§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Under-Secretary of State to Jerusalem; and whether he will reproduce in the Official Report the message from the Prime Minister that he took with him to the world conference which he addressed.
§ Dr. BoysonFollowing an invitation from Mr. Hammer, Minister for Education and Culture, I undertook an official visit to Israel from 13 to 20 March 1983. I visited a number of institutions providing education at different levels to see various aspects of Israeli education. I was particularly interested in vocational and technical education for pupils of secondary school age, and I will be reporting my impressions to my ministerial colleagues. I also had meetings with Mr. Hammer, with leading educationists and with the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Begin.
The visit coincided with the Brussels III conference on Soviet Jewry, where I was privileged to read out this message from the Prime Minister:
The Government deplore the present plight of Soviet Jewry and the drastic cut back in emigration from the Soviet Union. Soviet persecution of those who seek to exercise fundamental rights such as the freedom of movement and the freedom to profess and practise their faith is an affront to basic human values, and violates the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Helsinki Final Act. The Soviet failure to honour their human rights commitments has cast a dark shadow over international life and has further weakened international trust and confidence. Together with other Western Governments we shall continue resolutely to press the Russians for an improvement in their human rights record and to subject that record to the most demanding public scrutiny. I am sure the Brussels III Conference will help to underline the strength of public concern about the position of Soviet Jews. May I offer my best wishes for your success.