asked the Prime Minister what mechanisms exist for consultations between the Departments headed by the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry before licences are issued for oil exploration in areas of high landscape value.

The award of licences to permit exploration for and exploitation of our onshore petroleum resources is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy. There is no formal mechanism for involvement of other Departments in this matter. The provisions he has laid down for the exercise of rights under these licences requre that such exercise is subject to the full rigours of the planning process. I believe that this procedure is the best and most appropriate safeguard for environmental and amenity issues.

asked the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report her proposals on the Falklands delivered in Buenos Aires on 6 April; and what response she has had from the Argentine Government.

Details of the messages exchanged between this country and the Argentine Government through the protecting powers must remain confidential. We understand that the Argentine Government are still considering their response to our message of 6 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she has given any commitment to agree an increase in European Economic Community own resources if the budget is fairly reallocated and agricultural expenditure is brought under satisfactory control.

As I have repeatedly made clear, we are prepared to consider an increase in the Community's own resources provided that there is effective control of agricultural and other expenditure and a fair sharing of the budgetary burden.

asked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government will make it their policy not to agree to make any major loan to the European Economic Community until it has been debated and agreed to by the House.

No formal proposal has been received. But it is normal Government policy not to agree to any new proposal from the European Commission until the Committee on European Legislation has had an opportunity to consider and report on the relevant documents and to recommend whether they should be further considered by the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he intends to publish his official review of the scope for new initiatives in the field of domestic sector energy efficiency and the special measures aimed at enabling low income households to obtain the benefits of energy efficiency.

The Energy Efficiency Office is studying with other interested Departments how low-income groups might be helped to improve the efficiency with which they use fuel. I have no present plans for publishing the advice I receive. This is one aspect of the office's general role of reviewing the scope for initiatives in the domestic sector.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to launch the home energy audit advice and treatment scheme; how and by how much it will be financed; how it will be promoted; and who will be involved in its implementation.

The Home Energy Audit advice and treatment scheme is being developed by the HEAT company, which plans to test it in the autumn by means of a commercial pilot. The Energy Efficiency Office has commissioned the Building Research Establishment to develop an audit system—at a cost of some £150,000— which will be licensed to the company. In addition, the Energy Efficiency Office has agreed to pay up to 49 percent. of the company's costs up to a maximum payment of £59,000 to cover the development and testing of the scheme. The remainder of the finance for the company is being provided by non-Government backers. The Government expect that if the pilot is successful the scheme's non-Government backers will continue support to commercial viability.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if the new regime for onshore licensing will involve changes to the Petroleum (Production) Regulations.

The implementation of the new regime for onshore licensing will necessitate revised Petroleum (Production) Regulations. These are currently being drafted.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if the Anglo-French agreement of July 1983 on disclosure to each other of details of accidents in civil nuclear installations covers that at Cap de la Hague.

I have been asked to reply.

asked the Attorney-General if Her Majesty's Government have any plans to establish a fund from which accident victims could claim compensation in cases where the defendants are not adequately insured to meet the damages awarded.

The Government have at present no such plans but there is a limited scheme for road accident victims run by the Motor Insurers Bureau.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given to reducing the number of animals used in any one experiment; and if he will make a statement.

This is a matter of great concern to the Government. Advances are continually being made in reducing the numbers of animals used in safety or potency testing and the Government welcome any further developments consistent with the maintenance of safety standards for man and animals. Existing controls are strict and it is regular practice for the numbers of animals in certain types of experiment to be limited as a condition of the licence. A feature of the project licensing system, which will be introduced under new legislation to replace the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, will be a requirement for an applicant to specify as accurately as possible the number of animals he proposes to use. Both the independent scientific assessor to whom the project will be referred and the inspector will be able to challenge numbers if they think there is a possibility of poor experimental design or other animal wastage. I am confident that the new controls will be even more successful in ensuring that animals are not used unnecessarily. The number of animals used in experiments has shown a most welcome reduction in recent years from 5,385,575 in 1977 to 4,221,801 in 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alternatives to experimentation on animals are being investigated and evaluated; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that a number of firms and organisations are actively trying to reduce the number of animals used in experiments and to develop and evaluate alternatives. All scientists working with living animals are regularly reminded of the need to seek and adopt alternatives wherever possible. In recent years there have been a number of developments in the use of isolated organs and cell and tissue cultures and the Government welcome these. In particular we warmly welcome the work of the fund for the replacement of animals in medical experiments. A proposal for Government financial assistance to FRAME is under active consideration at the moment.

The Government are concerned that eye irritancy tests should be performed only when absolutely necessary, and then only using the lowest dose which will produce valid data. All animals used in eye tests are protected by the standard condition attached to licences that they shall not suffer severe pain which is likely to endure. Published guidance, such as the DHSS guidelines for the testing of chemicals for toxicity, reminds scientists of the desirability of in vitro tests to ensure that severe corneal irritants are not applied to animals' eyes. Where it is necessary to test substances which have passed the initial screening, which may include chemical tests or tests on the skin or isolated eye, the precise dose in any particular case must be a matter for the scientists responsible for designing the test or in accordance with any regulatory protocols.Licensees in general are fully aware of the desirability of using low doses wherever possible and of devising non-sentient alternatives to eye irritancy tests. There is active research in this area both in this country and abroad, and the Government welcome any advances that can be made. Under our proposals for new legislation, all eye irritancy tests will have to be specifically authorised.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the arrest and detention of the Libyan press attaché, indicating why he was held and for how long.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that Mr. Omar El Sudani was arrested at 8.45 am on 17 April in St. James's Square for obstructing the police in the execution of their duty, contrary to section 51(3) of the Police Act 1964. He remained at Vine Street police station pending the completion of inquiries, and was released at 2.25 am on 18 April without charge.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fires resulting in death or injury in domestic premises were found to have been caused by paraffin stoves in the latest year for which figures are available.

The numbers of non-fatal and fatal casualties from fires in dwellings ignited by oil or petroleum fuelled space heating appliances in 1982 are published in table 31 of "Fire Statistics, United Kingdom 1982". Seventy of the 73 non-fatal casualties and all five of the deaths resulted from 53 fires in which the applicance concerned is known to have been fuelled by paraffin or kerosene.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the fire service inspectorate has ever expressed concern over the use of paraffin stoves in high rise flats.

The fire safety hazards of paraffin heaters are well recognised by all those with practical experience in this field. Guidance on how to prevent fires from this and other common sources of ignition is contained in a Home Office leaflet on fire safety in high rise flats, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost to date of the police operation at the Libyan people's bureau.

I understand from the commissioner that it is too soon to say.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the first indication was received by Her Majesty's Government that it was possible that the Government in Libya were issuing directions to their bureau in London about the recent demonstration.

It is not the practice to comment in detail on intelligence matters. But, as I informed the House on 25 April, at column 747, no specific information was in our hands before the incident in St. James's Square on 17 April which would have led us to believe that such an incident would occur when it did.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department received from the Daily Mail newspaper about the application for British citizenship made recently by Miss Zola Budd.

The Daily Mail asked for guidance about Miss Budd's and her parents' immigration and nationality position and were told that if Miss Budd's father could produce evidence of his own British citizenship he could come here with his wife and daughter, and that Miss Budd could then apply for registration as a British citizen under section 3(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981. In response to their request for priority to be given to her application, the Daily Mail was informed that her application would be looked at with sympathy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assurances have been given by Miss Budd about her staying as a resident in the United Kingdom following the granting of United Kingdom citizenship; and if she was asked whether she would be returning to South Africa in due course.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Small Heath (Mr. Howell) on 25 April at column 480.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1979 applications for British citizenship have been taken out of turn, following a request for priority and the merits of the case being judged sufficient to justify it; and on how many such occasions citizenship has been granted within 10 days of the application being made.

Applications are generally considered in the order they are received but any request for priority to be given to a particular application is carefully considered on its merits. Statistics of the number of such requests are not kept.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the minimum and what is the maximum time taken during the past 12 months to process applications for citizenship in cases of (a) entitlement and (b) discretion.

Statistics are not kept in this form. The time taken to complete the consideration of an application for citizenship varies considerably according to the nature of the case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications for citizenship from people residing in the city of Leicester are at present being processed; and what is the longest time that any of these have so far taken to complete processing in cases of (a) entitlement and (b) discretion, respectively;(2) what is the maximum and what is the mininimum time taken to process applications from residents in the city of Leicester during the past 12 months, in cases of

The information requested is not available. No record of applicants according to place of residence is kept.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in fulfilling the commitment given in Standing Committee E to reexamine clause 13 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Bill; and if he will make a statement.

The Government made clear in Standing Committee that they were prepared to reconsider the case for keeping special protection for journalists' material in part II of the Police and Criminal Evidence Bill, in the light of any further views on this subject from those who speak for the profession. In the intervening period the Government have engaged in extensive consultation, from which it is clear that there does not at present exist a clear consensus for a change to the Bill's provisions. The Government remain prepared to listen to representations on this point, however, and have not ruled out the possibility of a change in the Bill's provisions if the evidence suggests that this would be right. In the meantime the Government will be bringing forward an amendment to clause 13, designed to make clear that material received unsolicited for the purposes of journalism is covered by the protection afforded by the clause.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals currently have permission to remain in the United Kingdom as students at universities and polytechnics; and if he will break this figure down by country.

Information in the form requested is not available, but I would refer my hon. Friend to the information published in "Control of Immigration: Statistics"—table 1 of the latest issue, Cmnd. 8944, for 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of all prisoners in English and Welsh prisons, what percentage have been remand prisoners in 1983 and 1984 to date.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 April 1984,c. 53]: The readily available information is given in the following table:

Population of untried and convicted unsentenced prisoners as percentage of the total population of prison department establishments in England and Wales
				Percentages
	1st quarter	2nd quarter	3rd quarter	4th quarter
1983	16·6	17·4	18·3	18·2
1984	18·6	—	—	—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of (a) remand prisoners and (b) short-term prisoners in English and Welsh prisons, giving numbers for each prison separately.

[pursuant to his reply, 9 April 1984,c. 53]: The information requested is given in the attached table.

Population of untried or convicted unsentenced prisoners and sentenced prisoners* serving sentences of 18 months or less in prison department establishments in England and Wales on 29 Februrary 1984, by establishment and type of prisoner
		Number‡
Establishment†	Untried or convicted unsentenced	Sentenced to 18 months or less*
Acklington	—	126
Aldington	—	98
Ashford	265	53
Ashwell	—	305
Askham Grange	—	74
Aylesbury	—	1
Bedford	161	122
Birmingham	388	409
Blantyre House	—	95
Blundeston	—	33
Bristol	125	237
Brixton	581	76
Brockhill	238	—
Buckley Hall	—	68
Bullwood Hall	—	100
Camp Hill	4	155
Campsfield House	—	55
Canterbury	152	92
Cardiff	143	261
Channings Wood	—	132
Castington	—	136
Chelmsford	132	4
Coldingley	72	8
Cockham Wood	—	83
Dartmoor	—	86
Deerbolt	—	262
Dorchester	79	93
Dover	—	195
Drake Hall	—	214
Durham	260	372

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance is available to small exporting businesses in Great Britain to help them overcome non-tariff barriers imposed by other members of the European Community.

Information and advice about non-tariff barriers to trade are available to small exporting businesses in the United Kingdom through the market branches of the British Overseas Trade Board supplemented by our commercial diplomatic posts in western Europe. The BOTB gives financial support to technical help to exporters (THE), part of the British Standards Institution, which offers information and advice about how to comply with overseas standards and the technical requirements. Currently, firms with under 200 employees may obtain up to £100 worth of advice from THE free of charge. The BOTB also sponsors the simplification of international trade procedures board (SITPRO) whose function is to help rationalise international trade procedures and associated documentation. In addition, the Government play a full part in the discussions of the Council of Ministers aimed at reducing paperwork and removing technical barriers to trade within the European Community.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will release sub-regional data for Devon and Cornwall on gross domestic product, service sector employment, private sector research firms and office jobs relocated from London.

Statistics of gross domestic product for Devon and Cornwall are already published by the Central Statistical Office for the most recent year for which data is available, that is, 1979 in Economic Trends — an HMSO publication. The latest statistics on employment that are available to the Department of Employment indicate that the numbers employed in the service sector in Cornwall and Devon in September 1981 are 78,400 and 210,600 respectively; more disaggregated statistics concerning activities within the service sector are available from Department of Employment on request. Comprehensive information on the relocation of office jobs from London is not available from Department of Trade and Industry sorces. The Department's records show that under the office and service industry scheme, three firms have accepted offers of assistance to move from London to Devon and Cornwall since 1979, involving an estimated 180 jobs.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will refer any proposals for the sale of The Observer newspaper to the Monopolies Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Any proposals for the sale of The Observer newspaper will fall to be considered in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he takes to ensure proper declaration of donations by foreign-owned companies to British political parties;(2) if he is satisfied with the operation of section 19 of section of the Companies Act 1967; and if he will make a statement;(3) if he will take further steps to regulate the declaration of donations by foreign-owned companies to British political parties; and if he will make a statement;(4) what information he has as to the level of donations ' by foreign-owned and foreign registered companies to British political parties; and if he will make a statement.

The Companies Acts, and section 19 of the 1967 Act in particular, apply to all British-registered companies, regardless of the nationality of any of their shareholders. Information is not compiled separately for foreign-owned companies, and could not be obtained without disproprortionate expense. Foreign-registered companies without a place of business in the United Kingdom are not subject to the Acts.On the information availble to me I am satisfied. with the operation of the law as it stands.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years fall into each of the following categories and what level of grant or public support is given to each category: (a) students in full-time education and in receipt of grant and (b) students in full-time education but not in receipt of a grant.

In 1982–83 there were just over 1 million students between the ages of 16 and 24 (inclusive) in full-time or sandwich education in England. Information on the 25-year-old age group is not separately available. Information on students in receipt of maintenance awards is not available by age.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give, for England, the level of grant provided by his Department to the Educational Centres Association in cash terms and real terms, using 1981–82 as the base year, for each year since 1981–82 and the estimate for 1984–85.

The grants to the Educational Centres Association for financial years 1981–82 to 1984–85 are as follows:

	£ cash	cost terms*(base 1981–82)
1981–82	17,000	17,000
1982–83	17,000	15,944
1983–84	17,600	15,647
1984–85 (estimated)	18,000	15,277
* These figures have been adjusted for general inflation by the application of the GDP deflator at market prices for intervening years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will indicate, in percentage terms, the size of the cut in funding, through grant aid from his Department, to the Workers Educational Association and the Educational Centres Association, respectively, which has been estimated for 1984–85

Organisation	Financial year		Percentage
	1983–84	1984–85*	change
	—	—
National Union of Townswomen's Guilds	12,000	12,400	+3
National Federation of Women's Institutes	15,600	15,600	nil
Workers' Educational Association Headquarters	45,200	47,000	+4
National Council of YMCAs	10,200	10,200	nil
British Theatre Association	13,500	13,500	nil
Educational Centres Association	17,600	18,000	+2
National Housewives Register	5,000	5,200	+4
National Association of Women's Clubs	26,500	27,000	+2
National Federation of Community Organisations	21,000	21,700	+3
National Institute of Adult Continuing Education	79,000	†81,000	+1
Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit	1,439,267	1,450,000	+1
Pre-retirement Association	75,000	75,000	nil
British Chess Federation	32,000	33,000	+3
* Estimate.
† Excluding grant to the NIACE development unit of at least £50,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give, for England, the level of grant aid provided by his Department to the Workers Educational Association in cash terms and real terms, using 1981–82 as the base year, for each year since 1981–82 and the estimate for 1984–85.

The grants to the Workers Educational Association districts in England for academic years are as follows:

	£ million
1981–82	1·970
1982–83	2·209
1983–84	2·401

Final grant for the academic year 1984–85 has not yet been announced but is expected to be of the order of £2.44 million. It is not possible to adjust this grant in cost terms since available GDP deflators relate to financial, rather than academic years.Grants to the Workers Educational Association for headquarters expenditure in England for financial years are as follows:

Final grant for the academic year 1984–85 to the Workers Educational Association districts has not yet been announced but is expected to be a little under 2 per cent. more than in 1983–84. WEA headquarters grant in financial year 1984–85 will be 4 per cent. more than in 1983–84. The Educational Centres Association grant in financial year 1984–85 is 2·3 per cent. above that for 1983–84.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list, for England, all the adult education organisations funded by his Department, the type of funding in each case, the level of provision for each in 1983–84 and the estimate for 1984–85 and, also in each case, the difference between the above in percentage terms.

The total grants paid to national associations by the Department under regulation 19 of the Education (Grant) Regulations 1983 are as follows:

	£ million cash	£ million cost terms*(base 1981–82)
1981–82	0·043	0·043
1982–83	0·045	0·042
1983–84	0·045	0·040
1984–85	0·047	0·040
*These figures have been adjusted for general inflation by the application of the GDP deflator at market prices for intervening years.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide a breakdown by nationality of the numbers of foreign students in full-time and part-time education in each university and polytechnic.

This information is not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current cost to public funds arising from foreign students at each university and polytechnic.

Tuition fees for students from abroad (other than those from the European Community) are, as a general principle, expected to cover the full cost of the education provided.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to collect information about the number of complaints reported to local authorities about the transport of live animals.

No. I do not consider that there would be worthwhile advantages in adding this task to the burdens of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give, for England and Wales, respectively, the area of land newly-forested in each year since 1979 making a distinction between coniferous plantations and other forestry schemes.

The information requested is as follows:

Year ended	New Planting
31 March	Conifers	Broadleaves	Total
England
1980	1,368	344	1,712
1981	992	383	1,375
1982	1,041	312	1,353
1983	1,475	468	1,943
Wales
1980	1,300	53	1,353
1981	1,187	57	1,244
1982	1,289	41	1,330
1983	1,276	71	1,347

These figures cover planting by the Forestry Commission and by private owners under the Commission's grant aid schemes. Similar information for the year ended 31 March 1984 is not yet available centrally.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give, for England and Wales, respectively, the area of land cleared of deciduous woods in each full year since 1979.

The only comprehensive information available is that provided by the recent reports of the Forestry Commission's census of woodlands and trees. Although these reports do not show how the position has altered from year to year, they do indicate that the total broadleaved cover in England and Wales has not declined since the last complete census in 1947.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the area of land newly-afforested since January 1980 in England and Wales, respectively, and if he will indicate those proportions planted by the Forestry Commission and private landowners, respectively.

The information requested, which is recorded by complete financial years and at present is available only to 31 March 1983, is as follows:

Year ended	New Planting
31 March	Forestry Commission	Private Owners	Total
England
1980	898	814	1,712
1981	470	905	1,375

Year ended	New Planting
31 March	Forestry Commission	Private Owners	Total
1982	558	795	1,353
1983	429	1,514	1,943
Wales
1980	797	556	1,353
1981	683	561	1,244
1982	326	1,004	1,330
1983	436	911	1,347

The private planting shown is that carried out under the Forestry Commission's grant-aid schemes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will give the cost of each land drainage scheme undertaken in England since January 1980 and the total cost of all those schemes;(2) if he will give the number of drainage schemes undertaken in England since January 1980; if he will list them individually giving the amount of land drained in each case; and if he will give the total area of land drained in England since January 1980.

I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department takes to monitor the number of salmon running up rivers in England and Wales.

None. Water authorities in England and Wales have a statutory duty to maintain, improve and develop the salmon fisheries in their areas and the monitoring of the number of salmon running up their rivers thus falls to them. However, my Department gives advice to the water authorities on the use of fish counters and has taken on responsibility for collating and publishing the salmon and migratory trout catch statistics collected by the water authorities, commencing with the 1983 figures.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in view of the fact that certain of the recommendations in Sir Neil Marten's recent report for the development of St. Helena have been made public, he will now place a copy of the report in the Library.

Sir Neil Marten visited St. Helena as my personal representative and, therefore, reported personally to me. The issues raised in the report are under consideration and any decisions arising from it will be announced in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements have been made for an inspection of the Royal Ulster Constabulary; and whether the House will be informed of the result.

An inspection of the Royal Ulster Constabulary is currently being carried out by Her Majesty's inspector of constabulary for the north-western region. In keeping with the procedure in England and Wales it is not the practice publicly to disclose the contents of inspectors' reports.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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, in connection with the recommendations in respect of ethnic monitoring and of positive action, respectively.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 April 1984, c.594]: In respect of the Home Civil Service, the policies and procedures of the Northern Ireland Office were reviewed before the Commission for Racial Equality's Code of Practice became operative, and additional guidance and instructions have been issued. An Equal Opportunity Officer has also been designated within the Department.We have not carried out any ethnic monitoring either in the home or Northern Ireland Civil Services, but we shall consider further action once the results of surveys in the north-west and Avon announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury, in the House on 24 March 1983 at column 465, have been evaluated. The kind of positive action the code recommends can be undertaken only where under-representation can be demonstrated.The Race Relations Act does not apply to Northern Ireland.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what discussions the Minister for the Arts has had with the chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain concerning the council's new strategy document entitled "The Glory of the Garden"; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what discussions the Minister for the Arts has had with the chairman of the Arts Council about its publication, "The Glory of the Garden".

My noble Friend has discussed the findings of the strategy review with the chairman of the Arts Council. He commends the council's review of its priorities and welcomes the emphasis on regional needs.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts over what time scale the Government propose to fund the Arts Council.

Provision will be made for the Arts Council within the arts and libraries programme set out in the Government's expenditure plans up to 1986–87 Cmnd. 9143). These plans are subject to annual review in the usual way. Provision for later years is not yet determined.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts if he will make a statement on support of the arts, following the publication of the Arts Council review.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Mr. Jessel) today.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what, following the abolition of the Greater London council, are the major problems for distribution of public funds in support of the arts in London.

My noble Friend announced on 11 April at column 1268 the Government's general plans for support of the arts following the abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils. No major problems are forseen for distribution of that part of the total sum relevant to London.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts when the Minister for the Arts expects to reply to the report of the Education, Science and Arts Committee on the effect of the abolition of the Greater London council and metropolitan authorities upon support for the arts.

The report of the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Arts was published on 13 April. The Government welcome many of its recommendations, which are in broad line with their own thinking. A reply will be made as soon as the details of the report have been studied carefully.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts if the Minister for the Arts is satisfied that the Welsh Arts Council is in receipt of sufficient funds to ensure the balanced development of the arts in Wales through the medium of both the Welsh and English languages.

The Arts Council of Great Britain determines the annual allocation to the Welsh Arts Council, taking into account the need to make provision for the arts in both the English and the Welsh languages.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what overseas training areas are available for use by British forces; and when these were last used.

British forces make use of training areas in the following countries and territories: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Falkland Islands and dependencies, Fiji, France, West Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Sudan, Turkey, USA.Training areas in all those countries and territories have been used within the past year.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries British Loan Service personnel have been stationed during each of the last five years; and how many per country per year.

It has not been our policy to disclose numbers of loan service personnel serving in every country on territory overseas, but this is under current review. My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member in the light of the outcome.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence in which United States naval exercises in the Caribbean basin the Royal Navy has participated during each of the past five years.

As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces told the House on 1 November 1983, at column 727, we conduct joint naval exercises with the United States Navy in the area from time to time. The information requested is not, however, held centrally and could only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence which Army regiments currently have personnel stationed in Belize.

The regiment currently serving in Belize is 3rd battalion the Parachute Regiment. There are also units from Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Signals, Army Air Corps and supporting elements.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy personnel are stationed in Belize, other than those engaged in training the Belize Defence Force.

The British garrison in Belize consists of around 1,500 service men.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence with which countries agreements, registered with the United Nations, have been concluded providing for the secondment of British military personnel.

Most international treaties and agreements are registered with the United Nations. Loan service personnel are generally provided under memoranda of understanding with the Governments concerned which are not so registered. Countries with whom we have such undertakings were included by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces in his reply on 20 March 1984 at column 447.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a breakdown for each year since 1969 of service men charged with drug offences while on duty in the six counties of Northern Ireland, indicating in each case the unit to which each service man belongs.

The number of Army personnel tried by Court martial and convicted in Northern Ireland of drug related offences in each year since 1969, and the units to which they belonged, is as follows:

unit	year	Number
36 Heavy Regiment RA	1969–72	Nil
	1973	1
	1974	Nil
1st Bn Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire	1975	1
3rd Bn The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	1978	3
1 Regiment Army Air Corps	1978	2
1st Bn The Gloucestershire Regiment	1979	1
45 Field Regiment RA		1
25 Field Regiment RA	1980	1
3rd Bn The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	1981	1
1st Bn Argye & Sutherand Highlanders		1
1st the queens Dragoon Guards	1982	1
1st Bn The Royal Hampshire Regiment		2
1st Bn The Cheshire Regiment		1
Northern Ireland Regiment,Army Air Corps		1
1st Bn The Royal Green Jackets	1983	1

Records are not maintained of the total number of Army personnel charged, nor are figures available centrally for the number of Army personnel dealt with summarily while on tours of duty in Northern Ireland.No RAF personnel have been charged with drug-related offences in Northern Ireland. Relevant figures are not available for Royal Navy personnel in Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what financial and other assistance, and for what specific purposes, he is giving to Operation Raleigh.

An Army officer is to be loaned to the sponsors to direct Operation Raleigh for four years from November 1984. During this period the sponsors will pay his salary. In addition, service personnel may take part in the operation's expeditions where this is justified as adventurous training; RAF transport may be used where spare capacity exists on flights already scheduled for other reasons to relevant destinations; and service equipment may be provided on normal repayment terms.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether there have been any unusual radar traces of airborne objects in the area of the Rossendale valley of Lancashire.

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken as a result of the board of inquiry report into the deaths of Captain John Belt and Sergeant Roger Jones, who crashed off the coast of Byron heights, West Falkland, in a Lynx helicopter.

None. The necessary procedures associated with the board of inquiry are not yet complete.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place an order for single role mine hunters.

:I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 30 January 1984 at column 32.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning security at RAF Digby.

Investigations have shown that there is no reason to doubt the state of security at RAF Digby.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has yet completed the investigation referred to in the letter of 13 April from the Minister of State for Defence Procurement to the hon. Member for Yeovil to discover whether American officials located in his Department are providing information on United Kingdom-based computer leasing companies to the United States Administration; and if he will make a statement.

The investigation had in fact been completed when my hon. Friend the Minister of State wrote to the hon. Member on 13 April and the results were set out in that letter. As it said in the letter, it would not be possible for United States liaison staff to obtain information on United Kingdom-based computer leasing companies from the Ministry of Defence because the Ministry does not itself hold this information. I am sure my hon. Friend would be sorry that his letter has given rise to misunderstanding over the timing of the investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the findings relevant to his Department arising from the inquest into the death of Sapper David Mead in South Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

I have nothing to add to the replies given to the hon. Member on 24 January 1984 at column 454 and 30 January 1984 at column 32. The inquest has not yet been held.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what provision was made for aborted take-offs and landings at Port Stanley airport when the length of the runway was set at 8,500 ft.

The runway at Port Stanley is 6,100 ft. long. That at Mount Pleasant will have additional clearway including paved stopway to meet all the anticipated requirements for the safe operation of military and civil aircraft.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the vetting procedure for all officials of his Department.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has told the House, the Government have accepted the recommendations of the Security Commission in its reports on the Prime and Aldridge cases, which called for a number of changes in vetting procedures to be implemented or considered. Vetting procedures will be kept under review in the light of subsequent developments.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what offset arrangements he is considering in connection with the purchasing of a foreign aircraft to replace the Jet Provost basic trainer for the Royal Air Force;(2) what guidance about local content and manufacture his Department is giving to aerospace companies in the United Kingdom for building the new basic trainer for the Royal Air Force.

It has not yet been decided whether to refurbish or to replace the Jet Provost aircraft. We have, however, made it clear that in the latter case we intend to take full advantage of the existence of the available competiton to obtain the best possible value for money; and that we hope that a new aircraft would at least be built in the United Kingdom. In seeking tenders we should accordingly ask the manufacturers of the foreign aircraft on our short list to indicate the proportion of work they could arrange in the United Kingdoth and/or whether they have any proposals for offset.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the F1–11 aircraft of the United States Air Force which are based in Britain are assigned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied with the growth of MO so far in the present year.

Yes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether in view of the fact that university museums as such do not receive any grants from central Government, he will now arrange for periodical grants to be made available to university museums at appropriate intervals in order to enable the precise sums of value added tax on agents' commissions which had been paid from time to time in connection with acquisitions for their collections to be offset at a later date; and if he will make a statement.

No. The fact that certain universities are directly responsible for museums or art galleries has been taken into account by the UGC in calculating the level of their recurrent grant which also broadly takes into account the incidence of indirect taxation such as VAT. It is for individual universities to decide what part of their total resources should be allocated to fund their museums.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out details of the taxation reliefs available in each European Economic Community member state to seafarers in respect of time spent away from home.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing the pound sterling equivalent levels of earnings at which (a) income tax alone and (b) income tax plus employees' social security contributions absorb 10 per cent., 15 per cent., 20 per cent., 25 per cent., 30 per cent., 35 per cent., 40 per cent. and 50 per cent. of earnings for all European Economic Community countries, the United States of America and Japan.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 22 December 1983, Official Report, column 375, regarding taxation as a percentage of gross domestic product, whether he will estimate the figure for 1984.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 13 February, Official Report, column 74, regarding income tax bands, if he will estimate the figures for 1984–85

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, Official Report, column 198, regarding income tax and social security contributions, if he will provide the same information for all European Economic Community countries, and if he will also include figures for a level of earnings of £4,000.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the real increase in taxes on expenditure of £9.2 billion between 1978–79 and 1984–85 is attributable to changes in the rates of these taxes; and what proportion is attributable to changes in the amounts of expenditure for which the taxes are levied.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 April 1984, c. 605]: About two-thirds of the real increase in taxes on expenditure between 1978–79 and 1984–85 is due to increase in rates of taxes, as measured by the increase in the ratio of these taxes to consumer expenditure, and about one-third to real increases in consumer expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated yield from all sources of taxation for 1983–84 revalued at 1984–85 prices; and what was the comparable yield in 1978–79 revalued at 1984–85 prices.

[pursuant to his reply, 26 April 1984, c. 605]: The estimated total yield from taxes, local authority rates and national insurance contributions in 1983–84 is £123·5 billion in 1984–85 prices: the yield in 1978–79 similarly revalued was £105 billion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of size, tonnage, use and ownership of the 70 vehicles in Northern Ireland on which the excise duty will be increased as a result of the Finance (No. 2) Bill by 19 per cent.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

Short asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of passengers arriving at British airports have their luggage searched; and what percentage are put through a body search.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of cars, coaches and lorries arriving at British ports are searched; and what percentage of passenger arrivals at British ports have their luggage and their person searched.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers were employed in 1980; and how many are employed at the latest available date.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how 1984 Budget changes will affect the average amount of benefits received by widows aged 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, and 75 years, respectively.

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.