asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make a statement on the volume of United Kingdom exports in 1984.

Between 1983 and 1984, total export volume increased by about 8 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial assistance is given through the Export Credits Guarantee Department or other official bodies to the export of arms or related exports.

The general range of ECGD facilities is available for arms and related exports, provided underwriting criteria are satisfied, and that an export licence, where required, has been issued.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will introduce legislation to permit holders of zero coupon corporate debt obligations to claim for the full repayment of accrued interest in the event of bankruptcy of the issuer.

Clause 144(2) of the Insolvency Bill provides that a creditor who has contracted for interest to be paid on his debt can prove for such interest in full in respect of any period up to the date of the commencement of the bankruptcy. By virtue of the provisions of paragraph 11 of schedule 3 to that Bill this provision will also apply in the case of a corporate insolvency.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in United Kingdom export prices for finished manufactures between (a) 1970 and 1979, (b) 1979 and 1984 and (c) 1962 and 1970, and the comparable German prices to the latest available date in 1984, distinguishing exports to European Economic Community countries and exports to all countries, with all prices converted to pounds sterling at the appropriate rate of exchange.

United Kingdom export price data are not compiled on a world area breakdown basis. For Germany, only average value indices are published on this basis. The changes based on the available average value data are in the table.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 579, if he will indicate the profit and loss or income and expenditure account and the balance sheet of the services and groups of services listed in his previous answer.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is Her Majesty's Government's policy over maintaining freedom of trade between the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

I shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the adoption by the United Kingdom of clause 9 of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation's proposed international code on the use and distribution of pesticides.

[pursuant to his reply, 20 February 1985, c. 654]: The Government welcome the intention of FAO that article 9 of the proposed code of conduct on the distribution and use of pesticides should conform to the United Nations environment programme's provisional notification scheme for banned and severely restricted chemicals. Arrangements are being made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to provide for the notifications of control actions and of first exports which the scheme requires.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service whether the advice given to officials appearing before Select Committees has been revised since 1978.

Yes. A revised "Memorandum of Guidance for Officials Appearing Before Select Committees" was issued by the then Civil Service Department in May 1980. A copy was placed in the Library at the time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the report from the Inspectorate of Constabulary concerning the application of port powers, which was requested following the Jellicoe review on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary considers in detail the security arrangements at our ports and it is therefore not possible to make it available as the hon. Member suggests. But I intend to make known my conclusions on the report in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those arrested on miners' picket lines since the beginning of the mining dispute gave their occupations as that of student.

Eighty-five of those arrested in connection with the mining dispute between 13 March 1984 and 12 February 1985 gave their occupation as that of student. These figures do not distinguish between those arrested on the picket line and those arrested elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to charge the costs of policing private functions, such as party conferences, to the organisers thereof; and if he will make a statement.

We have no proposals for changing the present arrangements, under which charges are made only for those police services which would not normally be provided in pursuance of the general duty of the police to preserve law and order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the current arrangements for maintaining computerised payroll facilities for police services in the Metropolitan police area; and what arrangements he proposes to make for the continuation of such facilities following the abolition of the metropolitan counties.

The provision of payroll services to metropolitan county police forces is the responsibility of the police authorities for those forces and it will, therefore, be for the new joint boards, which would be created by the Local Government Bill, to secure the provision of these services after the abolition of the metropolitan county councils. We propose to use the powers which clause 80 of the Bill would provide for the first three years after abolition so as to ensure that these and other support services are provided effectively and economically.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report those posts within the Leeds city council for which he currently authorises payments under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966.

Leeds city council currently has approval for grant to be paid on the following posts:

• 102 teaching staff (82^*)
• 33 education ancillary staff (29^*)
• 2 educational psyhologists^*
• 1 adviser (education)^*
• 1 education welfare officer^*
• 5 nursery officers^*
• 8 primary ESL† nursery nurses^*
• 22 nursery nurses in nurseries^*
• 2 nursery nurses in primary schools^*
• 8 workers in ESL† unit^*
• 2 Bengali speaking language workers^*
• 1 librarian^*
• 1 librarian's assistant^*
• 1 employment development worker^*
• 1 equal opportunities training officer
• 1 training and development officer
• 4 housing officers (1^*)
• 1 social worker and social worker's clerk^*
• 1 child guidance social worker
• 5 social welfare officers
• 6 youth workers (Asians)^*
• 8 centre based workers (2^*)
• 2 adventure playground playleaders^*
• 2 youth club workers^*
• 1 ethnic minority liaison officer and secretary

(^* indicates posts subject to the current administrative review of posts approved under the pre November 1982 guidelines)

ESL†=English as a second language.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his answer of 6 February, Official Report, column 573, he will state the cost or net revenue accruing to his Department in each of the past three financial years for each of the services listed.

Where the costs are borne directly on my Department's Votes and the income accrues to them, the details requested for each of the services listed in my reply to a question from my hon. Friend on 6 February at columns 572–73 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons, holding office under the Crown, are expressly authorised by the Secretary of State to issue warrants in emergencies in his stead.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the procedure proposed in clause 4(1)(b) of the Interception of Communications Bill for the issue of interception warrants in urgent cases. This procedure is intended to replace the existing arrangements (as described, for example, in paragraph 9 of the White Paper "The Interception of Communications in Great Britain"—April 1980, Cmnd. 7873) under which the Secretary of State may give oral authority for interception. Under the new procedure, the official to whome the Secretary of State conveys his oral authority will sign a temporary warrant valid for a maximum of two working days, after which it must be renewed personally by the Secretary of State over his own signature if it is to remain valid. As under the present arrangements, only the Secretary of State personally will be empowered to authorise interception, and the official chosen to sign a warrant under clause 4(1) (b) will have to be expressly designated and instructed by the Secretary of State to sign a specific warrant. It is not possible to say in advance how many officials, over a given period of time, might be called on to sign warrants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers have been prosecuted within the Metropolitan police area for failing to wear a seat belt in the last 12 months.

In 1983 there were 84 prosecutions in the Metropolitan police district for driving or riding in a motor vehicle while not wearing a seat belt. Information for 1984 is not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those local authorities in Wales which have established local authority emergency centres.

The list is as follows.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those local authorities in Wales which have indicated that they will take part in the United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation exercise programme for 1985.

Clwyd county council is expected to take part in the forthcoming Intex 85, which is an international warning and monitoring exercise. No other information is available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis about the

I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that at 12.20 pm on Friday 15 February 12 people entered the premises of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and wrote slogans and sprayed foam in the offices; a tape recorder was also damaged. At 1.54 pm that afternoon nine people in the vicinity who were thought to answer the description of those seen leaving the premises were arrested for burglary. They were detained for questioning and were released from custody later than afternoon. No charges have yet been brought in respect of the incident, but police inquiries are continuing.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the effect of his new policy for restricting parole in the first six months of its operation.

My announcement of 30 November 1983 made it clear that from that date I intended that prisoners sentenced to more than five years for offences of violence or drug trafficking would not be released on parole licence before the last few months of their sentence unless there were exceptional circumstances.Comparative figures have been specially obtained for the outcome of parole reviews of cases within the scope of the new policy considered in the periods January to June 1983 and 1984. These show that, in the first six months of 1984, only 13 prisoners within the scope of the new policy were granted release eight months or more before the end of their sentence. This compares with 113 of corresponding cases considered in the first six months of 1983.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the number of young people in all training schemes by year since 1977.

The number of young people entering Manpower Services Commission training schemes in each financial year since 1977 is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people on the community programme are currently undertaking training.

At the end of December about 1,000 people on the community programme were receiving specific off-the-job training under the adult training arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr. Ryder) on 30 July 1984, at columns 121–22. The Government plan to make available off-the-job training for 50,000 community programme participants. The community programme continues to provide a significant contribution in helping long-term unemployed people into permanent jobs and the addition of this training element should further improve the effectiveness of the programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many women currently occupying places on the community programme will become ineligible under the new criteria.

The new criteria do not affect people, irrespective of sex or marital status, who have already entered the community programme while they are employed on the programme. Once they have left the programme, everybody has first to satisfy the unemployment eligibility criteria before they can requalify for a place. In addition, they will now normally need to satisfy the benefit eligibility criteria for priority entry to the programme if they wish to take up a further job opportunity under the programme.Our latest information shows that over 85 per cent. of entrants to the community programme over the last 12 months were benefit recipients just prior to entry. To this should be added those where the head of the household receives benefit payments which enable the partner if unemployed to claim priority and the posts where waivers may have been given for manager, supervisor and key worker jobs where it does not prove possible to recruit benefit recipients. It is therefore not possible to give precise estimates by sex of the numbers who will be unable to claim priority status.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what score was given by the Health and Safety Executive at its last basic inspection of the premises of the National Freight Corporation, Brightside Lane, Sheffield, under the headings; potential risk to the public and potential risk to employees on the Health and Safety Executive's hazard rating form.

I shall write to the hon. Member about the inspection of the National Freight Warehouse and will place a copy of my letter in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what research his Department has carried out or studied into the relationship between the abolition of the wages councils and the creation of jobs;(2) what research his Department has carried out or studied into the relationship between a reduction in youth wages and the creation of new jobs.

There is extensive relevant literature. Of the studies which deal specifically with the possible effects of wages councils on jobs and with the link between youth pay and employment, the Department is currently considering the following in particular.

H. Neuburger. From the Dole Queue to the Sweatshop. Low Pay Pamphlet No. 30: Low Pay Unit 1984.

D. Forrest and S. R. Dennison. Low Pay or No Pay. Hobart Paper No. 101: Institute of Economic Affairs 1984.

C. Craig and F. Wilkinson. Pay and Employment in Four Retail Trades. DE Research Paper (forthcoming).

P. Makeham. Youth Unemployment. DE Research Paper No. 10: 1980.

Ashton. Maguire and Garland. Youth in the Labour Market. DE Research Paper No. 34: March 1982.

W. Wells. Relative Pay and Employment of Young People. DE Research Paper No. 42: December 1983.

OECD. Employment Outlook: Chapter 5. A survey of international evidence: September 1984.

Continuing Departmental evaluation of the young workers' scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why the reduction in real earnings in the motor vehicle industry relative to the economy generally in recent years has not led to an increase in employment in that industry.

The cost of labour is an important determinant of employment, but it is not the only one. Other elements such as productivity, international competition and the design and reliability of the final product also play a part.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state, from the date of its inception and on an annual basis, the percentage of those who complete a youth training scheme course who go on to further education.

This information is not yet available. A regular follow-up programme of young people leaving the youth training scheme is now under way. Questionnaires are being sent to a 15 per cent. sample of leavers in each month a few months after they leave. Results from this programme will include the percentage of young people in full-time education or training at the time of the survey. Most of the trainees who completed their programme under the first year of the scheme left in August and September 1984 and information relating to these trainees should be available from late May.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if, pursuant to his reply of 8 February, Official Report, column 705, he will specify (i) the cost to his Department of the major services listed for which no fees are charged or for which fees are charged which do not cover the cost, and (ii) the precise revenue and expenditure figures including all allocation of overheads for the past three fiscal years relating to services for which fees are set exactly to cover the costs.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what responsibility he has for ensuring the safe demolition of disused power stations, including the removal of asbestos.

Responsibility for ensuring the safe demolition of disused power stations, including the removal of asbestos, lies with those undertaking the work. Such work is subject to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation. The Health and Safety Executive is the enforcing authority at these sites.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the tonnages of pesticide active ingredients used in (a) timber treatment, and (b) other non—agricultural uses, made up by (i) pentachlorophenol, (ii) dieldrin, (iii) lindane and (iv) TBTO in the last 10 years for which figures are available.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what contribution his Department will be making to the United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation exercise Wintex 85.

My Department will not be making any contribution to the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation in connection with the exercise Wintex—Cimex 85.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of National Health Service amenity beds, deaths and discharges of patients and average daily occupancy, giving numbers and percentages, for each region for the last five years.

The information is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of private hospitals which offer acute surgical care and the number of beds and occupancy rate for all facilities offering such care, by region, in each of the last five years.

The available information is given in the following table. Details of occupancy rates are not held centrally.

asked the secretary of state for Wales what is the number of authorished National Health Service pay beds, deaths and discharges of patients, average daily occupancy, giving numbers and percentage, for each region for each of the last five years.

The information is given in the following table:

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he intends to introduce a scheme of aid for families with children aged under five years similar to that operating in England.

I am pleased to say that from 1 April we shall be making available a total of £300,000 for the three financial years 1985 to 1988. Funds provided for the Wales under-fives initiative will be primarily used to support innovatory projects in the voluntary sector which provide practical help for those with special problems, such as low income, parents isolated at home who find it difficult to cope whether in rural or urban areas, ethnic minority parents and children in women's refuges. The scheme will be administered by the Department with the aid of an advisory group of representatives from the voluntary and statutory sector to whom applications may be made as from today.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish his Department's latest estimate of gas demand in the United Kingdom between the current time and 2000.

My Department's latest projections of gas demand are those in its proof of evidence for the Sizewell B public inquiry, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to the statement on the Sleipner gas contract, Official Report, 11 February, column 23, what percentage of the increased gas reserves of 6·2 trillion cubic feet is (a) probable, (b) proven, (c) in the southern basin, (d) in the northern basin, (e) condensate gas and (f) in fields larger than 0·5 and 0·75 trillion cubic feet, respectively.

Details of the full breakdown of my Department's latest estimates of United Kingdom gas reserves will be given in the 1985 report to Parliament on the development of oil and gas resources (the Brown Book).

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether his Department has made any estimate of the capital and running costs and the energy penalty of installing (a) electrostatic precipitators to meet current standards for particular emissions and (b) the Wellman-Lord flue gas desulphurisation process, on a new 2000MW coal-fired power station.

The CEGB advises that, at 1983 prices, the capital cost of installing electrostatic precipitators to meet current standards for particulate emissions on a 2000MW coal-fired station is £16 million to £20 million. The running cost and energy penalty are negligible. The estimated capital cost of installing the Wellman-Lord flue gas desulphurisation process on a new station of this size would be £123 million. The estimated running cost would be about £30 million per annum accompanied by losses of about 4 per cent. or 76MW, in the station's output and of about 1·4 percentage points in its thermal efficiency.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether his Department has undertaken, or is undertaking, an investigation into the relative cost-effectiveness of reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by (a) flue gas desulphurisation and (b) positive electricity conservation measures.

The CEGB has examined the costs of various flue gas desulphurisation (fgd) processes. It advises that the average cost of reducing sulphur emissions by this means at existing power stations would he about £550 per tonne of sulphur abated. The amount and therefore cost of energy conservation measures necessary to achieve a similar reduction would depend upon how particular measures affected demand for electricity, the speed of take-up of these measures and the rate of economic growth during the period concerned.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on clause 43 of the Administration of Justice Bill [Lords].

I assume the question refers to the clause which was negatived at the Committee stage of the Bill in another place. I refer my hon. Friend to the amendment now tabled there in the name of the Lord Chancellor.

asked the Attorney-General whether he authorised the Director of Public Prosecutions to speak to the British Broadcasting Corporation radio and television on Sunday 17 February about the Ponting prosecution.

I was not consulted specifically about this interview before it was given, but the director has my general authority to give interviews of this kind whenever appropriate. I am completely content with what he said.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the number of those convicted for drug-related offences in each of the past five years who were registered drug addicts.

This information is not available to my Department and I understand that the Scottish Home and Health Department is also unable to provide the information requested.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland how many fixed penalty notices have been issued by procurators-fiscal under section 42 and schedule 2 to the Transport Act 1982; and on how many of these payment has been made.

Procurators fiscal may issue conditional offers of fixed penalty for the offences set out in both schedule 1 and schedule 2 to the Transport Act 1982. No separate figures are kept for schedule 2 offences. 58,233 offers were made in 1983 and 1984. Statistics on offers made and fixed penalties subsequently paid are as follows:

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to West Balgrochan.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister at what time on 30 April 1982 HMS Conqueror spotted the Argentine oiler which was accompanying the General Belgrano.

I have been asked to reply.I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave him on 15 May 1984, at column 910.The oiler was not sighted until 1 May 1982.

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

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Welwyn Garden City.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will pay an official visit to Dartmouth.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 21 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 21 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend is paying an official visit to the United States.

asked the Prime Minister what guidance is given to civil servants on their respective duties to (a) the Government of the day and (b) the Crown in Parliament.

I have been asked to reply.The main principles are set out in the introduction and paragraphs 9870–9871 and 9923 of the "Civil Service Pay and Conditions of Service Code". The duties of civil servants are further explained in the chapter "What is a civil servant?" In the "Handbook for the new civil servant" (Civil Service Department, 1980). The "Memorandum of Guidance for Officials Appearing Before Select Committees" (Civil Service Department, 1980) makes it clear that civil servants who give evidence to Select Committees do so on behalf of Ministers. Copies of all three are in the Library of the House.

asked the Prime Minister whether the changes in the rules of engagement in May 1982 allowed for the sinking of the Argentine naval vessels anywhere outside the Argentine territorial waters regardless of their position vis-a-vis the task force.

I have been asked to reply.My right hon. Friend will reply to the hon. Member shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimated cost of the Falkland Islands commitment in each of the next three years.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the projected expenditure on the defence of the Falkland Islands for each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

As announced in "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1985–86 to 1987–88" (Cmnd. 9428), the provision for Falklands costs included in the defence budget is £552 million in 1985–86, £450 million in 1986–87 and £300 million in 1987–88. Funding thereafter will be determined during future public expenditure surveys.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department holds stocks of any precursor chemicals which can be combined to make nerve gases; and if he will make a statement.

No. However, the chemical defence establishment holds very small quantities of precursor chemicals for laboratory research into chemical defence measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what information is available to him about the rate of growth of Soviet defence expenditure in the past decade; and what was the rate of growth in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation expenditure over the same period.

It is estimated that Soviet defence expenditure has grown at an annual rate of about 2 per cent. in real terms since the mid-1970s. Details are in the essay at annex A to the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1984" (Cmnd. 9227–1). The equivalent figure for NATO is about 3 per cent. As the essay makes clear, comparisons in this area are difficult and relative financial growth rate statistics alone do not represent an accurate indicator of relative output or relative capability.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the present levels of recruitment to the armed forces.

Overall recruitment to the armed services remains satisfactory. In 1983–84 some 37,000 men and women entered the armed services on regular engagements and this year we expect to recruit a similar number. Recruiting targets are generally being met except for some specific officer categories, technicians and skilled tradesmen.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current projected percentage of procurement spending in the United Kingdom for 1984–85 on (a) conventional and (b) nuclear weapons.

It is not the practice to make available details of year-by-year expenditure on nuclear weapons. Estimated expenditure on the nuclear strategic force in 1984–85 is, however, shown in table 2.3 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1984 (Vol. 2)" (Cmnd. 9227–11).

asked the Secretary of State for Defence when the South Atlantic campaign memorial will be unveiled.

I have already announced on 21 December 1984, at column 375, that the memorial will be unveiled in the crypt of St. Paul's cathedral. This will take place on 14 June 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his reply of 6 February, Official Report, column 594, he will indicate (i) how the availability of spare capacity is identified and (ii) how marginal cost is calculated and whether account is taken of the ability of the purchaser of the service to pay; and if he will publish the guidelines for deciding whether significant publicity, recruiting, training or other defence benefits accrue to his Department from the services provided.

Spare capacity arises where resources can be made available without detriment to their primary defence role; for example, where standby capacity is maintained, or where the defence demand is variable. Availability is frequently identified as part of normal management responsibilities, with account being taken of the scope in the longer term for matching capacity more precisely to the requirement.Marginal cost is calculated by assessing the elements attributable to the service in question, taking account in particular of the time scale involved. Market considerations, such as ability to pay, can play a part in fixing a charge, provided that there is a defence interest in providing the service at all, and that there is no loss to defence funds. A judgment on whether significant benefits accrue to MOD is made on a case by case basis. No central document lays down general guidance.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the review of allowances to teachers working in schools overseas which are run by his Department.

Allowances for all Home civil servants working overseas, including teachers employed by MOD, are reviewed every three or four years. Reviews are carried out by Treasury inspectors or by FCO inspectors on behalf of the Treasury, in accordance with arrangements agreed directly between the Treasury and the Council of Civil Service Unions.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the terms of employment for teachers working in schools overseas which are run by his Department.

United Kingdom based teachers working in service children's schools overseas are employed on three-year engagements as temporary civil servants. Their conditions of service are governed by regulations applicable to MOD United Kingdom based civilians serving abroad. They are paid in accordance with the current scales of salary for teachers in primary and secondary education, England and Wales — Burnham rates—and also receive London area allowance.In common with other MOD civilians serving overseas, teachers are provided with free accommodation, and, depending on the country in which they serve, a tax-free foreign service allowance.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations were carried out by his Department during the review of allowances paid to teachers working overseas in schools run by his Department.

Detailed consultations are held during overseas inspections between inspectors and local representatives of the Council of Civil Service Unions. Individual Departments are not directly consulted.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he has come to a decision with regard to the extension, refit, or replacement of HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid; and if he will make a statement;(2) when he expects to announce a decision regarding the extension, refit or replacement of HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid; and if he will make a statement;(3) what factors he is taking into account in coming to a decision on the extension, refit or replacement of HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid; and if he will make a statement.

HMS Intrepid is undergoing a refit at present; HMS Fearless is planned to have a similar refit in 1987.As I said in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Sir J. Farr) on 24 July 1984, at column

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by Army district (a) the total number of instances of and, (b) the total amount involved in, claims submitted in respect of combined cadet force officers for training reported as having been carried out after the date of retirement or relinquishment of commissions of the officers concerned, over the last five years for which figures are available.

No such claims have been submitted. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces is writing to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if the cockroaches in the kitchens of the Gateway House hotel, Royal Air Force, Brize Norton, have been eradicated.

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will investigate the matter and write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to introduce regulations requiring the mandatory fitting of rear seat belts in new cars.

A decision will be announced as part of the Government's response to the recent report on road safety by the Select Committee on Transport, which I am now considering.