asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many general Treasury classes and how many departmental classes of civil servants there are currently.

There are at present about 500 departmental classes and 36 general service classes, together containing some 27 per cent. of the total staff in post of the non-industrial Civil Service. The remaining 73 per cent. have been restructured into 19 occupational groups in 10 categories, with a fully unified open structure at under-secretary level and above.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were on custodial remand at the latest date for which figures are available; and of these, how many have been imprisoned for one month or less, one and up to three months, three and up to six months, and more than six months.

On 30th September 1978, 3,941 persons were remanded in custody awaiting trial in prison department establishments in England and Wales. The information available on the length of time they had spent in custody is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many part-time firemen there are in the United Kingdom; and how this compares with the position 12 months ago;(2) in the light of the opposition of the Fire Brigades' Union to the continued employment of part-time firemen, what is his policy towards the future recruitment of part-time firemen.

The numbers of part-time retained firemen in the United Kingdom at 31st December 1977—the latest date for which figures are available—and 31st December 1976 were 17,883 and 17,969 respectively. As to the recruitment and employment of part-time retained firemen, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to Questions by the hon. Member for Devon, West (Mr. Mills) on 17th November.—[Vol. 958, col. 382.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken with the Government of the Isle of Man following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the recent birching case.

As soon as the decision of the court was known, I communicated it to the Government of the Isle of Man, and thereafter informed the lieutenant governor of the island that, having studied the judgment, the United Kingdom Government took the view that judicial corporal punishment in the Isle of Man must now be held to be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Chief Justice of the Isle of Man—the First Deemster—subsequently took action to bring the judgment to the attention of all persons who, under the existing legislation, could pass a sentence of birching. He has informed them that the effect of the judgment is that judicial corporal punishment must now be held to be in breach of the convention.Article 54 of the convention provides that judgments of the court shall be transmitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which shall supervise their execution. The committee was informed of the action taken in consequence of the judgment, and completed its consideration of the case at its meeting on 13th October with the adoption of a resolution declaring that, having taken note of the information supplied by the United Kingdom Government, it had exercised its functions under the convention.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the present state of fishery protection measures; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that our fisheries protection measures continue to be effective. So far this year our fishery protection vessels have carried out some 1,600 boardings of fishing vessels at sea, in addition to the checks made on fishing vessels in port. Thirty-one skippers of fishing vessels have been convicted this year of offences against United Kingdom fishery regulations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which provisions of the Rome Treaty determined the terms under which the ballot now being held among British farmers on the future of the Milk Marketing Board should be conducted.

The polls of producers in each of the United Kingdom milk marketing board areas have been carried out in accordance with the terms of EEC regulations nos 1421/78 and 1422/78. These regulations were adopted by the Council of Ministers under general powers given to them by the provisions of articles 42 and 43 of the Treaty of Rome.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what majority will be required to retain the services of the Milk Marketing Board in the milk producers' ballot now being organized; on what basis the ballot is being conducted; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. Hoyle) on 16th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals she has received relating to closures of comprehensive schools in Lancashire as a consequence of the declining birth rate.

No proposals have been received from the Lancashire education authority relating to the closure of any comprehensive school in the county.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when it is expected to start building the National library.

The necessary preliminary demolitions are planned to begin in April 1979.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st November.Q10. Mr. Goodlad asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will state his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public appointments for 21st November.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his public engagements for 21st November.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Shepherd).

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Dagenham.

I have at present no plans to visit Dagenham.

asked the Prime Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister of France.

I shall be meeting Monsieur Barre when I visit President Giscard d'Estaing in Paris on 24th November.

asked the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the Trades Union Congress.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the Trades Union Congress.

asked the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the TUC.

I meet represesentatives of the TUC from time to time, at NEDC and on other occasions. Further meetings will be arranged as necessary.

asked the Prime Minister when he expects next to meet the Confederation of British Industry.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the CBI.

asked the Prime Minister when he intends next to meet the CBI.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) on 14th November.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the TUC and CBI.

asked the Prime Minister when he plans next to meet the TUC and CBI.

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the TUC and CBI.

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould) on 9th November.

asked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to visit Pott Shrigley.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Pratts Bottom.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will now answer Questions relating to the secret service.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) on 29th June.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Bridgend.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will appoint a Minister to supervise the constitutional problems associated with the establishment of a unicameral system.

My hon. Friend may assume that I do not intend to make any changes in ministerial appointments or responsibilities—including my taking on any of the existing responsibilities of other Ministers—unless and until I make a statement to the contrary.

asked the Prime Minister what invitations he has received to visit work places for the purpose of explaining agreed Cabinet policies to trade unionists.

I will continue to explain the Government's policies at every opportunity, including industrial visits, which will be announced in the usual way.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Carshalton.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will list the duties of the Secretary of State for Defence.

The Secretary of State for Defence has overall responsibility for the work of the Ministry of Defence and for the Armed Forces.

asked the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with Heads of Government within the EEC about the proposed European monetary system.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 7th November.

asked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to visit Southern Africa.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to Yugoslavia.

I have a longstanding invitation to visit Yugoslavia and hope to be able to take this up in due course.

asked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Aberdaron.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be able to give an indication of the outcome of the Government's consideration of the future of vehicle excise duty on cars.

After careful consideration the Government have decided to abolish vehicle excise duty on petrol driven vehicles and replace the lost revenue by increased petrol taxation.The change will be phased. VED will be progressively reduced and petrol taxation progressively increased over a period. The Government aim to complete the change no later than 1983. The timetable will be finally decided after consultations with the car industry, representatives of the staff involved and with other interests.I am publishing today a document which sets out the scope and effects of the decision. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the comparable economic costs of road and rail accidents, including costs arising from personal injuries and deaths, for the last 10 years to the latest available date.

I regret that only costs associated with casualties are available for both road and rail accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorway and dual carriageway miles in Great Britain are lighted; and how this compares with other EEC countries.

About 271 miles of motorway in Great Britain are lit, of which 252 miles are in England and are my right hon. Friend's responsibility. I do not have information about the total amount of lighting on other dual carriageways in this country, some of which are the responsibility of local authorities, or on motorways and dual carriageways in other EEC countries.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to draw attention to the failure of some local authorities to use the Government grants available to them to provide cut-price bus fares for the disabled; and if he will make a statement.

I and my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for the disabled take every opportunity to refer to this matter in speaking to local authorities. Most recently I drew the attention of the Association of District Councils to our circular on concessionary fares, with its specific reference to provision of appropriate schemes for the disabled. Under the new Transport Act, county council public transport plans must give an account of concessionary fares schemes and what is being done to improve them. The first plans are now being prepared and will be published before the end of March 1979.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving personal injury have taken place on the A33 road between Popham and Compton since the beginning of the public inquiry in June 1976; and how many deaths there have been.

One hundred and ninety-two accidents involving 21 deaths have occurred on the A33 from Popham to Compton during the period 30th June 1976 to 30th September 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will analyse the number of times in each of the past five years when inspectors' reports of public inquiries into road schemes have been overruled; and if he will outline what criteria are used in such situations.

This information is not readily available, but I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether, and in what terms, he has endorsed the short-term trade and manpower plan for 1979 presented to him by the Port of London Authority and unions last month.

On 31st July I informed the House that the Government were prepared to provide financial assistance up to £35 million in grants towards severance costs of registered dock workers and staff on condition that the PLA set in hand urgent measures, in co-operation with the trade unions, to secure the most rapid possible rundown of surplus manpower.—[Vol. 955, c. 169.] No grant assistance would be provided until the PLA had produced a detailed costed plan establishing specific targets of manpower reductions.On 24th October the PLA submitted a short-term trade and manpower target plan for 1979 which had been prepared, following discussions with the trade unions in the PLA/ Trades Unions Committee, providing for an agreed target manpower reduction figure of 1,489 in the period from 5th May 1978 to 30th June 1979. I understand that the trade union side of the joint committee is confident that the target figures will be attained. The PLA is still at work on a corporate plan covering the full range of issues involved which will be submitted as soon as possible.I have informed the PLA that the Government agree that the authority should proceed as rapidly as possible with securing the agreed target figure of 1,489 manpower reductions referred to in the short term plan, but hope that the authority will be able as soon as possible to identify and implement further reductions in manpower. The Government agree in principle to make grants available to cover the net cost of the voluntary severance of registered men in the Port of London and non-registered personnel in the PLA, from 5th May 1978.I have placed copies of the full text of my reply in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the report by Sir Edward Porchin on radiological safety at Aldermaston is to be published; and if he will make a statement.

On 17th August I asked Sir Edward Pochin to carry out a full investigation into radiological safety at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment and Aldermaston because a considerable number of staff appeared to have high levels of plutonium contamination in their chests.I have now received Sir Edward Pochin's report; and in view of the anxieties of the staff and members of the public I have thought it right to make the report available in full as soon as practicable. Copies are available to hon. Members in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the planned ports of call of the floating arms sales exhibition which sailed from Portsmouth on 20th September.

Piraeus, Almeria, Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena and Tunis.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make available at RAF station, Biggin Hill, suitable accommodation to house the private Battle of Britain collection now kept at Chilham Castle.

No. We have received no approach on behalf of the Chilham Castle collection, but if the owners are seeking an alternative home for its exhibits they may wish to consider offering them to the RAF museum at Hendon, where the new Battle of Britain museum is to be officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, next Tuesday, 28th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether all three of the women's Armed Services are up to establishment; and why it is not possible to provide a waiting list for volunteers eligible to join.

The women's Services are generally up to establishment. Waiting lists are provided for most of these Services. Where they are not provided, arrangements can be made either to give a date of entry or to suggest a date at which there are likely to be immediate vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many British Service men are currently serving in Zambia; and how many are expected to be serving there in six months' time.

None, except for a defence adviser and his military clerk.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with Ministers of Defence from West Germany and France regarding the design capabilities and possible collaboration in manufacturing low level strike aircraft.

The RAF requirement for low level strike aircraft will be met by the Tornado. However, I have been discussing with my European colleagues the possibility of harmonising our requirements for tactical combat aircraft which, in the case of the RAF, will be to replace Harriers and Jaguars.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the number of anti-aircraft missiles currently in service.

The stocks of anti-aircraft missiles at present in service or on order are sufficient to meet the Services' requirements on the basis of existing usage criteria. The requirement for additional stocks is, however, under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied that no British weapons are finding their way into the hands of the Smith regime in Rhodesia.

The Government are supplying arms neither to Rhodesia nor to any third party for transmission to Rhodesia.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what recommendations he is in a position to make in relation to Property Services Agency reports on noise abatement at source level of proof and experimental establishments such as Inchterf, Kilsyth.

Inchterf is the only proof and experimental establishment for which the Property Services Agency is conducting a study of the possibilities of noise reduction. As I inforced the hon. Member last week, I hope that the technical report will be available within a matter of weeks. When it is, I will send her either a copy of it or a summary of its main findings and conclusions.Before any recommendations can be made on the basis of the technical study, it will be necessary to consider the practicability of its findings in relation to the operational functioning of the establishment and how worth while the measures would be in relation to their likely cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to visit HMS "Ark Royal".

My right hon. Friend has no plans to visit HMS "Ark Royal".

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will announce his decision about the future of HMS "Ark Royal" at the end of her commission in December 1978.

I announced on 27th February—[Vol. 945, c. 90.]—that HMS "Ark Royal" would pay off at the end of the year. After very careful consideration it has now been decided that arrangements will be made for her to be scrapped. We have had many suggestions about how she might be used in future but, if she were to be sold for a purpose other than scrap, we should have to be satisfied that she could be properly maintained. It would be inappropriate for Defence funds to be used for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met the other NATO Defence Ministers.

At the six-monthly ministerial meeting of NATO's nuclear planning group on 18th and 19th October, which I attended with five of my fellow NATO Defence Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's current attitude concerning the sale of military equipment to China.

Her Majesty's Government remain ready to respond to Chinese interest in British military equipment, taking into account the usual political strategic and economic criteria, and our international obligations.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why the Forces journal refused an advertisement from a trade union inviting applications for union membership.

I assume that the Question refers to our refusal to accept an advertisement prepared by the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs for publication in Soldiermagazine. The decision was taken on the grounds that its basic theme ran counter to departmental policy on the question of union representation for the Armed Forces and that its dissemination in an official publication might have given the impression that this policy had been modified.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he terminated the commission of former Lieutenant C. Pile number C.020515A after seven and a quarter years' service in the Royal Navy, thus depriving this officer of the £6,00 gratuity he would have received had he completed eight years' service; and whether he will undertake not to operate this procedure in the future and provide some redress to Mr. Pile.

Lieutenant Pile's commission was terminated as he had reached the stage where, due to professional incapacity, he could no longer be employed usefully and effectively and the continued expenditure of public money could not be justified.Had lie completed eight years' satisfactory service his gratuity would have been of the order of £4,000. He did not complete such service and therefore was not eligible for such an award. However, he was awarded a gratuity, under the discretionary powers vested in the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council.I am satisfied that the procedure under which officers' commissions may be terimnted is both just and fair, that it was correctly applied in Lieutenant Pile's case and that it should continue to operate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the annual world military expenditure; and what is the latest annual military expenditure of the United Kingdom.

I cannot give an authoritative figure for total world military expenditure, since reliable data on a comparable basis are lacking. The latest edition of "The Military Balance", published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggests a total of about 410 billion US dollars for 64 countries in 1977, and the work of other analysts tends to support this as a reasonable blobal estimated. United Kingdom defence expenditure in 1977–78 was £6,787 million or 11½7 billion US dollars at the exchange rates used by the IISS.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence by how much in real terms spending on defence has increased or decreased since 1973.

The Defence budget for the current financial year is 8.7 per cent. lower in real terms than that for 1973–74.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the Shapland committee report on the Territorial and Volunteer Reserve will be made available to Members.

As I explained to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) on 27th July—[Vol. 954, c. 886]—it would not be appropriate to make this report available as it is an internal document. Nevertheless, I hope to be able to announce the Government's decision on the report early next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is now in a position to make a statement about the long-term future of Redford barracks in Edinburgh.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Defence Codification Authority, Motting-ham.

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 3rd November.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase the allowances for moving baggage and household possessions owned by Service men when posted overseas, in light of the fact that the allowances have not changed for more than 25 years.

I have nothing to add to the remarks made on this subject by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Defence in the debate on 22nd May 1978.—[Vol. 950, c. 1248.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average time taken for processing applications for war medals; how many people are employed on this task; and how many applicants are on the waiting list.

The Army Medal Office is largely responsible for handling the issue of all medals for all three Services and has a total staff of 68. It is impractical to identify the exact proportion devoted directly to this particular task. An additional four people are employed on work arising specifically from war medal applications for the other two Services.Once the task of processing actually begins the time taken to deal with each application is normally between three and 10 weeks according to the Service. The Army Medal Office currently has a waiting list of some 15,000 applicants while the total for the other Services is of the order of 400.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to publish the unclassified document prepared by the chiefs of staff and entitled "The Way Ahead".

The content of this material prepared for the chiefs of staff is and has always been classified.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what agreement was reached at the NATO Defence Ministers' meeting in October with regard to (a) increasing the number of nuclear strike aircraft based in Great Britain, and (b) fitting neutron warheads to existing missiles and shells based in Western Europe.

There was no discussion of nuclear strike aircraft based in the United Kingdom at the ministerial meeting of NATO's nuclear planning group in October. The United States' Defense Secretary did, however, inform his colleagues that President Carter had decided to give technical effect to his decision on enhanced radiation weapons in April. This involves no change to the policy announced in April which the Government fully support.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied that neither tactical nor strategic nuclear weapons owned by the British Government can be fired in the absence of a decision first taken by the Prime Minister and his senior colleagues.

The Government are indeed satisfied that their arrangements ensure that all British nuclear weapons are subject to the most stringent political control.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions he had issued by 6th November to those responsible for procurement for defence needs to ensure that an increasing proportion of private sector procurement is obtained from small firms.

Small firms already make a vital contribution in meeting the needs of the Services, both directly as contractors and in subcontracting for larger firms. I do not think it would be appropriate to specify that a particular proportion of those needs should be met by small firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the terms of reference for the study of Service men's pay and conditions to be undertaken by the three Services.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is setting up a committee to review Forces' pay and conditions; and what arrangements are junior officers and other ranks on the being made for the representation of committee.

A departmental management study has been set up with wide-ranging terms of reference covering many aspects of Service life and conditions, including a review of the work of the military salary concept since this was introduced at the beginning of the 1970s. The study is being undertaken by a small number of senior officers with recent experience in the field of personnel management. They are therefore very aware of the more pressing personnel problems throughout the Services and will be supplementing this knowledge from a wide range of sources, including of course the views of both commissioned and non-commissioned personnel of all the ranks. I expect the study to be completed next year and its recommendations will then be a matter for internal consideration, and, in as far as appropriate, no doubt for the consideration of the Review Body on Armed Forces Pay as well.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the current operational capability of the Royal Air Force to deter any hostile interventions into United Kingdom air space.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the standardisation of weapons since the Euro-Group communique of 5th November 1975.

Common missile systems have been adopted and there has been useful progress in the Independent European Programme Group and in harmonising requirements and in making better use of resources in the Alliance generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken by his Department to implement the policy set out in the Prime Minister's speech to the recent United Nations Special Session on Disarmament; and what further action he intends to take.

The Ministry of Defence, in close consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is actively pursuing the policy objectives set out by the Prime Minister, and will continue to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to correct the imbalance of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation conventional forces against Warsaw Pact forces in central Europe.

At the Washington NATO summit in May 1978, Heads of State and Government considered a long-term defence programme—LTDP—developed in order to ensure that the defensive capability of the North Atlantic Alliance would remain fully effective in the face of the continuing build-up in Warsaw Pact strength. They endorsed a wide range of measures designed to help adapt NATO's defence posture to meet the challenges of the 1980s. The United Kingdom has played a full and positive part in the LTDP and is reassessing its defence programme with a view to accommodating as many LTDP measures as possible.Moreover, we responded promptly to the call by NATO to aim for real increases in defence budgets of around 3 per cent. This has helped us to make a number of improvements to United Kingdom Forces including an increase in the planned size of the Army by 6,000 men.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received concerning the supply of arms to Zambia.

I have answered a number of Questions from hon. Members on military assistance to Zambia; one hon. Member has written to me; and I have also received several letters from members of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about the future of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

The Ulster Defence Regiment will continue to provide military support for the maintenance of law and order in the Province. The recruitment of full-time members of the regiment is going well and has enabled the UDR's participation in security operations to be increased. As to the future organisation of the regiment, I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 9th November 1978.—[Vol. 957, c. 331.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received about the supply of military equipment to Iran.

Since the end of July there has been a handful of letters from hon. Members and members of the public.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with the trend of applications for premature retirement by officers and men, following the recent Forces pay awards.

No clear trend since April 1978 is yet discernible. It is still too early to see the effect of the recent pay award and the forward commitment which the Government have given to restore the full military salary by 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Atkinson) he will outline the system of political control which is used to ensure that the nuclear deterrent is subject to a fail-safe firing mechanism and cannot be employed without the authority of Her Majesty's Government.

It would not be in the national interest to give details.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken by the Royal Navy to clear monitoring buoys that have been laid by foreign submarines in the Irish Sea off the coast of Anglesey.

I have no evidence that any monitoring buoys have been laid by foreign submarines in the Irish Sea off the coast of Anglesey.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in view of the recent accident at Selkirk, he will take steps to reduce the maximum speeds and increase the minimum altitudes permitted in flights by military aircraft over South-East Scotland.

No. The heights and speeds flown on military low level sorties already represent the most reasonable compromise between the need for realistic training and the interests of the public. The pilot's orders before flight invariably specify heights and speeds which are no more demanding than the particular sortie requires.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to announce orders for a new single-purpose high-performance interceptor fighter for the Royal Air Force to replace the Lightning.

It is not the practice to indicate when orders are likely to be placed for equipment which is still in the early stages of development. However, it is planned that the Tornado F2 interceptor aircraft should enter service in the mid-1980s to replace both the Phantom and the Lightning.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with the ground-to-air defensive capabilities of Royal Air Force bases in the United Kingdom; and whether he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that the various elements of the United Kingdom's air defences, of which active airfield defences are a part, together constitute a strong deterrent to air attack. We are, of course, always seeking to improve our capability in this particular area and have already announced the purchase of equipment for a further Rapier squadron, additional stocks of Bloodhound missiles, and the deployment of a second Bloodhound squadron in the United Kingdom in 1981. We are keeping under review the need for any further measures to meet changes in the threat.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the policing of the United Kingdom's offshore economic zone will continue indefinitely to be the responsibility of the Armed Forces, mainly Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, or if some form of civil surveillance and enforcement is being contemplated.

Fishery protection within the United Kingdom's extended fishery limits is undertaken by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, acting on behalf of the fisheries Departments, and by the fishery protection vessels of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force also undertake surveillance of, and deterrent patrolling around, the United Kingdom's offshore oil and gas installations on behalf of the Department of Energy; the Armed Forces may also be called upon to come to the aid of the civil power in emergencies. There are no plans to change any of these arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the export of arms to South Africa via Antigua.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the member for Bedwellty (Mr. Kinnock) on 10th November. Investigations are continuing.—[Vol. 957, c. 355.]

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what is the current waiting time between application and interview at the high commission in New Delhi for finances of British residents who wish to enter the United Kingdom for marriage;

The waiting time (in months) for a male fiancé interviewed on 30th September was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in the Official Reportthe names of the United Kingdom nominees to the Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities for the years 1977–78, together with the number of possible and actual attendances over that period at meetings for which expenses were payable.

The names of the United Kingdom members of the Economic and Social Committee in 1977 and until 18th September 1978 are given below. Members are appointed in their personal capacity and may not be bound by any mandatory instructions. Arrangements for meetings of the committee and its sections and the question of attendance at them are not the responsibility of the British Government.ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES UK MEMBERSHIP FROM 1ST JANUARY 1977 TO 18TH SEPTEMBER 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in line with his provision of missiles and other military equipment to Zambia, he will look with favour on requests from other Commonwealth States in Africa for similar assistance; and, in particular, if it is his policy that the war between Tanzania and Uganda justifies the supply of British arms to the former, or to the latter country.

The special help provided to Zambia was given in the circumstances described in my right hon. Friend's statement of 2nd November.A number of Commonwealth States in Africa purchase defence equipment from suppliers in the United Kingdom; and the Government also provide some assistance in training.The British Government provide no military or other assistance to Uganda whose attack on Tanzania we have condemned. Tanzania has our full support.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the lives of British subjects in the copper belt against attacks by alien guerrillas operating in Zambia.

There have been no reports of attacks on British nationals in the Zambian copper belt.On the question of the protection of British nationals in Zambia, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 16th November to the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Biggs-Davison).—[Vol. 958, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise at the United Nations, in the context of human rights, the imprisonment without trial and ill treatment of Mattiya Kambona by the Government of Tanzania.

No. Mr. Kambona was released on 5th February under an amnesty declared by the Government of Tanzania.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied that the majority of people in Antigua wish to be independent.

In his eleventh statehood day anniversary speech on 31st October, the Premier of Antigua indicated that in his view Antigua should proceed to independence. However, no formal proposals have been submitted by the Government of Antigua to the British Goverment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, for each of the past 10 years, the number of persons gainfully employed and the number of persons in receipt of State benefit whether due to age, sickness, unemployment or any other cause.

Information in the form requested is not available.The following table gives estimates of the number of people gainfully employed, together with estimates of the number of payments of State benefits in a week, for each of the 10 years to 1977. Some of these payments are made to people who are gainfully employed.Because an individual may receive more than one benefit at the same time, a count of the separate payments made will overestimate the numbers receiving benefits.