Hansard

Written Answers

Volume 425: debated on Thursday 12 November 1981

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Written Answers

Prisoners Of Conscience: Amnesty International Proposal

Lord Brockway

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will support the proposal made by Amnesty International to the United Nations Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities that special United Nations machinery be set up to investigate the circumstances of prisoners of conscience, detained because of their political, religious or other beliefs, who have not used or advocated violence.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
(Lord Carrington)

The United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities has not yet pronounced on Amnesty International's idea or forwarded it to the Commission on Human Rights. The Sub-Commission is composed of independent experts and Governments are not involved at this stage. But we will give careful consideration to any such proposal at the appropriate time.

Soviet/British Cultural And Academic Exchanges

Lord Jenkins of Putney

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the cultural and other exchanges with the Soviet Union referred to in the Foreign Secretary's reply of 27th October.

Lord Carrington

The cultural and other exchanges are set out in the agreement. Since it was signed, the following events have taken place under the agreement:

  • (i) 18 British English-language assistants are teaching in Soviet universities. 10 Soviet Russian-language assistants are in British universities;
  • (ii) 30 British undergraduate and postgraduate students are currently studying in Soviet universities. 31 Soviet postgraduates are studying in British universities;
  • (iii)In addition, 169 British undergraduates, student teachers, and teachers of Russian have taken or are taking Russian-language courses in the Soviet Union. 155 Soviet students, student teachers and teachers have taken or are taking English-language courses in Britain;
  • (iv) 12 visits by youth groups to the USSR have taken place with grants from the British Council;
  • (v) 6 British academics and specialists have made short visits to the Soviet Union under British Council auspices; in addition a small number of travel grants have been made;
  • (vi) An Anglo-Soviet seminar on mathematics education was held in Oxford in September;
  • (vii) An exhibition of "Soviet Reference Books and Dictionaries" has been shown in Oxford and Manchester. An exhibition of British books on the Performing Arts is touring the Soviet Union. British Publishers participated in the Moscow International Book Fair in September at which there was also a British Council book-stand. Some of the books from this will be shown in other Soviet cities;
  • (viii) A British exhibition on "The Age of Shakespeare" opens in Moscow this month.

    • The Housing Act 1980: Schedule 24

    Lord Auckland

    asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in the preparation of an order under paragraph 1 of Schedule 24 to the Housing Act 1980.

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment
    (Lord Bellwin)

    My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Wales and my honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Construction have today laid before Parliament an order under paragraph 1 of Schedule 24 to the Housing Act 1980 under which local authorities will have a duty to exercise their powers to require adequate means of escape from fire in respect of houses in multiple occupation of three storeys or more (excluding basements) with a gross floor area in excess of 500 square metres.This order follows concern expressed during the proceedings on the Housing Bill 1980 about fire safety in hostels, and follows detailed consultation with local authority associations. The objective has been to draw the terms of the order sufficiently widely to cover those hostels where the potential risk is greatest without making it so wide that a major new administrative burden would be imposed on local authorities.House adjourned at one minute past nine o'clock.