asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect the first report by Viscount Colville of Culross into the operation of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts of 1978 and 1987 to be available.

Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses today.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any negotiations are in progress with other countries about the introduction of a reciprocal social security agreement and with which countries.

Her Majesty's Government have been in correspondence with the Government of Barbados in preparation for negotiations on the introduction of a social security convention between their two countries. Additionally, negotiations and discussions are in progress on changes to the existing conventions Her Majesty's Government have with Australia, Cyprus, Guernsey, the Republic of Ireland, Malta, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish an up-to-date list of those countries with which we have reciprocal social security agreements; andHow many United Kingdom persons are resident in those countries where we have a reciprocal social security agreement.

The table shows the countries with whom the United Kingdom has reciprocal agreements on social security and the approximate numbers of British nationals resident in those countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state (

I would refer my noble friend to my replies to him on 18th December at cols. 196–197. I regret that I am unable to add to the information given there.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the cash limits for grants from the social fund in each local office; what is the basis of setting these limits; and how the limits compare with sums paid out in 1985–86 by the same areas in single payments under the supplementary benefits rules.

:Information is available in the library on social fund budgets for each local office for 1988–89 on the basis for their allocation and on single payment expenditure by each local office for 1985–86

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons in (

The information is given in the following table. The visa requirement for citizens of Nigeria was not introduced until 1st February 1987.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Banstead Mental Hospital in Surrey (now closed and standing empty) could be used for remand cases instead of using police stations or remand centres far from London.

Banstead Mental Hospital is owned by the North-West Thames Regional Health Authority. The Home Office Prison Department is negotiating for its purchase at an acceptable price, at the same time as considering its possible future use. Under present plans, the most likely future use would be to build a Category B local prison on the site.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have issued advice in the recent past to local authorities concerning any policy in respect of prosecutions arising from the nonobservance of the Shops Act 1950.

No.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have consulted Euratom concerning the proposed turning-off of the cooling systems at Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear power stations; and whether these experiments come under the provision of Article 34 of the Euratom Treaty.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by the Prime Minister to the Hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dafydd Elis Thomas) on 25th January 1988 (col. 8). As the noble Lord may already know, the CEGB have now announced that they intend to postpone this test.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many magistrates and black magistrates there are in the area for which the Chancellor of the Duchy is responsible.

There are approximately four thousand magistrates, of whom 75 are black.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware that Tudor Farm, Earning Street, Godmanchester, a listed building in the area of Huntingdonshire District Council, has fallen into a state of disrepair and requires considerable expenditure, and whether they will make a statement.

Proposals for the refurbishment of Tudor House or Farmhouse, Earning Street, Godmanchester were notified to the Secretary of State in September 1986 by Huntingdonshire District Council. The applications were not called in for his determination and listed building consent was given by the council in October 1986. No subsequent approaches about the building have been received by my department. I understand that the council has taken steps to secure the repair of the building, which is now for sale.Grant aid for repairs to listed buildings is available in appropriate circumstances from various bodies, including English Heritage and district councils, but no application has yet been made in respect of this building.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can confirm that 40,000 cubic metres of intermediate radioactive wastes are in temporary storage on land in Great Britain and are increasing at the rate of 3,000 cubic metres a year; whether they are precluded from disposal at sea by the London Dumping Convention; and what measures they are considering to deal with accumulated wastes and to prevent their increase.

I can confirm that at 1st January 1986 there were almost 42,000 cubic metres of intermediate-level wastes in interim storage in Great Britain, and that this amount is increasing by approximately 3,000 cubic metres a year. Some of the intermediate-level waste currently stored would be eligible for sea disposal under the International Atomic Energy Agency definition of wastes suitable for this disposal method. Wastes will continue to be stored safely until appropriate disposal arrangements are made. It is the policy of the Government's regulatory bodies to ensure that the creation of wastes is minimised.