§ 4. Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other Governments about human rights abuses involving children.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe have discussed human rights abuses involving children with our European Community partners. We are planning to introduce a resolution on street children at the current session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
§ Mr. LloydI thank the Minister for that answer, which perhaps was positive in one respect. Where there is undeniable evidence, as there is, that Government agencies in countries such as Guatemala and Brazil are involved in the murder of children on the streets, the international community has a responsibility to make those nations understand their pariah status. On a more controversial note, is it acceptable to the Government that Britain should be importing coal from a country such as Colombia, which uses children to mine it?
§ Mr. HoggThe substance of the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question is, of course, quite right. We have made representations to the Governments of Brazil and Guatemala on the matters to which he referred. As I said in my substantive answer, we shall introduce a resolution on street children in the current session of the General Assembly. On the second part of the hon. Gentleman's question, my understanding is that no coal that has been produced by child labour has been imported into the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansI am delighted with my right hon. and learned Friend's response on human rights, particularly as it affects children. Can he tell the House how successful Britain has been in leading our European Community colleagues on this matter? It is one of the areas where we can act better as 12 rather than acting alone.
§ Mr. HoggI think that that is correct, in the sense that we need to be active in every international forum that we can identify. Moreover, we can take action through our bilateral aid programmes to hold back developmental aid from countries where there are serious human tights abuses. Again, we must be realistic and must recognise that those countries where there are serious human tights abuses are often impervious to appeals to reason.
§ Mrs. MahonSurely the Minister has read that. Dr. Arango, who is head of the coal industry in Colombia, has admitted that children mine coal there. What will the Minister do, therefore, to stop importing that coal, which is mined at the expense of children?
§ Mr. HoggThe hon. Lady was not listening to what I said. I did not say that coal in Colombia was not, on occasion, produced by child labour; I said clearly that my understanding was that we have not imported from Colombia any coal produced by child labour. The hon. Lady does herself no credit by failing to listen.