asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ask the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations to investigate and report on the alleged detention without trial of many thousands of political prisoners in Indonesia.

I understand that it has considered the matter, but that the case was dismissed. We have consistently taken the view that the private representations we and others make are more likely to prove effective in bringing an end to this practice. We are much encouraged by the Indonesian Government's recently-announced intention of releasing or bringing to trial all remaining detainees by the end of 1978, and in the meantime of opening the detention camps to representatives of Amnesty International and the ICRC.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will propose during the forthcoming discussions with the Sultan of Brunei that (1) he will implement fully the proposals of the White Paper 4/65 and (2) that representatives of the people of Brunei shall be invited to participate in the projected constitutional talks.

The proposals of White Paper 4/65, which was published by the Brunei Legislative Council deal entirely with matters relating to Brunei's internal constitutional development, for which Her Majesty's Government now have no responsibility. Similarly, the question of constitutional talks is entirely a matter for the Government of Brunei. It would therefore not be appropriate for us to put to the Sultan of Brunei specific proposals such as those suggested by my noble friend. However, I have made clear to the Sultan our belief in the desirability of a more representative form of Government.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state year by year, or for such periods as may be convenient:

The numbers and types of imported animals that have been held in quarantine under the rabies legislation during the last five years are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much Central Government expenditure has been and will eventually be incurred in the works of road widening and other activities of a similar character near the Brompton Oratory; how long the work has taken; and whether they are satisfied the works were (

To date, specific grant of £468,237 has been paid to the Greater London Council from central Government funds towards expenditure incurred before 1st April 1975. Since then the GLC's transport policies and programme have been supported by the transport supplementary grant system and no specific allocation has been made in respect of this scheme.When specific grant was approved the Department was satisfied that the work was justified. Implementation of the scheme is, however, entirely a matter for the Greater London Council and the noble Lord may wish to direct his inquiries on this aspect of the matter to them.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of the decision of the borough council of Reigate and Banstead to recover the whole cost of the refund of that part of the water rate due to cesspit/septic tank householders only from the cesspit/septic tank householders and whether they are aware of the hardship and injustice this is causing to the householders it was intended to benefit; and whether they will take action to prevent any injustice caused by the council's action.

The charges to which the noble Lord refers are for emptying the cesspools and septic tanks. Like many authorities, Reigate and Banstead Council have had to increase their charges for this service in order to cover the cost of providing it. I understand that in doing so they have related their standard charge to the refunds made under the Water Act 1976.The increases are nevertheless a separate matter from the recovery of the cost of the refunds, which is being made through the sewerage charges levied on connected properties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To explain the difference in status between a statutory objector and a discretionary objector at a public inquiry and in any subsequent legal proceedings.

A statutory objector, as defined in rules of procedure, has a right to be notified of the holding of the inquiry and to receive a pre-inquiry statement from the promoting authority. It is the practice to notify anyone else who has made representations and to send them the same documents as are sent to statutory objectors. A statutory objector is entitled to be heard, to call evidence and to cross-examine witnesses. Anyone else may be heard at the Inspector's discretion and he may also allow them to call evidence and cross-examine. It would be for the court to determine the standing of anyone concerned in subsequent legal proceedings.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What legal training is considered necessary for Inspectors at highway inquiries to enable them to discharge their duties as "custodians of national justice".

Legal training for inspectors at these inquiries is not considered necessary. The inquiries are fundamentally administrative inquiries into objections which have been made to draft highway schemes and orders and provide an occasion for the consideration by an independent person of the Secretary of State's proposals in the context of the objections. There is a separate procedure under the Highways Act 1959 for dealing with questions relating to the vires of schemes or orders, when made, or the legality of the procedures for making them.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much they have spent in fees for legal representation at public inquiries in each of the last five years.

Information for all types of public inquiry is not readily available, but the Treasury Solicitor's Department and the Office of the Solicitor to the Secretary of State for Scotland, which handle legal representation for nearly all of these inquiries, have paid the following amounts in respect of fees to counsel. About half of the aggregated amounts for England and Wales is attributable to all highway inquiries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To define "assingment procedure" and whether such procedure is included within "local need", which can be questioned at highway inquiries.

The assignment procedure is the method adopted for allocating traffic to the roads in a network, and is part of the process of estimating traffic levels for new road schemes. The traffic assignments made for future years reflect local needs and conditions, and can be questioned at highway inquiries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To give a list of Inspectors who have conducted planning appeal hearings for the Department of the Environment in the past two years; their ages; their professional qualifications and experience; and, in particular, whether any of them are retired borough or county engineers or have been otherwise professionally engaged in or connected with road construction, and, if so, which.

The Inspectors who conduct inquiries into planning appeals are normally appointed from the Department's salaried Inspectorate which currently numbers 192, excluding supervising staff. Their ages vary between 36 and 69 and all have an appropriate professional qualification or experience relevant to the work which they undertake. I am sending the noble Lord very shortly a list of these Inspectors with their qualifications. The Inspectors who conduct motorway or trunk road inquiries are selected from a separate panel of fee paid Inspectors. This panel currently numbers 49 of whom four are retired borough or county engineers. A further three are retired borough or county surveyors who are professionally qualified engineers. The remainder of the information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate expense.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of meat imported from the EEC into Dover and Newhaven during the present year has been found to be contaminated and bearing false veterinary and inspection certificates.

Information provided by the port health inspectorate at these ports indicates that, so far this year, approximately 3 per cent. of consignments of meat landed at the two ports have been rejected on account of faults in certification. Approximately 0.5 per cent. of the consignments landed have been rejected on account of contamination of the meat.House adjourned at nine minutes before nine o'clock.