asked the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been since 1955 under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911; of these prosecutions, how many resulted in convictions; and what was the average term of imprisonment imposed.

Proceedings under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 have been instituted against 51 persons and one company since 1955. The charges against four defendants were withdrawn at the magistrates' court. Thirty-six were prosecuted to conviction and nine were acquitted. In one case the defendant was discharged by examining justices in respect of all save one charge which was withdrawn, and two cases remain pending. Fifteen of those convicted received immediate custodial sentences. The average length of 14 of those sentences was 15 months. The remaining custodial sentence of four years included penalties for other offences.

asked the Attorney-General if he is satisfied with the operation of section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911.

My responsibility is for the enforcement of the law as it stands. I am satisfied that it is enforced sensibly and fairly.

asked the Attorney-General how many civil servants have been prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act in each of the last 10 years; and if he will break down the figures according to the section of the Act under which the prosecution was brought.

The following table provides details of the prosecutions against civil servants under sections 1 and 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 for 1974 and subsequent years. There were no prosecutions other than under sections 1 and 2.

	Prosecutions under section 1	Prosecutions under section 2
1974	—	—
1975	—	—
1976	—	—
1977	—	—
1978	—	—
1979	*1	1
1980	—	*1
1981	—	1
1982	1	1
1983	—	2
1984	1	1
1985	—	†l
* Withdrawn at magistrates court.
† Plus one pending.

asked the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act (a) since 1979 and (b) since 1955.

Proceedings under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 have been instituted against 51 persons and one company since 1955 and against 20 persons since 1979.

asked the Attorney-General if he will publish in the Official Report the guidelines regarding prosecution to which he referred in his statement of 12 February, Official Report, column 180.

The guidelines regarding prosecution to which I referred in my statement of 12 February 1985 was the document setting out the criteria for prosecution which I drew up for the guidance of all who prosecute on behalf of the public, and published in February 1983. The issue of these guidelines was one of the interim measures announced on 27 July 1982 by my right hon. and noble Friend the then Home Secretary pending the introduction of a prosecution service independent of the police. A copy of these guidelines was placed in the Library of the House on 14 February 1983.At the same time they were drawn to the attention of chief officers of police and other bodies with a prosecution function by my right hon. and noble Friend the then Home Secretary. My Department has supplied copies of these guidelines as and when they have been requested, and I am satisfied that no further publication of them is required at this time.

asked the Attorney-General on how many occasions he had consultations with Ministers in 1984 in respect of senior civil servants being prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.

None.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make it his policy, in all future cases to be tried by jury, to instruct Crown counsel to object to the empanelment of any juror known to have political affiliations which in his opinion could call in question the ability of that juror to reach an objective verdict on the basis of the evidence.

It is not open to counsel to challenge a prospective juror before he is empanelled. The occasion for making such a challenge arises only at the point where persons who are already on the panel and have been selected by ballot to try a particular case come forward to be sworn for that purpose. I assume that this is what my hon. Friend intended to refer to.If any facts are known to prosecuting counsel which lead him to doubt the impartiality of a particular juror, he may then ask that juror to stand by for the Crown. If this leaves an insufficient number of persons to constitute the jury on the panel that has been summoned, counsel may then challenge the juror for cause. Whether that challenge is well-founded and should therefore be upheld will be decided by the trial judge.A juror's political affiliations would not, in themselves, constitute a ground for asking him to stand by or for challenging him for cause unless, in the words of the guidelines on jury checks, which I published in July 1980 and a copy of which is in the Library of the House, his

asked the Attorney-General on what date part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 will be brought into effect.

It is intended to bring part III of the Act into force in July.

asked the Attorney-General on what date he expects the drafting of the new rules of court under part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 to be completed.

It is intended that the necessary rules will be drafted and submitted for consideration to members of the Matrimonial Causes Rule Committee in March.

asked the Attorney-General how many people charged with offences at or near Greenham Common over the last year have applied for legal aid; how many such applications have been refused; how many appeals against refusal to grant legal aid have been upheld by the area legal aid committee; and if any direction has been issued advising that legal aid should be withheld from any person charged with offences at or near Greenham Common.

Information distinguishing applicants for legal aid who were charged with offences arising at or near Greenham Common could only be obtained from the courts and the Law Society at disproportionate cost. No such direction as is suggested has been issued.

asked the Attorney-General on what date Clive Ponting was charged under the Official Secrets Act; from what force was the officer who charged him; and if Clive Ponting was charged at any time with any other offence in connection with passing papers to any hon. Member.

Clive Ponting was charged on 17 August 1984 with an offence contrary to section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 by an officer of the Ministry of Defence police. He was at no time charged with any other offence.

asked the Attorney-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions was first notified that papers from the Ministry of Defence, relating to Clive Ponting, had been passed to an hon. Member; when papers relating to this matter were first referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions; if the Department of Public Prosecutions was asked to advise (a) on whether any offence had arisen specifically under the Official Secrets Act and (b) as to whether any other offence had been committed; and if the Director of Public Prosecutions was asked to offer advice according to the general criteria previously understood to concern the Director of Public Prosecutions in giving advice on whether proceedings are appropriate.

The Director of Public Prosecutions was first notified of the unauthorised disclosure of papers from the MOD to an hon. Member in an oral report by a senior officer of that Ministry at 11 am on 13 August 1984. Certain documents were handed at the time to the DPP, who, after consultation with the Solicitor-General, asked for a very early police report which was submitted to the Director on 16 August 1984. Referral by the Ministry of Defence to the DPP was for the purpose of a decision whether to prosecute and not for advice.The possible offence disclosed by the facts reported to the DPP was an offence under the Official Secrets Act 1911. In recommending to the Solicitor-General that consent should be given to a prosecution, the Director of Public Prosecutions had regard to the guidance as to criteria for prosecution which I published in March 1983 (a copy of which is in the Library of the House).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider revising the Use Classes Order to clarify whether the proposed special housing development for single people with medical or social problems or related matters is a material change of use requiring planning permission.

Planning permission is not needed for the occupation of dwelling-houses by single people with medical or social problems provided that no material change of use is involved, nor for any change of use falling within class XIV of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1972. The position is elaborated in the memorandum submitted by my Department to the Social Services Select Committee on 27 July 1984. I will consider whether further clarification is needed, and, if so, what form it might take, together with any recommendations on this matter which the Select Committee may make in its report to the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities have designated sites for gipsies under the Caravan Sites Act 1968.

According to the returns submitted by district councils in January this year, a total of 230 gipsy sites have been provided in the areas of 24 London boroughs and 156 district councils in England.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last reviewed the operation of the Caravan Sites Act 1968; and if he will make a statement.

The operation of the Act is kept under constant review. Changes were last introduced in 1980 when, by amendments enacted in the Local Government, Planning and Land Act, provision was made for Exchequer capital grant to local authorities for the cost of developing sites. We also simplified the enforcement powers available to authorities whose areas are designated under section 12 of the 1968 Act. I have no plans for further amendments at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has as to how many staff have entered the employment of the Greater London council in the last 12 months;

Government grants to the metropolitan borough of Rochdale
£ million cash
	1978–79	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86
Rate support grant *	39·7	44·7	50·0	46·3	47·4	49·6	49·1	53·2
Rent and rate rebates and housing benefit †	1·7	1·9	2·6	2·9	3·9	14·3	15·7	—
Housing subsidies ‡	3·5	4·6	5·6	3·5	0·9	0·2	0·8	—
Other grants ≑	3·8	5·3	6·4	6·6	7·4	9·6	—	—
Total	48·7	56·5	64·6	59·3	59·6	73·7	—	—
* The rate support grant system changed in 1981–82. Figures for earlier years are not on a comparable basis. The figures for 1978–79 to 1980–81 include the needs, resources and domestic elements. Thereafter they include block grant and domestic rate relief grant. The figures up to 1981–82 are final entitlement. Those for 1982–83 to 1984–85 are latest estimates after holdback. The 1985–86 figure assumes that the authority will spend at target.
† The figures for 1978–79 to 1982–83 are for rent and rebates. Those for 1983–84 and 1984–85 are for housing benefit. The 1984–85 figure is provisional. No estimate is available for 1985–86.
‡ The figures for 1982–83 to 1984–85 are subject to adjustment on the basis of final audited claims. No estimate can be made for 1985–86.
≑ These include relevant and non-relevant specific grants and capital grants. Figures are not available for 1984–85 and estimates cannot be made for that year or 1985–86.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report details for the latest available period of the average equated rate poundage in respect of unmeasured water supply for each water authority in England.

The following table gives details of the equated water rate for unmeasured water supply for the financial year 1984–85.

Water Authority	Equated Water Rate—pence per £ Rateable Value
North West	17·96
Northumbrian	26·95
Severn-Trent	16·70
Yorkshire	27·70
Anglian	20·55
Thames	11·75
Southern	17·47
Wessex	22·40
South West	23·90
English average	16·83

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to grant an examination in public following application by the Bedfordshire county

The information requested is not held centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total amount of all Government grants paid to the Rochdale metropolitan district in the last five years, including an estimate for 1985–86.

The available information is given in the following table:council for

My right hon. Friend proposes to hold an examination in public to consider selected matters raised by the proposed alterations to current policies in the Bedfordshire structure plan. He does not propose to examine in public the second alteration which proposes a new policy on nuclear waste. Any specific proposal for the deposit of nuclear waste at Elstow will be dealt with under the procedures announced by my right hon. Friend in the House on 24 January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report all grants available to householders for energy conservation and home insulation.

Grants under the homes insulation scheme are available towards the cost of insulating the lofts of dwellings with less than 30mm of existing insulation, together with the associated lagging of tanks and pipes in the loft and the provision of a hot water tank jacket.Supplementary benefit recipients may obtain from local DHSS offices single payments for draught proofing materials and hot water tank jackets.In addition the Energy Efficiency Office makes seedcorn and pump-priming grants to voluntary bodies who carry out measures such as loft insulation and draught stripping.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions in the latest 12 months for which figures are available he has overruled his inspector's recommendations (a) to refuse a planning appeal by retail chains for the construction of a retail outlet of over 5,000 sq ft and (b) to accept a planning appeal on the same terms; and if he will make a statement.

In 1984 my right hon. Friend allowed appeals relating to this type of proposed development in three cases where the inspector had recommended dismissal. In no cases did he dismiss such an appeal where the inspector had recommended in favour of allowing it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what grants were made to the city of Leicester council for (a) home improvement purposes and (b) council house maintenance and improvements in 1974 and each subsequent year up to the latest year for which figures are available; if he will estimate the figure for 1985–86; and if he will make a statement.

Exchequer contributions towards expenditure on home improvement grants paid in Leicester city council from 1973–74 onwards were:

(Figures in £000's)
Year
1973	103·2
1974–75	133·1
1975–76	185·0
1976–77	255·8
1977–78	309·7
1978–79	404·5
1979–80	541·5
1980–81	8·11·6
1981–82	1,296·0
1982–83	2,070·5
1983–84*	2,871·0
1984–85*	3,692·8
* Subject to adjustment when audited final claims are received.

The amount which will be paid for 1985–86 will depend in part the council's continuing entitlement to contribution on loan charges already incurred but also on the level of expenditure on grants in 1985–86, which is for the council to decide within the resources available to it.Council house improvement and maintenance are not specifically grant-aided through the housing subsidy system. These costs are taken into account in the calculation of an authority's entitlement to housing subsidy. But the size of the Exchequer subsidy depends each on a calculation which takes account not only of the total reckonable expenditure incurred by the authority in the provision of council housing, but also the extent to which the authority could reasonably be expected to meet all or part of these costs from local resources.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce his decision on the proposed STOLport in London docklands as soon as the current legal proceedings have been concluded.

Dependent upon the outcome of the legal proceedings, my right hon. Friend will issue his decision as soon as possible thereafter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has, in respect of each local authority, and for each year since 1979, regarding (a) the number of mortgages granted, (b) the number of mortgages in respect of which repayments have been rescheduled and (c) the number of cases in which an authority has repossessed a property on which it had advanced a mortgage.

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes have taken place in the number of substandard dwellings in (a) south Yorkshire, (b) west Yorkshire, (c) Humberside and (d) north Yorkshire in the five years up to the latest date for which information is available.

Local authorities report in their annual housing investment programme returns the numbers of dwellings in their areas which at 1 April were unfit and/or lacking basic amenities. The numbers reported for 1979 and 1984 were as follows:

thousands
	1979	1984
Humberside	33	21
North Yorkshire	23	10
South Yorkshire	75	37
West Yorkshire	119	44
Yorks & Humberside region	250	122

In 1984, Leeds did not include an estimate of the number of its own dwellings which were unfit and Harrogate gave no estimates of sub-standard private housing. In both 1979 and 1984 a few returns did not include estimates of sub-standard housing association or other public sector sub-standard dwellings.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes have taken place in the number of acres of derelict land in (a) south Yorkshire, (b) west Yorkshire, (c) Humberside and (d) north Yorkshire in the five years up to the latest date for which information is available.

Information in the form requested is only available from the derelict land surveys published by my Department. The last, in 1982, also contains details of the previous one in 1974. A copy of the 1982 survey is available in the Library of the House. The information on the areas requested is as follows:

Amount of derelict land (acres)
	1974	1982	Difference 1974–82
Humberside	2,445	2,188	-257
North Yorkshire	96	1,964	1,868
South Yorkshire	3,866	2,742	-1,124
West Yorkshire	7,057	6,521	-536

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will consider excluding from rate capping calculations the cost of the design and supervision of land reclamation schemes.

It would be open to an authority designated for selective rate limitation to seek a redetermination of the expenditure level proposed for it on these grounds if it so wished. My right hon. Friend would consider any such application carefully.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the consultation document his Department has issued on the "Review of Home Improvement Policy", as referred to in section 3.7.23 on page 112 of Cmnd. 9428-II.

The consultation document on the review of home improvement policy has not yet been published. The reference on page 112 of Cmnd. 9428-II was simply an oversight. I hope that it will be possible to publish the consultation document shortly and I will then gladly arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions he has exercised his powers under section 14 of the Interpretation Act 1978 to revoke, amend or re-enact any statutory instrument.

The information is not readily available in the form requested and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the total of block grants to be received by each local authority in England in 1985–86, assuming that it spends at the total of its grant related expenditure assessment, after close-ending grant claims to the 1985–86 settlement grant total, but before holdback.

I have arranged for this information to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the total of block grant to be received in 1985–86 by each local authority designated under the Rates Act 1984, assuming that it spends (a) at target, (b) at the total of its grant-related expenditure asessment after the effects of holdback and (c) at its expenditure level after the effects of holdback.

The information is as follows:

£ million
	Grant for spending at target	Grant for spending at GRE (after holdback)	Grant for spending at expenditure level (after holdback)
Basildon	1·268	2·664	0·878
Brent	67·046	69·825	63·512
Camden	—	17·450	—
GLC	1·989	190·708	1·989
Greenwich	31·631	28·704	31·631
Hackney	48·941	50·723	48·105
Haringey	58·051	62·124	55·299
ILEA	—	—	—
Islington	23·152	40·971	20·560
Lambeth	45·716	55·942	43·648
Leicester	12·230	12·382	11·746
Lewisham	46·508	43·821	45·734
Merseyside	98·578	97·241	94·453
Portsmouth	8·596	8·475	8·285
Sheffield	92·591	89·804	89·273
Southwark	38·908	54·407	36·364
South Yorkshire	71·272	63·955	68·253
Thamesdown	2·215	3·096	1·947

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report the total of block grants to be received by each local authority in England in 1985–86, assuming that it spends at the total of its grant-related expenditure assessment after the effects of holdback.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blackburn on Thursday 7 February 1985 at column 632–33.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, for each authority designated under the Rates Act 1984, he will specify his judgments and assumptions on (i) expenditure levels for 1985–86, (ii) grant receivable for 1985–86, (iii) transfer to and from special funds and balances during 1985–86, (iv) the appropriate level of balances in hand for 1985–86 and (v) the maximum attainable cuts from reported 1985–86 spending levels, which have formed part of the maximum precepts or proposed maximum rates for those authorities for 1985–86.

I have made clear to the authorities concerned that I would be happy to discuss with an individual authority the calculation of the rate or precept limit proposed for them in the context of a proposal from the individual authority for a higher limit. I have no power to redetermine an expenditure level in the absence of an application for a redetermination.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether expenditure on snow clearing, gritting and salting will be disregarded for grant penalty purposes; and if he will make a statement.

[pursuant to his answer, 15 February 1985, c. 311]: My right hon. Friend is considering the representations to that effect which he has received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will give financial assistance to local authorities, as in previous years, for snow clearing, gritting and salting, where the cost is greater than the product of a 1p rate.

[pursuant to his answer, 15 February 1985, c. 311]: My right hon. Friend is considering the representations to that effect which he has received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, with reference to the Under-Secretary of State's letter of 11 December 1984 to the local authority associations, (a) how this relates to the review of local authority charges undertaken by his predecessor in 1979–80, (b) what was the outcome of this review and what proposals the Government made and (c) under which legislation such proposals have been given effect.

[pursuant to his answer, 29 January 1985, c. 129]: The 1979 review of fees and charges looked at existing charges for local services and recommended that responsibility for a number of minor fees and charges be transferred from central to local government when a suitable legislative opportunity arose. The Government has accepted that recommendation in principle.However, as I indicated in my letter of 11 December to the local authority associations, the local government finance studies will be looking at the whole issue of local revenue raising in the context of measures to improve the accountability of authorities to their electors, including the possibility of increased use of fees and charges for the beneficial use of services. This goes wider than the original remit of the 1979 review. Nevertheless, we regard the findings of that review as an input to the present studies and will certainly be taking them into account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in calculating the allowable level of 1985–86 expenditure for Haringey borough council, what was the percentage reduction made by his Department from the amount Haringey budgeted to use from internal funds in framing its 1984–85 budget.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 February 1985, c. 284]: Haringey's treasurer's department worked out that its proposed rate limit took account of the depletion of its reserves in 1984–85, less an amount equal to 5 per cent of its expenditure level. My Department has confirmed in writing that the council's figures represent the basis upon which my right hon. Friend derived the proposed rate limit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many outstanding applications to buy local authority dwellings there were in each local authority area of England on 1 April 1984.

The following table gives admitted right to buy claims being dealt with at the end of March 1984, as reported by the local authorities. These figures exclude admitted claims which have subsequently been withdrawn or deferred, as well as those where the sales have been completed. Reliable information on the progress of applications to buy under voluntary arrangements is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what impact the decision not to contribute to the Africa fund of the World Bank will have on the ability of the United Kingdom companies to win orders generated by World Bank aid to Africa.

We would expect to secure procurement access to the World Bank's special facility for sub-Saharan Africa if we untied the bilateral aid which we have undertaken to earmark for use in support of the facility. This question is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reach a decision about whether to have tied offshore procurement in respect of the £15 million a year earmarked for use in support of the World Bank special facility for sub-Saharan Africa.

A decision will be taken soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities were convicted of offences under the Public Health and Housing Acts in 1984.

The information available to me, which may be incomplete, relates to all offenders other than individuals, ie companies, local authorities, etc., found guilty at magistrates' courts in England and Wales. In 1983 about 85 such offenders were convicted of offences under Public Health Acts and about 25 under Housing Acts. Corresponding information for 1984 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research is carried out by his Department to establish the extent to which drug addiction or alcohol abuse is a contributory factor to the commission of crime in London.

The Home Office has undertaken or commissioned a number of research studies which examine the relationship between drug misuse and crime in the United Kingdom. Home Office Research Study No. 23 "Delinquency Amongst Opiate Users", published in 1974, described the criminal histories of a group of London opiate users. A study of the criminal behaviour of regular opioid users in London, Cambridge and Bristol has recently been completed.Research in progress includes a statistical analysis of the criminal convictions of addicts first notified from anywhere in England and Wales between 1979 and 1981, a similar analysis for persons convicted of an offence involving class A notifiable drugs and an examination of some aspects of the relationship between drug misuse and burglary in London and two provincial areas. It is hoped that the findings of these studies will be published during this year. A study in Nottingham of drug misuse and the links with crime is shortly to begin. A review of the findings of these studies, and others, may indicate whether drug misuse contributes more or less to the commission of crime in London as compared with other areas in the United Kingdom.The result of national and international research on the relationship between crime and alcohol use have been reviewed in articles in the Home Office research and planning unit research bulletin in 1976 and 1983. Copies of the bulletin are in the Library of the House.