asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will represent to the BBC that they should refrain from taking any action which would reduce the role of local radio stations in inner city areas, such as Merseyside.

It is for the BBC to decide, within the resources available to it, to what extent it should provide local radio coverage as part of its public service obligations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes they propose to make to the arrangements for the remand in custody of boys who are juveniles.

It is the Government's policy, consistent with the terms of the Bail Act 1976, that remands in custody should be restricted to those cases where they are unavoidable, given all the circumstances of the case. There is a particularly strong argument for keeping untried juveniles out of custody wherever possible, especially when they might otherwise have to be held in an overcrowded local prison. The scope for remanding juveniles in custody has been progressively restricted. After careful consideration and having due regard to the need to maintain adequate safeguards for the public, the Government propose to restrict further the circumstances in which juveniles may be remanded in custody.The only juveniles who may now be remanded in custody are 15 and 16 year-old boys certified by the courts as being too unruly to be safely remanded to local authority care. The unruliness certification procedure is available for two categories of boy: those charged with or previously convicted of an offence of violence or charged with an offence carrying a penalty of at least 14 years' imprisonment; and those remanded in care who have persistently absconded or been seriously disruptive.Under the Government's proposals, the procedure will still be available for 15 and 16 year-old boys but the categories will be narrowed. The first will be limited to boys charged with or previously convicted of an offence carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, the second to those remanded in care who pose a substantial risk to themselves or others. Certain other changes to the procedure are also proposed. The changes will reduce the numbers of juveniles remanded in custody, while ensuring that the courts retain all necessary powers for the protection of the public. The details of the proposals are set out in a consultation paper published today.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any radars or optical sensors ground-based in the United Kingdom or on any British or British-controlled territory worldwide, and regardless of the ownership of the radars or sensors, were made use of during the US SDI Delta 181 exercise or test carried out in February 1988, and if so where and with what British participation.

Ground-based radar equipment of the US tracking stations in Bermuda and Ascension Island was used in the Delta 181 experiment. There was no British participation.