asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the report of the psychiatrist, Dr. Read, on Ian Brady, a prisoner in Gartree Prison, has been refused to Mr. Benedict Birnberg, solicitor to Ian Brady, when the report of the Home Office psychiatrist, Dr. Marjot, who recommended transfer to a special hospital, has been made available to Mr. Birnberg and Lord Longford.

It is not the practice to disclose the contents of confidential medical reports on prisoners.Dr. Marjot's report was disclosed because of the exceptional circumstances in which he came to report on Mr. Brady.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is likely to be more costly to pay a farmer grants and subsidies to produce wheat or barley on previously uncultivated land, as well as buying the grain into intervention and selling it below world prices, than to pay him compensation for leaving the land as it is, supporting their conclusions with average figures based on their most recent experience; and, if so, whether they will henceforth meet the cost of compensation.

There are so many imponderable elements in this Question that I regret it is not possible to give a reply with any accuracy.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What they estimate to have been the saving to the taxpayer in 1982 and 1983 from ending the need for prior approval of farm improvements, how this compares with the annual saving originally expected, whether they will now return to the former system in the interests of better protection of the environment; and what are the views of the National Farmers' Union about this.

The requirement for prior approval of grant aided improvements was abolished in 1980. It is not possible to identify savings made in particular years from this change alone because they were spread over a period of time and were coupled with the reorganisation of the Ministry's regional structure which also produced staff savings. The expected saving of some 400 staff has, however, been achieved with a consequent and permanent saving in financial terms of some £3·5million at current salary levels.I understand that in its recent evidence to the Select Committee on the European Communities; Sub-Committee on Agriculture and the Environment, the National Farmers' Union stated that it would approve of the reintroduction of the prior approval provision "in some appropriate form".

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their view of a recent invention which allows fish in water to be immobilised by electronic pulses and then scooped up.

It would be an offence, under Section 5 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, to use such a device to take or to destroy salmon or freshwater fish unless it were used with the written permission of the appropriate water authority for a scientific purpose, or for the purpose of protecting, improving or replacing stocks of fish.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What arrangements will the United Kingdom be making to mark the Australian Bicentenary in 1988.

This is an important anniversary and we will wish to see it marked accordingly. A Britain-Australia Bicentennial Committee is being set up under the chairmanship of Sir Peter Gadsden to consider what arrangements might most appropriately be made.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, following the successful harvesting of the coffee crop in Nicaragua, they will ask the United States to prevent the external enemies of Nicaragua attacking shipping engaged in exporting the crop.

We have made clear our wish to see an end to all violence in Central America regardless of who commits it.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is their intention not to extend the United Kingdom's territorial sea to 12 miles until they have secured alterations to their satisfaction in the seabed mining provisions of the Law of the Sea Convention.

In commenting on the extension of the United Kingdom's territorial sea in the debate in this House on 15th February, I indicated that this and other issues of the law of the sea, some of which are interlinked, would have to be kept under review. These questions include the timing and circumstances when we might make any particular move, including the extension to which the noble Lord refers.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many schemes, organised by voluntary bodies, for adapting unlettable or hard-to-let properties for letting or sale, they are aware of; whether they will list the known locations of schemes, and what steps they are taking to draw the attention of housing authorities throughout the United Kingdom to the importance of adapting rather than demolishing such properties.

Housing associations improve large numbers of properties both for letting and for sale (15,100 in England and Wales in 1983) many of which are unlettable or difficult to let before improvement. We do not keep details of individual schemes in the form requested.The Government have encouraged local housing authorities to improve difficult-to-let public dwellings in a number of ways. The Priority Estates Project has shown how such estates may be improved while remaining within the public rented sector. Local housing authorities also undertake improvement for sale and homesteading. Some local authorities have sold difficult-to-let dwellings to private bodies including one estate at Knowsley with tenanted properties which has been transferred to a private sector trust.In examining project control submissions from local authorities the department considers rehabilitation as an alternative when demolition and rebuilding is proposed.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many schemes for the repair, improvement, and adaptation of dwellings occupied by elderly owner-occupiers they are aware of; whether they will list the known locations of such schemes; in how many schemes the Manpower Services Commission is involved; and what other sources of statutory funds are available for this purpose.

The Government maintain no comprehensive list of such schemes, though we are aware of several. Some deal exclusively with the needs of the elderly; in other cases the elderly form a large proportion of those who are helped. Existing schemes include—

Anchor Trust 'Staying Put':	Southport,
	Bradford, York,
	Tyneside,
	Birmingham,
	Hackney,
	Lambeth,
	Brighton.
Age Concern 'Staying Put':	Nottingham.
Care and Repair UIC Ltd.:	Liverpool and Middlesbrough.
Ferndale Home Improvement Service:	Rhondda.
Hyde and South Bank Housing Association:	Lewisham.
Portsmouth Housing Association:	Portsmouth.
Tyneside Housing Aid Centre:	Newcastle.
Brent Housing Aid Centre:	Brent.
Home Improvement Service Agency:	Sparkbrook, Birmingham.
North Fulham Housing Improvement Zone:	Hammersmith & Fulham.

The National Home Improvement Council is planning a neighbourhood revitalisation service, pilot projects for which are expected to begin shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to ratify the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import and export and transfer of ownership of cultural property and what is the reason for the long delay.

Her Majesty's Government have consistently supported the aims and objectives of this convention, and have frequently reviewed the case for formal ratification. However, ratification continues to pose substantial administrative, legal and financial problems, and Her Majesty's Government believe that the spirit of the convention can be implemented by other means. Museums and galleries in Britain already abide by a code of practice not to acquire items of dubious provenance and the art trade are considering adoption of a similar code of practice.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will list the sites, in order of numerical importance, where the Greenland race of the white fronted goose occurs in Great Britain, and whether they will state how many geese occur at each site, and what the estimated world population of this subspecies is estimated to be.

The information requested by the noble Lord is contained in a report by D. A. Stroud, of the census conducted in the winter of 1982–83. I have arranged for a copy of that report to be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they can confirm that the Greenland race of the white fronted goose is protected by its inclusion on Annex 1 of EEC Directive 79/409, and, if so, whether this fact will be considered when the future of Duich Moss on Islay in Scotland is determined.

I confirm that the Greenland white fronted goose is listed in Annex 1 to the EEC Directive and that this will be considered with all other relevant factors before the Secretary of State reaches a decision on an application for planning permission to extract peat from Duich Moss, which he has called in for determination.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will provide a list of pensions, allowances and benefits for the disabled and handicapped that are exempt from tax.

The information is as follows:

• Sickness benefit
• Invalidity benefit
• Non-contributory invalidity pension
• Attendance allowance
• Mobility allowance
• Industrial disablement benefits
• War disablement benefits

Supplementary benefit for those who are unable to work, or able to work only reduced hours, because of sickness or disability.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will list the names of airports in the world which today handle 25,000,000 or more passengers a year; and which of these has less than two runways.

The following airports handled 25,000.000 or more passengers in 1983: Heathrow, Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Fort Worth. Denver, J. F. Kennedy (New York) and Los Angeles. None of these airports has less than two runways.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How much of the £8·3 million which the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland plan to spend on conservation-oriented projects in 1984 will be allocated to nature conservation; and how much of this money is to be spent on the Conservation Branch of the Department of the Environment.

It is estimated that during 1983–84 the Conservation Branch of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland will spend approximately £1·8 million, of which approximately £385,000 will be spent on nature conservation.