asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether election expenses commence in Parliamentary constituencies from the day of adoption as candidate or the day of reselection as prospective candidate.

There is no statutory commencement date for candidates' election expenses. All expenses incurred at any time on account of or in respect of the conduct or management of an election are election expenses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the 41 persons in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 31st January 1981, who had been in custody for a continuous period of 15 years or more since their first reception, are life sentence prisoners, how many were convicted of murder, and how many were convicted of other homicide offences.

Of the 41 persons in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 31st January 1981 who had been in custody for a continuous period of 15 years or more since their first reception 40 were serving life sentences and one was detained during Her Majesty's pleasure. 34 were convicted of murder, six were convicted of other homicide offences and one of rape.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state the public sector borrowing requirements for each year from 1961 to date; and whether they will give an estimate of the percentage of these requirements which fell to capital expenditure and the percentage to current expenditure.

The public sector borrowing requirement for calendar years from 1961 to date is set out below:—

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state what organisation exists for the protection of car owners against excessive garage charges for repair work when no written quotation is possible and no scale of work exists.

If a price for car repairs is not agreed in advance the garage is entitled to charge a "reasonable price". If the car owner and the garage cannot agree whether the price is reasonable the owner can seek advice from a solicitor, his local Citizens' Advice Bureau or a motoring organisation of which he is a member. If no agreement proves possible the matter can ultimately only be resolved by the civil courts.Car owners who trade with members of the Motor Agents' Association, the Scottish Motor Trade Association or the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, however, have additional protection as a result of the recently strengthened code of practice which has been drawn up by the associations in consultation with the Director-General of Fair Trading. This requires that the garage shall provide a firm written quotation whenever possible for all major repairs and an estimate when this is not possible. In the latter case the garage must seek the customer's instructions if it becomes clear later that the estimate will be exceeded by a significant amount. The associations will also be prepared to conciliate any disputes between car owners and their members and offer an arbitration service as an alternative to court proceedings.I have arranged for a copy of the revised code of practice to be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to table the order giving independence to Antigua before the Summer Recess.

The Antigua Parliament will shortly debate the draft independence constitution prepared by the Antigua Government in accordance with the conclusions of the December 1980 London Conference. Given Antigua parliamentary approval, a formal request for termination of association will follow immediately. The requisite order could thus be tabled in this House and in another place before the Summer Recess.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the response by the Government of St. Kitts-Nevis to the offer of independence made by Britain during the previous Labour Government of the colony.

The St. Kitts-Nevis Coalition Government, elected in February 1980, have, unlike their predecessors, given no priority to early independence. They are concentrating their efforts on the territory's economic development before considering an independence timetable.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can ensure that there will be sufficient staff to maintain a safe level of care on the wards of the Ida Darwin Hospital, Cambridge, in the future.

The provision of services at the Ida Darwin Hospital, Cambridge is a matter for the Cambridgeshire Area Health Authority (Teaching).I am assured, however, that the standard of care provided at the hospital will not be allowed to fall below a safe level.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the statistics for the years 1978 and 1979 corresponding with those given for earlier years in Annexes B, E, F, and G of the report of the agriculture departments in the United Kingdom 1978 on the export of live animals for slaughter and further fattening.

The information requested is as follows: