asked Her Majesty's Government:With regard to Atrush Camp in Northern Iraq, whether they will ensure that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees arranges alternative accommodation for all bona-fide refugees who do not wish to return to Turkey, together with humane treatment for those who are so willing.

UNHCR have made clear that they will assist anyone wishing to return to Turkey from Atrush Camp. They are currently looking at possible solutions for those who choose not to do so, and have said that refugees will not be forced to return. Monitoring the situation inside Turkey for those who do return is part of the UNHCR's standard practice; we expect the Turkish authorities to co-operate with the UNHCR.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the allegations of lying, reported in the

It is for UNICEF to respond to allegations made against their staff in Iran.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Muhammad Reza Husseini secretly discussed with the Iranian newspaper

We are aware of the programme shown on CNN about the treatment of children in the Hazrat Ali mental asylum. But we have no confirmation of the allegations subsequently made against Muhammad Reza Husseini. We are concerned about the alleged threats against Ms Nahid Zare Kamal, but have no independent means to investigate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide an account of the composition and terms of reference of (a) the "revitalised tracking unit" to trace the whereabouts of alleged war criminals indicated by the tribunal on the former Yugoslavia; (b) the "special police force" to hunt down war criminals reported to have been agreed by the US Defense Secretary, William Perry, and the defence ministers of France, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark; and (c) the "steering board" which has been asked to consider what further measures could be taken to facilitate the delivery of indictees to the tribunal, and whether they will state in each case by what authority these bodies have been established, how they are to be financed, and to whom they will report.

The Fugitive Intelligence Support Team is part of the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. It is staffed by employees of the tribunal. It acts as the contact point with outside law enforcement agencies, co-ordinating evidence on indictees. We will be seconding a police officer to it and are encouraging others to provide secondees and resources.There has been some discussion of the idea of a special police force but no international agreement.The Peace Implementation Council Steering Board was established at the London Peace Implementation Conference held in London on 8th–9th December 1995. It normally meets monthly and keeps the Peace Implementation Council informed of developments in the peace process. The board comprises representatives of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Turkey (on behalf of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference), the Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission. It is chaired by the High Representative.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have received about the use of water cannon supplied by United Kingdom companies against peaceful civilian demonstrations in Indonesia; what representations they have received on the licensing of exports of water cannon to Indonesia; and whether they will now suspend licences already issued, and refrain from granting any further licences, pending further inquiries by independent human rights agencies into the circumstances in which the Indonesian authorities use water cannon, and the development of codes of conduct which effectively prohibit their deployment against peaceful demonstrations.

We have no evidence that UK-supplied water cannon have been used against peaceful civilian demonstrations in Indonesia, although we have recently received a report, which we are studying, alleging such use in Bandung in June 1996. Following the riots in Jakarta in July we have ensured that the Indonesian authorities are well aware of our concern that this equipment should not be used indiscriminately or to disperse peaceful demonstrations in violation of the universal human rights of freedom of expression, association and assembly.We have received representations about the export of water cannon to Indonesia from various sources, including Members of Parliament, non-governmental organisations and the general public.Licence applications for the export of defence equipment to all destinations, including Indonesia, are considered on a case by case basis. We monitor political developments in Indonesia closely, including the human rights situation there. These factors are taken into account before decisions are taken to allow the export of British defence equipment, including water cannon. Not all applications are approved. We do not licence for export any UK defence equipment which we judge likely to be used for internal repression. Any future applications for water cannon would also be considered on an individual basis, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time. We have no plans to suspend licences already issued for the export of water cannon to Indonesia.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which British non-governmental organisations received assistance during the last financial year from the Overseas Development Administration, and how much each organisation received.

Grants made by the Overseas Development Administration to United Kingdom Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in 1995–96 for work in developing countries amounted to £163,845,411 as detailed in the attached table. The comparable figure in 1993–94 was £148,610,155 and in 1994–95 £173,124,136—an exceptional year due to the Rwanda crisis.In addition we made grants amounting to £15,655,907 in 1995–96 to United Kingdom NGOs for work in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The comparable figure in 1993–94 was £9,839,600 and in 1994–95, £11,989,655.United Kingdom NGOs also draw substantially on European Union aid programmes, to which we contribute.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made to the Government of the Ukraine over their refusal to allow Mr. Vladimir Raigorodsky of Kharkov to emigrate; whether they have raised the case in the political co-operation machinery of the European Union or with Ukrainian officials in the human rights machinery of the Council of Europe.

We have made several bilateral representations to the Ukrainian authorities asking that the Raigorodsky family be allowed to emigrate. We have not sought action in the EU or Council of Europe but will be considering appropriate further action once we have a formal response to our latest demarche.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 29th June 1995 (

The Government of the British Virgin Islands has indicated that it does not intend to renew the right of individual petition. The Government of the Cayman Islands has yet to express a firm position. We will discuss the issue further with both governments in the context of our continuing consultations with them on good governance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to ratify the UN Law of the Sea Convention in time to take part in the next tranche of nominations to positions in the institutions set up under the convention.

Nominations for the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf are due to close on 5th February 1997. We are unlikely to have acceded to the UN Law of the Sea Convention in time to nominate a candidate for the Commission. We consider that the long-term interests of the UK will be best served by accession to UNCLOS. Parliament will be told as soon as a decision has been taken.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Written Answer given by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 13th November last (

In the absence of an internationally agreed definition of outer space, we consider each instance in which the distinction between airspace and outer space may be relevant in light of the particular circumstances and the relevant international agreements.Under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, the United Kingdom has sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the military consequences of NATO enlargement, and of the belief among countries applying to join NATO that they will be required both to increase their defence budgets and to buy new military equipment from Western firms are being taken into account in discussions of the adjustment of the Conventional Forces in Europe Agreement to new circumstances.

Defence budgets are a matter for each country to decide. However the purchase of any new conventional weapons systems must be consistent with the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty and the transparency provisions of the Vienna Document 1994 on Confidence and Security Building Measures.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the status under the terms of the Conventional Forces in Europe Agreement of the weapons now being provided to the Bosnian Federation by the United States under its Equip-and-Train programme and of the weapons the Muslim armed forces received with the knowledge of the United States from Iran and Turkey during the period of the embargo

The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty does not cover arms control issues in the former Yugoslavia and the parties of the former Yugoslavia are not signatories to the CFE Treaty. Such issues are covered by Annex 1B of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Article IV of which provides for a sub-regional arms control agreement similar to the CFE Treaty. All weapons presently held in Bosnia by the former warring factions are subject to these provisions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, if it is proposed that the new members of NATO be given "the same security guarantees as

have been enjoyed by NATO's original members throughout the organisation's existence" without the creation of new dividing lines in Europe, as stated by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 30th October 1996 (

NATO is a defensive alliance. Its enlargement does not threaten the security of any other state and is compatible with OSCE confidence building measures. NATO enlargement will be a further step towards the Alliance's basic goal of enhancing security and stability throughout the Euro-Atlantic area, within the context of a broad European security architecture, referred to in my answer of 30th October (WA 22), This comprises all the organisations and activities in Europe with a security role, including NATO, the WEU, the EU, Partnership for Peace, the North Atlantic Cooperation Council and the OSCE as reflected in paragraph 26t of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Stockholm Declaration of July 1996. It is not the Government's intention to adopt the "Stockholm Declaration" as a code of conduct.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what grounds England was deemed to be the appropriate country for the imprisonment of Ms Roisin McAliskey.

Roisin McAliskey was arrested in Belfast on the basis of a provisional arrest warrant issued by Bow Street Magistrates' Court on 25th November under Section 8 of the Extradition Act 1989. That Act makes no provision for a separate jurisdiction for Northern Ireland. The court of committal under Section 9 of the Extradition Act can only remand a person in custody to a prison in England or Wales. Roisin McAliskey is currently being held in Holloway prison.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list those police authorities which keep their firearms and shotgun licensing records on computer and which do not, and what arrangements, if any, exist for direct electronic exchange of information between the databases concerned.

I understand from the Association of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales and the equivalent association for Scotland that all but two of the 51 police forces in Great Britain keep their firearm and shotgun licensing records on computer. No force can exchange this information directly with another by electronic means. We are currently discussing with the Association of Chief Police Officers the development of a computer system, PHOENIX, which would make this possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What arrangements exist or are proposed to prevent those serving prison sentences from obtaining or renewing passports.

There are no existing or proposed arrangements by either the United Kingdom Passport Agency (UKPA) or the Prison Service which prevent British nationals serving prison sentences from obtaining or renewing United Kingdom passports. They can make applications from prison to the UKPA, which provides a passport service to British nationals in the United Kingdom. Any passport provided will be sent back to the applicant through the prison governor, who will issue it to the prisoner on release.A prisoner subject to immigration control who is to be deported at the end of his or her sentence will have any necessary request for a replacement travel document made on his or her behalf to the appropriate authority. Other prisoners subject to immigration control who are not to be deported must make their own arrangements to replace or renew their passports. There are no arrangements or proposals to prevent them applying to their own authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by Baroness Blatch of 9th May 1996 (

The Crime (Sentences) Bill currently before your Lordships' House contains provisions to comply with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Singh and Hussain.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their current estimate of the cost of establishing and running a Firearms Control Board and what is the basis on which this estimate is calculated.

A 1994 Report of a study into the feasibility of establishing a Firearms Control Board indicated start-up costs would be about £4.1 million, with an annual running cost in excess of £10 million. A copy of the report was placed in the Library. No more recent estimate has been made.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the outcome of the competition for the food supply contract for the Armed Forces.

The supply of food for the Armed Forces was contracted to the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) in 1994 for a three-year period. The contract expires on the 30th September 1997 and the department has been running a competition for the follow-on contract. After careful evaluation of the tenders received, the decision has been taken to award the new contract to Booker Foodservice Group, who were judged to offer the best overall value for money for the department. The contract will be for a five-year period commencing 1st October 1997 and is worth in excess of £400 million.The recommendations of the recent NAO report on Supply of Food to the Armed Forces are fully reflected in this contract.NAAFI will, of course, continue to provide its traditional range of retail and other services to the Armed Forces. My department is in discussion with Booker Foodservice and NAAFI to ensure a smooth transition, and to assist NAAFI in achieving a successful outcome to the restructuring already under way following last year's independent review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer given by Earl Howe of 25th July 1996 (

The new edition of the Guide to Legislative Procedures was issued to Departments in November 1996. Copies were placed in the House Libraries, and a copy was sent to the noble Lord, on 20th November 1996.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current price and circulation of the Defence Contracts Bulletin and what is the proportion of overseas subscribers to United Kingdom subscribers.

The subscription rate for the MoD Contracts Bulletin in the UK is currently £148 per annum and there are approximately 2,300 subscribers, of whom approximately 8 per cent. have overseas addresses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the recently signed agreement between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates is complementary to the agreement signed between the United Arab Emirates and France which stipulates the dispatch of a 27,000-strong French force; and whether it involves any deployment of British forces in the Emirates.

The UK signed a Defence co-operation Accord (DCA) with the Government of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Thursday 28th November. The accord provides for the strengthening of military co-operation between the UAE and the UK in a number of areas, including training, the conduct of combined exercises, the provision of modern defence equipment and related services to the UAE Armed Forces and the development of joint military plans and deployment strategies for the defence of the UAE. It builds upon the 1971 Treaty of Friendship between the UK and the UAE and upon the long-standing history of defence co-operation between our two countries and is designed to promote security and stability in a region of strategic importance to the UK. The accord is a matter solely between the UK and UAE; it is, therefore, entirely separate from any agreement signed between the UAE and France.Under the terms of this accord, the UK is committed to assisting the UAE in deterring threats or preventing aggression against the UAE and, in the event of such aggression taking place, to implementing the joint military plans which are judged appropriate for the defence of the UAE. Any decision to deploy UK armed forces to the Middle East will of course be made at the time by the government of the day in the light of prevailing circumstances.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" (January 30th 1972), they will make a formal apology to the relatives of all persons killed or injured by British Armed or Security Forces, operating in Northern Ireland.

In a letter to John Hume MP in 1992 the Prime Minister wrote:"It would not be right for me to seek to cast judgment on the events of "Bloody Sunday" at this distance in time; nor would it be right for me retrospectively to comment on the actions of the soldiers on that day, or on the guilt or innocence of any individual or individuals involved in those events. The Government made clear in 1974 that those who were killed on "Bloody Sunday" should be regarded as innocent of any allegation that they were shot whilst handling firearms or explosives. I hope that the families of those who died will accept that assurance".The Government are not proposing to make a formal apology.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that a pilot scheme starts in Northern Ireland during 1997 whereby convicted fine defaulters carry out useful work for voluntary organisations as an alternative to a few days of imprisonment.

Fresh legislation would be required to introduce such a scheme in Northern Ireland, even on a pilot basis.However, as my right honourable friend the Minister of State for Northern Ireland emphasised in a recent letter to the noble Lord, it is the Government's intention to review arrangements once we have seen the effects of the new alternative proposed for England and Wales in the Crime (Sentences) Bill.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What enhanced or new training programmes for seafarers have been introduced to take account of the revision of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) which comes into effect on 1st February 1997.

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Marine Safety Agency, Mr. Robin Bradley, to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they consider that it is desirable to encourage more domestic freight to be carried by coastal shipping, not least for environmental reasons, and what steps they are taking to achieve that objective.

We encourage industry to consider the benefits of using shipping as an alternative to road transport where this is feasible. It must be for industry to determine whether water can provide both a practical means to their transport needs and one which makes good commercial sense.Freight facilities grants are available for inland waterway capital developments which can demonstrate environmental benefits through saving lorry miles.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many ships whose Masters did not have a pilotage exemption certificate were allowed to sail through the compulsory pilotage area from the Port of London in 1996; who authorised their sailing; and why this was allowed.

The Pilotage Act 1987 places responsibility for these matters upon the Port of London Authority, as the Competent Harbour Authority. It is for the authority to determine in what circumstances pilotage shall be compulsory, and to award pilotage exemption certificates. I understand that they will be writing to my noble friend with further details.