asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the capability of Her Majesty's nuclear-powered fleet submarines to keep in continuous contact with surface ships; and if she will make a statement.

I am satisfied that the capability of the Royal Navy's Fleet submarines to keep in contact with surface ships, which they are shadowing, is well up to the level achievable within the constraints of current technology.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make a statement on the latest position regarding disarmament negotiations in which the United Kingdom is directly involved; and whether any early progress is envisaged.

The Geneva conference on disarmament reconvened on June 11. With our Allies we shall be pressing in particular for progress on key verification issues in the negotiations for a worldwide chemical weapons ban. At the MBFR talks in Vienna, an Eastern proposal was tabled earlier this year. This is now being studied carefully. The Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe is now in its sixth session. We and our Allies are participating in detailed discussion of the proposals tabled with the aim of reaching agreement on practical confidence and security building measures. The prospects for progress in these negotiations will depend on the willingness of all other participants to agree on the necessity for balanced and verifiable measures.

asked the Prime Minister if she will set up an inter-departmental inquiry to assess the desirability of ending Crown immunity.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I shall be travelling to Milan for a meeting of the European Council.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the co-ordination between the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on the consultations on the implementation of the European Commission's new agricultural structures regulation.

Officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have kept in close touch with officials of the Department of the Environment over the implementation of the environmental aspects of the European Community's new agricultural structures regulations.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement about the current imbalance in trade between Japan and the United Kingdom, the European Economic Community and the United States of America; and what the consequences are for world trade stability if current trends are not reversed.

The United Kingdom, the European Community and the United States each had a substantial deficit in their visible trade with Japan in 1984. We and our Community partners have expressed strong concern about the mounting trade and current account surpluses being accumulated by Japan and about the consequent strain placed upon the multilateral trading system through the impetus given to protectionist pressures.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received during the past three months from the agricultural unions in Wales; and if he will list the issues raised by them.

I am in regular contact with the farming unions in Wales on most agricultural issues, particularly those affecting the livestock and dairying sectors.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest information regarding the numbers of apprentices in Welsh industry and the numbers who commenced apprenticeships during the past 12 months.

The information is not available in the form requested. However, the latest estimate taken from the Department of Employment's regular survey of employers relating to March 1985 is that there are some 2,800 apprentices in manufacturing industry in Wales. No information is available centrally on the numbers of commencements of apprenticeships.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the environmental effects of the MV Bridgeness running aground on the Hats and Barrels reef off south-west Wales on 16 June.

Initial indications are that about 2,100 birds have been affected by oil to varying degrees following the oil spillage resulting from the MV Bridgeness incident off the south-west Wales coast. The birds were mainly on the islands of Grassholme, Skomer, Ramsey and Bishops and Clerks and were principally guillemots, puffins and razor bills. There were very few gannets affected. In addition, about 400 dead birds have been taken off the shore.There is no risk to grey seals or otters, and there is no direct effect of the oil spill on fisheries in the area. No significant quantities of oil have reached the mainland shore, but local authorities continue to keep a close watch on the situation.As it will be several weeks before a full assessment can be made of the long-term effects of the incident on birdlife in this important breeding area, I shall write to the hon. Gentleman when this has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to amend the legislation relating to demergers.

On 25 May 1984 the Department of Trade and Industry published a consultative document on the implementation of the sixth company law directive on the division of public limited companies, of which a copy was placed fn the Library. A further document will be published later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government are seeking to take against the Japanese offering of unusually favourable credit terms to secure projects for Japanese firms.

The Government will raise the question of official Japanese financing terms for international projects in the OECD. It will be seeking a new definition of "tied-aid" credit within the OECD consensus agreement. This would embrace the type of credit arrangements currently provided by the Japanese Government, and would subject them to greater international discipline and transparency.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the access of British financial, banking and other institutions and companies to Japanese financial, insurance, commercial and stockbroking markets; and what representations he has made to open up such markets to British companies.

Japanese financial markets are still extensively protected. Despite some progress, British access to them remains much more limited than Japanese access to the City of London; moreover, Japanese regulation also effects the extent of business opportunities. The imbalance is particularly heavy in the securities dealing sector, and needs to be redressed. My right hon. Friend made representations during his visit to Japan in April. We will at every opportunity continue to press the Japanese authorities not to delay decisions implementing the policy of liberalisation to which they are committed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those non-tariff trade barriers in Japan known to his Department to have existed at some time since 1979 and those which are existing today; and if he will make a statement.

The most recent study of non-tariff barriers in Japan was conducted in 1984 by the European Business Council in Tokyo, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Since 1979 some progress has been made in reducing the incidence of non-tariff barriers; for example, the increased acceptance of foreign test data. Those that remain are the subject of representations through the European Community and bilaterally.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what complaints he has received from British companies and other interested bodies since 1979 about Japan's non-tariff barriers.

My Department receives a number of complaints from British companies and other interested bodies about non-tariff barriers in Japan. The sectors affected include telecommunications, tobacco, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, electric appliances, cosmetics, food additives and motor vehicles. In addition, more general problems have been raised involving labelling, counterfeiting and the organisation of the retail and distribution system.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the value by which British exports to Japan have been reduced as a result of Japanese non-tariff trade barriers.

Non-tariff barriers can take many forms, including, for example, the structure of the retail and distribution system. It is not practicable to offer an estimate of their effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those companies known to his Department to have been affected adversely by Japan's non-tariff trade barriers since 1979.

No. Such information is normally given in confidence.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions he or his Department have made representations to the relevent Japanese authorities about Japan's non-tariff trade barriers; what was the response in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Representations are made both bilaterally and through the European Community on the basis of a list of outstanding problems. While Japan has made some concessions on non-tariff barriers a number of problems still remain.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about Japan's predatory pricing policies and the dumping of credit to obtain international capital contracts; what representations he has made to the Japanese authorities about those policies; and what the Japanese authorities have done as a result.

We have at all levels made clear to the Japanese authorities our view that some of their financing tactics to secure international projects, though within the letter of the international rules, are nevertheless inconsistent with Japan's stated determination to limit its trade surplus. As the Japanese Government know, we will be seeking further examination of these credit issues in the OECD. My right hon. Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary and I have conveyed our concerns clearly to the Japanese ambassador here in London.We remain hopeful that our efforts to sustain the mutual benefits of a responsible trade relationship between the United Kingdom and Japan will succeed.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the current imbalance in trade between the United Kingdom and Japan and between Japan and the EEC as a whole; and if he will estimate what the imbalance will be if the current trend continues for the next five years.

In 1984 the United Kingdom had a visible trade deficit with Japan of £2·8 billion while the EC's deficit stood at $10·1 billion. Future estimates are subject to great uncertainty, but if current trends continue, the forecast is that Japan's trade surplus will continue to rise.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what study he has conducted into the effect of the value of the Japanese yen upon trade between the United Kingdom and Japan and between the United Kingdom and other countries where Japan is competing against British companies.

Both the Government and British companies competing overseas keep a close watch on the effective exchange rate of the yen against sterling and other trading currencies. The competitiveness of exports and imports depends upon a wide range of factors, including interest rates and financing arrangements, as well as the price and quality of the goods and services offered.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, further to the answer of 13 June, Official Report, column 499–500, what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that no City firm made allocations of British Telecom shares to individual employees in amounts greater than the limit of 800 shares applied to ordinary investors.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1985, c. 143]: Allocations of shares under the United Kingdom public offer were made by six receiving banks according to an allotment policy announced by my hon. Friend on 3 December 1984. Under this policy all non-preferential applications were subject to the same maximum allotment of 800 shares regardless of who submitted them. I am satisfied that this allotment policy was fully implemented by the receiving banks. Only substantial institutions and funds were eligible for the placing arrangements described in my answer of 13 June and the brokers acting as intermediaries were required to check this at the time of the offer. A subsequent check of the 2,127 applications submitted under those arrangements has shown that none was in the names of employees of City firms, though three applications for a total of 31,900 shares were erroneously submitted by three employees of an eligible fund based overseas, following a misunderstanding of the arrangements. I understand that the profits from the acquisition of those shares have now been surrendered to charity.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current value of his Department's orders of surface vessels and submarines for the Royal Navy; and what is the estimated value of such orders for vessels to be placed in 1985 and 1986.

Following the acceptance of Ark Royal from the shipbuilder later this month, the value of current orders will be approximately £2,500 million at 1984–85 prices. Orders for 1985 and 1986 will be announced as and when appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what contribution the fishing industry made to the Scottish economy, as a proportion of gross domestic product, in the last year for which figures are available.

I estimate that in 1983, the latest year for which figures are available, the Scottish fishing industry — that is, the catching sector — contributed rather less than one half of 1 per cent. of total Scottish gross domestic product.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the proportion of the Scottish work force employed in the fishing industry and activities allied with it.

I estimate that about 1 per cent. of the Scottish work force is employed in the fishing industry and related sectors such as fish processing and distribution.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people below the age of 25 years are currently unemployed in (a) the Greenock travel-to-work area, (b) Strathclyde region and (c) Scotland.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's letter of 22 October 1984. The information requested is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the research and development projects in agriculture and agricultural engineering, respectively, which were approved for financial support in 1985–86 by DAFS and those in each category from which support has since been withdrawn.

Following is a list of the programmes of research approved for 1985–86 at the Scottish agricultural research institutes and the Scottish agricultural colleges. Support has been withdrawn from none.

Scottish Agricultural Research Institutes
Institute	Programme
Animal Diseases Research Association	Non-respiratory microbial diseases.
	Diseases and nutritional and physiological disorders associated with reproduction.
	Microbial respiratory diseases.
	Mineral disorders: excesses and deficiencies of trace and macro elements.
	Gastro-intestinal nematode parasites; production loss and immunity.
	Sheep disease surveillance.
Hannah Research Institute	Milk utilisation.
	Limits to milk production.
	Feeding for milk production.
Hill Farming Research Organisation	Factors affecting production of herbage from hill and upland pasture.
	Ecology of grazing systems.
	Factors affecting sheep performance in hill and upland environments.
	Factors affecting beef cow and calf performance in hill and upland environments.
	The husbandry of red deer.
	The effect of nutrient supply and supplement use on the digestion, metabolism and performance of grazing sheep.
	Systems studies in ruminants.
	Possible role for goats in hill sheep farming systems.
Macaulay Institute for Soil Research	Mineral soils: their development, composition and properties.
	Trace elements: their origin, distribution and specification in soils and plants in relation to their effects in agriculture.
	Soil survey of Scotland.
	Nature and properties of soil organic matter.
	Role of micro-organisms in soils, especially in soil/plant relationships.
	The survey, characterisation and monitoring of peat, land resources and terrain features.
	Soil factors affecting crop production.
	Factors affecting crop and plant composition.
	Nutrition and distribution of plants and plant communities on organic and other marginal soils in Scotland.
	Statistical methods for soil-crop research and the development and management of computer techniques and equipment.
Rowett Research Institute	Metabolic and pathological consequences of inorganic element deficiencies.
	Nature and mechanisms of action of antagonists of dietary copper.
	Absorption and metabolism of inorganic elements.
	Growth; energy expenditure, protein synthesis, degradation and turnover.
	Growth; regulation, tissue deposition and turnover, measurement.
	Growth; structural proteins and muscle fibres.
	Growth; control and measurement.
	Physiology of digestion.
	Pigs; nutrition growth and reproduction.
	Nutritional and physiological factors affecting productivity of sheep.
	Nutritional and physiological factors affecting cattle and deer productivity.
	Nutrition, growth, reproduction and husbandry of the commercial meat rabbit.
	Metabolic and membrane-structural effects of dietary saturated cis-and trans-unsaturated, and methyblanched, fatty acids on animal tissues with specific reference to the cardio vascular system.
	Plant dietary toxins.
	Nitrogen metabolism in the rumen.
	Digestion of fibre in the rumen.
	Energy metabolism and feed utilisation.
Scottish Crop Research Institute	Basic studies mainly relating to host/parasite interactions.
	To provide improved cultivars of cereals and more effective breeding methods.
	The biology and control of diseases and pests of cereal crops in northern Britain.
	The biology and control of diseases and pests of forage crops in northern Britain.
	To provide improvide cultivars of fodder crucifers and more effective breeding methods.
	To provide improved cultivars of potatoes and more effective breeding methods.
	Physiological mechanisms relating to the growth of arable crops.
	The manipulation of factors influencing the yield and quality of arable crops grown in northern Britain.
	The biology and control of weeds, diseases and pests of arable crops in northern Britain.
	The biology and control of weeds, diseases and pests in soft fruit crops in northern Britain.
	Physiological mechanisms relating to the growth of fruit crops.
	The manipulation of factors influencing the yield and quality of fruit crops grown in northern Britain.
	To provide improved cultivars of soft fruit and more effective selection methods.
	The biology and control of diseases and pests of vegetable crops in northern Britain.
	The manipulation of factors influencing the yield and quality of vegetable crops in northern Britain.
	The biology and control of diseases and pests or ornamental crops in northern Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what information he has as to how much was spent by industry in each of the last six years to fund agricultural research in Scottish universities;(2) what funding has been provided by industry to agricultural research in Scotland in each of the last six years;(3) what commitments have been made by industry for the funding of research in agriculture in Scotland for 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88.

The information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what funding has been provided by industry to the Scottish Institute of Agricultural Engineering in each of the last six years.

The figures are as follows:

	£
1979–80	4,940
1980–81	6,879
1981–82	1,304
1982–83	60
1983–84	Nil
1984–85	7,569

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what commitments have been made by industry for the funding of research for work at the Scottish Institute of Agricultural Engineering for 1985–86, 1986–87, and 1987–88.

The value of commitments entered into at this period in time is as follows:

	£
1985–86	31,847
1986–87	11,500
1987–88	Nil

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the average cost of each job created by the Local Enterprise Development Unit in each of the last five years.

The information is as follows:

Financial Year	Average cost per job promoted
	£
1980–81	3,433
1981–82	3,217
1982–83	3,452
1983–84	3,553
1984–85	4,599

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he proposes to issue payment of the ewe premium in the current year.

Payment of the ewe premium is made after the end of the relevant European Community marketing year, except for flocks in the less favoured areas where a partial advance is made. Payments for the marketing year which ended on 26 May will commence shortly after the rate has been determined by the Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he proposes to issue payment of the calf subsidy for calves purchased in early March.

Payments of calf premium in respect of calves certified as eligible in February and March have been made since late March, 11,125 claims in respect of 74,000 calves have been processed, and some 160 claims remain to be paid. Payments are being made as quickly as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will publish in the Official Report a table giving the amounts in each year since 1 January 1977 of payments made to members of the security forces (Royal Ulster Constabulary, Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve, British Army and Ulster Defence Regiment) under the Criminal Injuries Compensation (NI) Order 1977;(2) if he will publish in the

The information can be provided only in relation to financial years and is as follows:

Year	Payments to civilians	Payments to members of the security forces	Total
	£	£	£
1977–78*	4,204	1,086	5,290
1978–79	205,358	93,435	298,793
1979–80	966,610	329,639	1,296,249
1980–81	3,050,000	1,563,112	4,613,112
1981–82	2,548,397	1,115,214	3,663,611
1982–83	4,031,210	2,170,941	6,202,151
1983–84	5,011,570	2,493,130	7,504,700
1984–85	4,948,306	3,468,510	8,416,816
* Note: The figures for 1977–78 are from 9 August 1977 when the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 came into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the security forces convicted of offences in Northern Ireland and sentenced to custodial sentences have been allowed to return to Great Britain on parole for humanitarian reasons in each of the last 10 years.

There is no parole scheme in Northern Ireland. There are provisions for home leave for certain sentenced inmates, but I regret that information about the grant of leave to former members of the security forces is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the security forces convicted of crimes in Northern Ireland and sentenced to custodial sentences have been returned to Great Britain to serve the whole or part of their sentence in each of the last 10 years.

The information is as follows:

Year	Number of Transfers
1975	6
1976	2
1977	12
1978	7
1979	0
1980	0
1981	2
1982	1
1983	1
1984	3
1985 (to 31 May)	0

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable as to how many police officers were on duty for the Sons of William annual band parade between the hours of 7 o'clock and 10 o'clock in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1984 and 1985, respectively;(2) what were the costs of policing the Sons of William annual band parade in the years 1984 and 1985, respectively.

I shall reply to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to ensure that Government financial support for community activities is not used to foster the aims and objectives of paramilitary interests.

It is the Government's policy to encourage voluntary and community-based activity which has the genuine aim of improving social, environmental or economic conditions in areas of need, and various grant-aid schemes exist for such purposes. However, I am satisfied, from information available to me, that there are cases in which some community groups, or persons prominent in the direction or management of some community groups, have sufficiently close links with paramilitary organisations to give rise to a grave risk that to give support to those groups would have the effect of improving the standing and furthering the aims of a paramilitary organisation, whether directly or indirectly. I do not consider that any such use of Government funds would be in the public interest, and in any particular case in which I am satisfied that these conditions prevail no grant will be paid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about independent local radio in Northern Ireland.

An independent local radio station in Belfast began broadcasting in 1976. In 1979, following the second report of the Home Office local radio working party, my noble Friend the Viscount Whitelaw approved the location of a station in Londonderry, and the Independent Broadcasting Authority subsequently offered the Londonderry franchise to a local consortium. In the event, the consortium was unable to complete the preparatory arrangements within a reasonable time scale, and in 1984 the IBA felt compelled to withdraw the offer.As outlined in the reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Page), on 28 March, at columns 284–85, the funds available to the IBA for extension of the local radio network are now severely constrained. Moreover, in the light of broadcasting and other developments in recent years, the IBA takes the view that few of the areas which were approved for independent local radio purposes but which remain unserved, such as Londonderry, would at present attract an advertising income sufficient, on their own, to sustain an independent local radio station. As a means of bringing a service to Londonderry, therefore, the IBA has sought my approval to an initiative along the lines of that which I approved for four locations in Great Britain in my statement on 28 March. In Northern Ireland, this would involve extending the Belfast franchise area to include Londonderry, and advertising the extended areas as and when the contract for the existing Belfast franchise is due to expire. In addition, the contractor for the new area would be expected to provide the means, by way of advance payment, to enable the IBA to install transmitting equipment and allied facilities for the extended area. The extended area may include Omagh and Enniskillen, depending upon the potential contractor's assessment of the relationship between forward funding costs and population coverage.I have carefully considered the IBA's request. I recognise that an ILR franchise extending to the greater part of Northern Ireland may not be thought to be wholly consistent with the concept of local radio. Nevertheless, I accept that, as with the corresponding initiative in four areas in Great Britain, mentioned in my earlier statement, localities at present unserved are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future unless a new approach is adopted. I have also taken note that, as in Great Britain, the IBA will seek to acquire relevant programming for and representation from the new area. I have therefore decided to approve the IBA's proposals in principle, subject to the outcome of local consultation in accordance with section 19(3) of the Broadcasting Act 1981. The IBA and I attach particular importance to this consultation process. If, in the light of it, the proposed extension of the existing franchise area is generally unacceptable locally, the revised arrangements will not take place, and the IBA will seek to re-let the existing franchise area only. If, however, the proposals are found to be generally acceptable, the extension of the franchise area will not preclude the setting up of separate ILR stations in Northern Ireland in the future if circumstances permit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the under 17-year-old population were committed under unruliness certificates in West Yorkshire in each of the last five years; and what was the proportion nationally in each such year.

The readily available information is given in the following table. It is not possible to identify separately those committed under a certificate of unruliness.

Population aged 14 and under 17 of Prison Department establishments in West Yorkshire and England and Wales on 30 June: the proportion on remand
Percentage of total*
	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
West Yorkshire†
Untried‡	13	22	17	10	14
Convicted unsentenced║	21	21	23	6	3
England and Wales
Untried‡	5	5	4	4	7
Convicted unsentenced║	10	11	11	3	2
* All prisoners aged under 17 excluding non-criminal prisoners.
† Leeds prison, New Hall detention centre, Rudgate prison, Thorp Arch remand centre, Wakefield prison and Wetherby borstal/youth custody centre; juveniles on remand are held in Leeds prison and Thorp Arch remand centre.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the location of bail hostels in England and Wales, the number of beds available in each hostel and the percentage occupancy of each hostel during 1984.

The location, number of available places and percentage occupancy during 1984 for the 17 approved bail hostels in England and Wales are as follows:

Name	Location	Approved places on 31 December 1984	Percentage occupancy during 1984
Basildon	Basildon, Essex	15	77
Blackburn	Blackburn, Lancashire	12	77
Clark's House	Oxford	12	74
Corfton Road	Ealing, London	18	73
Curtis House	Liverpool	8	77
Dudley Centre	Newton Abbot, Devon	16	64
Howard House	Leicester	17	89
Howden House	Leeds, West Yorkshire	15	80
Kelley House	London, NW1	12	61
Kew	Kew, London	14	72
Lichfield Road	Stafford	12	83
Marshall House	Wolverhampton, West Midlands	15	61
South Bank	Middlesbrough, Cleveland	20	73
St. Mungo's	Battersea, London	9	89
Tulse Hill	Tulse Hill, London	24	57
Welford	Aston, Birmingham	19	81
Westmorland Road	Newcastle-upon-Tyne	9	71

In addition, there are 16 combined probation and bail hostels with 309 places, of which about half are usually taken by persons on bail, and 65 probation hostels with 1,199 places, which, although mainly intended for persons on probation, will also take a few persons on bail if they have vacancies. On 31 May 1985 there were 528 persons remanded on bail to approved hostels of all types.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost per day of a bail bed in a bail hostel and the average cost per day of a prison remand place.

The average cost of an occupied place in approved bail, probation-bail and probation hostels, less payments received from residents, but before deduction of the local authority flat-rate contribution, was £131 a week in the financial year 1983–84. No separate figure is available for the cost of a bail place in a bail hostel, but it is not likely to vary much from this.The costs of holding different types of prisoner in penal establishments are not available. During 1983–84, the latest year for which information is available, the average weekly cost of keeping a person in a local prison or remand centre was £216.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the relationship between drink-related offences and the number of public houses in a particular locality.

We have no plans to do so. It is doubtful whether an assessment of the relationship between the number of drink-related offences and the availability of alcohol in particular localities would be useful if the investigation was limited to the number of public houses and took no account of the total number of licensed premises.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if is satisfied that proposed economies in top security prisons will not result in less prisoner security.

The measures we are taking are intended to make the most effective use of resources. The present levels of security will be maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to implement the recommendation made by the Shackleton report that public assistance should be given to the members of families of persons excluded under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts to the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

No. My noble Friend the Viscount Whitelaw, the then Home Secretary, gave careful consideration to this in 1980 and concluded that such a scheme could not be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners giving as their domicile (a) the Republic of Ireland or (b) Northern Ireland have been permitted to return home to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland on parole for humanitarian reasons in each of the last 10 years.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in British prisons give as their place of domicile (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) Northern Ireland; and how many of those prisoners in each category were serving sentences for terrorist-type offences.

The information which is readily available relates to prisoners' place of birth and to terrorist-type prisoners held in category A. At 31 March 1985 there were in England and Wales 702 prisoners who gave as their place of birth the Republic of Ireland and 346 who gave Northern Ireland. Of those, 14 born in the Republic of Ireland and 30 born in Northern Ireland had been convicted of terrorist type offences and were held in category A.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of improved security cooperation between the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, he will review his policy on the repatriation to the Republic of Ireland for completion of their sentences of prisoners giving as their domicile the Republic of Ireland.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no present plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in British prisons who give as their domicile Northern Ireland have been returned to Northern Ireland to serve the whole or part of their sentences in each year since 1969; and how many of these prisoners were serving sentences for terrorist-type offences.

The following table gives the number of permanent transfers of prisoners to Northern Ireland from both England and Wales and Scotland since 1974. Reliable information is not available prior to 1974. In addition, there has been a number of prisoners who were transferred temporarily to Northern Ireland for court appearances who subsequently remained there. Domicile in Northern Ireland is normally required before transfer is agreed.

	Number
1974	1
1975	*13
1976	0
1977	0
1978	0
1979	1
1980	2
1981	0
1982	0
1983	3
1984	1
* Four of these were category A prisoners convicted of terrorist-type offences.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to amend the Charities Act 1960 so as to make it a condition of charitable status that, in their employment policies and practices, charities follow a policy of strict nondiscrimination on religious grounds.

The charitable status of an organisation depends on whether its objects are charitable in law. It seems right that it should remain so and we therefore see no reason at present for singling out charities in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the names of those responsible bodies and organisations which, to date, have made formal written submissions containing an objection, a legal submission that the proposed condition is ultra vires or alternatives in the interests of public safety, to the territorial recommendations included in his recent working party report into the administration of the Firearms Act 1968.

As I stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 5 June, at columns 159–60, we have not yet begun our formal review of the operation of the working party's recommended territorial condition. The British Deer Society and the Shooting Sportsperson's Liaison Committee, however, have already submitted comments in anticipation of the review and I am aware that the latter organisation's submission includes a legal opinion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with regard to the administration of the Firearms Act 1968 and his recent working party's report, if he will make a statement to clarify what is defined as (a) an open certificate, (b) a territorially unrestricted certificate and (c) a territorially restricted certificate in that report.

Paragraph 16 of the report of the working party on the administration of the Firearms Act 1968 refers to "open" certificates as

"ones containing no territorial condition".

The term "territorially unrestricted certificate", which is not used in the report, suggests a certificate which does not contain a condition restricting the areas of land over which the firearm may be used, while the term "territorially restricted" suggests a certificate which does.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each of the last 10 years, what was the number of shotguns involved in crime that, (a) had no serial number on them, (b) had no serial number or maker's name on them and (c) were of British or imported origin, respectively.

The available information on the use of shotguns in crime is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (table 3.2 of the volume for 1983, Cmnd. 9349). Information for 1984 is not yet available. Details of individual weapons are not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide figures showing the number of crimes involving theft or violence and under 21-year-olds in each of the last five years for which figures are available;(2) if he will provide figures showing the number of crimes other than of theft and violence involving under 21-year-olds for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Information on the age of offenders is known only for those offenders apprehended. The available information is for offenders found guilty or cautioned and is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (table 5.17 of the volume for 1983, Cmnd. 9349, and in the corresponding table in the volumes for earlier years).

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what changes he anticipates in the proportion of public expenditure by local authorities spent on education during the next five years.

The proportion of the total relevant current expenditure of local authorities allocated to education in the Government's plans (as set out in Cmnd. 9428) is 49·5 per cent. in 1985–86 and just below 49 per cent. in 1986–87 and 1987–88. Allocations to services for the latter two years are provisional and remain subject to review. Decisions have yet to be taken on the overall level and allocation to services of local authority expenditure after 1987–88.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the cost of increasing, per student, funding in public sector advanced education to the same level as that in universities.

Differences in the financial mechanisms, circumstances and types of work done in the two sectors make comparisons of their funding levels difficult. Calculations based on a paper recently published by the Department ("Higher Education: Funding Comparisons Across Sectors") suggest that, on the Government's Cmnd. 9428 expenditure plans, recurrent public funding per arts-equivalent student in Great Britain universities in 1985–86 will be between 10 and 27 per cent. more than in public sector higher education in England, depending on the assumption made about the proportion of expenditure attributable in the universities to research as opposed to teaching. On this basis it would cost between £90 million and £240 million per year to increase public sector funding in England to the same level as that in universities.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has taken a decision on the statutory closure notices on St. Thomas More school, Derby; and whether he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has today informed the Nottinghamshire LEA and the Nottinghamshire Roman Catholic Diocesan Schools Commission that he has approved their proposals for these schools.

Number of enrolments of courses in horticulture
LEA	Name of college	Year
		1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Ealing	Norwood Hall Institute of Horticultural Education	206	185	180	187	164
Enfield	Capel Manor Institute of Horticulture	156	180	146	205	245
Coventry	Tile Hill College of Further Education	45	44	44	61	28
Dudley	Stourbridge College of Technology and Art	—	60	33	39	29
Wolverhampton	Wulfrun College of Further Education	42	49	55	52	65
Liverpool	Old Swan Technical College	—	—	—	41	84
St. Helens	St. Helens College of Technology	40	43	30	56	105
Bolton	Bolton Metropolitan College	29	32	40	47	77
Manchester	South Manchester Community College	201	218	185	193	195
Wigan	Wigan College of Technology	—	37	40	51	30
Doncaster	Doncaster Metropolitan Institute of Higher Education	—	67	38	46	35
Sheffield	Granville College	32	44	67	61	77
Bradford	Shipley College	45	45	27	35	65
Kirklees	Huddersfield Technical College	62	68	57	73	52
Leeds	The Airedale and Wharfedale College of Further Education	36	36	58	58	35
Wakefield	Wakefield District College	63	59	65	49	111
Inner London	South London College	73	96	128	161	163
Avon	Norton-Radstock Technical College	—	45	76	111	95
Bedfordshire	Bedford College of Higher Education	66	44	35	51	36
Berkshire	Berkshire College of Agriculture	2	—	—	57	133
Buckinghamshire	Aylesbury College	86	98	81	110	149
Cambridgeshire	Isle of Ely College of Further Education and Horticulture	98	60	86	69	47
Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire Farm College	31	—	13	42	97
Cheshire	Halton College of Further Education	—	—	—	22	61
Cheshire	Cheshire College of Agriculture	241	272	355	377	465
Cleveland	Guisborough Agricultural Centre	53	65	43	53	74
Cornwall	Cornwall College of Further Education and Higher Education	64	73	69	61	135
Cumbria	Cumbria College of Agriculture and Forestry	70	75	47	45	109
Derbyshire	Derbyshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture	87	104	100	102	164
Devon	Bicton College of Agriculture	122	118	117	322	278
Dorset	Dorset College of Agriculture	76	176	64	69	178
Durham	Durham Agricultural College	175	104	126	129	233
East Sussex	Plumpton Agricultural College	97	124	108	137	179

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing which counties have horticultural colleges or substantial horticultural sections in agricultural colleges; how many students have attended each college in each of the most recent five years for which figures are available; and what was the length and nature of the courses offered, together with such information about costs as is readily available.

In November 1983, the latest date for which information is available, courses leading to recognised qualifications in horticulture were provided by 93 further education establishments in England. The following information is readily available for these courses.For those colleges with 50 or more enrolments in any year the numbers of students participting in the years 1979 to 1983 are in the table. The colleges are shown under their LEA.Over 80 per cent. of all student enrolments were for courses of the City and Guilds and regional examining boards, other courses included those for OND, HND, national diplomas and certificates in horticulture, college diplomas and the general examination of the Royal Horticultural Society.It is estimated that 50 per cent. of all student enrolments were for courses of one year's duration. A further 31 per cent. were on the first year of courses lasting two years or more. No information is available about the financial arrangements for specific courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to the answer of 15 March, Official Report, columns 304–306, regarding the order of achievement in examination results of each local education authority in England, he will give the equivalent figures for each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

The information readily available is shown in the table.

Percentage of maintained school leavers* in England with one or more A-level passes
Average over the academic years 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80.
	Percentage
Harrow	25·2
Richmond-upon-Thames*	24·9
Barnet	24·3
Bromley	21·1
Kingston-upon-Thames	20·8
Sutton	20·5
Surrey	19·6
Hertfordshire	18·9
Stockport	18·2
Buckinghamshire	18·2
North Yorksire	17·6
West Sussex	17·4
Merton	17·3
Hounslow	16·4
Berkshire	16·2
Havering	16·0
Oxfordshire	15·9
Enfield	15·8
Redbridge	15·5
East Sussex	15·2
Wigan*	15·0
Kent	14·9
Sefton	14·6
Hampshire*	14·6
Gloucestershire	14·5