asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to bring to an end infringements of the herring ban by herring landings in France to which French fishing industry spokesmen have admitted.

In the absence of an EEC regulation, member States are responsible for enforcing bans on fishing for herring in waters under their sovereignty or jurisdiction. I understand that a number of French vessels have recently been prosecuted by the French authorities for illegally landing herring in Boulogne.

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied that current imports of fish from

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what is the present value of a Civil Service index-linked pension to individuals now entering the Civil Service in each of the main Civil Service grades.

In his report on the 1979 review of the adjustment in pay research for differences in superannuation benefits, the Government Actuary estimated the average value of the benefits of the principal Civil Service pension scheme to a non-industrial civil servant to be 17·3 per cent. of salary. A copy of the Government Actuary's report is in the Library. I regret that the information necessary to prepare estimates of the average value of the benefits by grade at entry is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement on the outcome of discussions in Strasbourg on the Community budget.

The Budget Council met on 12–13 December both separately and on several occasions with a delegation of the European Parliament.The Council considered, and took decisions on, modifications proposed by the Parliament to the third draft supplementary and amending budget for 1979. In the course of discussion I suggested that the Council and Parliament might jointly agree to invite the Court of Auditors to examine the circumstances leading to the presentation of the supplementary budget, and in particular to ensure that the financial monitoring and reporting system was as thorough as possible and that financial control was maintained at all times. Although this suggestion secured some support it did not obtain a qualified majority.The Council carefully considered the views of the Parliament and the decisions taken by the Council on 23 November on the draft budget for 1980.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what latest approximate estimate he has made of the total income to the Inland Revenue of taxing unemployment benefit, child benefit and other social security benefits, in, respectively, the current year, next year, or any past or future year in respect of which he has made such calculation.

Estimates for 1979–80 are given in the table below. The only other year for which similar information is available is 1978–79; estimates in respect of that tax year were published in "Inland Revenue Statistics 1979", page 15. The calculations for 1979–80 take into account new information on unemployment beneficiaries which has enabled a more accurate method of calculation to be adopted in respect of unemployment benefit. In general, the potential tax yield from benefits can only be estimated approximately and the figures which are asterisked are particularly tentative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing for 1978–79 the estimated number of taxpayers in each tax band, the estimated number in each band claiming tax relief on life assurance premiums, the average premium paid in each case and the amount of relief given on such pre-

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated net gain to the Exchequer if the rates of income tax on taxable incomes over £10,000 prevailing in 1978–79 were to be restored.

About £690 million in a full year at 1979–80 income levels.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated net gain to the Exchequer if relief from income tax on house mortgage interest was limited to the basic rate of tax.

At 1979–80 income levels, the full year yield would be about £100 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many casual workers in Fleet Street have now been given tax amnesty; how many in this category not previously paying tax due are now doing so; how much tax revenue from this source has been forgone; how much extra is now being collected; and if he will make a statement.

I regret that this information is not yet available. The information obtained by the Inland Revenue is still being processed. However, it is

Information is not readily available by bands of taxable income and the following table gives information by bands of total income, counting married couples as one.estimated that under the new procedure some 6,000 more printing workers will now pay tax on their casual earnings.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total wages and salaries element in the public expenditure estimates as set out in the last line (Total programmes) of table 2 of Cmnd. 7746 for 1979–80 and 1980–81.

£21,566, million and £21,520 million at 1979 survey prices in 1979–80 and 1980–81 respectively. Wages and salaries are defined as including employers' contributions to national insurance and to occupational pension schemes, the national insurance surcharge and, in the case of pension schemes like those for the Armed Forces and civil servants, actual pensions paid.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the effect on overall public expenditure, expressed as in table 2 of Cmnd. 7746, if wages and salaries in the public sector increase by 5 per cent. less than the increase in the retail prices index between 1979–80 and 1980–81.

The figures presented in Cmnd. 7746 are at constant 1979 survey prices. This enables discussion to focus on the volume content of the programmes leaving aside past price changes and future rates of inflation. The effect on figures in this particular form of increasing wages and salaries by 5 per cent. less than the increase in the retail prices index between 1979–80 and 1980–81 is therefore nil.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider tax relief on rates.

I have noted my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the concern that the financial hardships and cash flow problems which his proposal to extend repayments of value added tax from one month to three months is causing in the construction industry, if he will reconsider his decision.

I have reached no decision on this proposal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when, with reference to his written answer to the hon. Member for Warley, East, Official Report, 26 October, column 356, he now anticipates that the publication will take place of the account of the National Land Fund for the year 1978–79, ended 31 March.

I will let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the amounts of PAYE which were written off by the Inland Revenue at the end of each of the accounting years ending in October 1978 and 1979, due to the failure of companies, which went into liquidation and for whom the Inland Revenue was the principal creditor, to meet their outstanding accounts.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 December 1979]: In the accounting year ended in October 1978, a total of £.6·1 million in respect of PAYE deductions which employers had not handed over to the Inland Revenue was written off under the general heading of insolvency. This heading includes companies liquidated or defunct and unincorporated employers made bankrupt. No breakdown of the figures among these categories is available nor can any distinction be made by reference to the relation between the amounts of the debts due to the Inland Revenue and to other creditors respectively.The comparable figure for the accounting year to October 1979 is not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes to take to recover, at the end of each financial year, outstanding PAYE and national insurance contributions payments from registered companies.

[pursuant to his reply, 17 December 1979]: The Inland Revenue has the task of getting in as promptly as possible the PAYE tax which employers withhold from employees'pay and the associated national insurance contributions payable by employers and employees. Suitable action is taken, if necessary by processes of law, to recover any underpayment discovered when an employer's liability is reviewed after the end of the fiscal year.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what consultations he is having with his European colleagues prior to the next European Council meeting.

We shall have extensive consultations, both bilateral and multilateral, with our Community colleagues before the next European Council, in order to find a satisfactory solution to the problem caused by our excessive net contribution to the budget.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the situation in Southern Rhodesia.

I have nothing to add to the statement I made yesterday.—[Vol. 976. c. 305.]

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will set out the number of recommendations of the Shackleton report on the development of the Falkland Islands that have been implemented, have been rejected, are in train and have not yet been decided, respectively.

Of the list of 90 recommendations published in the Official Report for 5 July—[House of Lords, vol. 401, c. 634–44]—49 have been implemented, 14 have been rejected, 20 are in train and 7 have not been decided.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will set out the cost to United Kingdom public funds of the recommendations of the Shackleton report that have been implemented and the approximate cost of those that have not so been.

The cost to United Kingdom public funds of those recommendations in the Shackleton report which have either been implemented or are in hand is £2·5 million. In addition, Her Majesty's Government are providing £25,000 per annum for staff implementing the recommendations. The estimated cost of recommendations rejected, including an extension of the runway by 950 m., is £11·25 million.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what further development plans he has for the Falkland Islands, in accordance with Lord Shackleton's report; and what timetable he has in mind to put them into effect.

The seven recommendations of the Shackleton report on which no decision has so far been taken are largely in the hands of the Falkland Islands Government and are under discussion in the Islands.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps are being taken to diversify the economy of the Falkland Islands, with a view to encouraging development, in particular, by the private sector.

The Government's aim is to give the Islands a viable economic future. We have made available £7 million of aid in recent years. Both we and the Falkland Islands Government welcome investment proposals from the private sector. We are seeking to identify inhibitions and difficulties in the way of such investment. The main problem is that any major development of offshore resources—for example, fishing and possible hydrocarbons—would be difficult without Argentine co-operation.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a further statement on the current situation in the New Hebrides, following the civil disturbances of the recent past.

I refer the hon. Member to my speech, duringthe Adjournment debate on the New Hebrides on 7 December.—[Vol. 975, c. 881–86.] The situation on the islands of Santo and Tanna, where there were incidents following the elections on 14 November, has remained calm.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bottomley), as representing the House of Commons Commission, if Press employers are continuing their annual payment towards Press catering facilities beyond the end of the current financial year; if they have offered to cover the full cost of Press facilities; and if he will make a statement.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster made clear when he made a statement on behalf of the Commission on 4 December, it is not proposed that the press should pay any special subvention to the Refreshment Department after 1 April 1980. No offer to make any such payments has been received from those concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will intervene to prevent the deportation of Gias Uddin, notwithstanding the recommendation of the court, on compassionate grounds, bearing in mind that he has been in detention for five months.

No. It has been the normal practice under successive Governments for those who have entered this country illegally to be removed, in the absence of compelling circumstances to the contrary. Neither the length of detention in this case, which was due to repeated representations and to an application for a judicial review, nor any other aspect of it justifies exceptionally allowing Gias Uddin to remain here permanently. He may appeal from abroad to an independent adjudicator against the decision to remove him as an illegal entrant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if references to recourse to public funds in paragraphs 21 to 98 of Cmnd. 7750, imply any change in existing policy under which children of an overseas student are admitted to State schools;

The references concerned provide only for immigration control although they do not rule out changes in the other policies mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if a person in approved employment may claim family income supplement for which he meets the established criteria without this being regarded as having recourse to public funds within the meaning of the proposed new immigration rules;

It is not possible to generalise about the circumstances in which a person in receipt of a particular form of State aid would be regarded as being in breach of the immigration rules as having recourse to public funds. Cases will be considered on their merits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is meant by implied undertakings in paragraph 88 of Cmnd. 7750.

Undertakings which are not explicit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is intended that a passenger shall be refused entry under paragraph 74 of Cmnd. 7750 if he has been convicted in the United Kingdom of a minor offence but was not recommended for deportation by the court under section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1971 or the subject of a decision to deport him on conducive grounds under sub-paragraph 3(5)(b) of the Act.

Immigration officers will, as now, be able to use their discretion in such cases.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a passenger will be refused entry under paragraph 74 of Cmnd. 7750 on the grounds of a conviction which is spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give an assurance that no person who has become settled in the United Kingdom will be deported on the grounds that the sponsor upon whom he was dependent is no longer able to maintain and accommodate him and fulfil a guarantee given in accordance with paragraph 42 of Cmnd. 7750.

We have no plans at present for any change of practice in this respect.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance will be given to immigration officers as to how to determine whether a marriage was one entered into primarily to obtain admission to the United Kingdom, within the meaning of paragraph 50(a) of Cmnd. 7750, notwithstanding the intention of the couple to live together permanently as man and wife.

Cases would be determined on the basis of whether the circumstances gave rise to reason to believe that the marriage was one entered into primarily to obtain admission to the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is to be given to immigration officers regarding the criteria to be applied in judging whether a person's admission would be in the general interests of the United Kingdom within the meaning of paragraph 38 of Cmnd. 7750; and how they differ from the criteria to be applied in determining whether a person's exclusion is conducive to the public good within the meaning of paragraph 76 of Cmnd. 7750.

It is not possible to generalise about these cases, in which the onus is on the applicant to show that his admission would be in the general interests of the United Kingdom. The circumstances would obviously have to be quite different from those applying to anyone who fell to be excluded under paragraph 76.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it remains the policy of the Government that children under 12 years of age seeking to join a single parent settled in the United Kingdom should be regarded as within the definition of those whose exclusion would be undesirable within the meaning of paragraph 46(f) of Cmnd. 7750, provided that, if the parent is the mother, she can offer adequate accommodation or, if the parent is the father, there is suitable accommodation and a female relative resident in the household willing to look after the child and capable of doing so.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether someone who has completed four years in approved employment and whose employer indicates that he wishes to continue to employ him at the time of his application for settled status will be granted settled status if the employer subsequent to the application but before a decision has been reached ceases to wish to continue his employment.

In general, no.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that paragraph 119 of Cmnd. 7750 provides for the grant of settled status to someone who has completed four years in approved employment and whose employer wishes to continue to employ him to be at his discretion, subject to appeal, he intends to continue to follow the practice of refusing settlement only where it would be undesirable for the individual concerned to remain in the United Kingdom.

In most such cases cancellation of conditions will be appropriate but, as paragraph 119 provides, applications will be considered in the light of all the relevant circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an indication of what would be regarded as an unreasonable time taken to produce evidence justifying the refusal of an application in the terms of paragraph 88 of Cmnd. 7750 and whether it will in any way be related to the delays experienced by applicants awaiting replies from his Department.

The circumstances will vary from case to case and it is not possible to generalise. The comparison with the delays in my Department, which are due to the quite different reasons of pressure of work and staff shortages, is irrelevant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that immigrants from Bangladesh can be known by two names in accord with their cultural traditions, if he will investigate any case where a resident of Great Britain is accused of being an illegal immigrant because he is known by two names.

Any case in which a person is suspected of having entered illegally is thoroughly investigated. For a person to be regarded as an illegal entrant he must either have entered without leave, or have obtained leave by certain forms of deception which have been held by the courts to vitiate the leave given. The fact that a person has used two names is not in itself a reason for treating him as an illegal entrant. Its significance depends on the facts of the case, for example on whether a false name was used in order to establish by deception a relationship with a person settled here and thereby to obtain admission as a dependant when there was no entitlement to it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance to encourage courts to use community service orders rather than prison against fine defaulters.

I have as yet reached no decision about the implementation of section 49 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972, which would enable magistrates' courts to make community service orders in respect of fine defaulters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to ensure an adequate provisions of funds to cover the rising number of claims for criminal injuries compensation.

The existing provision is expected to be adequate to meet the cost of the scheme in this financial year and I shall seek appropriate provision for 1980–81 in the Supply Estimates which will be presented to Parliament in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the following matters (a) how many police officers were used to police the demonstration mounted on 28 November in London, (b) how many incidents of alleged breaches of the law took place, (c) how many arrests were made and (d) what were the estimated costs of this police operation.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to questions from the hon. Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell) and my hon. Friends the Members for Preston, North (Mr. Atkins) and The Wrekin (Mr. Hawksley) on 3 December and from my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 13 December. I understand from the Commissioner that five people were arrested and charged with offences committed at the time of the demonstration.—[Vol. 975, c. 13–14, 1514–16.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Departmentwhich branches of the Metropolitan Police provided the officers who took part in Operation Otis on 12 December resulting in the arrest of suspected members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that the officers concerned came from the antiterrorist branch, the special branch and special patrol group and D11—firearms.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the monthly total of persons seeking admission at Heathrow airport who were refused admission in September, October and November 1979.

The number of refusals of persons seeking admission at Heathrow airport was 1,218 in September and 1,086 in October. The number of refusals in November is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iranians were among persons refused admission at Heathrow airport in each month of 1978 and 1979 to the latest available date.

The information requested is given in the following table.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the instructions given to immigration offices in relation to immigrants from the British Commonwealth.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he expects to receive within the next month the report of the sub-committee of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council on the fire earlier in the current year at Woolworth''s store in Piccadilly, Manchester; and if, when it has been completed, the report will also and simultaneously be available to the public.

No. As regards publication, I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to his question of 13 July.—[Vol. 970, c. 311–12.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish as much detailed information as may be available giving the total number of applicants now awaiting clearance for immigration and the countries from which these immigrants are emigrating.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 December 1979, c. 303]: Numbers of applicants awaiting entry clearance are readily available only for the Indian sub-continent. Information for each country of the Indian sub-continent was published on 17 December in tables V and VI of the Home Office statistical bulletin issue 12/79—"Control of Immigration Statistics—Third quarter 1979", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his answer relating to monthly admissions of Iranian nationals to the United Kingdom in the Official Report, 4 December, column 99, he will publish a breakdown of the figures of entries for each month (a) by reason of entry, (b) by length of permitted stay, (c) by number subsequently asking for an extension of stay and (d) by number granted an extension.

[pursuant to his reply, 10 December 1979, c. 421–2]: Statistics of admissions analysed by the purpose of journey and citizenship/nationality are published annually in "Control of Immigration: Statistics"—table 1(b) of the issue for 1978, Cmnd. 7565. To provide this information on a monthly basis would involve disproportionate cost, but the table below gives a quarterly breakdown of admissions of Iranian nationals for 1978 and the first three quarters of 1979; 26·6 thousand Iranian nationals were admitted in September 1979. Information on length of permitted stay, and on numbers subsequently asking for and granted an extension, is not collated centrally and could be made available only at disproportionate cost.