asked the Minister for Civil Service what further cuts he proposes to make in Civil Service manpower.

As I told the House on 6 December, there area number of policy studies in some Departments, for example in the Department of Health and Social Security, and reviews of activities, particularly in the Ministry of Defence and the Department of the Environment. These should yield further savings. In addition the search for greater economy and efficiency will, of course, go on throughout the lifetime of this Parliament.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how Her Majesty's Government intend to pursue their policy of open government in the coming year.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton) on 15 January.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what steps he is taking to provide reciprocal training arrangements with civil servants in other European countries.

In 1971, following talks between the then Prime Minister and President Pompidou of France, the Civil Service college set up reciprocal training arrangements with France, the German Federal Republic, and the Netherlands. 958 British civil servants have gone on these courses, and 792 from those countries have come here. The aim is to familiarise participants with the host country's administration and, in particular, to enable them to make and develop contacts with their counterparts in Government Departments in the other countries. I know these arrangements are highly valued by both parties, and I hope to continue to develop them.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many days have been lost in strikes in the Civil Service since May; and how this compares with the previous eight-month period.

Since May 1979 the number of man-days lost in the Civil Service was 234,000. The comparable figure for the previous eight-month period was 629,000.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will seek to change the basis upon which Civil Service pensions are calculated.

No. The basis of calculation of Civil Service pensions is the same as in other major public service pension schemes.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what facilities exist for the transfer of civil servants to industry and commerce.

There are standing arrangements for the interchange of staff, on temporary transfer, between the Civil Service and industry and commerce with the aim of achieving better mutual understanding. The Government believe that these arrangements are of great value, and intend to sustain and develop them as far as resources permit.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what steps are being taken by his Department to encourage efficiency in the Civil Service.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Newton (Mr. Evans).

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will publish the results of Sir Derek Rayner's projects on the specific operations of the Government's Departments; and if he will make a statement.

These projects are the responsibility of departmental Ministers whom Sir Derek Rayner is assisting. Results will be made public in due course.

PROJECTS CARRIED OUT IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF SIR DEREK RAYNER
Department				Topic
Home Office	…	…	…	Work of the Radio Regulatory Department.
Lord Chancellor's Department			…	Attachment of earnings procedure in the County Courts.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office				Merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the former Ministry of Overseas Development.
Her Majesty's Treasury		…	…	Paper handling and registry systems.
Inland Revenue	…	…	…	PAYE movements procedures.
Customs and Excise		…	…	Organisation of London and South East Collections.
Department for National Savings				Handling of correspondence with the public.
Department of Industry (joint project with Department of Trade).				Statistical services of the Departments of Industry and Trade.
Ministry of Defence		…	…	Food procurement for the Armed Forces.
Civil Service Department			…	Charging for courses at the Civil Service College.
Department of Employment (including Manpower Services Commission).				Peaking of work and use of part-time staff in unemployment benefit offices.
				Part-time local benefit and small full-time unemployment benefit offices.
				Review of training allowances (MSC).
				Review of skillcentre network (MSC).
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.				Administration of Farm Capital Grants.
Department of the Environment (including Property Services Agency).				Provision of Management Information for Ministers.
				Maintenance of the government estate in the Bath Area (PSA).
				Energy Conservation on the Government Estate (PSA).
				Estate Management in Kingston (PSA).
Scottish Office	…	…	…	Review of the Consultative Committee on the Curriculum.
Welsh Office	…	…	…	Control over Highway Authorities.
				Control over Local Education Authority building.
Northern Ireland Office		…	…	Public Debt.
				Rate Collection.
Department of Health and Social Security				Arrangements for paying social security benefits.
Department of Trade		…	…	Services to exporters.
Department of Energy		…	…	Organisation of research and development in new energy technologies.
Department of Education and Science.				Administration of the Teachers' Pension Scheme.
Department of Transport		…	…	Arrangements for the promotion and management of trunk road and motorway schemes.

PROGRAMME OF FUTURE SCRUTINIES IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
Department				Topic
Home Office	…	…	…	To be decided.
Lord Chancellor's Department			…	To be decided.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office				Arrangements for providing and maintaining transport for Diplomatic Service posts overseas.
				Review of Directorate of Overseas Surveys.
Her Majesty's Treasury		…	…	Monitoring of central Government expenditure.
Inland Revenue	…	…	…	Annual issue of PAYE deduction cards.
				Procedures for rating proposals and appeals.
				Use of accounts registers in tax districts.
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise				To be decided.
Department for National Savings				To be decided.
Department of Industry		…	…	Administration of the Regional Development Grant Scheme.
Ministry of Defence		…	…	Arrangements for provision of secondary education for children of Service and Ministry of Defence personnel overseas.
				Provision of assisted travel schemes and Ministry of Defence establishment bus fleets.
				Requirement for, and the role and organisation of the Claims Commission.
				Management of internal efficiency and organisation.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the projects carried out in each Government Department under the guidance of Sir Derek Rayner; and what further exercises are being carried out or planned.

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister for the Civil Service when next he expects to meet Civil Service trade union leaders; and if he will make a statement.

I am meeting them constantly.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many seats are available for persons other than hon. Members, Officers of the House and the press in places in the House other than the Strangers' Gallery; if he will list each person or body that allocates these places; to whom each person or body may allocate these places; and for how many places each such person or body is responsible.

Seats in the Peers' Gallery (24) are reserved for Members of the House of Lords, and in the Ambassadors (5) and the Diplomatic (12) Galleries for heads of mission and charges ďaffaires.Mr. Speaker allocates seats in the Distinguished Strangers' Gallery (7) and in the Speaker's Gallery (8). Seats in the Official Gallery are allocated by the Speaker's Office from a list supplied by 10 Downing Street.The Serjeant at Arms allocates seats in the Special Galleries—East and West—(48), and in Under the Gallery (6), in the Serjeant at Arms' Gallery (5) and Box (4).The 13 seats in the Commonwealth Gallery, when not required by high commissioners, are allocated by the Secretary of the United Kingdom Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.The leaflet "Admission to the Galleries", obtainable from the Serjeant at Arms' Office, gives further details on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is satisfied with the amount of time allowed to the House to debate the Vote on Account, Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates.

Yes, within the constraints imposed by other demands on parliamentary time.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in the light of the fact that the time devoted to oral questions on foreign affairs has declined from 19 hours in 1959–60 to 14¾ hours in 1974–75 and to 7½ hours in 1977–78, if he will seek to provide a more reasonable opportunity for hon. Members to question Ministers about relations between the United Kingdom and the 150 other member States of the United Nations.

As I informed the House on 16 January—[c. 1642.]—I am giving further consideration to this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if in his dis-

MAINTAINED SCHOOLS INCLUDING NURSERY AND SPECIAL—ENGLAND
							October 1979	October 1978
(i) pupils in attendance	…	…	…	…	…	…	7,576,798	7,729,484
(ii) numbers taking dinners	…	…	…	…	…	…	4,854,938	5,096,433
as a proportion of pupils in attendance			…	…	…	…	64·1%	65·9%
(a) numbers taking dinners on payment			…	…	…	…	3,956,170	4,022,367
as a proportion of pupils in attendance			…	…	…	…	52·2%	52·0%
(b) numbers taking dinners free		…	…	…	…	…	898,768	1,074,066
as a proportion of pupils in attendance			…	…	…	…	11·9%	13·9%

A detailed statement of the returns from local education authorities from which these national figures are taken is being placed in the Library.On the day of the census, school dinners were taken by 75·5 per cent. of pupils present in primary schools—75·0 per cent. in 1978—and by 50·6 per cent. of pupils present in secondary schools—53·9 per cent. in 1978.

The forthcoming consultations will deal primarily with issues and aspects of the school curriculum of importance at local authority level, and not with teaching methods or the content of lessons. My right hon. and learned Friend is always concerned to promote high standards of achievement, in handwriting as in other skills, and Her Majesty's Inspectorate continues to encourage attention to this.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many statutory objections he has received to the proposal to cease to maintain East Hardwick Cawoods county primary school.

A petition bearing 590 signatures and a further 20 letters containing 194 signatures have been received. There is some duplication of signatures.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the results of the October 1979 census of school meals; and how they compare with those for October 1978.

The information is as follows:The census also collected information about pupils bringing their own food to eat at midday. A total of about 952,000 pupils did so, compared with about 880,000 in 1978.About 9 per cent. of primary pupils and 17 per cent. of secondary pupils brought their own food—8 per cent. and 16 per cent. in 1978.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

On the question of cash savings I refer my hon. Friend to the "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies", published as Cmnd. 7797 and presented to Parliament on 16 January 1980. I make the following numbers of appointments to the bodies listed in that report as being abolished or due to complete their work over the next few years:

Advisory Council for Adult and Continuing Education	23
Centre for Information and Advice on Educational Disadvantage	28
Cockcroft Committee of Inquiry into the Teaching of Mathematics in 4Schools	19
Rampton Committee of Inquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups	22
Youth Service Forum (abolished in July 1979)	7

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of men and women at present serving a life sentence in Her Majesty's prisons.

On 30 November 1979, 1,417 males and 47 females in prison department establishments in England and Wales were serving sentences of life imprisonment or detention during Her Majesty's pleasure under section 53 (1) or detained for life under section 53 (2) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. In addition there were 33 males and one female in prison department establishments on that date whose licence had been revoked after release from such a sentence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to assist and promote the further development of mutual help by ex-offenders.

Virtually all projects supported by the probation and aftercare department of the Home Office, including accommodation schemes, day centres and supported work projects, depend in part for their success on the mutual help provided by the ex-offenders participating in these schemes. Every proposal is examined on its merits, but encouragement and support, within the limit of available resources, is given to schemes which seem most likely to promote the rehabilitation of offenders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Boundary Commission which affects the Luton constituencies.

I hope that the Commissions for England and Scotland will have completed the task of reviewing parliamentary constituencies by the end of 1981. The Welsh Commission has not yet begun its work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to introduce legislation to abolish hare coursing.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of an attendance centre sentence.

The cost of giving effect to an attendance centre order varies in proportion to its length. During the financial year 1978–79 the average cost per order was about £26·50: for the current financial year the figure is likely to be around £31.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places were available in detention centres in (a) 1969 and (b) 1979.

At 31 December 1969 there were 1,918 trainee places in detention centres, 386 for junior and 1,532 for senior trainees. The corresponding figures at 31 December 1979 were 1,979,657 and 1,322.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the number of deaths and injuries caused by the legal use of ·22 rimfire rifles in vermin control for such areas and years since 1968 for which information is readily available.

I regret that this information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide in the Official Report a statistical breakdown for 1978 showing (a) the number of offences committed in which air weapons were involved and (b)an age distribution of the offenders.

Information on the number of indictable offences recorded by

I refer my hon. Friend to paragraphs 6 to 8 of chapter 11 of part II of the "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies", Cmnd. 7797. The number of appointments which have been or will be terminated in the case of each of the bodies listed is as follows:the police in 1978 in which air weapons were reported to have been used is published in table 3.3 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1978", Cmnd. 7670. The information available on the age distribution of offenders is given in the following table; for many offences the age of the principal suspect is not known.INDICTABLE OFFENCES RECORDED BY THE POLICE IN WHICH AIRWEAPONS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN USED, BY AGE OF PRINCIPAL SUSPECT WHERE KNOWN

England and Wales 1978
Age of principal suspect	Number of offences
Under 14	295
14 and under 17	762
17 and under 21	406
21 and over	196
Age not known	2,576
Total	4,235

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the number of accidents which have occurred on rifle ranges causing injury or death to military and civil personnel in the years since 1968.

Information on accidents involving civilian ranges is not collected by the Home Office. Accidents involving military ranges or military personnel are the concern of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that in all future publications of criminal statistics for England and Wales, the data of indictable offences in which firearms are reported to have been involved include all the classifications and combinations of those classifications used in the tables, namely, offence group, principal weapon, age of principal suspect, degree of injury, and so on, from and including the 1975 publication to permit inter-year comparisons and identification of trends.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the analysis in table 9.3 of "Criminal Statistics. England and Wales 1976", Cmnd. 6909. This table has not been repeated in later volumes because the age of offender was unknown for a large and changing proportion of cases and because some of the numbers involved were so small. The tables included in. "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1978"were considered to be those most useful for the identification of trends. If there is some other specific information which the hon. Member requires, I shall be pleased to look into the possibility of providing it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of juvenile offenders are given custodial sentences; and what proportion are given care orders.

The proportion of juvenile offenders given various sentences for indictable offences over the period 1968–78 is published in tables 6.11 and 6.13 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1978", Cmnd. 7670. In 1978. about 3 per cent. of juvenile offenders aged 10 and under 17 sentenced for non-indictable offences were given custodial sentences, and about 1 per cent. care orders.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will order an urgent investigation into the allegations of corruption at Sudbury open prison.

The allegations of corruption at Sudbury open prison were referred to the police for investigation on Monday 21 January, the date of their publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to complete his proposals for strengthening the law in relation to terrorism.

I keep the law in Northern Ireland relating to terrorism under constant review in order to ensure that those who engage in terrorist activity will be punished with all due severity. If new legislation is necessary, I shall submit proposals to the House in the normal way.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the bomb incidents in County Armagh on 15 January in which three policemen were injured at Forkhill and commercial premises damaged in the city of Armagh.

At 1211 on 15 January an explosive device detonated behind the rear car of a two-vehicle Royal Ulster Constabulary mobile patrol south-west of Forkhill injuring three police officers, one seriously. Three civilians close to the scene were slightly injured, but none required hospital treatment. After the explosion, gunfire was directed at the patrol who fired back but claimed no hits. The explosive device was command-detonated.At 1811 on 15 January a device in a car detonated outside the offices of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in Armagh. The device, estimated at 200 lb. of explosive, caused extensive blast damage to buildings in the area and slightly injured two RUC officers and four civilians. A warning was received by telephone at 1745 hours.Police inquiries into both incidents are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

My hon. Friend will have noted the measures announced in the "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies"(Cmnd. 7797) which was presented to Parliament on 16 January 1980. Since the report was completed I have also announced the abolition of the Northern Ireland Agricultural Trust at a saving of £0·403 million per annum. The number of appointments terminating in each case is as follows:

General Agricultural Advisory Committee	18
Cattle Improvement Committee	10
NI Agricultural Trust	9
Employment Services Management Committee	15
Central Advisory Council for the Employment of the Disabled	20
Roads Advisory Committee	7
Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings Committee	5
NI Trade Statistics Consultative Committee	10
Supplementary Benefits Commission	5

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints of physical maltreatment have been made against military personnel in Northern Ireland for every year since 1969.

This information is not readily available and cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will tabulate in the Official Reportfor each of the last 10 years the number of motor vehicles, including passenger vehicles manufactured in the United Kingdom, the number exported, the number imported and the number registered in the United Kingdom, indicating the approximate value in each case.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total quantity of 2,4,5-T produced within the United Kingdom for each of the years 1975 to 1979.

I know of no producer of 2,4,5-T in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

I refer my hon. Friend to the "Report on Non-Depart

Body							Approximate savings per annum £	Appointments terminated
Non-ferrous foundry scheme advisory committee, abolished July 1979							180	6
Advisory committee for the paper and board industry scheme, abolished August 1979	…	…	…	…	…	…	130	6

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will meet the Merseyside trades council to discuss industrial investment in the area.

I would consider a request from the Merseyside trades council for a meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what has been the take-up rate of places for engineers involved in microelectronics generated under the microprocessors applications project training programme.

[pursuant to his reply,18 January 1980, c. 887–88]: According to the results of a representative survey of 68 MAP-supported training courses available during the autumn 1979 term, carried out by the National Computing Centre, the take up rate of places averaged 78 per cent.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which his right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor appoints members, other than civil servants, whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

The Lord Chancellor has abolished the Private International Law Committee, which had 11 members. The cash saving resulting from the committee's abolition is nil.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give brief details of all prosecutions since 1945 under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, similar to those given in regard to section 2 in appendix II of the Franks report; stating in each case whether the jury panel was "vetted", and how many members of the panel, if any, were asked to stand by for the Crown.

No records of the cases in which checks on the jury panel were authorised or carried out exist prior to August 1975 when the "guidelines" were first introduced. There have been two prosecutions under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act since then in both of which a check was made on the jury panel but in neither case was any record kept of the exercise by the Crown of its right to stand by jurors. In the circumstances I have limited my answer to the details of proceedings since August 1975.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

I have disbanded the Energy Commission, with its unpaid membership of 22. This will save £22,000 per annum.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps have been taken in pressurised water reactor design studies to avoid the circumstance which caused the hydrogen bubble phenomenon which occurred in the course of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor failure.

Assessments of the implications for the United Kingdom of the Kemeny report on the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the United States have recently been published by

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what were the total allocations of funds for (a) the homes insulation scheme and (b)the public sector housing insulation programme in 1978–79 and in 1979–80 to local authorities in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland.

Funds for the homes insulation scheme and the public sector housing insulation programme in 1978–79 and 1979–80 were allocated as follows£ million (1979 Survey Prices)the Health and Safety Executive, the Central Electricity Generating Board, the National Nuclear Corporation and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. These and other assessments of the Three Mile Island accident will be taken into account in the design of the PWR for the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will invite the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to make a special investigation of the hazards associated with the zirconium alloy cladding used for fuel rods in pressurised water reactors and publish its findings.

I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that, as part of a much wider assessment of pressurised water reactor (PWR) safety matters, Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (HMNII) has already carried out a detailed study of the use of zirconium alloy fuel cladding. The findings are reported in "A Review of the Generic Safety Issues of Pressurised Water Reactors" which was published by the Health and Safety Executive on 18 December 1979. HMNII will continue its work on PWR safety, in particular in connection with applications to licence the PWR for use in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is his policy towards helping British industries to compete with those in Holland and other countries which enjoy cheap gas.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1980, c. 873]: Further information is as follows.The Government endorse the long standing policy of the British Gas Corporation of selling gas to industry at a price broadly related at the time to that of the competing oil product. The alternative would be some form of arbitrary rationing and the risk of ever increasing supply shortages. It is also the general practice on the Continent to relate gas prices to oil prices for industrial consumers, and gas prices there are also rising sharply. However, international comparisons are complicated for various reasons; but there are also some long term contracts for gas supplies to industry, as in Britain, which were negotiated at very low prices.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish in the Official Report a list showing how prices compare, in actual costs and as a percentage, between industrial and domestic users of each type of fuel used for heating, and for road transport both freight and passenger in each member nation of the

TABLE 1
PRICES OF OIL PRODUCTS IN EEC COUNTRIES ON 12 NOVEMBER 1979 (inclusive of taxes and duties)
				Premium petrol	Regular petrol	Dery	Heating oil	pence per gallon Heavy fuel oil*
Belgium		…	…	147	144	96	61	29
Denmark		…	…	155	153	91	82	51
Germany		…	…	128	122	125	69	37
France		…	…	161	145	102	60	38
Ireland	…	…	…	119	117	92	60	45
Italy	…	…	…	143	141	63	54	33
£Netherlands		…	…	135	131	90	60	38
Luxembourg		…	…	147	144	96	61	29
United Kingdom			…	116	114	122	56	34
National currencies have been converted at the exchange rate current on 12 November 1979.
* Deliveries to small industrial consumers only.
† Includes a special environmental protection charge.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 January 1980, c. 579]: Further information is as follows.Up-to-date information for each member country of the EEC is not available for most fuels. I have, however, arranged for the latest available figures for electricity, oil, gas and solid fuel in both domestic and industrial sectors to be incorporated as tables in the

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the British Veterinary Association in connection with the practice of harvesting of antler velvet from live deer.

I am aware of the view expressed recently by the animal welfare committee of the British Veterinary Association and shall be interested to have any further comments that the association may express on the harvesting of antlers in velvet. The Farm Animal Welfare Council has been asked to consider the subject and will be giving its advice to Ministers in due course.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the costs of 2,4,5-T substitutes relative to the original product.

In so far as there are satisfactory alternatives to 2,4,5-T herbicides, their relative cost depends on the operation in question. In forestry, glyphosate can be used in some situations, but the chemical costs are on average some £20 per hectare more than 2,4,5-T herbicide; and machine cutting, where technically possible, is at least as costly as chemical treatment and leaves the problem of weed re-growth. Hand cutting is three to five times more costly than chemical treatment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will quantify the present research programme into the effects of radiation on atmospheric and terrestrial environments, and in particular the future pollution of food and crops; and what plans he has to sustain and increase this research in proportion to the expansion of the reactor programme and to publish the results.

:The total sum involved in the current financial year on the research programme into the effects of radiation on the atmospheric and terrestrial environment is estimated to be £650,000. Approximately one half of this research is relevant to the possible con-

(1,000 tonnes white value)
					Denmark	Germany	France (mainland)	France (overseas departments)	Ireland
A quota	…	…	…	…	318	1,956	2,468	419	164
B quota	…	…	…	…	79	486	617	0	10
Total A and B		…	…	…	397	2,443	3,085	419	174
					Italy	Netherlands	Belgium	United Kingdom	EEC Total
A quota	…	…	…	…	1,161	639	612	936	8,673
B quota	…	…	…	…	259	160	112	0	1,724
Total A and B		…	…	…	1,421	799	724	936	10,397
Note: In some cases figures do not add to the totals shown because of roundings.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will meet representatives of the port sugar refining industry in Liverpool.

Representatives from Liverpool were included in the delegation from the British port refineries trade union committee which my hon. Friend the Minister of State met on 15 January. I have had a number of meetings with the chairman of Tate and Lyle Ltd., which owns the Liverpool refinery.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to meet trade union representatives in the port refineries sugar cane industry.

Walker: My hon. Friend the Minister of State met the British port tamination of terrestrial food produce and includes investigations into the implications of the present and future reactor programmes. The research programmes, which involve several organisations, are constantly reviewed and the results are made available to the public through a variety of publications.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the proposed EEC sugar quotas for each of the member States of the EEC for the period 1980 to 1985.

The EEC Commission has proposed the following production quotas:refineries trade union committee on 15 January.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has received any proposals from trade union representatives in the port refineries sugar cane industry regarding the European Economic Commission's proposal for the new sugar regime; and if he will make a statement.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State has had two meetings with the British port refineries trade union committee, at which it has expressed its support for a reduction in Community quotas as proposed by the Commission.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will circulate a table in the OfficialReport bringing up to date the information on levies on commodities from third countries circulated in answer to a question from the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing), Official Report, 27 July 1979, c. 705–6; and if

Item and CCT No.					Common levy*		M.C.A.		Net import levy
					£/MT	P/LB	£/MT	P/LB	£/MT	P/LB
Common wheat (10.01A)*			…	…	50·221	2·28	6·519	0·30	43·702	1·98
Barley (10.03)*	…	…	…	…	44·301	2·01	5·786	0·26	38·515	1·75
Maize (10.05B)*	…	…	…	…	60·603	2·75	5·786	0·26	54·817	2·49
White sugar (17.01A)		…	…	…	112·131	5·09	3·21	0·15	108·921	4·94
Butter 82–84 per cent. fat content (04.03A)	…	…	…	…	1,417·818	64·37	21·16	0·96	1,396·658	63·41
Cheddar cheese (04.04EIb1bb)			…	…	1,201·884	54·57	16·09	0·73	1,185·794	53·84
Skimmed milk powder (04.02AIIb1)				…	542·998	24·65	8·60	0·39	534·398	24·26
Boneless frozen meat (02.01AIIb4bb33)				…	1,180·847	53·61	19·64	0·89	1,161·207	52·72
Lard (15.01AII)	…	…	…	…	79·826	3·62	2·79	0·13	77·036	3·49
Pigmeat carcases (02.01AIIIa1)				…	249·492	11·33	8·71	0·40	240. ·782	10·93
Salted bacon sides (02.06BIa2aa)				…	319·363	14·50	11·15	0·51	308·213	13·99
Eggs (04.05AIb)*		…	…	…	355·609	16·14	14·77	0·67	340·839	15·47
Poultrymeat 70 per cent. chickens (02.02AIb)*	…	…	…	…	158·634	7·20	12·67	0·58	145·964	6·62
* Those items not yet affected by the latest green pound devaluation are respectively common wheat, barley, maize, eggs and poultry. For these commodities, conversion from European currency units into sterling has been made using the representative rate £1=1·70148 ECU and multiplying the resultant figures by the current monetary coefficient of 1·066. For remaining commodities, the representative rate used is £1=1·61641, and the monetary coefficient is 1·012.
†There is a special rate for imports from New Zealand.
‡This includes a supplementary levy applicable to imports from certain countries of origin. Regulations provide for supplementary levies to operate in this sector when average free-at-frontier offer prices fall below the sluice gate price.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

For information on the abolitions and cash savings resulting there from I refer my hon. Friend to the "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies", published as Cmnd. 7797 on 16 January. The number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated is as follows:

Advisory Council for Agriculture and Horticulture in England and Wales	10
Farm Settlements Advisory Committee for Selection of Tenants	3
Poultry Diseases Panel	7
Tate & Lyle Customer Safeguards Committee	7
Torry Research Station Advisory Committee	5

The reorganisation of the Joint Consultative Organisation for Research and he will indicate where appropriate the items not yet affected by the latest devaluation of the green pound.

The following is the information requested for the United Kingdom as at 21 January 1980:Development in Agriculture and Food will result in a reduction of about 210 in the number of appointments.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money was paid to sheep producers during 1979 through the guaranteed deficiency payment scheme for fat lambs and sheep; and what were the corresponding figures for each of the last 10 years.

The information for 1979 and for each of the previous 10 marketing years is as follows:

Marketing years (April-March)	Amount (£ million)
1969–70	3·1
1970–71	9·7
1971–72	16·4
1972–73	1·9
1973–74	Nil
1974–75	8·5
1975–76	7·5
1976–77	0·2
1977–78	0·4
1978–79	0·1
1979*	8·7
* Estimated to end December

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the results were of his discussions at the Council proposals on 21 and 22 January in Brussels on the subject of agriculture; and if he will make a statement.

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made to the House today.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is yet able to announce the membership of the Farm Animal Welfare Council.

I am pleased to say that the following have agreed to serve on the council:

• Professor R J Harrison FRS, MA, MD, DSc, MRCS, LRCP (Chairman)
• Mr C H Armstrong
• Mrs M A S Bates BSc (Agric)
• Rev. A L Birbeck MA
• Mr S Burgess FBIM
• Mr J H Cullimore JP
• Professor J M M Cunningham CBE BSc (Agric) PhD FRSE FI Biol
• Mr R Ewbank MVSc MRCVS FI Biol
• Mrs R Harrison
• Mr H F C Hebeler FRCVS
• Mr J A Inverarity
• Professor J O L King PhD MVSc BSc (Agric) FRCVS FI Biol
• Mrs G Knight
• Mr T M Leach MRCVS DVSM
• Mr D G Llewellyn BVSc MRCVS
• Mr J McCaskie FIA (Scot) (Est)
• Mr M Nicholson MA Dip Ag (Cantab)
• Mr C Platt
• Dr D W B Sainsbury MA PhD BSc MRCVS
• Mr I A Turner
• Professor A J F Webster MA Vet MB PhD MRCVS

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if there are any plans by Her Majesty's Government to sell their shareholding in the British Sugar Corporation Ltd.; and if he will make a statement.

No decision has yet been taken in relation to the Government shareholding in British Sugar Corporation Ltd.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present shareholding by Her Majesty's Government in the British Sugar Corporation Ltd.

The Government hold 14½ million shares—24·18 per cent. of the shares issued.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Her Majesty's Government have recently sold shares in the British Sugar Corporation Ltd; and if he will list the names of the buyers, the numbers of shares sold and the purchase prices.

No shares have been sold.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in the light of Russian activities in Afghanistan, he will review immediately Great Britain's defence commitment East of Suez.

Our defence commitments both East of Suez and world-wide are kept under constant review. Recent events in Afghanistan show that Soviet opportunism and expansionism pose a threat not only to the West, but also to the countries of the Third world. Our primary defence commitment is to NATO, but within the limits of available resources, we shall continue to contribute to the security and stability of our friends all round the world through the provision of military training assistance and advice, and defence equipment. We shall also continue periodic deployments of units from all three Services outside the NATO area for visits to friendly countries and exercises with their forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans and proposals have so far been made for the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Ulster Defence Regiment.

The Post Office plans to issue a first day commemorative cover on 1 April to mark the tenth anniversary of the Ulster Defence Regiment. A regimental dinner and a garden party are being arranged. Other celebrations to mark the anniversary are being planned at battalion level.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent establishments of higher education in the United Kingdom receive (a) NATO finance and (b) Ministry of Defence finance for certain research projects; and what was the total in each case for each of the last 10 years.

At current prices expenditure by the Ministry of Defence on research at establishments of higher education, including universities, in the United Kingdom during the last 10 years was:

1970–71	£1£3 million
1971–72	£1·0 million
1972–73	£1·4 million
1973–74	£1·9 million
1974–75	£2·3 million
1975–76	£2·4 million
1976–77	£3·5 million
1977–78	£3·1 million
1978–79	£2·9 million
1979–80	£3·4 million (estimate).

No information is available on possible similar expenditure by NATO.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of nuclear warheads now known to be in existence in the world; and what arrangements have been agreed with the United States of America for the destruction of the weapons to be withdrawn from service.

None of the nuclear weapon States discloses the total number of warheads it holds; this information is, therefore, not available. The disposal of the United States nuclear warheads that are to be withdrawn from Europe is a matter for the United States Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present financial agreement with the Government of Cyprus regarding British military bases in Cyprus.

The British military bases in Cyprus are on British territory. Their cost is borne on the United Kingdom budget.

asked the Secretary pf State for Defence what agreements exist permitting use by Her Majesty's Government of the Crown bases in Crprus; if he will inquire into the non-payment of rent, fees or grants by Great Britain over recent years; and if he will make a statement.

The sovereign base areas are British sovereign territory which were retained for military use when the Republic of Cyprus was established in 1960. Being British territory, no fees or rents are payable to the Republic for their use.Matters such as grants by way of aid are more properly for my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if free and regular consultation takes place between the Cyprus Government and the British authorities as to the work being done on the British Crown bases in Cyprus, their military function and weapons used or based on the island.

The sovereign base areas are British sovereign territory and no consultations with the Cyprus Government about their military use by British forces is required.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the nearest proposed siting of the cruise missile to London.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his hon. Friend the Member for Swindon (Mr. Stoddart) on 15 January.—[Vol. 976, c. 1416–17.]

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report the bodies to which he appoints members other than civil servants whose abolition has been announced since May; and if he will list in each case the cash savings that will result and the number of appointed members whose appointments will be terminated.

The results of a review of non-departmental bodies sponsored by Government Departments were presented to Parliament on 16 January—Cmnd. 7797. Twelve such bodies are to be abolished by the Ministry of Defence; a further four are to he merged or their duties absorbed by bodies which will be retained. Details of the bodies concerned are given in chapter 4 of the White Paper, together with the savings, totalling £198,000 per annum, expected to be realised. The number of appointments which will be abolished is 358.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will, in future, not send to the hon. Member for Isle of Ely internal memos intended for PS/CAS, PC/VCAS, PS/AMP, ACAS(Ops), Head of Legal Secretariat, Head of DS6, Head of DS16, Head of S10 (Air), IFS (RAF), CPR, DPR (RAF), Chief Claims Officer, DLS (RAF) and D/Flying (PE).

I can give this assurance.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what general rate payments were made in respect of the Royal Herbert hospital, Woolwich, for the years 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80.

I have been asked to reply.Property in the occupation of the Crown is not rateable but contributions in lieu of rates were made in respect of the Royal Herbert hospital together with its associated buildings as follows:

1975–76	£21,498·72p
1976–77	£22,022·02p
1977–78	£12,519·40p
1978–79	£7,363·92p
1979–80	£7,306·96p

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take steps to ensure that all cars assembled abroad are prominently externally marked to that effect.

I am reviewing the present provisions for indicating the country of origin on goods as part of my wider review of country of origin marking which I announced to the House on 25 July.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the exports and imports over the last 10 years of electronic aids for handicapped people.

The only such devices specifically identified in the United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics are hearing aids, the value of trade in which has been as follows:

£ thousand
	Imports	Exports
1970	1,160	667
1971	1,501	816
1972	1,791	1,294
1973	2,241	1,544
1974	1,924	1,917
1975	2,894	2,620
1976	2,993	2,867
1977	3,352	1,998
1978	5,205	2,876
1979	5,614	3,096
Note: Hearing appliances, parts andaccessories falling under item 899.61 of the standard international trade classification.