asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for the distribution of radiation monitoring equipment at present held in central stores by his Department to the Devon emergency volunteers and similar organisations.

No. A set of radiac instruments is issued to each county council for training purposes; the main stock

			Strength on 31 December 1975		Strength on 31 December 1978		Percentage change between 31 December 1975 and 31 December 1978
Force			Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women
Kent	…	…	2,332	123	2,415	264	+3·56	+114·63
Devon and Cornwall			2,535	118	2,453	176	−3·23	+49·15
Hampshire	…	…	2,673	105	2,722	165	+1·83	+57·14
Greater Manchester			5,497	408	5,592	716	+1·73	+75·49
West Midlands		…	5,184	384	5,217	652	+0·64	+69·79
Essex	…	…	2,177	135	2,178	192	+0·05	+42·22
Merseyside	…	…	3,743	316	3,799	486	+1·50	+53·80
Metropolitan		…	20,348	879	20,473	1,488	+0·61	+69·28

We recognise that with the recent increased intake of women the proportion of women probationers, many of whom are engaged on patrol duties, is higher than the proportion of women in the police forces as a whole. We should like to see an increase in the number of male recruits, and we are hopeful that this will be the effect of the pay award recommended by the Edmund-Davies committee.