asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the armed services youth training scheme will come into effect; and if he will make a statement.

The necessary statutory instruments to enable the armed forces to contribute to the youth training scheme have been laid before Parliament today. Subject to parliamentary approval, the armed services youth training scheme will come into effect on 4 August. In a full year the scheme will enable up to 5,200 young men and women between the ages of 16 and 18 to join the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force for one year's training. Recruits will be free to leave at any time on 14 days' written notice. Recruits will also be eligible to apply for a regular engagement in the Service in which they are doing their training.Young people wishing to take part in the ASYTS should visit or write to any local services careers information office.As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State indicated in his statement on 14 April— [Vol. 40, c. 952] there will be a limited number of ASYTS places available for women in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, but the Army's training capacity for women is at present fully taken up in meeting its existing needs.I am confident that the ASYTS will make a valuable contribution to providing beneficial training and work experience for young people in the three Services and will help them obtain permanent employment subsequently in civilian occupations or in the armed forces themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking following the incidents near Pirbright Army ranges on 20 April and 21 June; and if he will make a statement.

I asked for Army boards of inquiry to be set up to examine these incidents. Yesterday I gave instructions that there is to be no live firing on any land range in the United Kingdom under MOD control until the three services completed an urgent and thorough check of range safety standards and procedures.Individual ranges will be reopened as soon as I have been assured by the appropriate senior officers that all safety procedures and standards have been checked. I would expect the great majority of individual ranges to be reopened within a matter of days.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what European Community proposals for legislation affecting agriculture and fisheries have been adopted by the Council of Ministers since the dissolution of the last Parliament.

Since the dissolution of the last Parliament on 13 May, 10 instruments affecting agriculture or fisheries have been adopted by the Council of Ministers. Explanatory memoranda on these instruments are being deposited in the Vote Offices today. They are as follows:

— a Council regulation on the transfer of 550,000 tonnes of common wheat of breadmaking quality by the French and German intervention agencies (explanatory memorandum 7206/83);

— a Council regulation fixing provisional quota allocations for the herring stocks in the northern and central North sea (explanatory memorandum 7228/83);

— a Council regulation amending regulation 1009/83 laying down for 1983 certain measures for the conservation and management of fishery resources applicable to vessels flying the Norwegian flag (explanatory memorandum 7291/83);

— a Council regulation amending regulation 2036/82 adopting general rules concerning special measures for peas and beans (explanatory memorandum 7400/83); — a Council regulation revising the maximum amount for the production levy on B sugar and the minimum price for B beet for the 1983-84 marketing year (explanatory memorandum 7409/83);

— a Council regulation fixing a carry-over payment for common wheat, rye and maize remaining in stock at the end of the 1982-83 marketing year (explanatory memorandum 7453/83);

— a Council regulation amending regulation 1223/83 on the exchange rates to be applied in agriculture (unnumbered explanatory memorandum);

— a Council decision on signature by the Community of international coffee agreement 1983 (unnumbered explanatory memorandum);

— Council regulations allocating certain catch quotas between member states for vessels fishing in the Norwegian economic zone and the fishery zone around Jan Mayen, allocating catch quotas between Member states for vessels fishing in Swedish waters, and allocating catch quotas between Member states for vessels fishing in Faroese waters (explanatory memorandum 6804/83);

— a Council regulation amending the regulations laying down for 1983 the management and control of certain catch quotas allocated for vessels flying the flag of a member state and fishing in Norwegian, Swedish and Faroese waters and in the regulatory area defined in the XNAFO convention (unnumbered explanatory memorandum).

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance will be provided to enable the Potato Marketing Board to meet its commitments in respect of support buying operations in the current season.

The Government are making loans of up to £7·4 million to enable the Potato Marketing Board to meet its current commitments. Parliamentary approval for this new service will be sought in a supplementary supply estimate for Class III, Vote 2. Pending that approval, provision is being met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund. This expenditure is being charged against the 1983-84 contingency reserve and there is therefore no increase in the planning total of public expenditure.The Government are reviewing the board's financial position with a view to deciding on appropriate longer term arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of any changes to his Department's cash limits.

Subsequent to the changes announced by my right hon. Friend the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 May 1983—[Vol. 42, c. 416]—and subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the cash limit on Class IV, Vote 19 will be increased from £22,746,000 by £1,300,000 to £24,046,000 and on Class IV, Vote 22 from £2 million by £2 million to £4 million.The increase on Class IV, Vote 19 is necessary for the compensation payment, announced by my predecessor— [Vol. 42, c. 21]—£1,500,000 to Lazard Freres and Co. for the release of Mr. MacGregor to become chairman of the National Coal Board. The increase has already been abated by £200,000 by savings elsewhere on the vote. The remaining £1,300,000 will be offset by further reductions to cash limits on one or more of the Department of Energy Votes and these will be announced later in the year. There will therefore be no increase in the planning total of public expenditure.The increase of Class IV, Vote 22 is to allow the reimbursement of expenses incurred by the British Gas Corporation in connection with the planned transfer to the private sector of oil interests of the corporation. There will be no consequential increase in the planning total of public expenditure since the reimbursement does not affect the size of the corporation's external financing limit.