asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress towards legalising the use of citizens band radio.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce his further proposals for the legal use of citizens band radio; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on how the measures towards the legilisation of citizens band radio are progressing.

):We announced earlier this month that the authorised CB service will commence on Monday 2 November. From that date licences will be available from post offices throughout the country. An annual licence fee of £10 will cover up to three sets. Permission has been granted for the manufacture, importation and distribution of equipment to the authorised standard.

:Is my hon. Friend aware that CB users will be most grateful that the stubborn inactivity of the previous Government has been replaced by the constructive and understanding position of the Minister and his office? Does he agree that CB users, in their turn, should be grateful to the Government for their attitude and should now discontinue the sometimes very damaging use of illegal CB?

:I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he said. I thoroughly endorse it.

:I congratulate my hon. Friend on opening up the freedom of the air. However, what will happen to the present users of 27 MHz AM sets? How will he reconcile the difference between the wavelength selected and that adopted in the European Continental countries?

:: I do not think that my hon. Friend quite understands the position about the Continental wavelengths. A substantial number of different wavelengths are in use in Europe. The wavelength that we have selected offers a better service, in our view, than any of them.

As regards those who have illicit sets, I understand that in a good many cases it is possible to have them converted, and Customs are taking a very helpful attitude towards that. But beyond that. I can only emphasise that there will be the authorised service only on 27 MHz FM, as well as 934 MHz FM, and I urge everyone to use that as rapidly as possible.

:: Does the Minister accept that it would be very difficult to bring the one-third of a million illegal users within the law? Does he further accept that a £10 licence fee may well act as a disincentive to all those whom we want to bring within the law? If he accepts that, will he review the fee if evidence comes forward that it is acting as a disincentive?

Finally, is not the Minister aroused and annoyed by the fact that no British manufacturer of electronic products has surfaced to provide for the £30 million-a-year market that will develop in CB equipment?

:: Frankly, it is not our fault if it is true that no British manufacturer has surfaced, although a number of them are taking an interest. As to the licence fee, I have had representations—believe it or not—suggesting that it might have been higher than £10.

I answered the general point about existing illicit sets in response to the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove and Redditch (Mr. Miller).

:Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that he has not really answered that question? How will he ensure that any proposal that he makes and introduces will be legally enforceable, as hundreds of thousands of people have for a long time been illegally using CB radio? How will it be any different after his new proposals are introduced?

:The first difference is that a legal service will now be available, and I believe that the majority of people would like to be within the law. Secondly, we shall continue to prosecute vigorously, and, if necessary, we shall have to take additional steps, including introducing new legislation.

:Will the Minister monitor the results of the use of illegal sets? There is very clear evidence that National Health Service hospitals, and particularly doctors, are being affected by the illegal use of this equipment and that it is causing serious danger and difficulty to people who are in any area in which illegal sets are being used.

:The hon. Lady is right to say that the existing use of illegal sets is causing considerable interference. The greatest interference is caused to television sets, but there are other, more serious, disadvantages to using illegal sets.

:Is any amnesty being offered by Customs and Excise so that the users of illegal sets may continue operating them on the payment of a nominal fine?

:Customs and Excise has made arrangements whereby the payment of £5 on conversion of a set will discharge any outstanding liability to import duty and VAT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now satisfied with the level of equipment available to the Metropolitan Police.

):Yes, I am generally satisfied that the Metropolitan Police are adequately equipped to meet their task—though naturally their holdings of equipment have to be adjusted, as appropriate, in the light of changes in commitments and of advances in technology. A continuous programme of modernisation and enhancement is undertaken by the force to this end.

:I thank my right hon. Friend for that full reply. What action has been taken to ensure that police officers who attend incidents in police buses are protected from the dangers of flying glass from the vehicle windows? Do the Metropolitan Police have any view on the need for the availability of CS gas?

:As regards my hon. Friend's first point and all other matters concerned with protection, every effort has been made—following last summer's riots—to improve all techniques, including that mentioned by my hon. Friend. As I made clear in the guidelines that I issued to the House earlier this week, the chief constables, the Commissioner and I hope that CS gas will not have to be used. However, if it has to be used it will be decided at a very senior level in the forces concerned, according to the strictest guidelines and with the greatest care.

:Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that, although it is important to protect the lives and limbs of policemen, it is equally important to develop better community relations with the police, without which a police force cannot function effectively? In areas such as my constituency there is an urgent need to develop a multiracial and multi-cultural police force to meet the situation. If we accept that we are a developing multi-racial society, that must apply equally to other areas.

:: The need to protect policemen in riots must be balanced by their traditional role. I should make it clear that the Commissioner, the chief constables and I as well as—as was recognised in July—the whole House, wish to maintain our traditional policing of this country. If there is a change and protective equipment has to be used, that change will have been occasioned not by any desire on the part of the police, but by those who have forced the police into that situation. Where protective equipment has to be provided to safeguard our police, it will be provided as the House would wish.

As regards community relations work, I hope that hon. Members will not imagine that there is some wonderful new form of policing. Good policing means not only that those who break the law are pursued, but that the police get on in their areas and deal with all the different problems that confront them. The Metropolitan Police are trying to do that. I ask only that the hon. Gentleman and all those concerned respond.

:Is my right hon. Friend aware that I have recently been to West Berlin, where I witnessed the police dealing most satisfactorily with a riot? Might not an exchange of views be helpful between the Berlin police and the Metropolitan Police?

:Of course, such contacts exist. I should have thought that our achievement this summer in dealing with our problems while at the same time preserving the traditional role of the police was very satisfactory.

:Are CS gas, plastic bullets and water cannon available for use by the Metropolitan Police?

:Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his latest estimate of the number of citizens band transmitters operating in the United Kingdom.

:The information available is insufficient to enable us to form a reliable estimate. The indications are that, while the number of users of illicit citizens band radio has continued to increase, the rate of increase is now slower than hitherto in most parts of the country.

:Is my hon. Friend aware that estimates for the number of illegal sets have been as high as 2 million, although 750,000 is probably nearer the mark, and that those estimates represent a great many sets? Is it not true that the much wider variety of choice open to users of the existing 27 MHz AM waveband would still make it attractive to continue to use that waveband after 2 November? What positive steps will my hon. Friend take to create a disincentive? Is riot 27 MHz AM equipment coming in, even now, through the Isle of Man? Does my hon. Friend intend to stop that?

:There is still a possibility of equipment coming into Britain, including the possibility of its coming in through the Isle of Man. However, I stress that the service that we are offering on 27 MHz FM and 934 MHz is extremely good and offers a substantial number of channels. People will increasingly realise that and accept that what is lawfully on offer will prove highly satisfactory.

:For the first time the Minister referred to the need to introduce new legislation should existing legislation prove insufficient to deal with the problem. Before he considers such legislation, will he once more review the licence fee? Some feel that it is too high and that it will damage the possibility of there being a successful legal service.

:It is far-fetched to talk about reviewing the licence fee 10 days before it comes into operation. If, for any reason, the licence fee proves to be wrong we might reconsider it. However, it has been set at a sensible level.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now able to make a progress report on all the inquiries set up following the civil disorders in the summer.

:In my written answer on 19 October to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Mr. Montgomery) I explained that I had received from the chief constable of Merseyside a full report of his inquiry into the use of CS gas against rioters in Toxteth on 6 July, a summary of which has been placed in the Library of the House. I hope to make a statement on the outcome of the Commissioner's inquiry into police operations on 15 July in Railton Road, Brixton, next week. Chief officers of police will, of course, have reported on disorders in their areas to their police authorities. Lord Scarman's inquiry into the disorders in Brixton in April has also taken account of the disorders elsewhere. I shall make an announcement on the general issues within my responsibilities when I have considered his report, which I hope to receive soon.

:I thank the Home Secretary for that statement. Does he agree that the main conclusion to be drawn from all the inquiries is that the present complaints procedure against the police is inadequate? Does he further agree that the complaints procedure should be reformed in three ways? First, there should be effective democratic local debate about police policy. Secondly, we should take minor complaints out of the complaints procedure and allow them to be dealt with quickly so that apologies can be given where necessary. Thirdly, we should have an effective independent system for the major complaints, which are few in number, but extremely disturbing.

:It is far too simplistic and general to say that all the problems that we are dealing with as a result of the reports center on complaints about the police. It is important to resolve the argument about this matter. Through the committee that my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State Lord Belstead is chairing, through the chief constables and through the police authorities I shall seek to produce further proposals to introduce an independent element into the complaints procedure. However, as the hon. Gentleman will agree, many other issues are involved.

:Do the reports that my right hon. Friend has received indicate whether alcohol consumption, drug abuse and glue sniffing played any role in the disorders?

:We shall have to wait to see what Lord Scarman and others say. No doubt the lowering of moral standards in the community and a lack of parental authority have important parts to play.

:Has the Home Secretary had time to consider the evidence given to the Scarman inquiry by Chief Constable John Alderson? Is the right hon. Gentleman prepared to recommend the reopening of neighbourhood police stations in areas such as Merseyside and the further return of policemen to the beat?

:I should like to wait to see what Lord Scarman says as a result of all the evidence submitted to him from the chief constable of Merseyside or anybody else. At the same time, as the chief constable of Merseyside has made clear, he is anxious to see policemen, and older policemen, back on the beat. He is seeking to achieve that, and I fully support him in that action.

:Is my right hon. Friend aware of the public disquiet at the fact that, following the civil disruptions, large numbers of policemen finished up in hospital? Is he satisified that the police have sufficient protective equipment to preserve their persons?

:I trust that the action that I took, with the support of the House, in relation to helmets and other protective clothing will meet that point, but it cannot meet every contingency. I agree that some of the attacks made on our police officers during the summer were despicable and very serious indeed for the country. With the very strong support of the House, I hope that I have taken the action and made the protective equipment available that the House wanted. I trust that it will help greatly.

:Will the Home Secretary make a formal statement next week about the Railton Road raid, and will he publish the result of the inquiry?

:My answer to the first question is "Yes". On the second, I shall publish the conclusions.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now take steps to set up independent bodies for studying complaints made against members of the police forces; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to review the operations of the Police Complaints Board.

:As I announced on 30 July in reply to a question from my hon. and learned Friend the Member for South Fylde (Mr. Gardner), the Police Advisory Board decided in July to set up a working group to study the issues further. Under the chairmanship of my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State the group hopes to report back to the board next month.

:Does the Home Secretary accept the need for urgent progress in this matter? Will he take the opportunity of accepting in principle that greater understanding and greater public light on police complaints would be beneficial to the police and the public, and to the relationship between them? Does he agree that that, coupled with greater democracy in the control of the police force, would take the matter a long way?

:: The House must remember that not long ago it passed the Police Act, on which our present complaints systems are founded. We are entitled to consider whether we were totally right in what we did on that occasion. That is what I and the group to which I have referred are doing. We should study what is said, consider carefully how far we were wrong on the previous occasion and then consider what changes we should make.

It is important that a police complaints procedure commands the confidence of the public. It is important also that it respects the rights, as citizens, of individual police officers. I am sure that that will be accepted. We have to deal with the question of accountability of police authorities as enshrined in the Police Act 1964. In spite of much discussion and thought, I am keen to ensure that the relationship between the police authorities and chief constables, which was set up under the 1964 Act, is secured and used to the best advantage.

:Will my right hon. Friend give careful consideration to the idea that the genuinely independent element in the police complaints procedure, for which Lord Scarman and others have so rightly called, might be secured by creating a system along the lines of a police ombudsman?

:Such matters are being considered by the group. It would be wrong for me to comment further before I have Lord Scarman's report and the results of other considerations.

:The Home Secretary referred to the relationship between chief officers and police committees as defined in the Police Act 1964. Is he aware of the controversy and doubt about what that relationship is and how much authority exists? May we have an authoritative statement from the Home Secretary or the Lord Chancellor defining what that authority amounts to?

:I shall certainly consider that. The right hon. Gentleman will probably agree that the system set out at that time depends on a degree of understanding and good common sense between all the parties concerned. I believe that there is evidence throughout the country of areas where the chief constables and police authorities have co-operated closely. The right hon. Gentleman certainly knows of one of them. That has worked to great advantage, and that is the way to proceed in future. I am keen to ensure that the police authorities concern themselves with police operations in their areas and that they understand what is going on while respecting—and this must be respected—the political independence and the right of chief constables to conduct their operations free from political interference.

rose £

:Order. I shall call one more hon. Member from each side on this question.

:Does my right hon. Friend accept that procedures under the Police Act 1964 relating to complaints by members of the police about the police are not necessarily impartial? Will he consider introducing amending legislation to ensure that such investigations are not instigated by chief constables, but are more neutral in character, so as to afford members of the police force a fully neutral and impartial examination of complaints against their superior officers?

:My hon. Friend refers to another aspect of a major problem that affects a disciplined force. It is right to consider, in the coming months rather than shortly in question and answer, how best to resolve these difficult issues.

:Does the Home Secretary accept that there has been a substantial erosion of public confidence in the police complaints procedure? Does he agree that that confidence will not be restored until it is seen that investigations of complaints against the police are carried out impartially and fairly? Does he accept that that will not be achieved until there is an independent element in the investigation of complaints against the police? Will he introduce such a system?

:It is dangerous to go so far as to say that confidence has been totally eroded.

I did not say "totally".

:Then I am sorry. The hon. Gentleman said that it had been eroded. That goes a bit too far. There is a great deal of understanding of what is done in a disciplined force. I have to deal with many complaints that come to me. I would say that the chief constables are determined and extremely strict about disciplinary offences, and that is right. The hon. Gentleman asked for an assurance. I remind him that the House, under the previous Government—and I do not complain of that—introduced a police complaints procedure. Shortly after introducing that procedure, the House now wants to change it all. Very well. I am prepared to examine the possibilities, but we should look carefully before leaping into any fundamental changes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Departement by what percentage crimes and offences involving the use of firearms have increased since 1960; and if he will make a statement.

):The percentage increase over the past 20 years is not available, because information was not collected centrally on a comparable basis before 1969. Over the period 1969 to 1980 the number of serious offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in which firearms, including air weapons, were reported to have been used rose by 400 per cent., from about 1,300 to about 6,600. This later figure includes 5,032 offences in which air weapons were used.

:Since the use of guns, whether air guns or pistols, by criminals is one of the most serious and worrying features of criminal statistics, and since the 1979 record figure has again been exceeded, has my hon. and learned Friend any fresh plans to curb the use of firearms by criminals?

:: This is a serious feature of criminal statistics, as my hon. Friend says. We should not overlook the fact that a preponderance of weapons used in the offences listed in the statistics are air weapons. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is aware of the concern in the country that there is risk from the use of these weapons. He is considering how best that can be dealt with.

A code of practice was published recently by the British Shooting Sports Council which will help. The most powerful air weapons are controlled in their use by regulations under an Act. My right hon. Friend is well aware of the anxiety and is examining the matter.

:Is the Minister aware that accidents involving air weapons total about 5,000 a year? Does he agree with the chief constable of Cleveland that two actions are required to deal with the problem: first, tighter control over the availability of those weapons to youngsters, and, secondly, the bringing of air weapon law into line with the law for shotguns?

:It would not be right to introduce further legislation to control the use of air weapons. Perhaps it is not fully recognised that there is a tight control on their use by youngsters. The hon. Gentleman must know about the provisions of the Firearms Act 1968. To impose further burdens on the police through tighter legislation on licensing is not necessarily the way to deal with that serious matter. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is considering the issue, but I think that it is right for me to give that answer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest estimate of the total prison population.

:The total number of inmates of prison department establishments on 20 October was 43,837.

:Does the Minister agree that that high figure is disappointing? Is he aware that, despite the reaction to the Secretary of State at the seaside last week, there is overwhelming support on both sides of the House for the Government's intention to reduce the prison population? Will he confirm that the Government intend to proceed with their proposals to institute supervised release for petty offenders serving sentences of less than three years?

:It is disturbing that the certified normal accommodation for prisons is exceeded by so much. It is a serious matter that about 24 per cent. of the prison population are housed two to a cell and 10 per cent. three to a cell. My right hon. Friend is considering the various representations and many suggestions for dealing with the matter, including the suggestion referred to by the hon. Gentleman, which was mentioned in the "Review of Parole". We shall consider how best to do that. We shall also consider re-examining the provision in the Criminal Law Act 1977 to institute the partial suspension of sentences by courts when they pass sentences.

:Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that the figures show that the prisons ate reaching, if they have not already done so, a state of crisis? Is he considering the introduction of partially suspended sentences to deal with that problem?

:My hon. and learned Friend is right to point to the critical state of the prisons. There is much merit in the provision in the Criminal Law Act 1977, which was introduced as a result of a Conservative amendment. We are considering that provision to determine whether the time is right to implement it.

:Does the Minister accept that the attempt to persuade the courts to alter their sentencing patterns has failed abysmally? When will the Government accept their responsibility and legislate for shorter prison sentences and, in some cases, the abolition of sentences for crimes in which there are no victims.

:: I do not accept the hon. Gentleman's criticism of the courts. The Court of Appeal gave clear guidance in 1980 in two well-known cases. The most recent statistics give grounds for the belief that that guidance has been heeded by the courts. If that trend is carried forward, there may be 2,000 or 3,000 fewer inmates of prisons in a few years.

Unfortunately, there has been a rise in the number of offenders receiving immediate imprisonment. Therefore, we must consider ways, consistent with the safety of the public—that is the overriding consideration—to reduce the numbers in prisons.

:What progress has been made by the Home Office in removing from prisons the mentally disordered or mentally ill? Their retention there is a scandal.

:No one wishes to see people held in prison establishments for the sole reason of their mental condition. The Government are well aware of the need to ensure that there is adequate provision for them in mental hospitals. As my hon. Friend knows, it is not invariably popular with those who staff mental hospitals that those who have passed through the criminal courts should be within their hospital walls. It is a difficult issue.

:The numbers receiving custodial sentences last year rose by 4,000. How long do the Government propose to continue to make exhortations to the courts? When will they eventually decide that the exhortations are not producing any effect? When will they introduce legislation, which the Opposition would view sympathetically, to shorten prison sentences and institute more non-custodial sentences?

:The hon. Lady could not have been listening. I said that the statistics gave good grounds for believing that the courts were reducing the length of sentences. One cannot say that because more people are receiving custodial sentences the courts are not paying attention to our advice. Unfortunately, more crimes have been committed. I have already explained the steps that the Government are taking and considering. We shall continue along those lines.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement giving progress on the Boundary Commission's review of parliamentary constituencies.

:: The Boundary Commission for England has published provisional recommendations for 522 parliamentary constituencies for the whole country. It has held 58 local inquiries to date, and plans for further inquiries are well advanced.

I understand that the commission hopes to complete its current review by the end of 1982 and that it intends to submit its report to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible thereafter.

:I thank my hon. and learned Friend for that helpful information. Will he assure the House that our right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will speedily consider the report? Does he agree that there is no reason why the report should not be presented immediately to the House for consideration?

:My right hon. Friend will not only speedily consider the report, but will submit the accompanying order within the short space of time laid down by the Act.

:Does the Minister accept that the Opposition are pleased with the speedy progress of the Boundary Commission? Will he answer my next question in the spirit in which it is offered? This is the second year in the three years of the Conservative Government that the matter has been discussed at the Conservative Party's annual conference. Will the Secretary of State use all his influence in his party to prevent a repetition of what happened in 1979 and 1981, when that delicate political subject became a matter for discussion at a political conference? Will he stop that practice immediately?

:Offhand, I do not know whether that matter has been discussed at the Conservative Party conference for the third year. It is the first year in which I have made a speech on the matter.

A good speech, too.

:I am obliged to my hon. Friend. I am not disposed to accept lectures from anyone on the Opposition Front Bench about the need to keep the independence of the Boundary Commission in its pristine purity. We must bear in mind what happened in 1969—an event described by the Lord Chancellor as a constitutional enormity.

:Will, the Minister institute discussions with the Secretary of State for Scotland to ensure that the Boundary Commissions for England and for Scotland operate under the same rules and work in the same way? Is he aware that if they fail to do so the smooth operation of both Boundary Commissions will be seriously affected and may lead to legal actions?

:Each Boundary Commission is governed by the provisions of the Act of Parliament. It is for them to interpret the Act.

:Will the new registers that will be complied in October 1982 be completed before the Boundary Commissions' recommendations are known?

:The Boundary Commissions expect to complete their reviews by the end of 1982 and to submit their reports to the Home Secretary as soon as possible thereafter. The hon. Gentleman knows that when those reports are presented and the orders made, if approved by the House, they will not take effect until the ensuing general election.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are serving sentences in Her Majesty's prisons at the present time.

:On 30 September, the latest date for which figures are available, 27,541 people were serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales.

:In view of that very high figure, does my hon. and learned Friend agree that, in addition to trying to reduce the prison population, the present building programme should be increased? Has he any plans to do that?

:I cannot claim that the programme was increased by the Government, because we inherited a nil prison building programme from our predecessors. During this year and in ensuing years we expect two prisons to be started. It is important that we should have more prison accommodation. Unfortunately, such is the dilapidated state of many of our prisons that we are likely in this decade to lose as many prison places as we shall gain from the programme.

:The fact that sentences in the higher courts have been reduced on average by only two months in the past 12 months surely indicates that the judges will not respond to the Home Secretary's appeal. If we are to judge by the attitude of Judge Pickles, they are never likely to do so. Would it help Judge Pickles to understand the issue if he went down for two years and discovered that in the first three months a prisoner gets as much good out of a prison sentence as he does in 24 months?

:I do not think that Judge Pickles would claim to have the same degree of influence over the judiciary as that which is exerted by the Lord Chief Justice or the Court of Appeal. We should not underestimate the effect that has already begun to come through following the Court of Appeal decisions in Upton and Bibi and other cases. I am grateful for what the courts are achieving. It is important that, consistent with the safety of the public, shorter sentences should be imposed whenever that is possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he remains satisfied with the law relating to the control and use of air rifles.

:My right hon. Friend is not persuaded at present that changes in the law controlling air weapons would significantly reduce the level of serious crime or that the extra work that would result for the police would be justified. We shall keep the position under close review.

:From that reply, and from the reply that my hon. and learned Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor), it is clear that the Home Office shares the concern that is being expressed in the country about the growing number of both offences and accidents involving air weapons. I accept partly what he said, but does he agree that we need to review the law on the sale of air weapons by direct mail where there is no way of the vendor knowing whether the purchaser is the right age as prescribed by law?

:I note what my hon. Friend has said. I know that he has a lasting interest in this issue. It is right to take into account that of 5,000 serious offences in which air weapons were reported to be involved in 1980, about half involved violence against the person not endangering life and the other half involved criminal damage. I note my hon. Friend's point about the sale of air weapons through the post. That is one of the matters that my right hon. Friend will be considering.

:Does the hon. and learned Gentleman accept that in many urban and semi-urban areas there are no legitimate targets for those with air guns to fire at? Should he not declare air gun-free zones in those areas to prevent people using air guns in any way—for example, to stop them from taking continual potshots at domestic animals and lamp posts?

:I cannot accept the hon. Gentleman's contention. It is legitimate as well as being good fun to shoot safely at a target, even in a garden in an urban area. We do not want to take so extreme a view. It is a serious problem, but it does not merit the treatment that the hon. Gentleman has suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he now has to review the Vagrancy Acts.

:The Vagrancy Acts were the subject of a detailed review by the working party on vagrancy and street offences, which reported in 1976. We have no plans for a further general review.

:Is the hon. and learned Gentleman aware of the nuisance that is caused by prostitutes who operate within residential areas? Is it not time that the House introduced legislation to stop the menace of the car kerb crawler who moves round residential areas, much to the annoyance of local residents? Surely a review of the Acts could lead to that being achieved.

:I understand the anxiety expressed by the hon. Gentleman and recognise that it is widely shared. However, I do not think that it would be wise to introduce piecemeal legislation on the lines that he suggests when the Criminal Law Revision Committee and the policy advisory committee are currently reviewing the law on sexual offences. It is better to deal with the subject in one go if that is possible, and it is possible.

asked the Prime Minister is she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 October.

):): I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend is attending the international meeting on co-operation and development in Mexico.

:Is my right hon. Friend aware of the real hardship that the GLC supplementary rate demand of about £1.50 a week is causing to old age pensioners? Is it not a particularly mean and underhand way of forcing them to pay for their free bus passes? Does not the supplementary rate add directly to industry's costs and, therefore, to job losses in London? Is it not about time that we had a reform of the rating system?

:My hon. Friend is right on both points. Very high rates and supplementary rates are a considerable hardship, as many people in London who have been receiving their rate demands know very well. They also destroy jobs by their effect on industry. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has announced proposals for legislation to bring home to individual high-spending authorities the consequences of their policies. We have also promised a consultative paper on rates, which will be published in the near future.

:Is the Home Secretary aware of the great alarm that is felt by parents throughout the country at reports in today's edition of the Daily Star that the Government are actively contemplating charging parents for the attendance of their children at State schools? Will the right hon. Gentleman take this opportunity of categorically stating that he would rather return to the Back Benches than be party to such a decision by the Government?

:I am not going to discuss individual decisions and my reaction to them at this stage, thank you very much.

:Will my right hon. Friend comment on the actions of a Labour Member of the European Parliament who is preventing nearly £500 million being refunded to this country? Will he contrast that attitude—the European Member of Parliament concerned is a London Member—with the action of the GLC, to which my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Mr. Eggar) has already referred?

:The actions of this Member of the European Parliament seem quite extraordinary when set in the context of Britain's national interests. He was sent to the European Parliament by this country. Nevertheless, his actions may not achieve the results that he wants. If he were to achieve those results, they would be disastrous. One can trust, I hope, that he will not achieve them through the procedures of the European Parliament.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the concern that is felt in Britain at some of the remarks made by President Reagan over the use of nuclear weapons? Would it not be appropriate for him to choose his words more wisely and to recognise that Europeans have no intention of drifting into war and nuclear destruction?

:It ill befits the hon. Gentleman to lecture the President of the United States on the words that he should use. We in Britain, and others throughout the Western world, have a great deal for which to be grateful to the United States. Its work in and contribution to NATO and its co-operation with us have prevented serious conflict for a long time.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 October.

:I have been asked to reply.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I have just given.

:Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Government's proposals for Cable and Wireless will bring in new investment, give workers a chance to share in success and get the Government off the backs of management? Is it not a model way to handle nationalised industries? Can we expect to see it being followed elsewhere—perhaps with British Telecom?

:I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he said. It will be a successful and sensible development for the future of this country. I hope that it will be followed in other areas.

:As the Prime Minister is in Cancun, is it too much to hope that there will be a shift in the Government's position of depending too much on the private sector for overseas aid?

:My right hon. Friend will report on what happens at the Mexico summit when she returns. I should have thought that this country's contribution to overseas aid was something of which to be proud, not to run ourselves down.

:Is not the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party alarmed by President Reagan's remarks that a nuclear war could take place in Europe without the two major powers pressing the button? Does he not recognise that his sycophantic subservience to the attitude of the President is extremely alarming? As a member of the Cabinet he should express his opposition to such a view, even if he agrees with the American alliance.

:I understand that the President has made the position abundantly clear. I do not believe that the interpretation placed on his remarks by the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) is anywhere near the truth. Our co-operation with the Americans and their President and with all our allies in NATO is in no way subservient. It has done much to preserve world peace and will continue to do so in future.

:Will my right hon. Friend remind the chairman of those nationalised industries that exercise monopolies that they have a responsibility to bring down inflation?

:Yes, Sir. The answer that I gave about Cable and Wireless shows that competition in many of those areas is valuable.

:Will the right hon. Gentleman, who has kindly informed me that he will visit my constituency later this week, seek advice from the Prime Minister on what he should say to my constituents who face record mortgages, rents, price increases and unemployment under this Government?

:Unfortunately, I shall not be able to visit the hon. Gentleman's constituency tomorrow, because I have to go to the funeral of an old personal friend in my constituency. I hope that that will be understood. I am carrying out the rest of my programme in the West Midlands. Perhaps I should add, for the avoidance of any doubt, that if I had been in the hon. Gentleman's constituency I should have pointed out the considerable achievements of the Government and the total disaster that would follow if the Labour Party were elected.

:Will my right hon. Friend draw to the attention of the Prime Minister the recent report comparing productivity at Ford, Halewood with that of Ford, Germany? Will he point out that it takes 40 man hours to assemble and Escort in Liverpool and only 21 man hours in Germany? Does he agree that that low productivity is a major cause of unemployment on Merseyside?

:Those comparisons are serious for this country. There is no doubt that, because of the policies that the Government have followed, our competitive position, whatever the other difficulties, has been greatly improved, and that will be for the long-term benefit of this country. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he said.

:Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm the report in today's newspapers that he has been appointed chairman of a Cabinet Committee that is looking into the expenditure cuts that the Cabinet is either discussing or not discussing? Will he give us an assurance that he will oppose any proposal to cut the real value of unemployment benefits or any other social security benefits?

:I shall not confirm or deny reports on what I may or may not be doing inside the Government, which no one in any Government has confirmed or denied at any time. I do not intend to start doing it now. It has been made clear that what is happening has happened with every Government. We are endeavouring to see in what areas we can restrain increases in public expenditure that have followed from various policies. That is what we are doing, and I hope that the country will understand it.

:Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that the matter that I have raised is extremely important? It would be a shocking and shameful affair if the Government, having helped to create mass unemployment on such a scale, turned in their third year to attacking the unemployed. I am asking the right hon. Gentleman to give the House of Commons and the country the absolute undertaking on behalf of the Government that there will be no cut in the value of unemployment benefit or other social security benefits.

:I have never answered hypothetical questions with hypothetical answers.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 22 October.

:I have been asked to reply. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave earlier today.

:Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is a matter of great concern that we have a Leader of the Opposition who is committed to unilateral disarmament and a Labour Party which is increasingly moving towards that as its official policy? In a week when NATO Defence Ministers are meeting in this country, will my right hon. Friend emphasise to our allies and to the world that the resolve of this Government and of the British people to maintain and strengthen the Western Alliance will in no way be weakened?

:I am grateful to my hon. Friend and glad to give that assurance. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said recently, there are no unilateral disarmers in the Kremlin. That is an important factor that we must take into account when we are trying to work towards genuine multilateral disarmament.

:The right hon. Gentleman was scathing about supplementary rates. Is he aware that plans for the supplementary rate in the county of Cumbria, where he has a constituency, were forged by the former Conservative-controlled county council?

:I do not know what the hon. Gentleman means by those plans being forged, but I do not accept what he said.

:No doubt my right hon. Friend is delighted that the National Freight Company's workers will be able to buy their own industry and be responsible for their own jobs. Will he ask the Prime Minister whether site will extend that right to the coal miners—perhaps to the odd pit, the National Coal Board or certain regions of the coal industry?

:That has been a considerable development for the National Freight Company. I do not want to go further at this stage.

:Will the right hon. Gentleman take time to read reports in the press today that the Government intend to introduce new charges in the National Health Service, notably for meals for hospital patients? As Tory Members in Opposition gave a specific commitment before the election that there would be no new Health Service charges, will he give a categorical assurance that he will oppose such charges?

:I do not have to give that categorical assurance, because my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Social Services and the Prime Minister have made it clear that such charges will not be introduced. There is no truth in that rumour.

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied with the progress made to date in reforming the European Economic Community.

:: I have been asked to reply.

Yes, Sir. Negotiations are in progress and the Foreign Ministers will report to the European Council to be held in London at the end of November.

:In view of the substantial costs of the EEC to the British taxpayer to date, which are over £1 million a day, will my right hon. Friend give us a clear assurance that, in the event of the European Assembly delaying or holding up the rebates that the Prime Minister successfully negotiated last year, we will make a consequent reduction in our contributions to the EEC?

:I do not believe that that will happen. We are determined that it should not. But for the actions of one British Member of the European Parliament who seems to have opposite interests, there is no question of that happening. I do not believe that he will succeed.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the problems created by imports from the Common Market of spare parts for the motor industry? Will he look seriously at this matter? A large number of engineering organisations in my constituency and elsewhere are suffering because those parts are now being imported from the Common Market.

:That is a matter that we must consider, but it is important for us to be able to compete on a free basis within the Community. I hope that we shall be able to do so.

:If the new Greek Government intimate their wish officially to leave the European Community, will my right hon. Friend ensure that they are given every assistance to do so?

:I do not think that that is a matter for me. It would seem to be a matter, in the first instance, for the Greek Government. After they have taken the first step, we can see what happens.

:Will the Government reform their own practice in regard to EEC grants? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that they have been filching grants to supplement regional aid, such grants having been pocketed by the Treasury instead of being additional to what ought to be provided by the Government?

:I do not know what the right hon. Gentleman is saying, but I will look into what he said.