§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the living conditions for refugees at the Whitehead detention centre in the Crown Territories of Hong Kong.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Whitehead detention centre currently houses 20,354 Vietnamese migrants. They enjoy freedom of movement within their sections of the centre where medical, educational and social facilities are available.
The Hong Kong Government seek to maintain law and order in all the detention centres while trying not to run them as prisons. Conscious efforts have been made to encourage Vietnamese migrants to participate in the running of the centres through the establishment of camp committees.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions in regard to the role of British forces in civil emergency planning and evacuation in the Crown Territories he had during his recent visit to Hong Kong.
§ Mr. GoodladNone. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not recently visited Hong Kong. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence visited Hong Kong from 7 to 8 January. These issues did not figure among the discussions that he held there.