asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 26 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 26 April.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I shall be having further meetings later today.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make an official visit to Cornhill in the area of the Banff and Buchan district.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to pay an official visit to Staffordshire.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will seek an official meeting with President Babrak Karmal.

No.

asked the Prime Minister if she intends to discuss the report of the New Ireland Forum with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland.

The report of the New Ireland Forum has not yet been published, and the Government of the Republic of Ireland have made no proposals for discussions based upon it.

asked the Prime Minister what special factors lead to expenditure on housing in Wales being proportionately less than in other parts of the United Kingdom.

The allocation of provision to individual services within the Wales "block" is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.There is no necessary relationship between the levels of spending on a particular service in different parts of the United Kingdom.However, since 1979–80 on a per capita basis total net capital expenditure on housing in Wales has been broadly comparable to that in England, though less than that in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

asked the Prime Minister if she has any plans to merge the Manpower Services Commission with the Departments responsible for education; and if she will make a statement.

There are no plans to merge the Manpower Services Commission with the Department of Education and Science. We do not believe that such a further change in the structure of Government is required. Good communications already exist between the Department of Employment, the Department of Education and Science and the Manpower Services Commission. As we announced in the recently published White Paper "Training for Jobs" these will be further strengthened in the future.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government will allow Argentine fishermen to resume fishing in the near future in their traditional fishing grounds around the Falkland Islands; and if she will make a statement.

When the Falkland Islands protection zone was established, on 22 July 1982, it was made clear that Argentine warships and military aircraft should not enter the zone; Argentine civil aircraft and shipping were requested not to do so, unless with our prior agreement. No such agreement has been sought.

asked the Prime Minister what steps she has taken, since the coming into effect of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality on 1 April, to ensure compliance by the Cabinet Office and, in particular, with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.

The Cabinet Office took part in the surveys of the ethnic origins of non-industrial civil servants in the north-west and the county of Avon announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury in the House on 24 March 1983, at column 461. The Department's policies and procedures were reviewed before the CRE's code of practice became operative, and additional guidance and instructions have been issued. Equal opportunity officers have also been designated within the Department. We shall consider further action once the results of these surveys have been evaluated. The kind of positive action which the code recommends can be undertaken only where under-representation can be demonstrated.

asked the Prime Minister what terms of reference are being given to the Security Commission for its inquiry into the Bettaney case.

The terms of reference are:

"To investigate the circumstances in which breaches of security have or may have occurred arising out of the case of Michael John Bettaney, who was found guilty on 16 April 1984, of offences under the Official Secrets Act 1911; and to advise in the light of that investigation whether any change in security arrangements is necessary or desirable."

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were unemployed in (a) Scotland and (b) the Edinburgh travel-to-work area in February and March 1984, respectively; and what are the corresponding figures for men and women.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have been unemployed for (a) over 26 weeks and (b) over 52 weeks at the latest available date in Scotland and the Edinburgh travel-to-work area, respectively; and what are the corresponding figures for men and women.

The information is not available in the precise form requested. The following table shows the number of unemployed claimants by duration of unemployment in Scotland and in the Edinburgh travel-to-work area at 12 January 1984, the latest date for which information is available in this detail.

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish a record of correspondence, notes of discussions and other documentation to which British Airways was party concerning the arrangements for dealing with the British Airways pension scheme consequent upon privatisation.

No. These are internal management papers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were unemployed in (a) Scotland and (b) the Edinburgh travel-to-work area in February and March 1984, respectively; and what are the corresponding figures for men and women.

The information is set out in the following table.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many official National Health Service rehabilitation centres presently exist in (a) Edinburgh, (b) Leith and (c) Scotland generally, which deal with the drug addiction problem; and how many are planned for the future by the National Health Service.

There are no officially designated National Health Service rehabilitation centres in Scotland which deal with the drug addiction problem. Drug addicts are normally referred to consultant psychiatrists who see, assess, treat and rehabilitate them on an outpatient or day patient basis. Each consultant psychiatrist has one or two beds which are used for addicts who require inpatient treatment for short periods. Drug addicts in Edinburgh and Leith are mainly referred to the Royal Edinburgh hospital for treatment and addicts in the rest of Scotland to their nearest NHS premises providing psychiatric treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will name the fluorides which he is considering permitting authorities in Scotland to put in public water supplies.

I cannot anticipate what the proposed legislation on fluoridation of public water supplies might contain about fluorides. I understand that the compounds used previously in Scotland and in use in England and Wales are hexafluorosilicic acid H₂ Si F₆ and sodium hexafluorosilicate Na₂ Si F₆.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which hospitals in the west of Scotland have the facilities for the treatment of drug addicts.

All mental illness hospitals in the west of Scotland have facilities for the assessment, and where appropriate, the treatment of drug addicts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many drug addicts under the age of 20 years have been treated in hospitals by year, since 1979; and what percentage of the total number of drug addicts treated this represents.

The number of admissions of persons under the age of 20 years to mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units in Scotland with a principal diagnosis of drug dependence for the years 1979 to 1982 (the latest year for which the information is available centrally) and the percentage of the total number of admissions of drug addicts this represents was:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many drug addicts have been treated in hospitals, by year, since 1979.

The number of admissions to mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units in Scotland with a principal diagnosis of drug dependence for the years 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 (the latest year for which the information is available centrally) was 181, 179, 168 and 226 respectively. The 1982 figure is provisional. Information is not available centrally about the number of drug addicts who have been treated as outpatients.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an assurance that Inverclyde district council and Strathclyde regional council will be consulted with regard to any plans Trafalgar House may have for land surplus to the requirements of the Scott Lithgow business.

At the request of my right hon. Friend, the Scottish Development Agency is discussing with Trafalgar House the possible acquisition of any land surplus to Scott Lithgow's requirements with a view to the initiation of measures to help the Inverclyde economy, in which the agency will be co-operating fully with the local authorities and other interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken, since the coming into effect of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality on 1 April, to ensure compliance by his Department and, in particular, with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.

A statement on procedures and policies on race relations within the Civil Service has already been circulated throughout my Department. An equal opportunities officer has been designated within the Department but no ethnic monitoring has been undertaken. Copies of the commission's code of practice will shortly be distributed to personnel management staff in my Department. Future action on ethnic monitoring will be considered once the surveys carried out in the north-west and Avon have been evaluated. The kind of positive action which the code recommends is appropriate only where under-representation can be demonstrated.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what savings will result from his plans to control the parallel importation of drugs into the United Kingdom;(2) what studies of the effects on investment, employment and the balance of payments were undertaken by his Department before he announced Her Majesty's Government's policy on parallel drug imports.

My right hon. Friend's announcement on 5 April in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Morris), at columns 647–48, was concerned solely with plans to ensure the safety of imported medicines. It is very unlikely that any savings to public funds will accrue directly from the exercise of the proposed controls as the present practice of parallel importing does not involve any additional cost to public funds. We consider the effects on investment and employment in the British pharmaceutical industry and on the balance of payments whenever we make any policy changes in this area together with the interests of the taxpayer as customer and the paramount importance of patient safety.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken, since the coining into effect of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality on 1 April, to ensure compliance by his Department and, in particular, with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.

The Department took part in the surveys of the ethnic origins of non-industrial civil servants in the north-west and the county of Avon announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury in the House on 24 March 1983, at column 461. The Department's policies and procedures were reviewed before the Commission for Racial Equality's code of practice became operative and additional guidance and instructions have been issued. Equal opportunity officers have also been designated within the Department. We shall consider further action once the results of these surveys have been evaluated.The kind of positive action which the code recommends can be undertaken only where under-representation can be demonstrated.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to amend the regulations governing single payments for essential furniture and household equipment.

When the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payment) Regulations were consolidated in 1981, the wording of what is now regulation 10(1)(b) was changed with the intention of clarifying the effect of the regulation concerning the circumstances in which single payments for essential furniture and household equipment could be made to supplementary benefit claimants. A recent decisron of a social security commissioner has ruled that the effect of the regulation in force before 1981 was different from what it was believed and intended to be at the time, that the effect of the regulation was therefore unintentionally changed on consolidation, and that the current regulation is invalid to the extent of that change. My right hon. Friend has therefore today laid before Parliament the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Regulations 1984, which restore what was originally intended to be the effect of this provision, as reflected in the wording of the current consolidated regulations. These regulations will come into effect on 27 April 1984 and are today being referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under the provisions of section 10(7) of the Social Security Act 1980. The committee will report on them to my right hon. Friend in due course.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he has decided on the percentage of the national milk productivity quota to keep back for hardship cases and on the method of allocation to hardship cases and their right of appeal;(2) if he has now decided on what yearly production will be the basis for calculating farm quotas on milk production under the new European Economic Community system.

Difficult decisions have had to be taken to bring the Community milk surplus under control. Despite the efforts to restrain the milk surplus, including such earlier measures as the co-responsibility levy, milk production in the Community has continued to outrun consumption. Unless something had been done immediately, milk deliveries to dairies in 1984 could have been expected to rise to over 106 million tonnes. At the same time, consumption looked like being only about 86 million tonnes. This substantial surplus is extremely cosily to get rid of and the markets for it are very limited indeed The aim of the supplementary levy is to cut back the deliveries to dairies over the next 12 months to just under 100 million tonnes. In the discussions leading up to this decision the United Kingdom pressed the case for price cuts to right the balance of the market and to stimulate consumption. None the less, I do not think we should underestimate the difficulties that this course of action, supported by the MMB, would have caused. There is no painless solution to an acute surplus problem. However, most Community countries were opposed to the size of price cut that would have been necessary and a supplementary levy and quota scheme as proposed by the Commission was the only possible alternative. It had been under detailed consideration in Brussels since July last year and subject to extensive discussion in Parliament and with the interests concerned. As adopted by the Council the scheme provides for a higher ceiling for quotas in the first year. To have extended the transitional period would have greatly increased the financial cost of the surplus production. As it is, it has been necessary to increase the co-responsibility levy to finance the extra disposal costs involved.The decisions taken in the Council of Ministers lay down the main framework of the new quota scheme, but a number of important details have still to be settled. These are being discussed urgently in the management committee in Brussels and officials are keeping in close touch with representatives of the industry and the trade. In the meantime I have sent all milk producers a note (a copy of which I have placed in the Library) explaining as fully as possible at this stage how the scheme will work.In England and Wales the Milk Marketing Board will be responsible for implementing the supplementary levy, both for those producers who sell their milk to the board and for those who sell direct. The board has sent to each individual producer who sells direct to the board an indication of his provisional initial quota, together with an indication of how the board will administer the scheme. In England and Wales a reserve of some 2·5 per cent of the total MMB quota will be set aside to make some allowance for special cases and, after making allowance for that, the average producer selling through the MMB will be given an initial provisional quota 9 per cent. less than his 1983 deliveries.Those producers who sell milk direct will be notified of their individual provisional quotas as soon as the relevant details have been settled in Brussels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing imports into the European Economic Community and the United State of America respectively of milk products, cotton, sugar and groundnuts, together with the quotas and tariffs levies applicable in each case.

The information requested on volumes of imports into the European Community and the United States is shown for 1982 in the following table.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish

The information on "production targets" concerning cereals, rapeseed (colza) and on milk is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the quota system for sugar was introduced; what are the quotas for each country in the European Economic Community; and if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing production and consumption of sugar in each country each year since the quotas were introduced, together with the amount exported from the European Economic Community as a whole to third countries.

Quotas were included in regulation (EEC) 1009/67 of 21 December 1967 and applied from the

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers came into dairying in the two 12 months periods, 1 October 1981 to 1 October 1982 and 1 October 1982 to 1 October 1983; and how many cows this represents.

No information is available on the number of new entrants into dairying nor how many cows this might represent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers went out of dairying in the two 12-month periods, 1 October 1981 to 1 October 1982 and 1 October 1982 to 1 October 1983; and how many cows this represents.

The information required is not available in the form requested. The only details available relate to numbers of dairy holdings and the numbers of dairy cows on them. This information as at the June census for England and Wales is as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken, since the coming into effect of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality on 1 April, to ensure compliance by his Department and, in particular, with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.

My Department took part in the surveys of the ethnic origins of non-industrial civil servants in the north-west and the county of Avon announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury in the House on 24 March 1983, at column 465. My Department's policies and procedures were reviewed before CRE's code of practice became operative, and additional guidance and instructions have been issued. Equal opportunity officers have also been designated within the department. We shall consider further action once the results of these surveys have been evaluated. The kind of positive action which the code recommends can be undertaken only where under-representation can be demonstrated.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many letters which have been with his Department for four, six, eight, 10 and over 12 weeks, respectively, as at 10 April and which were from Members of Parliament remain without substantive replies from his Department.

[pursuant to his reply, 25 April 1984]: At 10 April 1984, five letters sent to my Department from Members of Parliament had not received substantive replies. Of these, three had been with the Department for four weeks and two for six weeks. At 24 April only two of these remained without substantive replies.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he plans to implement any recommendations by the Civil Aviation Authority in its review of civil air transport in advance of receiving the inspector's report on Stansted; and if he will make a statement.

I cannot say in advance of receiving the authority's report on its review when we might implement any recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with representatives of port workers concerning his proposal to repeal section 9 of the Harbours Act 1964; and if he will make a statement.

None. We saw no need to carry out any formal consultations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received objecting to the proposed repealing of section 9 of the Harbours Act 1964.

Very few. I have received one letter from the British Ports Association and another from the General Council of British Shipping, both favouring the retention by the Government of their powers under section 9, but each proposing that only sparing use should be made of them. I have also noted the motion on the Order Paper in the name of the hon. Member and other hon. and right hon. Members.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, before he lays the order to revoke the control of harbour development orders which give effect to section 9 of the Harbours Act 1964, if he will meet a deputation of hon. Members representing port areas and trade union representatives as a matter of urgency.

The Control of Harbour Development (Revocation) Order 1984 was laid on 17 April but is subject to the annulment procedure by virtue of section 54(2) of the Harbours Act 1964. I am willing to meet a deputation of hon. Members and trade union representatives at any time.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if there has been any recent application to construct a container terminal at Falmouth; and if he will make a statement.

Falmouth Container Terminal Ltd. reapplied for authorisation under section 9 of the Harbours Act 1964 on 7 October last.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what effect the construction of a container terminal at Falmouth will have on the port of Liverpool;(2) if he will estimate the effects of the construction of a container terminal at Falmouth on the port of London.

If it were to be constructed, the effect of a container terminal at Falmouth on other ports would depend on how much, and what type of traffic it secures, where such traffic comes from and on the competitiveness of any such container terminal.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what new traffic is expected to be attracted to any proposed new development of the Falmouth container terminal;(2) what evidence he has received that any new traffic will be attracted to any proposed container terminal at Falmouth.

Falmouth Container Terminal Ltd. has provided us, in confidence, with information on its assessment of the potential use of its proposed terminal. It would not be proper for me either to disclose or to comment on that information.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if the Falmouth Container Terminal Ltd. has made any application under the European regional development fund and section 8 of the Railways Act 1974 for financial assistance towards any application to construct a container terminal at Falmouth.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated total cost of the construction of a container terminal at Falmouth.

The estimated cost quoted by Falmouth Container Terminal Ltd. in its Harbours Act reapplication of October 1983 was £71 million.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many jobs will be created by the development of a container terminal at Falmouth.

The promoters have estimated upwards of 200 jobs inside the terminal with spin-off effects in the locality.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if any public money will be given towards any proposed new road network if a container terminal is constructed at Falmouth.

It is too soon to speculate what needs might arise if and when this terminal is built. Expenditure by county councils on new roads is eligible for transport supplementary grant. It would be for the Cornwall county council to decide whether to include any new road in the transport policy and programme it submits to my right hon. Friend each year. The promoters of the terminal envisage that most of the traffic will be transhipped by sea or carried by rail to inland destinations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken since the coming into effect of the code of the Commission for Racial Equality on 1 April, to ensure compliance by his Department and, in particular, with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.

My Department took part in the surveys of the ethnic origins of non-industrial civil servants in the north-west and the county of Avon announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury in the House on 24 March 1983 at column 461. We shall consider further action, once the results of these surveys have been evaluated. The kind of positive action the code recommends can be undertaken only where under-representation can be demonstrated. My Department's policies and procedures were reviewed before the CRE's code of practice became operative. An equal opportunity officer has also been designated within my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 3 April, Official Report, column 441–2, to the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe, if he has any plans to review eligibility rules for the orange badge scheme.

This would be premature for the reason stated in the reply I gave my hon. Friend on 9 April at column 27.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport why the coastguard station at Ballycastle is not manned during adverse weather conditions; whether there is another permanently manned station on that part of the coast; how long it takes to have the Ballycastle station manned when an incident occurs; and what assurances he can give to the inhabitants of Rathlin island regarding their safety should they be caught by adverse weather while crossing to or from the mainland of Northern Ireland.

[pursuant to the reply, Wednesday 25 April 1984, c. 520]: The auxiliary coastguard lookout at Ballycastle (in common with nearly all similar stations in the United Kingdom) is manned only when circumstances make it necessary. There is continuous VHF distress coverage off the Antrim coast from the Belfast maritime rescue sub-centre. This is the only permanently manned coastguard station in Northern Ireland.A regular coastguard sector officer is based at Ballycastle; he is responsible for an auxiliary coastguard team who can man the Ballycastle station at a few minutes' notice.Vessels plying between Rathlin island and the mainland should be properly equipped for this open sea passage: they should carry VHF radio, amongst other safety equipment, and with its aid would be able to keep in touch with the Belfast centre throughout their crossing. By this means, if the need occurred, the rescue services would be alerted very quickly. There is an auxilliary coastguard unit based on Rathlin island itself.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has for capital investment in secondary schools in the constituency of Strangford.

The Department of Education for Northern Ireland has approved in principle proposals for major capital schemes at Comber high school, Movilla high school, Newtownards and St. Columba's high school, Portaferry. Discussions have taken place with the governors of Lagan college about additional accommodation for that school but a capital scheme has not yet been approved.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners in prisons in Northern Ireland are serving sentences for terrorist offences.

Out of 1,960 sentenced inmates in custody on 11 March just over 1,400— approximately 72 per cent.—were serving sentences for scheduled offences.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans to visit the Republic of Ireland after the report of the New Ireland Forum is published; and if he will make a statement.

I have at present no plans to visit the Republic of Ireland, but I expect to meet members of the Government there from time to time within the framework of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council to consider matters of mutual concern.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about proposals to reduce unemployment in Northern Ireland.

Economic activity in the Province is improving and this is helping to stabilise the employment situation. However the rate of unemployment remains high. This is partly due to the increased number of people of working age who have entered the labour market in recent years. However there are some encouraging signs.The small business sector has been particularly buoyant and the Local Enterprise Development Unit has demonstrated marked success in fostering new business start-ups. Despite the difficult economic times there are welcome signs of re-investment with the support of the Industrial Development Board by major companies already established in Northern Ireland. I have also been heartened by the ability of Shorts, and Harland and Wolff, to compete for and win business in the most competitive of industrial sectors. Government intend to build on this progress and to strengthen and develop the local industrial base to ensure that the Province can take full advantage of the growing national and international economic recovery.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has made representations to the United States Government regarding the raising of funds in the United States of America for Noraid; and if he will make a statement.

We are concerned about any support, moral or financial, which may be given to terrorist organisations in Northern Ireland. My right hon. Friend spoke to the United States ambassador about these matters in February. We are grateful for the forthright condemnation of terrorism in Northern Ireland by President Reagan just before St. Patrick's Day.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.