asked the Prime Minister in how many organisations she has accepted honorary office in her official capacity since becoming Prime Minister.

Since becoming Prime Minister I have accepted honorary office in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Interparliamentary Union and the British-American parliamentary group. In addition to the offices I hold ex-officio I have of course maintained links with a number of bodies in my personal capacity.

asked the Prime Minister (1) if she will consider, when the task force has been relieved in the South Atlantic and has returned home, arranging a victory parade in London so that the nation may pay proper tribute to the Service men and to the Merchant Navy.

asked the Prime Minister (1) if she will make arrangements for a victory parade in London for those units involved in the Falklands conflict;(2) what arrangements are to be made to commemorate the fallen in the Falklands campaign.

We are considering, with those concerned, the most appropriate way of celebrating the successful conclusion of the campaign to repossess the Falkland Islands and to commemorate those who gave their lives. We will announce the details as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements he proposes to make to continue the work carried on by the regional information centres of the Schools Council, such as the Newcastle centre, when the Schools Council is abolished.

The Government's proposals for the replacement of the Schools Council by an examination council and a schools curriculum development council are the subject of discussion with the local authority associations and others. The current work of the council including that of the regional information centres is one of the topics for discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received the reports of the arbitral bodies on the pay of school teachers in England and Wales and on London allowances for teachers in schools and in further education; and if he will make a statement.

I have received the reports of both arbitral bodies. The former recommends an increase as from 1 April 1982 of 6 per cent. in salaries and allowances, other than social priority schools and London allowances, for primary and secondary school teachers. The latter recommends the following London allowances, to apply from 1 April 1981:

	£
Inner London	834
Outer London	549
Fringe area	231

I have set in hand the steps necessary to give effect to these recommendations in accordance with sections 2 and 4(1) of the Remuneration of Teachers Act 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report details of the tasks which have been transferred by his Department to (a) local authorities (b) other statutory or publicly funded bodies and (c) private industry since May 1979; what reduction in jobs this represents; and what has been the increase in staff in each of these bodies in each case.

There have been the following transfers of tasks and reductions in jobs—staff:

(a) to local authorities: none;

(b) to other publicly funded bodies: establishment of the new Countryside Commission under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981—about 100 staff transferred;

(c) to private industry: hydraulics research work; and some parts of PSA Supplies activities, audit work, ancient monuments maintenance and other service functions—about 1,000 staff reduction. In addition the numbers of staff engaged in the Property Services Agency on major design work and building maintenance has decreased by some 5,600; much of this represents work being done by private firms.

The establishment of the Countryside Commission has not entailed any net increases in staff. Any increases in the staffing of private sector organisations are matters exclusively for the organisations concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to review and update the present advice to local planning authorities as contained in circular 44/61, on surface developments in coal mining areas; and if he intends to consult the representatives of surface developers such as owners, tenants and other parties having a legal interest in the land in question.

Issues related to surface development in coal mining areas were raised by the commission on energy and the environment in its coal study report. The Government are currently preparing its response, and consideration is being given to whether the advice contained in circular 44/61 should be reviewed and updated. I should be happy to receive the views of representatives of surface developers on this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect the decision to finance the construction of the international conference centre from public funds will have on the 1982–83 cash limit for Class XIV, Vote 1, announced on 27 May.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the cash limit on Class XIV Vote 1 will be increased by £5,926,000 from £468,249,000 to £474,175,000. The additional provision will be charged to the Contingency Reserve and will not, therefore, add to total public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to lay the special development order to grant planning permission for the Vauxhall Cross site.

I have made arrangements for the Town and Country Planning (Vauxhall Cross) Special Development Order 1982 to be laid before Parliament today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Basildon of 18 May, he will list in the Official Report the titles of all those reports that were commissioned by his Department in 1980 and 1981, respectively.

[pursuant to his answer, 24 May 1982 c. 255]: A wide range of reports and studies are commissioned and carried out every year by Ministers and officials in my Department. There is no need for a central record, and a list of titles could not be produced without disproportionate cost. Records are, of course, kept for the specific research programmes: in 1979–80 work was carried out on 312 projects, costing £19·9 million; and in 1980–81 there were 265 projects, costing £25·5 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what proportion of the printing and publishing work in the Welsh language commissioned by his Department is done by firms or organisations outside Wales under contract to his Department;(2) whether he will ensure that, save in the most exceptional circumstances, all printing and publishing work in the Welsh language commissioned by his Department is done by firms located, or based, within the Principality;(3) whether he will ensure that all printing and publishing work commissioned by his Department, and, in particular, that in the Welsh language, should, as far as possible, be spread among firms throughout the Principality and not, as at present, concentrated very largely in Cardiff.

Precise information is not easily obtainable but virtually all Welsh Office printing work placed with the trade is handled by Her Majesty's Stationery Office whose policy it is to use firms based in Wales providing they can meet quality and service requirements at prices considered to be reasonable.Publishing work is in all cases undertaken by Her Majesty's Stationery Office or by the Welsh Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what statutory or other powers govern the ability of the Welsh Water Authority to cut off the water supply to householders who withhold payment of water rates.

The relevant powers are contained in section 38 of the Water Act 1945, as extended by paragraph 53 of schedule 8 of the Water Act 1973. They are exercised by the Welsh Water Authority in accordance with a code of practice issued by the National Water Council, which is designed to prevent the disconnection of water supply in case of real difficulty in paying.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are any plans to electrify the railway from Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness.

As far as I am aware the Railways Board has no plans to electrify this line in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many persons he estimates would be eligible for compensation for noise nuisance if he had not provided the eight lengths of close-boarded fencing along the M11;(2) how much compensation for noise nuisance he calculates has been saved by the provision of close-boarded fencing along the M11; how much it cost for labour and materials to put up this fencing; and how much he estimates will be required for its maintenance over the next 20 years.

The cost of the fencing was approximately £450,000 at prices current at the time. The cost of maintenance is nominal. It is impossible to estimate accurately how much compensation for depreciation has been saved, or in respect of how many properties, but such savings would have been marginal. The purpose of the fencing is not to save compensation but to mitigate as far as possible the loss of amenity.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will detail the impediments to an earlier start on the Reigate to Leatherhead section of the M25 which are preventing completion before 1985.

Following my right hon. Friend's decision to accept the inspector's recommendation to lower part of the motorway route between Reigate and Leatherhead, it has been necessary to undertake some redesign and further statutory procedures. Subject to the completion of this further work, and of the contract documents, I hope that it will be possible for construction to start next summer, for completion in the spring of 1985 at about the same time as the Leatherhead interchange for which we awarded the contract this week.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now considered the representations put to him by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that the partial rating revaluation proposed for 1983–84 should be postponed.

I have re-examined the position in the light of the convention's representations and have decided not to proceed with the partial revaluation. I shall shortly lay before Parliament an order to postpone the revaluation and to revoke the Valuation (Scotland) Order 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the revised criteria for the urban programme in Scotland introduced in 1981.

The criteria I announced on 4 February 1981 are proving generally satisfactory, though minor adjustments will be necessary from time to time.—[Vol. 998, c. 134–135.] At present it appears that the capital ceiling of £200,000 may be excluding some worthwhile projects, and I am therefore raising it to £500,000. Projects costing more than £200,000 will, however, require to show especially good value for money in relation to the aims of the programme. In addition, the criteria do not adequately express my desire to assist local authorities to dispose of unused land or buildings to potential developers. Henceforth, priority will also be given to projects which enable the development by, or jointly with, the private sector of unused land or buildings owned by a local authority in deprived urban areas. I shall expect the authority to maximise the contribution of the private sector to any joint developments. Finally, I shall also give consideration to projects sponsored by community and voluntary groups which will assist in preventing crime.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek to amend clause 39 of the Finance Bill to ensure that all employees who enjoy the facility of free travel and reduced-rate travel as a result of previous transport legislation and who earn less than £8,500 per year will be exempted from tax in addition to employees of passenger transport undertakings.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of bicycles in use by police forces in England and Wales in 1981 and in the current year, respectively; and how many police authorities use bicycles as part of any system of community policing.

The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The use of bicycles by officers of his force is a matter for the chief constable. We welcome any means of ensuring close contact between the police and local communities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all known terrorist attacks in London over the past 10 years, identifying where possible the name, rank and country of origin of the attackers and the victims.

My noble Friend will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps further to increase the police establishment for England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Police force establishments are kept under review by chief officers, police authorities and Her Majesty's inspectors of constabulary. Police authorities are responsible for fixing the authorised establishment of force, subject to my right hon. Friend's approval; and eight police authorities have recently been informed that my right hon. Friend is prepared to approve additional posts for 1982–83.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions under section 21 of the Copyright Act 1956 there have been in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

The information available to us, which may be incomplete, is given in the following table.

Defendants proceeded against for offences against section 21 of the Copyright Act 1956 England and Wales
Year	Number of defendants
1971	—
1972	—
1973	4
1974	—
1975	—
1976	—
1977	10
1978	—
1979	—
1980	*3
* Tried at the Crown Court for conspiracy to contravene section 21 of the Copyright Act 1956; committed for trial in 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish the Meteorological Office annual report for 1980; and what is the reason for the delay.

The annual report for 1980 was published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in February and a copy placed in the Library. The delay was the result of production difficulties.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the names of the chairman and members of the meteorological committee, with details of their relevant qualifications; and what consultations there were with users of Meteorological Office services before these appointments were agreed.

The composition of the meteorological committee is:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish details of the MacFarland formula used to calculate the charges to the Civil Aviation Authority for the research element in meteorological services relevant to civil aviation.

In 1978 Sir George MacFarlane examined the Meteorological Office research programme in consultation with the Royal Air Force, Civil Aviation Authority and the office. He arrived at an index reflecting the value of the programme to the services and products provided for aviation and further apportioned this as between military and civil interests. He concluded that the Civil Aviation Authority should be charged 21 per cent. of the cost of the programme annually. This compares with the 25–27 per cent. that would be charged if research was regarded as part of general overheads.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will institute a free-of-charge parcel service, subject to maximum weight limitation, to all forces serving in the South Atlantic.

No. Although the "Forces aerogramme" special letter forms are carried to and from the South Atlantic theatre free of charge, to do the same for packages and parcels would impose an unreasonable burden on our severely stretched means of resupply. We are, however, providing a parcel service to the task force at the equivalent of United Kingdom inland rates, which represents a concession some 80 per cent. below the normal postal tariff to the Falklands.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a breakdown of the fatal casualties in the Falklands campaign by (a) Service, including Marines and the Merchant Navy and (b) cause of death, namely (i) Argentine air attack, (ii) Argentine ground forces, (iii) accident and (iv) others.

The latest available figures are as follows:

Royal Navy	85
Royal Marines	26
Army	124
Royal Air Force	1
Others	19
Total	255

It is not possible at this stage to provide figures showing the cause of death.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will undertake an investigation into whether the articles of association relating to public companies were abused by the chairman of Rio Tinto Zinc at that company's annual general meeting on 3 June.

I know of no reason for doing so.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will introduce amending legislation to section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act requiring that payment for goods or services purchased by credit card through the agent of a principal will be honoured by the credit card company in the event of the principal going into liquidation; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 17 June 1982, c. 314.]: I have at present no plans to amend the Act. The Director General of Fair Trading has the statutory duty of keeping under review, and advising my right hon. and noble Friend from time to time on, the working of the Act. He would be interested in details of any problems that have arisen in connection with section 75.

asked the Minister for Trade if he will introduce legislation amending section 14 of the Trades Description Act 1968 so that if confirmation of an airline booking has been received through a travel agent there is an absolute liability on the airline to provide space on the flight booked; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to the reply, 17 June 1982, c. 314]: As made clear on 22 January in the debate on the Trade Descriptions (Amendment) Bill, we have no plans at present to amend section 14 of the 1968 Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received the communication from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West together with a document "Falkland Islands Facts, A Brief History of the Sovereignty Issue"; and whether he will publish a similar type of document for world circulation.

My right hon. Friend has received the communication from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Lewis), together with the document referred to, published by the Falkland Islands Office. We have already published two documents on the Falkland Islands, entitled "The Falkland Islands and Dependencies" and "The Falkland Islands—The Facts"; many thousands of copies of these have been distributed in several languages throughout the world. The two Government publications between them contain most of the historical facts included in the document issued by the Falkland Islands Office and we do not at present propose to publish another similar document.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government are carrying out any negotiations on sovereignty of British dependencies other than the Falkland Islands.

We are not at present carrying out negotiations on British sovereignty over any dependent territories.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list United Kingdom overseas dependencies and give their areas and populations; and whether any specific international or local arrangements apply in each particular case.

The remaining dependent territories, their areas and approximate populations are as follows:

	Area (Sq. Miles)	Population
Anguilla	35	7,000
Bermuda	20·5	55,000
British Antarctic Territory	700,000	NIP*
British Indian Ocean Territory	23	NIP*
British Virgin Islands	59	11,000
Cayman Islands	100	17,000
Falkland Islands and Dependencies	6,300	1,800
Gibraltar	2·25	29,800
Hong Kong	404	5,150,000
Montserrat	39	12,100
Pitcairn Group of Islands	18	54
St. Helena and Dependencies	125	6,500
Turks and Caicos Islands	192	7,500
* No indigenous population.

As to the second part of the question, if my hon. Friend can be more specific I shall be pleased to try to obtain the necessary information.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that before the repatriation of Argentine prisoners of war arrangements will be made with the Argentine Government to release British journalists currently in custody.

We have already asked the Swiss embassy in Buenos Aires to express to the Argentine Government our expectations that, in the context of our willingness to begin repatriating prisoners as soon as possible, the three British correspondents who are being held by the Argentines will now be released.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied that the head office; of the Manpower Services Commission at Sheffield is effectively run and the correct number of employees for the work involved are in post; and whether he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to my reply to a similar quest ion from my hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdonshire (Mr. Major) on 16 June 1982.—[Vol. 25, c. 273–74.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the Government plan to abolish any more wages councils.

The wages council system is kept under scrutiny and we are ready to abolish individual councils where the need for them no longer exists, but there are at present no plans to abolish particular councils.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to reconvene the homeworking advisory committee in order to review what further action may be needed to protect homeworkers.

I am not convinced that any useful purpose would be served by reconvening the committee at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he intends that young persons engaged in the proposed new youth training scheme shall be eligible for national insurance benefits.

The status of young people on the training scheme, their remuneration and their entitlement to benefit are all matters my right hon. Friend is considering in the light of the MSC youth task group report, on which he will be making a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will arrange that young persons employed on youth opportunities programmes are admitted into the national insurance scheme and are eligible for benefits under the scheme.

There are no plans to change the status of young people participating in youth opportunities programme schemes, who are trainees, not employees. As trainees, they do not contribute to the national insurance fund. If any national insurance benefit is claimed after leaving the youth opportunities programme, special credits may be available to enable ex-trainees to satisfy the contribution conditions for such benefit.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the maximum salary point for physiotherapists working in National Health Service hospitals in each of the years 1974 to 1982, respectively; and by what percentage this has increased or decreased in constant 1974 prices over this period.

The largest single group of qualified physiotherapists working in NHS hospitals are at the basic grade, and the table below sets out the maximum salary point for the grade for each year from 1974 to 1981, and the percentage changes each year in constant prices. Salary scales from April 1982 have yet to be agreed. 1974 was of course a high-point year for nurses and physiotherapists salaries and a truer reflection would appear if, say, 1977 was chosen as the base.

Year	Maximum of salary scale (£)	Expressed at constant prices with 1974=100	Change from previous year
1974	2,328	100	—
1975	2,811	100·6	+0·6
1976	3,123	94	-6·6
1977	3,425	81·3	-12·7
1978	3,588	85·2	+ 3·9
1979	3,918	84·5	- 0·7
1980	5,103	90·4	+ 5·9
1981	5,409	85·6	- 4·8

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how outside analogues are used in determining accommodation charges for nurses' hostels;(2) whether the level of increases in charges for nurses' hostel accommodation will be dependent on the level of pay settlements.

Lodging charges for nurses and midwives are negotiated by the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council. In 1981 the council reached agreement on a revised system of charges which for the first time related them to the actual costs of providing the accommodation. These costs are recalculated each year and the resultant charges agreed by the council. Before that agreement was concluded, nurses' lodging charges fell far short of the economic cost of provision. The Whitley Council therefore also agreed to phase in fully economic charges over a four-year period—two years for students and other staff under age 22—and to provide abatements to charges of up to 40 per cent. for students and others under age 22 and for those in accommodation not meeting the required standard. Details of the lodging charges and abatements are set out in the Department's advance letter (NM)2/81, a copy of which is in the Library. The basis for calculating lodging charges is at paragraph 4 of appendix 1 of that advance letter. I understand that the Whitley Council has not yet agreed revised charges for 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the award of attendance allowance at each rate in the past 12 months for which figures are available, indicating the length of time for which the awards were made.

The information is as follows:

Awards of attendance Allowance (New and Renewal Claims) 12 Months Ended 31 March 1982
Years	Higher rate	Lower rate
Less than 1	730	1,220
1 less than 2	5,120	8,200
2 less than 3	5,700	9,220
3 less than 4	2,250	3,360
4 less than 5	900	1,400
5 and over but limited duration	2,650	5,360
'Life' awards*	42,210	59,020
TOTALS	59,560	87,780
* To age 16 only—for awards to parents in respect of a disabled child.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will issue guidelines on the use of cosmetic lasers;(2) if he will institute controls to ensure that only medically qualified or trained people will be able to purchase and use cosmetic lasers.

The use of lasers for cosmetic purposes may involve medical procedures. As I said in replies to the hon. Members for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Park) and Redcar (Mr. Tinn) on 15 June—[Vol. 25, c. 250–254]—a working party has been set up to advise on the safety precautions necessary when using lasers for medical purposes. The Health and Safety Executive, in consultation with the Department, is considering the need for guidelines on the use of lasers for cosmetic procedures in beauty parlours and other similar commercial establishments. Any such guidelines would cover the training needs of staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what would be the cost of increasing the basic State retirement pension to one third of average gross earnings for a single person and one half average gross earnings for a married couple without a corresponding increase in the level of supplementary pension; and if he will set out the cost on a gross and net basis and give separate figures based on (a) total gross earnings, (b) total manual gross earnings and (c) male manual gross earnings;(2) when he expects to be able to publish in the

[pursuant to his replies, 29 April, 1982, Vol. 22, c. 334 and 11 June 1982, Vol. 25, c. 177]: The net benefit cost of the changes proposed taking into account savings in supplementary benefit, and on the assumptions previously stated, would be £7¼ billion and £4½ billion respectively in a full year.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many gas explosions causing injury or damage were reported in 1981; and how this compares with the previous two years.

The number of gas explosions that were reported in each of the three years from 1979 to 1981 were as follows:

	numbers
1979	81
1980	110
1981	107

In this context, "explosion" is defined as any explosion which may have caused the death of any person or any injury resulting in the person injured being admitted to hospital, or significant damage.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total value of home food production in each of the past five years at constant prices.

The information requested is as follows:

Value of food produced by United Kingdom agriculture and fisheries at farmgate/quayside prices, including production for export. £ million at constant (1975) prices
	£
1977	4,283
1978	4,320
1979	4,416
*1980	4,522
†1981	4,495
* Revised.
† Provisional.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the reasons for the decline in the numbers of beef cattle in the United Kingdom between 1975 and 1981.

In the mid-1970s, United Kingdom beef cattle numbers were at record levels and marketing proved difficult. The specialist beef herd has since fallen in numbers. More recently, however, profitability has recovered and there are signs that the decline has slowed down. Beef producers should be encouraged by the measures which we negotiated in the context of this year's price fixing, in particular the improvements in the beef premium scheme, and by our decision to maintain the level of the suckler cow subsidy.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will name the countries in the EEC where a subsidy, direct or indirect, is paid by their Governments to their fishing industries.

Our information is that all fishing industries in the European Community benefit, directly or indirectly, from Government financial assistance.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now consider banning the herbicide 2,4,5-T, following the findings of the Acheson report linking exposure to 2,4,5-T with soft tissue cancer; and if he will make a statement.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to an article by Dr. Coggon and Professor Acheson in The Lancet of 8 May 1982. I have invited the advisory committee on pesticides, which is the competent advisory body to the Government, to let me have its observations on the article and on any other relevant evidence that has become available since it last reported on the safety of 2,4,5-T herbicides in December 1980.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many representations he has received from the agricultural allied workers national trade group regarding health hazards to farm workers from 2,4,5-T.

I discussed this subject with delegations from the then National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers on three occasions between November 1979 and August 1980.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that there is adequate enforcement in the United Kingdom of international conventions covering industrial and sewage waste.

I am satisfied that once the planned increase in the number of enforcement officers appointed by me under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 has been achieved, there will be adequate enforcement of the Act in fulfilment of our obligations under the Oslo and London dumping conventions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many inspectors are currently employed to sample industrial waste and sewage sludge; what were the figures for each of the last five years; and what proposals there are to increase the number of inspectors.

In order to fulfil my responsibilities under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 the sampling of industrial wastes and sewage sludge and related duties are currently undertaken by two members of my fisheries research laboratory at Burnham-on-Crouch. A further post, which has been vacant, has now been filled and I have authorised the creation of a fourth inspectoral post. Comparable figures for the past five years are—1977: 2, 1978: 2, 1979: 3, 1980: 3, 1981: 2. Other staff at the laboratory are engaged in providing analytical support. In addition, my district inspectors of fisheries undertake inspectoral duties under the Act concerned with such matters as dumping outside the authorised area.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of industrial waste and sewage sludge is currently sampled by his Department's inspectors; and if he is satisfied that this is adequate.

In recent months the existence of a temporary vacancy has resulted in fewer samples being taken than I would wish. However, once four enforcement officers are in post it should be possible to undertake the sampling of some 7 per cent. of all cargoes of industrial wastes to be dumped at sea. I consider such a level of inspection satisfactory. As the composition of sewage sludges is much less variable, fewer samples are needed and inspections are carried out as appropriate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he is satisfied that there is adequate monitoring of the effects of dumping radioactive waste in the sea;(2) what investigations have been carried out into the effects of dumping radioactive waste in the sea and the monitoring of this activity; if he will publish these; and if he will make a statement.

Nuclear site operators are required to carry out environmental monitoring as a condition of the discharge authorisations issued under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. My Department's fisheries radiobiological laboratory undertakes additional check monitoring, the results of which are published in annual reports entitled "Radioactivity In Surface And Coastal Waters of the British Isles". Copies of these reports are in the Library of the House. I am satisfied that these monitoring arrangements are generally adequate. Some difficulties have been experienced in recruiting staff to fill the vacancies in the laboratory that arise from time to time. This has resulted in some tasks, including the actual publication of the reports, falling behind schedule. However, I place considerable importance on the maintenance of high standards in this area and every effort is being made to bring the laboratory up to full strength.As the most recent monitoring report explains, routine environmental monitoring does not provide an effective means of assessing the effects of dumping solid radioactive waste in the Atlantic and a system of modelling is used. There is a continuing programme of national and international research into the potential effects of such dumping operations and the Nuclear Energy Agency publishes regular reviews of the suitability of the Atlantic dumping site. Information on the research carried out by my Department is also published as the opportunity arises, mainly through scientific symposia and in specialist journals. These investigations indicate that the effects of current dumping operations are negligible.