Written Answers
Anglo-Argentine Relations
asked Her Majesty's Government:If they are considering any early development in relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina.
The twin objectives of our policy are: to fulfil our commitments to the Falkland Islanders; and to restore more normal relations between Britain and Argentina.The question of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands is not for discussion. In our view, better relations with Argentina can only realistically be achieved by seeking agreement on practical issues.
Commercial and economic relations offer a natural opportunity for progress of this kind. We have on a number of occasions made it plain to the Argentine Government that we are willing to discuss this subject. They have not so far responded to any of these initiatives.
We have accordingly decided ourselves to take a fresh step to promote improvement in this field. We are lifting, with effect from midnight tonight, the ban on imports from Argentina which has been in place since April 1982.
The International Monetary Fund has stressed the importance of increased trade for the recovery of the Argentine economy and for the resolution of their debt problems. That is important for international financial stability and for the consolidation of Argentine democracy. We have consistently played a constructive part in the relevant negotiations in the IMF and the Paris Club. The announcement which I am making today will enable Argentina to recognise that if trade is to flourish it has to be a two-way street, and so to lift their restrictions on imports from Britain. It will also benefit British industry, by restoring access to Argentine raw materials, and employment in the United Kingdom.
Argentina now has the opportunity to respond to our initiative and thereby to open the way to further steps towards more normal relations between Britain and Argentina.
Forestry Commission: Statistics
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list, separately for England, Scotland and Wales, for each of the years 1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1984:
(i) The areas of Forestry Commission land planted with conifers (including restocking) were as follows:
| Year to | England | Wales | Scotland | Hectares Total |
| 30.9.40 | 5,851 | 3,859 | 9,710 | |
| 30.9.45 | 1,355 | 1,095 | 2,450 | |
| 30.9.50 | 5,731 | 4,488 | 9,838 | 20,057 |
| 30.9.55 | 6,670 | 4,736 | 13,569 | 24,975 |
| 30.9.60 | 6,564 | 5,246 | 12,005 | 23,815 |
| 30.9.65 | 5,088 | 3,853 | 12,354 | 21,295 |
| 31.3.70 | 4,205 | 2,565 | 15,566 | 22,336 |
| 31.3.75 | 2,497 | 2,044 | 18,422 | 22,963 |
| 31.3.80 | 2,882 | 1,994 | 16,305 | 21,181 |
| 31.3.84 | 2,742 | 1,795 | 10,306 | 14,843 |
(ii) Until comparatively recently, the Forestry Commission's employment records were maintained centrally only on a Great Britain basis and—except for 1980 and 1984—information cannot be provided on the numbers employed in each country in the years in question other than at disproportionate cost. The figures for 1980 and 1984 were as follows:
Year
| England
| Wales
| Scotland
| Total
|
| 1980 | 3,168 | 1,429 | 3,532 | 8,129 |
| 1984 | 2,642 | 1,098 | 3,096 | 6,836 |
The Commission's employment records on a Great Britain basis are incomplete for the years 1940, 1945 and 1950, but the total numbers employed in the subsequent years to 1975 were as follows:
- 1955–15,576
- 1960–14,387
- 1965–13,612
- 1970–10,104
- 1975–8,304
Ncc: Proposed Expenditure 1985–86
asked Her Majesty's Government:How much the Nature Conservancy Council will spend in 1985–86 in the following fields:
The Nature Conservancy Council's proposed expenditure in 1985–86 is as follows:
| £000 | |
| (1) Marine conservation | 157.5 |
| (2) Grants to voluntary bodies for the purchase of SSSIs | 900.0 |
| (3) Studying the effect of "acid deposition" | 42.0 |
| (4) Monitoring changes to wildlife habitat in the wider countryside | 66.7 |
Soviet Economic Zone: Uk Marine Research
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Soviet Union's rejection of British requests to carry out marine research in the water column in the Soviet exclusive economic zone in the course of tracing the route of caesium escaped from Sellafield is based on its rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, whether Her Majesty's Government accept that other states should exercise rights under this convention, and what further steps they propose to take.
The Soviet authorities based their rejection of the British notification on Article 8 of the Charter of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the "Economic Zone of the USSR" of 28th February 1984 and Article 5 of the Charter of the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet on the "Continental Shelf of the USSR" of 6th February 1968. There is no indication of a link with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is not in force for any country.
Banishment And The British Citizen
asked Her Majesty's Government:When was the last time that a United Kingdom citizen was banished from his place of abode in the United Kingdom after judicial trial, what was that citizen's name, under which law was the sentence passed, and by which judge.
Transportation, the last criminal law penalty approximating to banishment, was abolished by the Penal Servitude Act 1857. The further information requested is not available.
asked Her Majesty's Government:When was the last time that a United Kingdom citizen was banished from his place of abode in the United Kingdom by executive act which was not sanctioned by Immigration Acts or Prevention of Terrorism Acts, what was that citizen's name, and by what authority was that banishment made.
No executive act of the kind described by the noble Lord can have taken place since the abolition in 1892 of the power to commute penal servitude to transportation. The further information requested is not available.