written to him offering to meet our long-standing request for information on Libya’s connections with the Provisional IRA. We have agreed to a meeting under UN auspices in Geneva on 9 June at which this information can be handed over. There will be no discussion at the meeting. In response to press inquiries, the Secretary-General’s spokesman in New York confirmed on 1 June that this meeting would take place.

     

    Council of Ministers

    Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that the outcome of meetings of the Council of Ministers of the European Communities held between 13 March and 6 May are reported in the usual way, in cases where such action has not yet been taken.

    The Prime Minister : I have asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

     

    Lockerbie Bombing

    Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what communications Her Majesty’s Government have received from the Government of Libya relating to two persons allegedly connected with the Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am 103.

    The Prime Minister : We have had various approaches from Libyans and intermediaries over the Lockerbie bombing. None of these amounts to Libyan compliance with UN Security Council resolutions 731 and 748.

     

    Sustainable Development

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to establish a sustainable development commission in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the United Nations.

    The Prime Minister : I have no such plans.

     

    President Bush

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister when he next expects to meet President Bush; and what matters he proposes to discuss.

    The Prime Minister : I shall meet President Bush at Camp David this weekend. I expect to discuss a wide range of subjects with him.

     

    Earth Summit

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what proposals on transfers of military spending to environmental investment will be put forward by the United Kingdom at the United Nations conference on environment and development.

    The Prime Minister : There are no plans to put forward any such proposal.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what attempts have been made to minimise the use of official cars by the United Kingdom delegation to the United Nations conference on environment and development in Rio de Janeiro this month.

    The Prime Minister : We have made it a priority to limit the use of official cars at the Earth summit in Rio.

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out details of the critical representations made to Her Majesty’s Government since 31 May on the United Kingdom’s policies and proposals for the United Nations conference on environment and development in Rio de Janeiro; and what response he has made to the respective criticisms.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Ceredigion and Pembroke, North (Mr. Dafis) on 2 June 1992 at column 392.