asked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the arrangements for the disposal of plutonium from spent nuclear fuel imported from Japan; and if there are similar arrangements for all countries which have agreed to send spent nuclear fuel to the United Kingdom for reprocessing.

I refer the Hon. Member to my reply of 1 April, at column 465. Plutonium from spent fuel reprocessed in the United Kingdom is returned to its country of origin or to any other destination only on receipt of assurances covering peaceful use, application of safeguards, physical protection and controls on retransfer.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if the United Kingdom agreement with France on joint development of reprocessing facilities contains any safeguards to ensure that the plutonium produced is not used for military purposes.

In January 1984 the United Kingdom concluded with France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and Belgium, an inter-governmental memorandum of understanding on co-operation in the field of fast reactors. Clause 5 explicitly states that the collaboration is directed to the peaceful development of nuclear energy.Within this framework, the UKAEA and BNFL and their French counterparts (the CEA and COGEMA) signed, in March 1984, a memorandum of understanding setting out the general principles of co-operation in the field of fast reactor fuel reprocessing, but no agreement has been concluded relating to any specific project for the joint development of associated reprocessing facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if the United Kingdom fast breeder reactor has any role in relation to the United Kingdom nuclear weapons programme.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many copies of "Paying Electricity and Gas Bills", a code of practice for domestic customers, have been printed; how they were distributed; and if he will make a statement.

I have asked the chairmen of the British Gas Corporation and the Electricity Council to provide the information direct to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to announce a decision on the proposed siting of a Central Electricity Generating Board reactor at Sizewell.

I shall announce my decision when I have received the inspector's report and had time to consider it.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if, in the light of his announcement that Sheffield will not be among the selected cities for Government financial assistance in respect of combined heat and power, he will support the Sheffield project in any further applications for financial assistance under the European Economic Community's energy saving projects.

I am happy to give the hon. Member the assurance he seeks. The United Kingdom delegate to the advisory committee for the European Community demonstration scheme, who is an official of my Department, will support a technically and economically sound proposal from the Sheffield CHP consortium provided that there is substantial private sector participation. Preliminary discussions with my officials on the Sheffield consortium's EEC application have already taken place.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what investigations have been conducted by his Department, or on its behalf, by universities or other research institutions into the mortality of any species of fish in United Kingdom waters; and what was the annual cost of such research to his Department for each year from 1975 to 1984 inclusive.

Whilst there are no projects currently supported by MAFF specifically relating to mortality of fish, estimates of both natural and fishing mortality are included in any stock assessment exercises carried out for management purposes. The full economic cost of these studies has been:

	£
1975–76	*
1976–77	*
1977–78	992,800
1978–79	1,166,600
1979–80	1,536,100
1980–81	2,076,700
1981–82	2,264,000
1982–83	2,556,100
1983–84	3,154,600
1984–85†	3,159,800
* Not available in comparable form.
† Estimate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is the practice of his Department to inquire whether pesticides imported into the United Kingdom are prohibited from being used in the exporting country.

It is not the practice of my Department to base decisions on clearance for the marketing of pesticides in this country on the decisions of other countries. Applicants for clearance are required to submit data on many facets of pesticide safety, as applicable to United Kingdom use; these requirements are set out in the pesticides safety precautions scheme (PSPS) which is available in the Library of the House. Additionally, the scientific assessors of the nine Government Departments and agencies involved in the PSPS have contacts throughout the world and take account of all the scientific evidence on the safety of pesticides available to them.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will describe the process of testing a new pesticide for approval by the advisory committee on pesticides; and if he will describe what arrangements are made to monitor the effects of commercial use after approval.

There are many detailed tests covering various aspects of pesticide safety which must be undertaken in support of a notification for clearance considered by the advisory committee on pesticides. These are set out in the pesticides safety precautions scheme, which is available in the Library of the House.

Arrangements made to monitor the effects of commercial use include surveys on usage patterns and the continuous monitoring of both home-produced and imported food for residues of pesticides. In addition, reported incidents of suspected poisoning of people, where the commercial use of pesticides may have been involved, are investigated by the Health and Safety Executive, and incidents involving wildlife and other animals are investigated by the wildlife incident investigation scheme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will describe the typical number and species of animals used as subjects in testing a new pesticide in tests approved by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides.

Pesticides notified under the pesticides safety precautions scheme and considered by the advisory committee on pesticides are subject to a variety of tests, some of which require the use of live animals, mainly rats. Full details of all test requirements are in the scheme book, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. The tests are subject to continual review and the requirement to use live animals kept to a minimum consistent with the thorough safety screening of pesticides.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has received representations about the price of sugar from commercial beekeepers consequent on United Kingdom membership of the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.

I have received a number of representations from professional and amateur beekeepers about the price of sugar for feeding to bees.Under a three-year European Community programme of aid for beekeepers, aid was payable through recognised associations of beekeepers which could be used for the purchase of feeding sugar or for more general projects of benefit to the longer term future of beekeeping. Since the scheme ended last year, European Community resources have been concentrated on further research into bee diseases. The Government support this form of assistance which is of more benefit to beekeeping as a whole than the provision of sugar at concessionary prices to individual beekeepers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether a standard rate is paid to owners of privately owned stores for holding stocks of beef in intervention.

Information on storage rates for intervention beef is not given on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice is given by his Department about the optimum quantity of warbecide to be applied to cattle when treated in accordance with the regulations.

Warble fly treatments are licensed under the Medicines Act 1968, and licences include detailed dosage instructions which are shown on product labels. The Warble Fly (England and Wales) Order 1982 requires cattle to be treated in accordance with these instructions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's policy towards amendment of the London dumping convention to regulate the control of under-seabed emplacement of radioactive waste; and if he will make a statement.

The emplacement of radioactive waste beneath the seabed was discussed at the eighth consultative meeting of the London dumping convention in February 1984. It was generally agreed that the convention was the appropriate international forum in which to address the question, but no conclusion was reached on whether the convention applied to such emplacement. It was agreed that no such disposal should take place until it had been shown to be both technically feasible and environmentally acceptable and a regulatory mechanism had been elaborated under the convention. However, investigatory work, without the use of radioactive waste, was not ruled out. The United Kingdom Government are party to these decisions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will take steps to ensure that properly designed unloading bays are provided in new and existing abbatoirs;(2) whether he will consider introducing measures to regulate the space requirements for animals held overnight in abattoirs.

These matters are the subject of recommendations by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in its report on the welfare of livestock at the time of slaughter. The Government are considering the council's recommendations.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will designate an officer within his Department with special responsibility for the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter.

Certain officers in the Ministry's veterinary service and animal health group already have responsibilities for this subject.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, of those milk producers to whom he wrote on 25 March offering participation in the outgoers' scheme by ceasing all production in mid-April, what proportion joined the scheme.

Of the 125 producers who were invited to join the scheme on 25 March, 40 have now accepted—a take-up rate of 32 per cent. Five more producers also wish to become outgoers but are still awaiting either landlord's consent or final professional advice. The final acceptance rate could therefore be as high as 36 per cent.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Agricultural Economics Technical Committee submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

[pursuant to her reply, 15 April 1985, c. 24]: The Agricultural Economics Technical Committee provides advice annually on the collection of data within the farm management survey in England and farm enterprise studies for which my Department is responsible. It met once during the 12 months to 31 March 1985. Following this, officials within my Department commissioned work from eight academic departments of agricultural economics to collect information on farm incomes for 1984–85 and carry out selected farm enterprise studies.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Hill Farming Advisory Committee for England, Wales and Northern Ireland submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

[pursuant to her reply, 15 April 1985, c. 24]: The Hill Farming Advisory Committee for England, Wales and Northern Ireland met twice in the 12 months to 31 March. On both occasions the committee commented and advised on a wide range of subjects affecting the hills and uplands. Its views have been taken fully into account and have proved valuable in the formulation of the Government's policies towards the less favoured areas.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the answers of 7 December 1984, Official Report, column 295, and 19 December 1984, Official Report, column 201 onwards, if he will provide the latest available figures for the quantities of produce stored in European Economic Community foodstores in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to his reply, 15 April 1985, c. 26]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh) on 14 January at column 30. The note referred to in that reply was updated on 15 April, and I am sending a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current total estimated cost of remedying all the deficiencies in the housing stock as defined by the English House Condition Survey 1981.

In "Housing Survey Report No. 13" on the 1981 English House Condition Survey, it was estimated that the total cost of remedying every single defect in the national housing stock would be of the order of £30 billion (1981 prices). Information is not available on the total cost now.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total estimated expenditure on improvement-repair work on houses for each of the past 10 years in the private sector and public sectors, respectively.

Information in the form requested is not available for the private sector stock. However the English House Condition Survey in 1981 indicated that expenditure by households (including grants) was some £6 billion in 1981.The information available on expenditure on local authority, new town and housing association stock respectively up to 1983–84 is as follows:

£ million
	Local Authority*	New Towns†	Registered Housing Associations‡
1974–75	582·0	9·0	80·0
1975–76	626·5	11·4	102·0
1976–77	704·2	12·9	133·6
1977–78	813·3	15·6	171·8
1978–79	1,034·1	8·2	201·1
1979–80	1,413·8	10·4	259·6
1980–81	1,532·9	13·0	312·7
1981–82	1,557·5	16·3	305·6
1982–83	2,002·7	18·3	394·1
1983–84	2,306·8	23·5	361·7
* Capital and revenue expenditure by local authorities on their own stock.
† Annual totals of expenditure by the new town development corporations and the Commission for New Towns on repairs and maintenance.
‡ Capital funding for repairs and improvement by the Housing Corporation and local authorities (including acquisition costs).

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government propose to submit evidence to the committee of inquiry into local authority business on local authorities' involvement in political publicity campaigns.

I have today placed in the Library copies of the submission to the Widdicome inquiry made jointly by my Department, the Scottish Office and the Welsh Office on the use of the local authorities' discretionary powers to engage in political campaigning and publicity at public expense.The Departments' evidence demonstrates that in recent years there has been a dramatic escalation in the use by local authorities of public funds to publish material and carry out publicity campaigns of a political nature. There is increasing public concern and resentment at this development, which many believe to be both undesirable and contrary to the spirit of local government in this country. The Government fully share this concern, particularly where it results in the involvement of local authority staff in political campaigning and the intrusion of political advertising in every corner of public life.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in descending order for each London borough the number of local authority employees per 100 inhabitants allowing for the Inner London education authority and the Greater London council.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 April 1985, c. 438–39]: The information is as follows:

Staff Per Hundred Population
Inner London Boroughs (including GLC and ILEA)Borough	Staff
Camden	6·17
Hackney	5·85
Lambeth	5·84
Islington	5·58
Lewisham	5·29
Greenwich	5·07
Tower Hamlets	4·98
Westminster	4·73
Hammersmith	4·59
Kensington & Chelsea	3·86
Wandsworth	3·77

Information is not available for Southwark.

Staff Per Hundred Population
Outer London Boroughs (including GLC)Borough	Staff
Haringey	6·76
Newham	6·37
Brent	5·50
Waltham Forest	5·44
Barking and Dagenham	5·32
Kingston-upon-Thames	5·19
Hounslow	4·86
Hillingdon	4·79
Ealing	4·41
Harrow	4·34
Havering	4·28
Bexley	4·26
Barnet	4·13

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is now able to make a statement on the membership of the inquiry into the conduct of local authority business, the establishment of which he announced on 6 February.

[pursuant to his reply, 8 March 1985, c. 634]: My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and I propose to appoint one further member to the committee of inquiry into the conduct of local authority business:

Mrs Diana Eccles, vice-chairman, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, who lives in Yorkshire.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many houses are available to the Royal Parks constabulary.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 April 1985,c. 760]: Twelve houses are currently occupied by serving members of the Royal Parks constabulary, and eight by former members of the constabulary or their widows.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if agreement on Spanish membership of the European Community as led to that country's agreement to cease paying export subsidies on steel.

as I told the House on 19 December 1984, at columns 193–94, Spain has undertaken to phase out all state aids, including export subsidies, to its steel industry in the three years following accession.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list the United Nations Security Council resolutions still extant and operating which call for a ceasefire in the war between Iran and Iraq, indicating in each case how the United Kingdom representative voted.

Four United Nations Security Council resolutions have called for a ceasefire in the conflict between Iran and Iraq: Numbers 479 of 28 September 1980; 514 of 12 July 1982; 522 of 4 October and 540 of 31 October 1983. In addition, resolution 552 of 1 June 1984 called for a cessation of attacks on shipping. the United Kingdom voted for all these resolutions, which are still operative.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have called for an arms embargo in respect of the belligerent powers in the Gulf war, by promoting a resolution to that effect in the Security Council of the United Nations Organisation; and whether he will make a statement on his policy in this matter.

The United Kingdom is impartial in the Gulf conflict and supplies no items of defence equipment to either side which might significantly prolong or exacerbate the conflict. We do not believe an arms embargo would be an effective method of ending this conflict, although we would welcome it if other countries followed our own very restrictive policy; national defence sales policies remain a matter for the individual countries concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from his Department have attended conferences organised by the Anglo-Irish Encounter Group; and if he will give the sections of his Department from which they came.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been represented at each of the three encounter group conferences to date by the head of the Republic of Ireland Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the criteria regarding the degree of electoral choice available in (a) Nicaragua and (b) El Salvador upon which Her Majesty's Government based their decisions on whether or not to send observers to oversee the recent elections in those countries.

We expected voters in Nicaragua and El Salvador to be offered a genuine political choice in the elections and that the political parties in those countries should have had equal freedom to campaign. In El Salvador, both these criteria were met, but in Nicaragua, intimidation and physical harassment led the main opposition group to withdraw from the elections.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Warsaw pact countries.

I visited East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic from 8 to 10 April, Czechoslovakia from 10 to 11 April and Poland from 11 to 13 April.In addition to my official talks with the Foreign Ministers of the three countries, I called on the Presidents and Prime Ministers and other members of the leaderships.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's relations with Malaysia.

Britain enjoys good relations with Malaysia which have been strengthened by the recent visit by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and her discussions wth the Malaysian Prime Minister.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials from his Department have attended conferences organised by the Anglo-Irish Encounter Group; and if he will indicate the sections of his Department from which they came.

Ten officials from the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments have attended conferences organised by Encounter. Those from the Northern Ireland Departments represented the Departments of Agriculture, Economic Development and Education, the Industrial Development Board and the Public Records Office.

asked the Prime Minister if she will acquire for the Library of No. 10 Downing Street a copy of "The Right to Know" by Clive Ponting, Sphere Books.

No.

asked the Prime Minister when she next expects to meet the President of South Africa to discuss recent events in South Africa.

I have at present no plans to do so.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 April.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 April.

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I will be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to attend a state banquet in honour of President Banda.

asked the Prime Minister how many officials from the Cabinet Office have attended conferences organised by the Anglo-Irish Encounter Group; and if she will give the sections of the Cabinet Office from which they came.

The Anglo-Irish Encounter Group is a non-governmental organisation. No officials from the Cabinet Office have attended its conference.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her recent visit to south-east Asia.

I visited Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka and made brief stops in Brunei, India and Saudi Arabia. I had most useful conversations with the Heads of Government of each of the countries I visited.In my talks with Dr. Mahathir of Malaysia we were able to settle the issue of a fifth frequency for the Malaysian Airline System which has been an obstacle in our relations.My talks with Mr. Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore ranged widely over international issues. As always, it was of the greatest interest to hear his views.My visit to Indonesia was the first by a British Prime Minister and enabled me to see at first hand the remarkable development of this large and important country.I was very struck by the rapid and exciting economic growth of the south-east Asian countries which I visited. I am certain that there are good opportunities for cooperation and trade between them and Britain which it was my purpose to promote.In Sri Lanka I was able, with President Jayewardene, to commission the Victoria dam, the largest single British aid project in any country. It will bring material benefits to many of Sri Lankan citizens and is also a mark of the British people's concern for the economic well-being and progress of the developing countries. I was also able to discuss with the Sri Lankan Government the communal conflict. I agreed with President Jayewardene that terrorism must not be allowed to succeed, but that efforts should be made to achieve a political solution by consultation and reconciliation with those members of the Tamil community who are prepared to pursue their objectives peacefully.In India, I was able to continue the exchanges which I have already had with the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. I expressed to him directly my concern at the activities of the small number of extremists among the Sikh community in Britain and the Government's willingness to do everything within our powers to prevent Britain being used as a base for incitement or support of intercommunal tension in India.In Saudi Arabia, I was able to hear directly from his Majesty King Fahd his views on developments and problems in the middle east and other matters.All the countries I visited have important links with Britain, either through trade or as members of the Commonwealth. They include some of the fastest growing countries of the world, both economically and in terms of their political significance. I have no doubt that my tour deepened Britain's relations with them and will have helped to create new opportunities for British trade.

asked the Prime Minister if she will set out in the Official Report the calculations giving rise to her estimate on 2 April, Official Report, column 1063, that the United Kingdom's contribution to integrated Mediterranean programmes will be £10 million a year.

The amount of additional funds agreed for integrated Mediterranean programmes was 1.6 billion ecu—about £960 million—over seven years. As a result of the Fontainebleau agreement, the United Kingdom's net contribution to this will be 7 to 7.2 per cent. The total United Kingdom contribution will therefore be around £69 million spread over seven years, or less than £10 million per annum.

asked the Prime Minister if she will announce the composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

I have appointed 18 delegates from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The delegation this year will consist of 12 members of the Conservative party, five members of the Labour party and one member of the Liberal party. I have also appointed a number of substitute delegates.The appointments of representatives and substitutes have been made on the basis of nominations by the leaders of those parties concerned.The same delegation will be representing the United Kingdom Parliament at the Assembly of Western European Union.Representatives from the Government Benches will be:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many policemen have been the subject of disciplinary action or inquiry, or have been dismissed, in the course of, or arising out of, the coal mining dispute;(2) how many policemen have been charged with offences arising out of the coal mining dispute.

I understand that a total of 551 complaints were made against the police in connection with policing the dispute, of which 111 were subsequently withdrawn. Investigation of such complaints and subsequent action normally takes several months to complete and it is too early for full information to be available.I understand, however, that the Police Complaints Board's annual report for 1984 will contain some statistics on cases which reached it in that year on which action has been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Metropolitan police keep records of the time and circumstances in which police vehicle sirens are used.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for reports from all the chief constables in England and Wales regarding the extent to which they keep records of the time and circumstances in which police vehicle sirens are used.

No. I understand that such records are not kept.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are issued to (a) the Metropolitan police and (b) other police forces on the use of police vehicle sirens.

The Metropolitan police guidance on use of police vehicle sirens is that they are for use when a police driver answering an urgent call needs to obtain a clear passage through traffic. Guidance in other forces is similar.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the libel actions brought by senior police officers in the past three years with his Department's consent, in which the Metropolitan police have assumed responsibility for the plaintiffs' legal costs; which of such libel actions are in respect of serving police officers, and which are in respect of police officers who have left the Metropolitan police before the concluion of libel actions; which firms of solicitors are employed to conduct such cases, and in the case of the Metropolitan police solicitor, how many members of his Department are involved in the preparation of such cases; what criteria he or the Metropolitan police employ when negotiating out of-court cash settlements in such cases; what cash settlements have been received by serving or former police officers as a result of such actions; and what legal costs have been incurred in each of the last three years by the Metropolitan police in respect of both concluded and current libel actions of this kind, including solicitor-and own-client costs not recoverable from the defendant.

The Metropolitan police require the consent of my right hon. and learned Friend to assume responsibility for the legal costs of any police officer who brings an action for libel. Since 1 January 1982 only one such action has been brought by a Metropolitan police officer. It was brought by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Powis, who has since retired, against The Observer. The preparation of that case is in the hands of the Metropolitan police solicitors department, and occupies a small part of the time of one solicitor and one higher executive officer, with typing assistance. Legal costs incurred by the Metropolitan police in this case including solicitor and own client costs are estimated to be £5,700. Negotiations for settlement of this and other cases of this kind take into account the advice of counsel.Since 1 January 1982, two other cases have been settled: that brought by Commander Stockwell against the

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Thames Valley police as to the nature of the acts alleged to have been committed during the harassment of Sir Michael Giddings in 1984; and if he will make a statement.

I understand from the chief constable of Thames Valley that the acts of harassment reported to him by Sir Michael Giddings included nuisance telephone calls, many of them abusive, made to both Sir Michael and his wife; hundreds of unsolicited letters sent to his private address; demonstrators calling at his home; trespassers in his garden; the breaking of a window; and the posting of a parcel of excreta through the letter box.The chief constable informs me that it has not been possible to identify people who might be prosecuted for criminal acts committed during this harassment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Working Party on Magistrates' Courts submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The working party provides advice and guidance to the magistrates' courts service on matters of practice and procedure; it does not advise the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Standing Committee on Crime Prevention submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

In the past 12 months, the Home Office has taken forward matters remitted to it by the standing committee as follows:

(a) A publicity leaflet on video theft has been published by the Home Office and has been widely disseminated by the police forces and by the National Television Rental Association.

(b) The Home Office, in conjunction with the Department of Transport, is considering the distribution of car security leaflets with postal communications from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre.

(c) The Home Office, in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, is undertaking an exercise to identify examples of successful local authority crime prevention initiatives. These will receive national circulation in due course.

Effective crime prevention requires the particiaption of all sections of the community, not simply central Government action. For this reason, the Standing Committee, which has a wide membership, including representatives of industry, commerce, the police, local authorities and Government, provides a valuable national forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and expertise in crime prevention matters. The Committee, (now designated the Standing Conference on Crime Prevention) has recently been strengthened by the addition of a steering body and working groups tasked to examine selected aspects of crime and their prevention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Police Advisory Committee on Sexual Offences submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

During the period in question the Policy Advisory Committee on Sexual Offences has submitted no advice direct to my right hon. and learned Friend. It has, however, given advice to the Criminal Law Revision Committee on several occasions during that committee's review of the law on prostitution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Police Advisory Board submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The Board, which meets under the chairmanship of my right hon. and learned Friend, met twice during the 12 months to 31 March 1985. The main result was a revision of the board's constitution, to provide more effective methods of working. Certain amendments were also agreed to the drafts of new complaints and discipline regulations and to the draft of guidance on complaints and discipline procedures which is to be issued to chief officers of police. The board is also the basis of wide-ranging formal and informal consultations between the Department, the local authority associations and the police staff associations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Advisory Committee on Animal Experiments submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

In the past 12 months the advisory committee made recommendations on 10 specific matters arising out of the administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 which had been referred to them by the Secretary of State. Eight of the recommendations have been adopted by the Department. The other two are under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Advisory Board on Restricted Patients submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

During the period in question my right hon. and learned Friend sought and received the board's advice on 52 cases. In a few cases the advice has only recently been received and is still being considered. In the remainder he decided to act in accordance with the advice given by the board in all cases except one.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Criminal Law Revision Committee submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

In July 1984 the Criminal Law Revision Committee submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend its sixteenth report on "Prostitution in the Street", which he presented to Parliament in August 1984 (Cmnd. 9329). We have given our full support and assistance to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Drake, (Miss Fookes) whose Sexual Offences Bill seeks to give effect to the recommendations made in that report concerning the accosting of women by men. The other recommendations in the report will be considered alongside those in the committee's report on the remaining aspects of prostitution. which is expected later this year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

During the year ending 31 March 1985, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has considered the possible inclusion of a number of substances within the controls provided by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The council's advice that one drug, alfentanil, should come within the scope of the Act, was implemented with effect from 1 January 1985. The council continues to keep under review other matters relating to the misuse of drugs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Licensing Planning Committee submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

In the period 1 April 1984 to 31 October 1984, when the Licensing Planning Committee for the Metropolis was abolished, no advice was received from the committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Committee on Training for Justices' Clerks' Assistants submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The Committee on Training for Justices' Clerks' Assistants, which met three times in those 12 months, provides a forum for the direct exchange of views between representatives of organisations concerned with the magistrates' courts service, and of training institutions, and officials of Government Departments. It does not collectively submit formal advice, but the views expressed by members during meetings and in correspondence are always taken into account by the Home Office in considering the development of existing training or the introduction of new schemes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

Six substantive issues requiring action by the Department were considered during this period and appropriate action has been taken on all but one item, in respect of which my right hon. and learned Friend proposes to issue a circular and printed report shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Advisory Council on Race Relations submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The council has met twice in the last 12 months. It meets either under my chairmanship or that of my right hon. and learned Friend. Ministers from other Departments are invariably present also. The council provides a valuable forum for discussion of a wide range of issues, but it has not been the practice for it to offer formal advice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for citizenship were under consideration at the end of March; and how this compares with figures for each of the past five years.

There were 35,000 applications for British citizenship under consideration at the end of March. The corresponding figures for that month in each of the five earlier years are as follows; the figures have been rounded.

	Applications
1980	51,000
1981	62·000
1982	80,000
1983	88,000
1984	64,000

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the first year's results of the prison department's new financial information system to be available.

Information drawn from the prison department's costing system about the costs of the prison service in the financial year ended 31 March 1984 is being made available in a special report — "The Prison Department Financial Report 1983–84" — which is published today. A copy will be placed in the Library.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service how many civil servants in the rank of principal were promoted to assistant secretary in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will also publish a table correlating for each year the age of each candidate at date of promotion with the length of time served as a principal at that date.

The numbers of promotions from principal to assistant secretary in each of the years 1980 to 1983 and from principal to grade 5 in 1984 are as follows:

	Number
1980	86
1981	72
1982	65
1983	70
1984	*62
* Provisional.

Promotions from Principal to Assistant Secretary by Age and by Length of Service in the Principal Grade 1980–1983 Length of Service in Principal Grade (years)
Age	Under 5	5	6	7	8	9	10 or more	Total
1980
33	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	1
34	—	1	2	4	1	—	—	8
35	—	1	2	7	7	—	—	17
36	1	6	1	2	3	2	1	16
37	1	—	1	—	1	1	—	4
38	2	—	—	1	2	1	—	6
39	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	1
40–44	—	3	3	1	1	1	3	12
45–49	1	1	2	1	2	1	1	9
50 or over	—	—	3	2	2	3	2	12
Total	5	12	15	19	19	9	7	86
1981
33	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	1
34	—	1	1	6	5	—	—	13
35	—	1	4	5	2	—	—	12
36	—	1	—	2	3	1	1	8
37	—	1	2	1	1	—	—	5
38	—	—	—	2	—	2	3	7
39	—	—	—	1	1	1	—	3
40–44	5	1	2	1	1	—	—	10
45–49	—	2	1	3	1	—	1	8
50 or over	—	2	—	—	1	1	1	5
Total	5	9	11	21	15	5	6	72
1982
32	—	2	—	1	—	—	—	3
33	—	—	—	2	—	—	—	2
34	—	—	2	2	1	—	—	5
35	—	2	3	2	3	1	—	11
36	—	2	2	—	1	—	2	7
37	3	—	—	2	1	2	1	9
38	2	—	1	1	1	1	—	6
39	1	—	—	—	—	2	—	3
40–44	1	—	1	—	—	3	6	11
45–49	1	—	—	1	—	1	2	5
50 or over	—	—	1	—	2	—	—	3
Total	8	6	10	11	9	10	11	65
1983
33	—	1	1	2	—	—	—	4
34	—	—	2	3	3	1	—	9
35	—	—	3	4	3	3	—	13
36	1	1	1	5	1	2	1	12
37	—	1	3	2	1	1	1	9
38	—	—	—	1	2	—	—	3
39	—	—	—	—	1	2	1	4
40–44	1	1	1	2	—	—	2	7
45–49	—	—	—	—	—	—	4	4
50 or over	—	1	—	2	1	—	1	5
Total	2	5	11	21	12	9	10	70

Promotions from Principal to Grade 5 by Age and by Length of Service in the Principal Grade 1984 (provisional) Length of Service in Principal Grade (years)
Age	Under 5	5	6	7	8	9	10 or more	Total
33	1	1	—	2	1	—	—	5
34	—	—	—	1	—	1	—	2

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department has drawn up contingency plans to deal with the possible disruption of examinations by teachers taking industrial action.

I would not expect teachers to damage their pupils' prospects by deliberately disrupting public examinations and I am pleased that the two largest teacher unions decided at their recent conferences to desist from such action.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Newham, South, Official Report, 1 April, column 424, what where the numbers and names of organisations which gave specific assent or dissent, respectively, to the principle of introducing an AS-level examination; and by what means the responses of the organisations referred to will be published.

as I explained in my earlier answer, no simple tally of those who supported and opposed the proposals is possible. Nor would it be right for the Government to publish the responses to the May 1984 consultative paper. It is for those who responded to decide whether or not to make their views known publicly.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he proposes to lay a further order under section 7 of the British Aerospace Act 1980 in the light of his intention to dispose of the Government's residual shareholding in British Aerospace.

I intend to make a further order under section 7 of the British Aerospace Act 1980 shortly after the shares to be sold by the Government have been registered in the names of new holders following payment of the final instalment of the purchase price.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applicants in England have (a) applied for and (b) been granted loans under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sectors, respectively; what has been (i) the total amount and (ii) the average amount lent to each applicant under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sector schemes, respectively; and if he will estimate the number of jobs created in England as a result of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applicants in Northern Ireland have (a) applied for and (b) been granted loans under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sectors, respectively; what has been (i) the total amount and (ii) the average amount lent to each applicant under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sector schemes, respectively; and if he will estimate the number of jobs created in Northern Ireland as a result of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applicants in Scotland have (a) applied for and (b) been granted loans under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sectors, respectively; what has been (i) the total amount and (ii) the average amount lent to each applicant under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sector schemes, respectively; and if he will estimate the number of jobs created in Scotland as a result of the scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many applicants in Wales have (a) applied for and (b) been granted loans under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sectors, respectively; what has been (i) the total amount and (ii) the average amount lent to each applicant under the exchange risk guarantee scheme in each year of its existence in the public and private sector schemes, respectively; and if he will estimate the number of jobs created in Wales as a result of the scheme.

I am also replying on behalf of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.Details of loans made directly by the European Investment Bank and the European Coal and Steel Community and through the agency operated by Her Majesty's Government under the exchange risk guarantee scheme to the private sector are as follows:

£ thousand
	England			Scotland			Wales			Northern Ireland
Year	Number	Total value	Average loan	Number	Total value	Average loan	Number	Total value	Average loan	Number	Total value	Average loan
1978	5	6,228	1,246	2	395	198	2	220	110	—	—	—
1979	48	35,617	742	12	13,512	1,126	26	38,244	1,471	1	4,000	4,000
1980	29	50,723	1,749	15	39,305	2,620	18	26,070	1,448	1	8,000	8,000
1981	22	21,838	993	5	14,565	2,913	10	22,752	2,275	4	996	249
1982	8	17,705	2,213	4	3,960	990	5	17,264	3,453	3	262	87
1983	9	17,508	1,945	4	20,156	5,093	3	4,390	1,463	8	13,891	1,736
1984	6	1,896	316	—	—	—	3	4,325	1,442	5	11,305	2,261
Total	127	151,515		42	91,893		67	113,265		22	38,454

Details of applications received, some of which are not formalised, are not readily available. It is estimated that the investment financed by these loans has helped to create or safeguard over 70,000 jobs.Public sector borrowers are not eligible for support under the exchange risk guarantee scheme.In addition to the above loans, firms have access to European Community loans through the agency of certain financial institutions, including most clearing banks. Exchange risk guarantees have been provided on about £105 million of Community funds lent to these institutions for them to on-lend in sub-loans to the private sector.Data on the geographic spread and timing of these sub-loans and their employment effects are not readily available. The following table gives the annual amounts of cover taken up by the agents since January 1982 when the full-scale agencies scheme came into operation.

	£ thousand
1982	19,774
1983	32,897
1984	52,405

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total acreage of forestry land sold by the Forestry Commission in Wales over the last 12 months; and if he will estimate the value of these estates and represent the total acreage sold as a percentage of Welsh Forestry Commission land.

[pursuant to his reply, 4 April, 1985, c. 702.]: Sales of forest land in Wales by the Forestry Commission in the 12 months to 21 March 1985—the latest date for which figures are available—amounted to 1,900 hectares for a total sale price of £2·4 million. This area represented 1·3 per cent. of the Forestry Commission's forest land holdings in Wales taken at the start of the programme of sales in 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March, the Tripartite Steering Group on Job Satisfaction submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

The Tripartite Steering Group on Job Satisfaction which is chaired by a Minister of this Department met three times in the 12 months to 31 March. It issued an annual report in June 1984 and a further report is expected in the next few months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March, the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

None. The compilation of the index follows the recommendations of the Retail Prices Index Advisory Committee as to its coverage and method of construction. The committee is convened from time to time to advise on matters of principle but is not involved in the monthly computations which simply follow established procedures. It was convened in September 1984 to consider a number of specific issues and I hope will make its recommendations by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March, the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

It is not the function of the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal to give advice to the Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March, the Race Relations Employment Advisory Group submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

None. There were no meetings of this group in the year ending 31 March 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Advisory Committee on Homeworking submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

There have been no meetings of the Homeworking Advisory Committee during the 12 months to 31 March.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions in the 12 months to 31 March the Advisory Committee on Women's Employment submitted advice to his Department; and what action was taken by his Department on each occasion as a result of the advice given.

None. This committee is in the process of being reconstituted and did not meet in the 12 months to 31 March 1985.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the total employed labour force, giving figures for men and women to the latest date, and one year ago.

In September 1984, the latest date for which information is available, there were an estimated 14,130,000 males and 9,968,000 females in the employed labour force in the United Kingdom. The corresponding figures for September 1983 were 14,053,000 males and 9,707,000 females.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were available for employment on 1 January 1985; and how this figure compares with each of the past 10 years.

Following is the available information for the periods requested on unemployed people available for work and claiming benefit.

Unmployment—United Kingdom
	Thousands
January	Number of Claimants
1975	750·1
1976	1,264·9
1977	1,385·8
1978	1,465·5
1979	1,372·8
1980	1,373·7
1981	2,271·1
1982	2,896·3
1983	3,225·2
1984	3,199·7
1985	3,341·0

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of people currently self-employed, and how that figure compares with a year ago.

In September 1984, the latest date for which information is available, there were an estimated 2,526,000 self-employed persons in the United Kingdom. The corresponding figure for September 1983 was 2,289,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he has any estimate as to the number of jobs currently advertised and unfilled as notified to jobcentres and professional and executive register offices;(2) whether he will consider detailing the number of known vacancies at the same time as his Department issues the monthly figures for those out of work.

A count is made each month of those vacancies notified to Government employment services which remain unfilled on the day of the count. These figures are published on a regional basis in his Department's monthly press notice on unemployment and vacancies which is available in the Library. On 8 March 1985 the number of unfilled vacancies at jobcentres and professional executive recruitment offices in the United Kingdom was 155,559.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in Inverclyde have their wages determined by wages councils.

This information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will present in tabular form, in respect of each local authority area in Scotland (a) the actual amount of rate support grant paid in 1978–79, (b) the actual amount of rate support grant paid in 1979–80 and, in each case, the current value in real terms and (c) the actual amount of rate support grant presently due to be paid in 1985–86.

The actual amounts of grant paid or to be paid in each year are set out in the table. Rate support grant is not expressed in real terms as relevant expenditure includes loan charges, a variable item, and as provision for local authority expenditure and grant has since 1982–83 been expressed in cash terms.

	1978–79	1979–80	1985–86
	£	£	£
REGIONAL COUNCILS
Borders	19,133,234	21,187,280	33,518,943
Central	38,711,845	43,698,462	68,470,620
Dumfries and Galloway	25,009,702	28,044,435	43,621,096
Fife	50,547,344	58,343,305	90,864,347
Grampian	77,033,048	82,276,056	129,612,272
Highland	46,087,298	51,260,463	77,193,406
Lothian	116,193,574	132,829,953	181,969,767
Strathclyde	459,174,304	522,494,405	794,025,542
Tayside	65,930,927	70,984,298	114,186,037
DISTRICT COUNCILS
Borders
Berwickshire	370,052	418,255	382,592
Ettrick and Lauderdale	629,866	614,654	649,828
Roxburgh	687,254	936,326	1,482,609
Tweeddale	225,008	261,302	267,714
Central
Clackmannan	1,007,233	1,089,486	1,013,954
Falkirk	1,555,296	1,747,213	1,616,926
Stirling	1,216,399	1,686,780	1,164,060
Dumfries and Galloway
Annandale and Eskdale	622,887	761,680	625,407
Nithsdale	801,432	862,659	952,183
Stewartry	267,121	381,042	393,834
Wigtown	520,495	538,405	602,142
Fife