asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware that, following their approval in 1980 for the afforestation agreement on the Cnewr Estate, Brecon Beacons in Wales, the afforestation plans have been implemented but the provision of access routes for walkers, which formed part of the agreement, has not; and whether they will say what steps they are taking to ensure that the agreement is implemented in full.

The Government are aware that afforestation plans for part of the Cnewr Estate which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Wales approved in 1980 are proceeding. The provision of access routes for walkers to which the noble Lord refers was part of a prior agreement between the Estate and the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority in connection with a development plan. They did not form part of the Estate's grant application for afforestation, although my right honourable friend took the development plan into account when making his decision. The implementation of access proposals is a matter for the National Park Authority; I am informed they are proceeding with this.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a statement on their policy towards the release of life sentence prisoners and the release on parole of violent offenders and drug traffickers.

My right honourable and learned friend the Home Secretary intends that twenty years will normally be the minimum period served by those who murder police and prison officers, by terrorist murderers, by sexual or sadistic murderers of children and by those who murder by firearms in the course of robbery. There will be other murders not readily categorised where the heinousness of the offence requires no less punishment. Some murders will justify yet longer periods in detention. In all cases, risk to the public is the pre-eminent consideration in deciding release.My right honourable and learned friend also intends to ensure that no one sentenced to more than five years' imprisonment for an offence of violence to the person, or of drug trafficking, is released on parole unless release under supervision for a few months immediately before the end of the sentence is likely to reduce the long-term risk to the public, or in exceptional circumstances.The Home Secretary is consulting the Parole Board about the precise means of bringing about these policy changes. These consultations are not yet completed and he will make a further more detailed statement shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in their application for a research grant from the European Community towards a project for developing the use of bracken as a source of energy.

The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology continues a programme of research into the use of plant species as alternative sources of energy. The programme is supported by the science budget through the Natural Environment Research Council and by the appropriate customer bodies, including the European Community. Following negotiations with the Commission of the European Community, two proposals have been proposed for, respectively, the Small Scale Research and Development and the Energy Conservation (Demonstration Projects) Programmes, to study bracken as a source of energy. The institute intend to submit these proposals if and when the Commission calls for tenders, which I understand may well be in early 1984.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with the EEC draft directive, first published in 1974, on radio interference caused by high frequency industrial and medical equipment; and what view they take of the need for such a directive.

Discussions on the draft directive have not taken place since 1981. At that time, agreement had still not been reached on the appropriate radio interference limits to be laid down in the directive. Her Majesty's Government believe that harmonisation of member states' regulations on radio interference from industrial, scientific and medical equipment is desirable in order to reduce barriers to trade.