asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is their policy to repeal Section 127 of the Highways Act 1959.

No; although my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport has told the National Gipsy Education Council that he would in principle be willing to see Section 127(c) of that Act amended by the deletion of the words "or a gipsy".

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the present housing authorities in England and Wales have so far fully complied with their duty under Section 70 of the Housing Act 1969 (to inspect the housing conditions of their districts); which authorities, if any, have not yet done so; and how they interpret the phrase "from time to time" in Section 70 of the Act.

I have consulted my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Wales and we are satisfied that the inspections required from time to time by Section 70 are carried out by all local authorities in England and Wales in the course of their day-to-day administration of the Housing Acts in their districts, supplemented where necessary by specific surveys. The interpretation of statute is a matter for the courts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps have been taken or are being taken by them together with other nations in respect of the escalation of terrorism; and with which other terrorist organisations are the PLO affiliated or in contact.

We cooperate actively with our European Community partners and in a number of international organisations to contain and reduce the terrorist threat. There is some evidence that elements affiliated to the Palestine Liberation Organisation have had contacts with other organisations engaged in terrorism. We continue to monitor closely the assurance from the Palestine Liberation Organisation leadership that any links which its affiliates may have had with the Provisional Irish Republican Army have been severed and will not be renewed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there has been any liaison between Governments of EEC countries (at political or civil service level) to ensure that workers moving across frontiers in search of employment, their employers and any agents involved as middlemen are complying with such tax and national insurance regulations as may be applicable.

In order that non-compliance is kept to a minimum, officials of my department and the other departments concerned liaise with each other and their counterparts in Germany and Holland, the two European Community countries chiefly involved. Ministers also meet their opposite numbers from time to time and on such occasions, where it is relevant, any problems arising from cross-frontier employment are discussed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps are being taken to identify the illegal employment of transient labour in large British and foreign construction firms; and what steps they will take to rectify any such illegalities.

My inspectors, appointed under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 (as amended), consistently follow up any information they receive about the activity of illegal labour leasers and recruiters operating in this country. I understand that the Federal Republic of Germany, the country most affected by the problem, is seeking a solution through the imposition of tighter employment controls. My officials work closely with their German colleagues in a common endeavour to minimise un-authorised cross-frontier labour recruitment. The European Community is also known to be contemplating an initiative in this area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they ensure that British workers attracted to foreign employment by

A number of steps have been taken by my department to limit this traffic and to alert British workers to the risks they run in accepting offers of employment reaching them from unauthorised sources. These include encouraging the press to check the credentials of advertisers in this field, inviting prospective job-seekers through notices displayed at unemployment benefit offices and job centres to seek guidance from employment advisers before accepting dubious job offers, and providing employment agencies with information about the relevant employment laws of West Germany and the Netherlands.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

All employment agencies and employment businesses (i.e. staff contractors or labour leasers) operating from premises in Great Britain are required under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 (as amended) to be licensed by the Secretary of State and are subject to inspection by authorised officers in my department. Those engaged in the recruitment of workers for employment overseas also comply with the relevant laws of the country to which the workers are sent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What liaison exists between the various Government departments in- volved in supervising the recruitment and employment of British workers abroad; and how and to whom they report.

No formal machinery for liaison exists. My department, which has responsibility for enforcement of the Employment Agencies Act, maintains regular contact with the Employment Service Division of the Manpower Services Commission and liaises as and when appropriate with the other departments concerned. As Minister responsible, I am kept informed of the position.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the total cost over five-year periods since 1945 of (

Following is the information in respect of the nationalised industries. Subsidiaries of the National Enterprise Board are not nationalised industries, and this includes BL, Government support for which has taken a different form.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in view of the fact that the collective strength of special constabularies in Scotland was on 30th June 1980 no less than 7,321 persons below the authorised strength, it is intended to take steps to encourage recruitment; and, if so, what steps.

The Police Advisory Board for Scotland is at present reviewing various aspects of the recruitment and use of special constables. Once its advice is available, consideration will be given to what action is necessary in regard to recruitment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies were received in each of the first six months of 1980, how many applications were outstanding on 31st December 1979 and 30th June 1980, and how many staff were in post on 31st December 1979 and 30th June 1980.

The information is as follows:

	1980
	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	June
Number of applications received	4,583	4,527	4,949	4,743	3,947	3,366

The number of applications outstanding on 31st December 1979 was 46,567 and on 30th June 1980 was 51,945. The number of staff in post on these dates was 190 and 218 respectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the applications for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies received in 1979 and in the first six months of 1980 and how many of the applications outstanding on 30th June 1980 were applications (

Of the applications for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies received in 1979 and the first six months of 1980, 9,404 were applications for naturalisation and 65,289 were applications for registration. On 30th June 1980, 10,217 applications for naturalisation and 41,728 applications for registration were outstanding. The detailed breakdown of the figures requested for applications for registration could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the present estimated average period for which applicants for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies in each of the following categories (

The current estimated average periods for which applicants for citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies have had to wait before completion of their applications are as follows:

Type of application	Estimated average waiting period
(i) Applications for naturalization and registration under Section 5A(2) of the British Nationality Act 1948	2 years
(ii) Applications for registration under Section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1948	1 year

SENTENCED PRISONERS IN PRISON DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHMENTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES ON 30TH APRIL 1980: BY TYPE OF SENTENCE AND COUNTRY OF BIRTH
	Country of birth
Sentence length and type	UK	Commonwealth	Other(1)	Not known	Total
Imprisonment
Up to and including 1 year	8,267	464	591	296	9,618
Over 1 year and up to and including 2 years	6,231	362	341	115	7,049
Over 2 years and up to and including 5 years	7,730	594	494	136	8,954
Over 5 years and including life	3,444	320	346	74	4,184
Borstal training	5,146	140	83	189	5,558
Detention centre	2,044	41	27	39	2,151
Total	32,862	1,921	1,882	849	37,514
(1) Including the Republic of Ireland and Pakistan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a table similar to that given in a letter from Lord Belstead of 3rd July 1979 giving sentenced prisoners in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 30th April 1980 by type of sentence and country of birth; and whether they will also give the information relating to 30th April 1979 for comparison.

Pursuant to my reply of 14th May 1980 (Official Report, Vol. 409, cols. 354–6), the information relating to 30th April 1980 is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what grounds a Foreign Office representative and members of the British press were prevented from attending the recent "trial" of Father Gleb Yakunin in spite of the Soviet Union's claim that it was "fair and open"; whether the charges of "anti-Soviet activity" were consistent with drawing the Soviet Government's attention to breaches of their promises about human rights in the Helsinki Final Act; by whom he was defended; when his appeal against the sentence of 10 years' hard labour and exile will be heard; and whether a special effort will again be made to have an official observer from the European Community present at the hearing.

A member of our Embassy in Moscow who attempted to gain admittance to Father Yakunin's trial was turned away on the grounds that the courtroom was full. The Government's view is that the sentencing of Father Yakunin once again calls into question the seriousness of the Soviet Union's commitment to implement the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act. We understand that Father Yakunin was defended by Mr. Leonid Popov. The Government have no confirmation that Father Yakunin has lodged an appeal or that there is to be a further hearing.House adjourned at twenty-four minutes past ten o'clock.