Written Answers Written Answers Latin America And Britain EARL COWLEY asked Her Majesty's Government:(1) Which Ministers are planning to visit Latin America during the next 10 months; (2) which countries they are planning to visit; (3) what will be the purposes of their visits; (4) what were the number of ministerial visits per annum between 1956 and 1971 to Latin America. THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN As already announced, my right honourable friend the Minister for Trade will be visiting Chile in April to lead the British delegation to the UNCTAD III Conference. Mr. Noble will take the opportunity also of paying a visit to Brazil, where he will discuss trade matters of mutual interest. Further ministerial visits to Latin America this year are under active consideration.The following are the number of ministerial visits to Latin America between 1956 and 1971. Many visits covered more than one country: ----------- |1956|None| ----------- |1957|1 | ----------- |1958|3 | ----------- |1959|2 | ----------- |1960|8 | ----------- |1961|None| ----------- |1962|1 | ----------- |1963|2 | ----------- |1964|5 | ----------- |1965|6 | ----------- |1966|6 | ----------- |1967|7 | ----------- |1968|4 | ----------- |1969|7 | ----------- |1970|2 | ----------- |1971|4 | ----------- EARL COWLEY asked Her Majesty's Government:What future steps have been planned to consolidate the possible advantages and obvious goodwill to be obtained from the seminar on Britain and Latin America to be held at Lancaster House on May 16 and 17 this year. THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN Her Majesty's Government regard the seminar as part of a continuing process of fruitful contact with the countries of Latin America. They are of course in constant contact with all bodies and institutions concerned with fostering relations with Latin America, and with the private sector, and have very much in mind the need to ensure that the impetus is maintained. Bbc And "The British Empire" Series LORD FERRIER asked Her Majesty's Government:(1) Whether they are satisfied that the terms of the contract under which the B.B.C. is collaborating with Time-Life International in respect of "The British Empire" co-production comply with the B.B.C. Licence and Agreement (see Clause 12); (2) Whether they will state these terms, including the financial and distributing arrangements and the extent to which reproduction is permitted and/or restricted or controlled thereby, having special regard to editing or cutting. LORD DENHAM The Government are satisfied that the B.B.C. is right to say that it did not, in the words of the clause of the Licence and Agreement referred to by my noble friend, "receive any money or valuable consideration in respect of the sending" of the programme. As to the second part of the Question, any decision to publish the terms of the contract between the B.B.C. and Time-Life would be one for the parties themselves, but the B.B.C. has assured the Government that it retained full editorial control over the programme. Contaminated Dextrose BARONESS SEROTA asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a Statement on the latest development in the case of Evans Medical Ltd., of Speke. THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT or HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (LORD ABERDARE) Since my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Social Services made his Statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, his inspectors have been making an intensive investigation at the factory of Evans Medical, Ltd., at Speke. They made a preliminary report yesterday morning that a fault in the sterilisation process could have caused the contamination in the bottles of dextrose solution used at the Devonport Hospital. It was also revealed that similar faults could possibly have occurred in the production of other batches of dextrose and other solutions manufactured by Evans Medical, Ltd.In these circumstances my right honourable friend placed an immediate embargo throughout the country on the use of any of this manufacturer's solutions until he is completely satisfied as to their purity. The inspectors also reported that during one period in 1970 and since the beginning of this year bottles of similar solutions sold by Allen and Hanbury's under the trade name of Sterivac had been filled and sterilised at the Speke factory. These solutions were therefore included in the embargo.The first results of the bacteriological investigation indicate that a proportion of the bottles from sub-batch D1192 C contain a growth of common airborne organisms such as would result from a sterilisation failure. It appears that this failure was partial only; two-thirds of 155 bottles examined in one laboratory were clear on visual inspection and a small sample of these on culture shows no bacterial contamination.The investigations at the Evans Medical factory are continuing and all production of solutions there have been halted for the time being.Ample supplies of the solutions are available from other manufacturers who are making special efforts to meet hospital requirements.House adjourned at eight minutes before eight o'clock.