asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will respond to any of the suggestions contained in the

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport has welcomed the report and its recommendations, and has commented particularly on the close spirit of co-operation that has been established between the committee and the Department of Transport. The department is working with the committee on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report. The recommendation to which the committee attached prime importance (concerning the most effective means of financing services to meet the needs of people with disabilities) will be the subject of a special inquiry on which the committee will be taking evidence in the coming months.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are discussing with the British shipping industry the desirability of making use of the Great Circle Route to the Far East through the Arctic, whether any British ships are appropriately ice-strengthened to make use of the route, and what is their view of the desirability of making use of Soviet ice-breakers to assist the journey, as proposed by Mr. Gorbachev in his 1st October speech at Murmansk.

Information as to whether any of the ice-strengthened vessels on the British register would be suitable to cope with the particularly difficult and variable conditions likely to be found on the Great Circle Route of the Arctic is not available. However, it is essentially a matter for the commercial judgment of British shipping companies as to whether and how best to pursue any commercial opportunities that may exist, including whether to use Soviet ice-breakers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether an export licence is required for equipment built or designed for the sole purpose of carrying out the death penalty; and if so whether they will refuse such a licence for a British company which recently constructed a double and single gallows for a Middle Eastern country and for the export of any such equipment in future.

My Lords, an export licence is not required for the export of such equipment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What developments there have been in trade between United Kingdom companies and the USSR following the Prime Minister's agreement during her last visit to Moscow for an expansion of such trade; why British companies are lagging behind those of West Germany, Sweden, France and Italy in this respect; and what assistance Her Majesty's Government are offering to assist British exporters to develop Anglo-Soviet trade.

Trade with the USSR has not so far increased as we had hoped when the Prime Minister agreed with Mr. Ryzhkov in Moscow in March that efforts should be made to expand the aggregate level by 40 per cent. Nonetheless, Soviet exports to Britain have increased and continued efforts are being made to conclude long-running negotiations that could have a significant impact on the level of our exports to the USSR. It would certainly be premature to conclude from reports of major contracts going to other countries that none will be coming the way of British companies. Advice and assistance to companies tackling this market is available from my department, the British Overseas Trade Board, the Department of Energy, the East European Trade Council and the commercial department of the British Embassy in Moscow.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state in respect of each overseas country concerned the United Kingdom's holding of assets within that country and the revenue derived from them.

I regret that the information is not available. Data on direct investment relating to the end of 1984 may be found in British Business, 22nd May 1987. The latest issue of the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin contains information on UK banks' assets overseas as at the end of June 1987.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many reports they have received

In the period from 1980 to the end of November 1987, the Department of Energy received reports of 45 infringements of safety zones around installations on the UK Continental Shelf by vessels other than fishing vessels. An annual breakdown of this figure is given below:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they propose to improve planning procedures so that "perseverance and hard work" (H.L. Deb 25th November col. 635) can enable planning difficulties on their £30 billion power station construction plan to be overcome?

The Government announced in a White Paper (Cmnd. 43, 17.12.86) proposals to improve planning procedures in response to the Fifth Report of the Environment Committee. New rules which will apply to public inquiries into the construction of new power stations and overhead lines will be laid before Parliament shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they reconcile their Statement on 25th November that "the reason we have a delay of eight years in the construction of new power stations is simply because of the vagaries of our planning system" (col. 635) with their Statement on 19th November that in 1984 it had been predicted that the CEGB would have surplus capacity but that its estimates of future generating requirements had since been revised?

There were no orders for new power stations over the period 1979 to 1987 partly because of the surplus of ageing capacity which existed and which was kept operating while decisions were taken on the best method of future generation and partly due to the length of the Sizewell Inquiry which delayed those decisions. The CEGB keeps its estimates of future generating requirements under constant review to meet changing circumstances. Because of the long lead times involved, orders for new power plant have to be made well in advance of need.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to play any part in funding the building of the planned six new PWRs and four new coal-fired power stations?

As long as it remains in public ownership, the electricity supply industry will continue to follow the normal practice of nationalised industries of meeting its financing requirements from internal resources and, to the extent that those resources are insufficient, from loan finance.