§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next proposes to meet the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to discuss improving resettlement plans by member countries.
§ Mr. LuardMy right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so but the Government remains in close touch with the United Nations High Commissioner on this and associated matters.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer on 14 February, if he will list the names of the 18 countries which he has approached requesting them urgently to accept Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong; and if he will publish the substance of the reply from each country which has responded and the names of any countries which have not yet answered.
§ Mr. LuardWe approached Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Irish Republic, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America. All have responded. Our consultations on these matters are part of a continuing process and my right hon. Friend does not propose to publish the substance of each individual reply.
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§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 14 February, if he will name the fellow members of the Commonwealth with which he is in touch on the resettlement of refugees from Indo-China; and if he will list the names of those he stated to be among the many already supporting the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the names of the minority who do not do so.
§ Mr. LuardI have placed in the Library of the House a list of all those countries contributing to a solution to this refugee problem. Those members of the Commonwealth who have felt able to help resettle refugees from Indo-China are doing so. It would not be helpful to single out particular Commonwealth countries, some of which have formidable refugee problems of their own.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 14 February, if he will list the names of the many member States of the United Nations which he stated had yet to contribute to a solution to the problems of resettling refugees.
§ Mr. LuardI have placed in the Library of the House a paper prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which lists those countries which have provided either resettlement places for refugees from Indo-China or funds to help finance the refugees' care and maintenance.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 14 February, what is the quota of refugees allocated to the United Kingdom under the scheme proposed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and what proportion of that quota is the additional 1,500 refugees which are to be admitted to Great Britain.
§ Mr. LuardThe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appealed to members of the international community to announce voluntary quotas of Indo-Chinese refugees in an effort to help resettle them but did not himself propose any particular figures to individual countries. My right hon. Friend the Home184W Secretary's decision to admit to Britain an additional 1,500 refugees represents the Government's response to the High Commissioner's call.