§ Mr. Strangasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the proposal that the MBFR talks be shelved and conventional force reduction talks transferred to a new Europe-wide forum as part of the CSCE process.
§ Mr. RentonThe question of our future approach to the mutual balanced force reduction talks in Vienna, and indeed to the whole question of the conventional arms control in Europe, is still under discussion within the NATO high level task force on conventional arms control in Europe. In the meantime, we should welcome a proper response from the Warsaw Pact to our proposals of December 1985, in which we made a constructive attempt to break the long-standing deadlock in the talks.
§ Mr. Strangasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress is being made by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation high level task force on conventional arms control; and whether he expects it to be able to recommend a future course for conventional force reduction talks when it reports to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Ministers in December.
§ Mr. RentonOn 29 October the high level task force produced its interim report, which contained analysis of the negotiating histories of both MBFR and CDE, which assessed the recent Eastern proposals on conventional arms control, and which provided basic guidance for Western ministerial interventions at the opening of the Vienna CSCE follow-up meeting. The task force is now working on its report to the North Atlantic Council ministerial meeting in December. Its recommendations will form the basis for discussions between Allied Ministers and for the evolution of Alliance policy thereafter. We are participating fully and constructively in the discussions of the task force.
Total expenditure on press and public relations was as follows (£ million) 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 Payments to Central Office of Information for overseas information material and related activies 9.3 11.2 12.6 14.7 17.4 18.8 18.3 19.1 Other Information Services 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.7 Running cost of Diplomatic Wing Information News Departments n/a n/a n/a n/a 1.8 1.4 1.9 n/a Running cost of ODA Wing Information Department n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.3 0.3 0.3 n/a Cost of Information Staff at Overseas Posts n/a n/a n/a n/a 12.4 12.8 13.6 n/a Total 9.7 11.5 13.2 15.4 32.8 34.1 35.0 19.8 Most of this expenditure is incurred in carrying out the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's responsibilities for the projection of Britain's image and Her Majesty's Government's policies in overseas countries.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what will be the estimated spending by his Department on television, radio and newspaper advertising, respectively, and other promotional literature in the current year; and what was the total in 1979–80 and each intervening year.
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§ Mr. Strangasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of a linkage with strategic and theatre nuclear force reductions on the future progress of talks on reductions in conventional forces.
§ Mr. RentonMy right hon. friend the Prime Minister and President Reagan agreed at Camp David on 15 November that reductions in nuclear weapons would increase the importance of eliminating conventional disparities. Nuclear weapons cannot be dealt with in isolations, given the need for overall balance at all times.