asked the Attorney-General if he will initiate proceedings against Mr. Ronald Gregory, formerly chief constable of west Yorkshire, for misuse of public funds and for breaches of the Official Secrets Acts.

I am not aware of any evidence of misuse of public funds on the part of the former chief constable of the West Yorkshire metropolitan police.I take the reference to breaches of the Official Secrets Act to relate to the current serialisation of his memoirs in a national newspaper. In that context I refer to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton) last Thursday. What has occurred, tasteless and unprofessional though it is, is in my view outside both the scope of the Act and the mischief at which it was aimed.

asked the Attorney-General what is the average length of time between the reference of a case from the United Kingdom to the Court of the European Community; and how this compares with the time taken in 1973.

I assume that the question is asking what is the average length of time between the dispatch of a case from the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice and the ruling of that court. I shall answer the question on that basis. Over the last two years the average length of time is 12 months. There were no references from United Kingdom courts in 1973. The average length of time for references in 1974 to 1976 was 8½ months.

asked the Attorney-General when the Lord Chancellor next proposes to uprate eligibility levels under the legal aid scheme.

The eligibility levels are kept under close review. The last uprating was in April 1983.

asked the Attorney-General how many claims for compensation for injuries sustained at work and on the roads, respectively, in the United Kingdom during the last year for which records are available were successful.

It is regretted that the information is not available in the form requested by the hon. and learned Member. The statistics relating to actions claiming damages for personal injuries do not distinguish the circumstances in which those injuries were, or were alleged to have been suffered. The estimated number of personal injury actions proceeding to trial and heard in the High Court in England and Wales during 1982 was 3,400. Of these the estimated number in which judgement was given for the plaintiff was 2,800.

asked the Attorney-General when the Lord Chancellor expects to restore to Bradford its Crown court; and if he will provide interim facilities whilst a purpose-built court is constructed.

It is the intention that in due course the Crown court shall return to sit in Bradford in modern permanent accommodation. In the meantime cases will continue to be heard in the newly-built courthouse in Leeds where there is at present capacity available. It is too early yet to say when the new facilities will be provided in Bradford.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in how many cases his Department has assumed responsibility for pension payments in former colonial territories, apart from Zambia.

The Overseas Development Administration has assumed responsibility for pensions due to certain officers employed in the public services of the following 32 former dependencies: Belize, Botswana, Burma, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, India, Kiribati, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland and Tanzania. Pensions from service under the Palestine Mandate and with the former East African Community are also covered by these arrangements.Pensions have still to be taken over from the following seven former dependencies: Antigua, Barbados, Somalia, South Yemen, Trinidad, Uganda and Zambia.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consultations he is having over the future level of funding of polytechnics such as Hatfield with an above average number of technical courses.

My right hon. Friend will be looking to the national advisory body for advice on the funding of polytechnics and other local authority higher education institutions in 1984–85. That advice may be expected to reflect, amongst other factors, the higher costs of technical subjects.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider increasing the grants to mature students reading for first degrees at universities and polytechnics, to take into account the substantial increases which have occurred in the cost of books and materials.

Increases in the costs of books and materials are not confined to mature students. The Government see no case for special increases in the grant supplements payable to such students.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what grants are available from public funds for students wishing to follow courses in graphic design; and if he is satisfied that sufficient resources are available for this purpose.

First degree and other designated courses which have a graphic design element, including those for the higher diploma of the Technician Education Council, attract mandatory awards. Non-designated advanced courses and lower level courses attract LEA discretionary awards. The Government have no present plans to extend the availability of mandatory awards.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now consider a further education grant for all young persons in full-time study in order to remove the anomalies which exist.

This matter is kept under review but I have at present no plans to change the existing arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the operation of the Bail Act 1976.

We believe that the Act embodies the right principles. The application of these principles in particular cases is a matter for the courts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he now intends to raise the deposit required of parliamentary candidates.

My right hon. and learned Friend is considering a recommendation by the Home Affairs Select Committee that the deposit should be increased to £1,000 and the threshold for forfeiture lowered to 7½ per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will inform the right hon. Member for Morley and Leeds, South of any application to provide a new cable system which will provide services in his constituency.

Yes. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I will make known in due course the applications we receive for licences for new cable pilot projects.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the notes of guidance which are to be made available to potential applicants for the new cable systems to be awarded by him.

Yes, when they are issued, which will be soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to complete his study of the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee on the Representation of the People Acts.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 5 July to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway).—[Vol. 45, c. 65.]

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider encourageing the recruitment of more special constables.

We shall continue to encourage chief constables to recruit as many special constables as they can usefully train and deploy. Last year the number enrolled rose from 14,978 to 15,139, the first rise for 30 years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many video cassettes were seized in England and Wales in 1981 and 1982 under the authority of the Obscene Publications Act 1959.

Information relating to such seizures is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Figures available in the report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for 1982, however, show that 22,403 video cassettes were seized under the authority of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 in the Metropolitan Police district in 1982, compared with 15,756 in 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the number of successful prosecutions brought in relation to video cassettes under (a) section 2 and (b) section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 in 1981 and 1982.

The statistics available centrally on prosecutions under this Act do not distinguish separately offences involving video cassettes. Records available to us, which may be incomplete, show for 1980, 162 offenders found guilty under section 2 and 562 orders made under section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 (as amended). Corresponding information for 1981 shows 221 offenders found guilty and 630 orders made. Information for 1982 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the operation of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 with regard to the control of video cassettes; and if he will make a statement.

We recognise that the Obscene Publications Act 1959 does not in practice provide adequate control over the availability of objectionable video cassettes, and we fully accept the need for more specific legislation. I understand that my hon. Friend the Member for Luton, South (Mr. Bright) intends to introduce a Bill on this subject, details of which he will announce shortly, and we welcome his initiative.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance his Department is providing to enable local authorities to play a major role in the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees.

Local authorities already play a major part in the settlement of Vietnamese refugees, in the provision of housing, education and other services. Home Office assistance in resettlement of Vietnamese refugees has been provided through our funding of education for refugees in reception centres and of the refugee agencies. Agency staff, as well as assisting the Vietnamese directly, are also helping local authorities— and others— with interpretation and advice on the refugees' cultural background.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will provide special assistance for those local authorities which have within their areas a small number of Vietnamese refugees, in view of their dispersed and isolated position in the community.

The special funding which the Home Office has made available to the refugee organisations has enabled their staff to pay particular attention to the problems facing Vietnamese families and local authorities in those areas where there are only small numbers of Vietnamese settled. In some cases, the agencies have helped families to move to parts of the country where there are larger Vietnamese communities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Pakistan and the New Commonwealth applied to visit the United Kingdom in each of the last three years; of these, how many were granted; and how many returned at or within the period of the visit specified.

The numbers admitted as visitors are published annually in "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom" (table 1 of the issues for 1980 (Cmnd. 8199), 1981 (Cmnd. 8533) and 1982 (Cmnd. 8944)). The total number of citizens of New Commonwealth countries and Pakistan admitted as visitors was 510,000 in 1980, 540,000 in 1981 and 570,000 in 1982. The remaining information requested is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Pakistan and the New Commonwealth, originally refused admission, were admitted temporarily in each of the last three years pending representations made by hon. Members; and of these, how many returned from their visits at or within the time limits agreed by the Home Office following representations.

Statistics are not kept in this form and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his projection of the numbers in prison by 1990 in England and Wales; what existing prison accommodation will no longer be in use by 1990; how many of the 1990 estimated prison population will be accommodated in new cells presently under construction, and what percentage of that population this represents; what he expects to be the net gain in prison accommodation by 1990; and what will be the density of the prison population as a result of this change.

The most recent projections of the average prison population, made at the end of 1982, give 48,800 in 1990. The projections are based upon past trends and existing policies. They are not to be seen as forecasts of what will occur. About 5,000 new inmate places are expected to become available by 1990 as a result of the current building and refurbishment programme, and these represent just over 10 per cent. of the projected population in that year. We are at present considering possible additions to that programme. It is not possible to say how much of the present accommodation, of 38,800 places, will no longer be in use by 1990.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he applies to parliamentary questions about his responsibilities as police authority for the metropolis the same criteria as for other questions when deciding whether or not an answer could be prepared only at disproportionate cost.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the murders committed in the Metropolitan police area in 1981 and 1982, respectively, were found to have been committed by people who later committed suicide, by people who immediately confessed their guilt and by people who were relatives, neighbours or close friends of the victims; and what percentage each of these categories represented of murders cleared up in each of these years.

In a case of homicide it is not possible in the absence of a court decision to distinguish between offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide. None of the 114 offences currently recorded as homicide in the Metropolitan Police district in 1981 were found to have been committed by people who subsequently committed suicide. Of these 114 homicides, 29 were decided by the courts to be murder and in a further 18 cases there was no suspect. In 20 of these 29 murders the victim and principal suspect were acquainted; the nature of their relationship is shown in the following table. Corresponding information for 1982 will become available later this year. Information is not available centrally on immediate confessions of guilt.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons convicted of murder had previous convictions for crimes of violence for each year since 1953.

I regret the information requested is not readily available. The available information is given in the following table and relates to persons who were convicted of murder and had previous homicide convictions. Corresponding information for all those convicted of homicide is published in table 4.9 of the latest issue of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" for 1981 (Cmnd. 8668).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will propose an inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921 into the circumstances in which Mr. Ronald Gregory, as chief constable of west Yorkshire, used the services, time and information of officers in his force in the preparation of his published disclosures in the case of Sutcliffe and the circumstances in which he accepted an offer of £36,000 for such disclosures while still chief constable of west Yorkshire.

No. I do not consider such allegations an appropriate matter for an inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision the police disciplinary code makes regarding the sale by former officers of accounts of police proceedings on cases they have handled.

None. The police discipline code (which includes an offence of improper disclosure of information) applies only to serving police officers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many terrorist offences were recorded in England and Wales in 1980, 1981 and 1982; and what is the latest available figure for 1983.

There are no terrorist offences as such in the law of England and Wales. The total number of incidents in England and Wales since 1980 which are known or believed to have been the responsibility of organisations dedicated to the use of violence for political ends is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons died as a result of acts of terrorism in England and Wales in 1980, 1981 and 1982; and what is the latest available figure for 1983.

The number of homicides attributed to acts of terrorism is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (table 4.5 of the latest volume for 1981, Cmnd. 8668). There were four such homicides in 1980 and three in 1981; the provisional number for 1982 is 11. No such homicides have so far been recorded for 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has issued to prison governors in order to provide safe working conditions for prison officers working in the dispersal prison system; and if he will make a statement.

Comprehensive guidance is given to the governors of all prison establishments on the maintenance of security and control within their establishments. One of the underlying purposes of this guidance is to ensure that staff are able to carry out their duties in as safe a manner as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will rectify inconsistencies of treatment and conditions and facilities within dispersal prisons; and if he will make a statement.

It has been a long standing objective of policy to avoid unnecessary inconsistencies in these matters in dispersal prisons; but complete consistency is not attainable, principally because of marked variations in the physical conditions of the prisons and their sites, nor necessarily desirable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to control the illegal use of drugs by prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

We are fully aware of the need to counter misuse of drugs by prisoners. If a governor has reason to believe that a visitor intends to smuggle drugs, the police will be informed. Regular searches of prisoners and cells are conducted and where the governor suspects that an individual prisoner is in possession of drugs a special search is carried out. Governors may also call upon the services of dogs specially trained to detect drugs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost over the last 12 years to public funds for repairs and renewals in English and Welsh prisons where disruptive elements have caused damage to the structure of prison buildings; and if he will list the prisons which were affected.

Detailed information on all damage caused by inmates could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. But the main incidents were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average length of life sentences served by persons convicted of murder since 1969.

The readily available information relates only to those released from prison department establishments. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Bruinvels).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultation he or his officials had with representatives of the British fishery industry on Isle of Man fishing limits; what further consultations are planned; and if he will make a statement;(2) what discussions he or his officials have had with representatives of the Isle of Man Government to discuss fishing policy and in particular Isle of Man fishing limits; what further discussions are planned; and if he will make a statement;(3) whether Her Majesty's Government will make it its policy to resist any attempts by the Isle of Man Government to extend its fishing limits from three to 12 miles; and if he will make a statement.

British fishery limits around the Isle of Man, as around the United Kingdom, were extended to 200 miles (or median lines) under the Fishery Limits Act 1976.Discussions are being held with the Isle of Man Government on various proposals on fishing, including a suggestion that the island's jurisdiction over fisheries might be extended from the existing 3 mile limit to 12 miles. Wider consultations with those concerned, including the British fishing industry, will be undertaken if and when any such change is contemplated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received any requests from police authorities during 1983 to approve increases in police force establishment levels; and if he will make a statement.

Applications have been received from 16 police authorities for increases in their police establishments in the current financial year 1983–84. Additional posts have been approved for ten forces.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet reviewed the progress made in the establishment and operation of police-community consultative committees; and if he will make a statement.

A review was conducted in January by Home Office officials. In most police areas encouraging progress had been made in establishing arrangements for consultation between the police and local communities and development continues. Some areas already had effective arrangements operating before the issue of Home Office guidance in June 1982. Many are developing consultative groups based on district council, or police force divisional or sub-divisional areas. Others have set up pilot schemes in different forms. Progress has inevitably varied because local needs differ, but we are satisfied that most authorities are responding within the spirit of the Home Office guidance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of police officers deployed inside Arlington House, Arlington Road, NW1, to evict the strikers on 30 November 1982, the number of police officers deployed outside but in the immediate vicinity, the number of officers held in reserve in connection with the eviction, and the cost of the entire police operation.

We are obtaining this information from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, and will reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the cost of each police operation referred to in appendix 10 of the report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for the year 1982.

We understand from the Commissioner that this information is not immediately available. We shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will obtain statistics from each police force as to the number of officers who were qualified to use firearms in each force in the last year and of the number of occasions in each force when firearms were (a) used or (b) drawn (i) in cases of crime and (ii) in other cases.

It is for individual chief officers of police to decide how many police officers should be authorised to use firearms. These figures, and those relating to the number of occasions on which firearms were drawn from holsters, are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The other information requested is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he issued a letter to all regional scientific advisers concerning the quality of the British Medical Association report "The Medical Effects of Nuclear War"; and if he will make a statement.

The letter to which the question refers was dated 8 April and was issued by the Home Office scientific research and development branch, which appoints the volunteer regional scientific advisers, helps with their training and has a responsibility for keeping them informed. The intention was to inform them of the views of the Home Office and its scientists on the British Medical Association report and the weight to be attached to its criticisms of a number of aspects of civil defence planning. We are encouraged by the BMA's recent decision to cooperate on civil defence planning and we hope shortly to discuss the next steps with them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests took place in Liverpool under the Prevention of Terrorism Act between 1 January and 7 July.

Quarterly information can be derived from successive Home Office statistical bulletins (table 2 of Issues 1/83 and 6/83) copies of which are in the Library of the House. During the first quarter of 1983 6 people were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts 1974 and 1976 in the Merseyside police force area. Corresponding figures for the second quarter of 1983 will be published in the next quarterly Bulletin at the end of this month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were released from life sentences for murder over the last 10 years; and what was the average length of time served.

[pursuant to the reply, 30 June, c. 111]: Provision of all the information requested would involve disproportionate cost. The numbers of persons released from sentences for murder are given in the following table. The average time served under sentence by those first released in 1980–82 was about 10½ years. However, there is wide variation in the periods served in custody from which such averages are calculated; in these three years the periods served ranged up to 20 years and there are still in custody some who have served much longer periods. This average does not take account of any time that may have been served in other custodial care before entering a prison department establishment, nor of any time spent in custody on remand, and it does not cover time served by those who died in custody. Also it does not fully reflect the longest periods likely to be served by some of those given life sentences following the abolition of capital punishment in 1965.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the provisions that exist to assist United Kingdom citizens without birth certificates to obtain documents that will act in lieu of a birth certificate; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply. Documents are not issued in lieu of birth certificates. If a birth has not been registered and the conditions for late registration are not satisfied, then the person concerned is advised to use any other evidence which he may have available, such as a certificate of baptism, a medical record of the birth, a school record showing the date of birth, or a statutory declaration.

asked the Prime Minister what reliance the Government are placing on continuing supplies of North sea oil and gas to sustain the British economy in the event of a sustained war in Europe; and what alternative sources of energy will be available for national defence in such a circumstance, including the domestic sector.

The countries of the NATO Alliance, in accordance with their obligations as members

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any statistics as to the number of persons who have been bailed after being charged with murder.

[pursuant to his reply, 6 July 1983, c. 89]: The information now available is given in the following table:of the European Community or the International Energy Agency, hold considerable stocks of petroleum against a variety of contingencies. There are comprehensive plans for maintaining supplies to the United Kingdom and other European countries as far as is possible in the event of a war.

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report a list of all salary scales operative in (a) the Civil Service, (b) local government, (c) the National Health Service, and (d) the judiciary in July 1979 and July 1983.

The information requested in parts (a) and (c) of my hon. Friend's question could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. There are, for instance, about 1,200 salary scales in the non-industrial Civil Service. My noble Friend the Minister of State at the Privy Council Office and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services will do their best to provide my hon. Friend with such details as he requires if he writes to them specifying his requirements. The information requested in parts (b) and (d) of my hon. Friend's question is as follows:

asked the Prime Minister if she is satisfied that the use of South Africa as a staging post for the building of an airport in the Falkland Islands will not injure the United Kingdom's relationship with friendly states in the developing world.

The proposed limited use of Cape Town as a staging post is a private commercial arrangement by the civilian contractor, and will apply only to civilian personnel. It implies no change in the Government's policy towards South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to build advance factories in towns in north Pembroke; and if he will make a statement.