§ 29. Mr. SumbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet Chinese leaders to discuss elections to the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
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§ Mr. MaudeMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no present plans to meet Chinese leaders.
48. Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications he has received from the committee meeting held on the weekend of 20 and 21 January to discuss a basic law for Hong Kong post-1997.
§ Mr. MaudeNone. The drafting of the basic law is a matter for the Chinese Government. However. we are following the drafting process extremely closely and, where necessary, seek clarification from and make representations to the Chinese Government. The content of those exchanges is confidential.
§ 43. Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations there have been between his Department and the Chinese Government about the percentage of Hong Kong legislature positions to be directly elected post-1997.
§ Mr. MaudeThe Chinese Government are currently finalising the drafting of the political structure provisions of the basic law. We have made clear to the Chinese Government, on a number of occasions, the importance of a basic law which fully reflects Hong Kong people's views, especially in this important area.
§ 44. Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current emigration situation in Hong Kong.
§ Mr. MaudeSome 42,000 people emigrated from Hong Kong in 1989, of whom about 20,000 were part of the working population. Of these, about 50 per cent. were professional, technical, administrative and management personnel.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training the immigration officers, currently involved in the screening process of the Vietnam refugees in Hong Kong, have undertaken.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: Immigration officers assigned to screening duties have attended training courses conducted by the immigration department and the UNHCR's legal officers from the department of law and doctrine. In addition, there are frequent formal and informal in-service training sessions designed to ensure that the screening procedures are being carried out in accordance with UNHCR guidelines.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the refugee status review board in Hong Kong is obliged to give reason for a negative decision.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: The refugee status review board is not obliged to state its reasons for upholding a decision for the director of immigration.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Vietnamese asylum seekers, their representatives or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are allowed to be present at the meeting, where the refugee status review board considers individual cases.
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§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: No. But the representatives of the asylum seekers and the UNHCR have an opportunity to put all the relevant information to the board before their cases are considered. The board may also interview asylum seekers if it requires clarification of any matter of fact.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many punishment cells there are at present in the Hong Kong camps; what are the dimensions of such cells; what is the average stay of each individual in the cells; and how widespread is their use.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: Of the 10 Vietnamese boat people detention centres in Hong Kong, four have segregation sections, containing a combined total of 133 cubicles. The dimensions of these varies from 3 .5 sq m to 7 .5 sq m. The average length of stay is 14 days. They are used only for persons who seriously and repeatedly breach detention centre rules.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will commission a fully independent and impartial inquiry into the methods used by the correctional services department and the tactical response squad in the Hong Kong camps.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: No. We are fully satisfied with the work of correctional services department (CSD) staff and the tactical response squad.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the number of disturbances that have taken place in the closed camps in Hong Kong since June 1988 and the number of detainees involved.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: Most disturbances in the detention centres since June 1988 have been caused by clashes between rival groups of boat people. There were 25 such incidents during the period June 1988 to January 1990 involving groups of between 50 and 400 people. In addition, there were three serious disturbances directed against police or correctional services department officers. These were:
Place Time Numbers involved Sek Kong July 1989 2,000 Tai a Chau August 1989 1,000 Chi Ma Wan December 1989 3,000
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what processes the detainees in the Hong Kong camps have open to them to complain about alleged attacks and ill-treatment at the hands of the police and correctional services department.
§ Mr. Maude[holding answer 24 January 1990]: Complaints may be made to visiting justices of the peace, to the UNHCR protection and field officers who work in all camps or, in the case of the police, to the complaints against the police office. All such complaints are thoroughly investigated.