HC Deb 05 November 1993 vol 231 cc601-2W
Mr. Alton

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials at the British Embassy in Peking last visited the Chinese Family Planning Association to observe and inspect their work.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Members of the British embassy in Peking have regular contact with Chinese officials working in family planning. Their main point of contact is the State Family Planning Commission, which is the organisation responsible for policy making.

Mr. Alton

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the material provided to his Department by the International Planned Parenthood Foundation and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities concerning their budgets and programmes in China.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The IPPF and UNFPA are happy for all published materials, including budget and programme information, on their work overseas to be placed in the Library. Officials from the Overseas Development Administration will arrange for this to be done.

Mr. Alton

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials at the British embassy in Peking last inspected the effects of Chinese population control policies at district and factory level.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The British embassy monitors China's family planning programme through a range of contracts within and outside China. These enable us to assess the effects of policies at the local level.

Mr. Alton

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department's representatives on the IPPF annual donors meeting took with regard to the Chinese mass sterilisation campaign.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The IPPF annual donors meeting takes place in mid-November. Officials from the Overseas Development Administration will attend and discuss the role of national family planning associations in a number of countries£including China£with IPPF officials and other donors.

Mr. Alton Liverpool, Mossley Hill)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials at the British embassy in Peking last visited the Chinese State Family Planning Commission to observe and inspect its work.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Members of the British embassy in Peking last visited the Chinese Government's State Family Planning Commission on 29 October. On 14 October, they had informal discussions with an official responsible for family planning work.

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