asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what proposals he has to enable local authorities to replace (a) all, (b) a proportion of, council houses sold, with new or acquired properties.(2) what information on the sale of council houses he collects from local authorities and other sources; and if he will make this available in the Library.

Pursuant to my reply of 26 July—[Vol. 971, c. 466]—in which I said that information was not available in this form, I regret that this was in error. The information requested in the hon. Member's first question is as follows:

Local authorities' capital allocations will continue to be settled in the context of discussions of housing investment programmes.

In respect of the hon. Member's second question, the information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he proposes to take to reduce the time required for the mobilisation of regular reservists.

A major objective of current NATO planning is to accelerate the processes of mobilisation and reinforcement in an emergency in order to strengthen the defence and deterrent capability of the Alliance in the face of the continuing build-up in Warsaw Pact military strength and readiness. In accordance with this objective I have decided to introduce a new mobilisation scheme for the Army's Regular reservists. Under existing arrangements these Regular reservists are required in peace time to report their availability by post at quarterly intervals and, when mobilised, to report to a central depot according to their regimental affiliation. No direct personal contact with these reservists is maintained in peacetime.Under the new scheme Regular reservists will report in person on one day a year to a specified local unit so that their records may be updated, their fitness for their role assessed and the uniform and equipment, which they will maintain at home, inspected. A small amount of refresher training may also take place. An annual reporting grant of £100—taxable—and travelling expenses will be paid. On mobilisation Regular reservists will report either to their local unit or to a local centre, which will be dedicated to reinforcement of a specific formation. I am confident that the new scheme will prove attractive both to those members of the Army's Regular Reserve who already have a liability to report annually for training in peacetime and to reservists with no such liability who will be invited to volunteer to participate in the new arrangement. All those reservists concerned are being informed individually of the new scheme and initial issues of uniform and equipment will be made in November 1980.A similar scheme is being introduced for the Royal Marine element of the Royal Fleet Reserve. In due course this will be extended to the Royal Navy element but on a selective basis. There is no present intention to extend the scheme to RAF reservists.I estimate that the new scheme will halve the time required to mobilise these Regular reservists and it will therefore be an important and valuable enhancement of our defence capability.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what adjustments are required to the cash limits for the Privy Council Office in 1979–80.

The cash limit of £363,000 for the Privy Council Office for 1979–80 will be raised by £13,000 to cover salary and other increases which cannot be contained within the existing provision.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in the Official Report the total cost of specialist advisers to the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee for each year since the establishment of the Sub-Committee, the names of these advisers and how often the services of each were used,

Financial Year					Days Worked	Total Cost	Per Diem Allowance
						£	£
1971–72	…	…	…	…	5½	101·75	18·50
1972–73	…	…	…	…	26½	490·25	18·50
1973–74	…	…	…	…	21	388·50	18·50
1974–75	…	…	…	…	14	348·79	18·50 then 25·00
1975–76	…	…	…	…	83½	2,213·79	25·00
1976–77	…	…	…	…	90	2,385·27	25·00
1977–78	…	…	…	…	68	1,680·16	20·00 and 25·00
1978–79	…	…	…	…	61½	1,594·93	25·00 then 27·50
1979–80	…	…	…	…	15½	518·78	27·50
Total					385½	£9,722·22

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in the Official Report the total cost of specialist advisers to all Select Committees for 1977–78 and 1978–79, the total number of hours for which these advisers

Financial Year					Total Cost	Days Worked	Per Diem Allowance
					£
1977–78	…	…	…	…	26,662·78	944	Between £15 and £25
1978–79	…	…	…	…	27,092·58	939	Between £13 and £27·50
1979–80	…	…	…	…	7,754·24	273¼	Between £16·50 and £27·50

Between 1971 and 1979 the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee used the following special advisers:

Brigadier K. Hunt, OBE, MC.

Rear-Admiral E. F. Gueritz, CB, OBE, DSC.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Foxley Norris, GCB, DSO, OBE.

Brigadier W. Thompson.

Mr Richard Davy.

Mr. David Watt.

Air Vice-Marshal R. Harding, CBE.

There were no full-time specialist advisers. In addition, between 1973 and 1979, the Sub-Committee had the full-time assistance of two staff seconded from the Exchequer and Audit Department.It is not the practice to give details of the pay and conditions of individual servants of the House. Specialist advisers are paid on the basis of days—or part days—worked. Following are the details of the number of days worked and payments made to the part-time specialist-advisers to the Sub-Committee.were paid, the per diem allowances for these advisers, the number of these advisers who were full-time and the number of hours they were employed.

Following is the information:

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether, bearing in mind paragraph 58 of the Third Report of the Expenditure Committee (Environment Sub-Committee) of Session 1977–78, he proposes to make use in due course of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries in order to ascertain, with the assistance of appropriate expert assessors selected ad hoc in each case by that commission to advise it, the preeminence or otherwise of works of art offered to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue in satisfaction of capital transfer tax in accordance with paragraph 17(4) of schedule 4 to the Finance Act 1975, as amended by section 124 of the Finance Act 1976.

I recognise the importance of the point which the hon. Member is making. I am at present considering this matter in consultation with the expert advisers, the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries, and the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in which year the practice was commenced of covering by Government indemnities against loss or damage of works of art on loan from national museums and galleries to buildings belonging to the National Trust; and what has been the total sum paid since that year in satisfaction of claims thus arising.

Except for one case this year on which no claim has arisen, it has not been the Government's practice to indemnify national museums and galleries in respect of loans to buildings belonging to the National Trust. However, the National Heritage Bill now before the House makes provision for such indemnities.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether, pursuant to his written answer to the hon. Member for Warley, East, Official Report, 2 November, column 674, formal allocation procedures having now been completed, he will make a further statement on the matter.

Yes. On 13 November my right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland announced the allocation of the Fisher Papers to Churchill College, Cambridge.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what allocations of EEC funds have been made to assist development of the coal industry in Scotland in (a) the medium term and (b) the longer term; and what proportion these will be of the overall allocations to the industry in the United Kingdom.

Substantial loans have been made by the ECSC to the NCB for groups of colliery projects and for other expenditures which are not specific to particular pits. In most cases these loans cannot be ascribed to individual projects or areas, but they have covered groups which included projects at Bogside and Frances/Seafield in Scotland. In addition, the Board has received grants for research and development from the Community, but again it is not possible to attribute the assistance these might provide to the development of particular parts of the United Kingdom coal industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the current estimate of the medium-term trend of annual growth of electricity demand in England and Wales.

The Electricity Council currently estimates average growth in electricity requirements from the Central Electricity Generating Board over the period from now until the middle 1980s at about 2 per cent. per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the annual layout of the United Kingdom and Japan upon their joint venture on wave energy; and what are the comparative figures for the United States of America.

The United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Japan agreed a three-year collaborative programme of work to develop wave power air turbine generating systems in April 1978. The Republic of Ireland subsequently joined the programme. The centrally funded part of the programme will cost 140 million yen—approximately £320,000. The individual contributions are approximately equivalent to:

Canada	£55,000
Republic of Ireland	£34,000
Japan	£77,000
United Kingdom	£77,000
United States	£77,000

In addition, the United Kingdom Government agreed to contribute one of the two turbines associated with the project—the other being supplied by the United States Government. For the United Kingdom turbine a £265,000 contract was placed with a United Kingdom firm.

				First supply to national grid i.e. synchronised
Station	Original estimated cost £'000	Final cost (current estimate) £'000	Unit No.	Original estimated date	Actual date or current estimate (E)
Drax "A"	103,125	155,000	1	January 1971	November 1973
	(March 1966 prices)		2	January 1972	December 1973
			3	January 1973	December 1974
Drax completion	685,100	780,000*	4	1984	1984 (E)
	(March 1978 prices)		5	1985	1985 (E)
			6	1985	1986 (E)
* Expenditure incurred to date plus estimated balance to completion based on current price levels (October 1979).

Power stations in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many inquiries or investigations into diving deaths in the North Sea are presently taking place; and when such accidents occurred.

I have been asked to reply.Inquiries are being made into two fatal accidents involving diving operations in the North Sea. In the first, which occurred on 8 August 979, two men died when a bell from which they were working broke loose from the hoisting wire. In the second accident, on 17 October 1979, a diving supervisor died as a result of being dragged overboard from a diving support vessel by a diving bell cable.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what were the original estimates of construction cost and time and the actual construction cost and time, or the latest available estimates of these, for each coal-fired power station ordered in the United Kingdom since 1965 or ordered before 1965 and still under construction.

No coal-fired power station ordered before 1965 is still under construction in England and Wales. For coal-fired power stations ordered since 1965, the figures are:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what laws or regulations govern the procedures and actions to be taken in the case of or loss of a diving bell while in the water;(2) what are the minimum emergency provision of air, heat and communication required on a diving bell in the event of it breaking free from its support whilst underwater.

I have been asked to reply.Inshore diving operations which come within the scope of the Factories Act 1961 are governed by the Diving Operations Special Regulations 1960. Offshore the following virtually identical codes of regulations apply:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many divers have died in each year since 1970, giving this as a proportion of the number of divers employed; and how this compares with the occupational death rate for seafarers, fishermen and miners.

I have been asked to reply.The numbers of divers reported to have suffered fatal accidents while working offshore in the United Kingdom sector of the continental shelf, together with

broad estimates of the maximum number so employed in each year, are as follows:

Year	Estimated maximum number employed	Fatalities
1971	200	1
1972	200	1
1973	400	2
1974	500	5
1975	600	6
1976	800	9
1977	1,000	3
1978	1,500	2
1979 (to date)	1,500	(3)

I am advised that, because divers tend to be employed in the North Sea for only part of the year, and may move from one national sector to another during that time, it would be misleading to derive any fatal accident incidence rates from these figures. It is, however, clear from these figures that despite the recent reduction in fatalities diving is still a more dangerous occupation than any of the others cited.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many divers have died while operating in, or from, a diving bell; and how many of them occurred after the diving bell broke free from its supports.

I have been asked to reply.Since 1971, 11 divers have died while operating in or from a diving bell in connection with the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in the United Kingdom sector of the continental shelf, and four of these died after the diving bell broke away from its support system.

asked the Prime Minister what plans she has to co-ordinate taxation, welfare, employment and housing policies to restore incentive to work.

We try to co-ordinate those policies in our day-to-day work. I know my hon. Friend is particularly concerned that the gap between welfare benefits and net take-home pay is too small and we are mindful of the points he continues to argue so cogently.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to permit the dumping of nuclear waste in any area of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarvon (Mr. Wigley) on 29 October.—[Vol. 972, c. 378.]

asked the Prime Minister when she proposes next to meet the TUC.

asked the Prime Minister when she expects next to meet the Trades Union Congress general council.

asked the Prime Minister when she will next meet the TUC and the CBI.

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

No dates have been arranged.

asked the Prime Minister what plans she has for visiting the West Midlands.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister what plans she has for meeting the President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

I renewed an invitation extended to President Brezhnev by the last Government to visit this country. There has been no discussion about dates for such a visit.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit Speke.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her public engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her engagements for Tuesday 27 November.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 27 November.

I refer my hon. Friends and the hon. Members to the reply which I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook).

asked the Prime Minister whether she will appoint an hon. Member to be a junior Minister assisting the Lord Chancellor in his administrative and parliamentary responsibilities.

No. The Lord Chancellor's main responsibilities are personal to himself; too few could be delegated to justify the appointment of a further Minister to answer for him in this House in addition to the Law Officers.

asked the Prime Minister when next she proposes to visit South Africa.

I have no plans to visit South Africa.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will provide alternative funding so as to ensure the continuance of the medical research work now being undertaken by the Purine Laboratory at Guy's Hospital medical school.

No. The question of seeking support for the work being undertaken by the laboratory is essentially one for Guy's Hospital medical school.

asked the Prime Minister whether, notwithstanding the provisions of the Worship and Doctrine Measure 1974, she will bring forward legislation to provide that the 1662 Book of Common Prayer shall remain available for use in any parish church should the incumbent or parochial church council so desire.

The use of the forms of service in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer is protected by the Worship and Doctrine Measure 1974, and the use in churches of these forms of service is a matter for decision by incumbents and parochial church councils.

asked the Prime Minister when she hopes to pay a visit to Market Harborough.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister when next she expects to meet EEC Heads of Government.

I shall be meeting all my EEC colleagues at the European Council in Dublin on 29 and 30 November.

asked the Prime Minister when she next plans to visit the county of Gwynedd.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister what proposals she intends to put before the European Council meeting at Dublin regarding the need for for change in the monetary arrangements within the Community.

If the hon. Gentleman is referring to the United Kingdom contribution to the Community budget, I refer him to the speech made by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in this House on Thursday last, 22 November.

asked the Prime Minister what representations she has had regarding the Government's future policy towards refugees seeking entry into Great Britain from Latin America.

I have received a few letters from members of the public.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a ministerial broadcast.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to address the local authority associations.

I have no present plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister how many letters she had received from the general public concerning Rhodesia.

Since the announcement of the Lancaster House conference I have received over 400 letters.

asked the Prime Minister what representations she has personally received about her Government's cuts in public expenditure.

I have received several hundred letters and a number of petitions.

asked the Prime Minister how she proposes to allocate ministerial responsibility for the introduction of draft Orders in Council designating community treaties pursuant to section 1(3) of the European Communities Act 1972.

The Government noted from earlier debates on section 1(3) orders that Parliament is concerned with the impact a Community Treaty entered into by the United Kingdom may have upon United Kingdom domestic law. Accordingly, we have decided that it would normally be more appropriate for departmental Ministers rather than Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers to introduce draft orders so that they may explain the significance of the Treaty and answer questions on detail.

asked the Prime Minister which Minister is responsible for the authorisation of telephone tapping.

The position remains as described in the report of the Birkett committee, Cmnd. 283.

asked the Prime Minister if, in the light of the Blunt affair, she will now set up a full inquiry, whether of Privy Councillors or others, into procedures for the public accountability of the security services and the co-ordination of political control between Ministers for this purpose.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if she will place in the Library a copy of her public speech on foreign affairs given at the Lord Mayor's Banquet on Monday 12 November.

I did so on 15 November.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to close down any British university within the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no such plans.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what studies he is making of the effects of contraceptive pills when usage has been discontinued after a period of years.

The Medical Research Council is currently supporting two long-term studies concerned with contraception. One, at the Royal College of General Practitioners in Manchester and entitled "A study of Oral Contraception", is a large-scale study of the effects of oral contraceptives on health. In particular, the morbidity and mortality in current and past users of oral contraceptives is being monitored. It began in 1968 and is at present funded until 1983. The second study, at the Department of Social and Community Medicine, University of Oxford, is a prospective investigation of different methods of contraception including contraceptive pills. This study will provide information about the very long-term and delayed effects of oral contraceptives on serious chronic diseases—principally cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The study, which includes follow-up of women who have discontinued contraception, began in 1969 and is funded until 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children in the Bolton metropolitan district have a journey in excess of three miles from home to their school.

This information is not collected by my Department. I advise the hon. Member to approach the local education authority direct.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will collect statistics on pupil-teacher ratios in the private sector.

Average pupil-teacher ratios for independent schools are published each year in Statistics of Education, Volume 1, Schools, which is available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the national pupil-teacher ratio in local authority secondary and primary schools; and if he will take action to lower the pupil ratio to teachers in local authority schools.

The ratios in England in January 1979 were: within primary schools 23·1:1; and, within secondary schools, 16·7:1. In January 1979, the overall pupil-teacher ratio, which relates all the teachers being paid by authorities to the pupils in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, was 18·9:1. The Government's expenditure plans provide for an overall ratio in 1979–80 and 1980–81 of 18·7:1. This is the lowest ever recorded.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in what disciplines there is a shortage of teachers; and what action he is taking to train unemployed teachers for these vacancies.

There is known to be a serious and persistent shortage of teachers of mathematics, the physical sciences, and craft, design and technology.The one-year retraining courses for qualified teachers who wish to teach the shortage subjects are to continue in 1980–81, and unemployed teachers may apply for local education authority awards to attend these courses or, if they are over 28, awards from the Manpower Services Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the expenditure in 1977, 1978 and in the current year to date on the construction of school buildings in England and Wales, excluding new projects.

The Department's records identify expenditure by financial years. For the year 1977–78, expenditure was £237·9 million and, for 1978–79, £208·3 million. Expenditure figures for 1979–80 are not available at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements he is making to help outstanding research students from overseas to attend British universities.

Following discussion with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, the chairman of the UGC is writing today to universities notifying them of a scheme of assistance to overseas research students. Awards will be equivalent in value to the difference between the fee for a home research student and the fee which would normally be charged to the overseas research student. Selection, under arrangements to be made by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, will be purely on academic merit and research potential, irrespective of means, nationality or subject field. The intention is to enable outstanding students to contribute to British university research which has an international reputation. It is expected that some 400 to 500 students will be assisted in the first year beginning in September 1980.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with cross-border co-operation with the Republic of Ireland's security forces.

I am satisfied with the progress made in implementing the measures agreed with Irish Ministers on 5 October. Security considerations preclude my giving specific details, but I am confident that the measures will add to the effectiveness of the common campaign against terrorism and to the two Governments' already extensive co-operation.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the detailed information about tenants, applicants, and applicants for loans and grants given to the Housing Executive which was not available to members of local authorities when they were responsible for housing in Northern Ireland.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1979, c. 553]: I have nothing to add to my letter of 9 October 1979 to the hon. Member on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what circumstances the lands, playgrounds or car parks in schools grounds could be used as a car park by any religious body or church in Northern Ireland for the purpose of parking cars during a religious service.

[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1979, c. 553]: This is a matter for the courts to decide.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is now the estimated cost of the Richmond Street scheme in Londonderry; and on this basis what are the economic rental values for (a) retail shops and (b) offices;(2) when he now expects work to begin on the Richmond Street development scheme in Londonderry.

[pursuant to his reply, 19 November 1979, c. 80]: The estimated cost of the scheme on completion and taking into account notional interest on capital employed during construction is £11·5 million. Present market levels would produce annual rentals of:

(a) approximately £450,000 for the retail shops, and

(b) approximately £130,000 for the offices.

The scheme is still under consideration in the light of these figures and the constraints upon public expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what contact the United States Government had with Her Majesty's Government over their recent six-minute nuclear alert; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the British Government were alterted when the United States computer miscalculation occurred recently; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the liaison between his Department and the Pentagon, particularly during the recent false nuclear alert.

As I explained in the answer which I gave on 14 November, the contact was at command level, and the fact that the error was false was confirmed within a minute by the normal checking and verification procedure.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the safeguards which exist to prevent a nuclear war being initiated as the result of the development of a computer fault.

When an alert signal is triggered it is subject to the most careful evaluation and verification by highly skilled operators. This is what happened in the recent incident when the alarm was diagnosed as false within seconds.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence, as a result of the recent red alert for a nuclear war, what further consideration is being given to extending the United Kingdom's nuclear war capacity.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the future of the United Kingdom strategic nuclear deterrent.

I refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is satisfied with existing procedures for the assessment and payment of financial awards made to members of the Armed Forces killed or severely injured on active service and their dependants.

Yes, but if my hon. Friend considers there are any inadequacies in the existing procedures, I shall be pleased to look at them.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress being made towards achieving an effective theatre nuclear deterrent.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent meeting of NATO Ministers at The Hague in connection with the modernisation of medium range nuclear weapons in Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what agreement has been reached with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies on future disposition of nuclear weapons.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Oldham, East (Mr. Lamond).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the items which will figure in the intended 3 per cent. increase in defence expenditure.

Defence Estimates for 1980–81 are still in preparation and it is, therefore, too early to say precisely how the defence budget for that year will be be allocated. Our intention is, however, to devote the additional funds to strengthen the fighting efficiency of the forces, in particular by pressing ahead with their re-equipment programmes.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of the percentage of gross national product spent on military purposes by (a) the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and (b) the NATO Alliance.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 15 November on Soviet military expenditure. NATO calculates its own defence expenditure as a proportion of gross domestic product, and the average such proportion in 1978 was 4·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the current level of defence expenditure.

The original total of defence budget Estimates for the current year was £8,557·7 million at forecast outturn prices. The proposed increases which I explained in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford (Mr. Churchill) on 16 November—[Vol. 973, c. 801–802]—will bring the total defence cash provision for the current year to £9,106·3 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the strength, readiness and training of BAOR.

Although there is room for improvement in the effectivness of BAOR to match the increasing Warsaw Pact threat, it is fully capable of making its major contribution to the implementation of NATO strategy.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the level of recruitment into the Royal Navy.

Recruitment into the Royal Navy is showing an encouraging increase by comparison with last year. Numbers in some categories are however still short of requirements but various measures are in hand aimed at improving the position. There is considerable ground to make up, at least in part because of the poor recruiting and retention of recent years.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the cost of the garrison of Hong Kong was paid by the Hong Kong Government during each of the past five financial years; and what was the global sum in each case.

In 1974–75 and 1975–76 the Hong Kong Government made a flat rate contribution of £8·5 million per annum. The global costs of the garrison were not assessed at that time, but they are estimated to have been £42 million in 1974–75 and £44 million in 1975–76.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will reconsider the proposed increase in the level of defence expenditure in Wales.

Although defence expenditure overall will increase by 3 per cent. next year, there is no specific proposal to increase the amount spent in Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the current study being undertaken on the Royal dockyards.

I have nothing to add to reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Mr. Griffiths) on 25 October.—[Vol. 972, c. 271.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the state of Great Britain's defences.

I believe that the United Kingdom's defences, together with those of our NATO allies, remain adequate to fulfil their deterrent task. But there is no room for complacency in the light of the Warsaw Pact military build-up; all member Governments of NATO have accepted the need to strengthen the Alliance. We shall seek to improve the United Kingdom's contribution to collective defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the dangers of nuclear explosions in East Anglia and in other parts of Great Britain, arising from military accidents; what steps he is taking to reduce such dangers; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a few letters from Members of Parliament and members of the public about the incident at RAF Lakenheath in 1956. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Griffths) on 9 November.—[Vol. 973, c. 321–2.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the operations of the security forces in Northern Ireland.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made on 30 October 1979.—[Vol. 972, c. 486.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the first personnel from his Department to move to the West of Scotland as a result of the recent announcement on Civil Service dispersal.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Dunbartonshire, East (Mr. Hogg).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is planned to re-equip or improve the performance capabilities of the Harrier force within the Royal Air Force.

Yes. Options for the procurement of a number of new Harriers are currently being evaluated, and ways of improving the Harriers already in service are also under investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the defence implications of the proposals made by President Brezhnev that no Soviet nuclear weapons would be targeted on countries in Europe that refuse to have nuclear weapons sited on their soil.

In consultation with our Allies, we are carefully considering all the proposals made by President Brezhnev in his 6 October speech. However, the undertaking on use of nuclear weapons against European countries merely repeats the assurance given by the Soviet Union in the United Nations in 1978. At the same time the United Kingdom gave an undertaking not to use nuclear weapons against any State which had agreed not to acquire such weapons unless a State, in association with a nuclear power, attacked the United Kingdom or its allies. The repetition of the Soviet position at this time is clearly intended to be divisive within NATO.The Alliance needs to retain the freedom to deploy its forces, both conventional and nuclear, throughout its territory and the strength of NATO rests on the acceptance of collective defence and shared risk.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has carried out with other NATO members about a possible response to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics' recent offer to reduce the level of its forces in Europe.

I have had a number of meetings with other NATO Defence Ministers. In the NATO nuclear planning group of 13–14 November I agreed with my colleagues that recent Soviet statements should not be allowed to obscure the disturbing growth in their long range theatre nuclear capability. At the same time we reaffirmed the need for arms control to be pursued in parallel with the modernisation of NATO's theatre nuclear forces, and we welcomed the constructive preparations in the Alliance of proposals to the Soviet Union aimed at reducing the disparity in the level of nuclear forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what particular offshore role the new Royal Naval Reserve Air Reserve will be expected to play.

On present plans it is intended that the Royal Naval Reserve, Air Branch, will provide a pool of trained officers to assist the Royal Navy in fulfilling two war roles: first, to augment front line squadrons engaged in anti-submarine and commando squadron roles and, second, to supplement communications flying by regular naval crews in fixed wing aircraft and helicopters for a variety of support roles.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Armed Forces have been recruited in Wales during the past 12 months.

A total of 2,432 Service men and women were recruited through careers information offices in Wales in the 12 months to 30 September. This total does not include officers or entrants to the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service since they are recruited on a central basis and regional figures are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the United States Secretary of Defence.

I met the United States Secretary of Defence and fellow members of the nuclear planning group earlier this month when we discussed a range of issues, including the need for modernisation of NATO's long range theatre nuclear forces in parallel with an arms control approach to the Soviet Union.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what impact the non-ratification of SALT II is likely to have on Western defence.

SALT II is an important step in the continuing process of arms control which aims to stabilise the strategic balance while safeguarding the essential security interests of the North Atlantic Alliance; its non-ratification would represent a serious check to this process. Western defence planning would, therefore, have to be undertaken against a background of greater unpredictability in East-West relations. The United Kingdom's firm commitment to NATO will, of course, continue whatever the outcome of the SALT debate in the United States Senate.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on proposals for replacing Polaris by a new nuclear weapons system.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give the number of skilled civilians employed in his Department in support of Service personnel at the end of April.

At 1 April 1979 some 31,900 United Kingdom based civilian craftsmen were employed in the Ministry of Defence, including some 3,750 in the Royal ordnance factories. There were, in addition, some 7,750 apprentices of whom about 1,000 were in the Royal ordnance factories.The number of locally entered civilian craftsmen employed at the same date at the major overseas stations, Germany, Gibraltar, Cyprus and Far East, totalled some 4,850.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will introduce terminal grants retrospectively for Service men retiring before the scheme was introduced.

The terminal grant has been an integral part of pensions benefit for the Armed Forces since 1950. The expenditure and other implications for both the Armed Forces pension scheme, and elsewhere in the public service, make it impracticable to pay terminal grants retrospectively to Service men who retired before then.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the figures of the current establishment and strength of Army Cadet Force officers; what proposals he has for encouraging recruitment of officers; and if he will make a statement on the Army Cadet Force.

The current establishment and strength of Army Cadet officers is around 4,700 and 2,800 respectively. This degree of undermanning, plus the current level of wastage, is serious and two recruiting campaigns have been held this year in an attempt to improve the position. The number of inquiries has increased as a result of these campaigns, but it is too soon to forecast whether these will lead to a real improvement in strengths. It is planned to repeat the campaign next year.The Army Cadet Force is a youth service sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. In addition to the important role it plays in this field, there is an invaluable by-product in the number of cadets who elect to join the Regular and Reserve Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what ships, and by what amount, have had their long refits lengthened by industrial disputes, shortage of spare parts, etc.

Industrial disputes over the past 18 months have resulted in a loss of about one-quarter of the total annual capacity of the dockyards. As a result there have been major changes in refit programmes and more work has had to be put out to contract. The effects on operational capability have been alleviated by running on ships that would normally have gone to refit. It is not the practice to disclose the details requested by my hon. Friend as these directly concern operational availability.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for establishment of a permanent naval force east of Suez.

I have no plans to establish a permanent naval force east of Suez. Groups of Royal Navy ships do, however, deploy to the area at regular intervals. At present a task force of a destroyer, five frigates and four support vessels is passing through the Indian Ocean en route for the United Kingdom following a deployment which has taken it to Australia and South-East Asia.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to make overseas allowances available to ships' companies that spend the greater part of the year in foreign waters.

Naval personnel serving in Her Majesty's ships in foreign waters receive a seagoing local overseas allowance to compensate for the higher costs experienced abroad. This allowance was extended to North-West European waters in July 1979, having been available elsewhere since 1954. The allowance is not paid while on passage to or from the United Kingdom, but otherwise ships' companies in foreign waters can receive it continuously.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will update the tables in paragraphs 5.2, 5.12 and 6.3 in the Royal Commission on the distribution of income and wealth's background paper No. 8.

The latest figures corresponding to the tables in the Royal Commission on the distribution of income and wealth's background paper No. 8 are: