§ Q1. Mrs. Angela KnightTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 15 December.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major)This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall he having further meetings later today.
§ Mrs. KnightMay I tell my right hon. Friend that taxpayers in my constituency—[Interruption.]
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. The hon. Lady is finding herself in a rowdy House because we expect a question from her.
§ Mrs. KnightMay I let my right hon. Friend be aware that taxpayers in my constituency of Erewash and across the country are delighted that he successfully defended the rebate for Britain at the Edinburgh summit? May I also congratulate him—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. The House should have a little more tolerance. I am sure that the hon. Lady has taken to heart what I have said and will try again.
§ Mrs. KnightWill my right hon. Friend also accept our congratulations on so successfully holding down the increase in the Community budget which was sought by the European Commission and some European leaders?
§ The Prime MinisterI can sense that it is a Christmas House today. My hon. Friend is right: it was vital that we defended the rebate, worth £2 billion a year. It is now protected until the end of the century. It was an issue on which our European partners knew that we were not prepared to compromise. It is fortunate that we were not represented by the Labour party. The shadow Chancellor would have negotiated on the rebate, and the Leader of the Opposition would have signed up the complete Delors 2 package, costing us hundreds of millions of pounds.
§ Mr. John SmithIn view of the appalling suffering being endured by the inhabitants of Sarajevo and other besieged towns and cities in Bosnia, will the Prime Minister join the French and United States Governments in urging the speedy adoption of the United Nations Security Council resolution to enforce the no-fly zone over Bosnia?
§ The Prime MinisterThere has been a great deal of comment about enforcing the no-fly zone. The issue is being discussed at the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting in Stockholm and it will be discussed further at the London conference in Geneva tomorrow and the North Atlantic Council on Thursday. The imposition of a no-fly zone by the United Nations has already had the effect of stopping combat flights by the Serbs; so far as we can see, there are still breaches by helicopters and small aircraft, but no clear evidence of their being used for combat purposes.
We are considering our policy with our allies and partners, but we must weigh the desirability of enforcing the no-fly zone against the possible impact of that on the United Nations humanitarian effort and on the safety of our own troops. If enforcement of the no-fly zone put the United Nations operation at risk, the main losers might well be the people of Bosnia, and we need to consider that carefully before a decision is reached.
§ Mr. John SmithWhile appreciating the concern that the Prime Minister expresses for the humanitarian efforts, and for the safety of our own troops on the ground, does the right hon. Gentleman not appreciate that there is a growing feeling in this country, as there is in the international community, that there is no point in a no-fly zone which can be defied with such impunity? The time has come for effective international action. I hope that the 291 Prime Minister will take the message from the House that he would be widely supported if Britain supported the other countries in making the resolution effective.
§ The Prime MinisterWe have never ruled out the possible need to enforce the zone, but, with our allies and partners, we must consider very carefully how the zone is to be enforced and what the effect of enforcement would be on the maintenance of humanitarian effort, which none of us wishes to see end, either this side of Christmas or long after, and on the safety of our troops. Other measures may be brought to bear, and those are all being considered.
§ Q2. Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 15 December.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave some moments ago.
§ Mr. CoombsDoes my right hon. Friend agree that, in addition to the great success of the Edinburgh summit, we have seen a further example of European co-operation—the successful agreement on the development of the European fighter aircraft? Does my right hon. Friend also agree that that aircraft is vital to Britain's defence interests, and is good news for the defence industry and for the 40,000 people throughout the country whose jobs are closely associated with the project?
§ The Prime MinisterI entirely agree with my hon. Friend. The agreement reached by the four Defence Ministers on 10 December means that the development of a new fighter—to be known as Eurofighter 2000—will go ahead. I warmly congratulate my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on his part in ensuring that. The agreement is very good news for our aerospace industry and for everyone who works in it. It will also mean that the Royal Air Force will have a combat aircraft with the capabilities required in the first quarter of the next century.
§ Mr. BeithCan the Prime Minister give miners and their families an assurance that not one of the pits recently closed will be prevented from reopening by failure to maintain them while the review takes place? If the right hon. Gentleman cannot do that, what value can we place on the review?
§ The Prime MinisterThe right hon. Gentleman can place great value on the review. It is open, and we have made it perfectly clear that it is open. It is clear, too, that British Coal is perfectly aware of the undertaking given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to maintain the pits during the interim period, and I believe that it is doing that.