asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a summary of how they think the licensing system, to be proposed in the forthcoming Wildlife and Countryside Bill, to allow the use of restricted methods of killing or taking wild creatures (other than birds) will be organised, as they did on 28th August this year in relation to the proposed licensing system for birds.

No; as the licensing system to allow the use of restricted methods of killing and taking certain wild creatures (other than birds) included in the Wildlife and Countryside Bill which was introduced on 25th November, will be similar to the proposed licensing system for birds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have completed their settlement of claims under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 and how many claims were received, how many accepted, and what is the estimated number and total amount of payments made.

The great majority of those claimants under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 who were first diagnosed as suffering from a disease covered by the Act before it came into force on 4th July 1979 (or were dependants of sufferers who had died before then) have either been paid or informed they are not entitled to a payment. Only 145 of the 4,515 claims received within the one year time limit for such claimants are still outstanding. The current total figures are 4,870 claims received and 273 outstanding. The Act is permanent legislation, and claims will continue to be made in small numbers principally by those newly diagnosed as suffering from a disease covered by the Act. Payments have been made to 2,916 applicants. These total about £17 million.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans the Government have for reducing the size of the Civil Service.

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister announced on 13th May that the Government intended to reduce the size of the Civil Service to about 630,000 over the next four years. Unforeseen demands are bound to arise over the years ahead, and we are therefore allowing for a contingency margin of 15,000. The Government have now settled manpower targets for individual departments for 1st April 1984. These figures, and those of the staff in post on 1st April 1979 and 1st October 1980, are given below.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many overseas students, undergraduate and postgraduate are attending (1) universities, (2) further education institutions in the years 1979–80, 1980–81, how many applications there are for places for 1981–82.

Information in respect of student numbers is not yet available for the academic year 1980–81. In the year 1979–80 there were 35,177 overseas students in United Kingdom universities of whom 17,611 were undertaking undergraduate courses and 17,566 were postgraduates. In polytechnics and colleges of further education there were a total of 47,814 overseas students in Great Britain of whom 26,827 were on advanced courses in which the standard of instruction was above that required for GCE A-level. Early information on applications for 1981–82 is available only in respect of undergraduate courses to universities. By 1st November 1980 the Universities Central Council on Admissions had received 2,542 such applications from overseas candidates; this is however a small proportion of the number which they would eventually expect to receive.House adjourned at twenty-one minutes past twelve o'clock midnight.