asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement with regard to the payment of compensation to persons who have been wrongly convicted of criminal offences.

There is no statutory provision for the payment of compensation from public funds to persons whose convictions are quashed on appeal, or to those granted free pardons by exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy. For many years, however, it has been the practice for the Secretary of State, in exceptional circumstances, to authorise ex gratia payments from public funds to persons who have been detained in custody as a result of a wrongful conviction.I remain prepared to pay compensation to all such persons where this is required by our international obligations. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 14.6) provides:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if any of the civil defence plans submitted by local authorities to his Department include completed sections on each of the 12 subjects specified in schedule 2 to the Cvil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) Regulations 1983;(2) which local authorities have submitted civil defence plans to his Department; and if he will place copies in the Library.

Plans, including material on the subjects specified in schedule 2 to the 1983 regulations for Scotland, have been received so far from Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Highland and Tayside regional councils and are being assessed. It would not be appropriate for me to place them in the Library as they are documents belonging to and prepared by local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will investigate the circumstances in which a prisoner from Peterhead prison held a student nurse as a hostage for 90 minutes at Woodend hospital, Aberdeen, on Saturday 18 January; and if he will make a statement.

The incident on 18 January is the subject of investigation by the police. I cannot comment on the events which occurred while these matters are under investigation and, therefore, sub-judice.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill's letter of 8 January concerning 9 Seamore street/ 209 Maryhill road and the urgency of a decision on the declaration of a housing action area.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the results of the annual census of school meals in Scotland held in January 1985; how these compare with the corresponding 1984 results; and if he will make a statement.

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide details of the number of pupils for whom education authorities in Scotland provide free school transport.

	Pupils Attending Primary Schools	Pupils Attending Secondary Schools	Pupils Attending Special Schools or Classes	Total Pupils
Free transport provided under section 50 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980	38,715	103,598	9,304	151,617
Free transport provided in spare seats under section 51(2) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980	2,989	1,684	4	4,677
Scotland Total	41,704	105,282	9,308	156·294

I have arranged for a copy of the return from each authority to be placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of planning appeals was upheld by him in each of the last 10 years.

The information is as follows:

Calendar Year	Appeals allowed expressed as percentage of appeals decided
1976	29
1977	35
1978	31
1979	31
1980	32
1981	32
1982	29

The information taken from the survey of school transport undertaken in September 1985 is as follows:

Calendar Year	Appeals allowed expressed as percentage of appeals decided
1983	36
1984	36
1985	42

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people have been employed by his Department's press and public relations office in each of the past five years; and what has been the annual budget for that office over the same period.

The number of staff engaged on press and public relations work and the budgets for audio-visual, exhibitions and publicity work in my Department in each of the past five years were as follows:

Financial Year	Staff	Budget*
		£
1980–81	29·5	159,400
1981–82	29	173,200
1982–83	29	175,000
1983–84	28	235,400
1984–85	28·5	248,000

asked the Attorney-General what guidance is given to judges about the implications of the existence of material interests of their own, or of relatives, as to whether they should sit in judgment on particular cases.

Judges are under an obligation to declare any interest of which they are aware and, where the interest is substantial, to disqualify themselves from sitting. Failure by a judge to disclose a substantial interest, or to disqualify himself, is a matter which can be raised and decided on an appeal. In doubtful cases the judge should explain to both parties what his arguable interest might be and is often wise to ask each party whether they have any objection to his continuing in the circumstances to adjudicate. Should any party then object and the judge continue to adjudicate, the Court of Appeal would then have to decide whether in the light of the principle stated above the judge acted correctly. These are principles of law and not guidance.

asked the Attorney-General how many people currently await trial on the evidence of converted terrorists; what proportion of these persons have been refused bail; and what is the average period of remand for which persons detained without bail have been held to date after being charged on the evidence of a converted terrorist, irrespective of whether that person has been brought to trial.

Four persons currently await trail on the evidence of a convicted terrorist. Of these bail has been refused in the High Court in Northern Ireland to three persons, each of whom stands charged with murder. In addition a number of other persons, in respect of whom the director has not yet received an investigation file, is on remand having been charged with serious terrorist offences on the evidence of an accomplice who will shortly be committed for trial. Information on average periods spend on remand by those who have been charged on the evidence of a convicted terrorist is not separately available and could be obtained only by a special exercise at disproportionate cost.

asked the Attorney-General how many cases in the last calendar year and the year to date involving persons injured by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland have been considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland; and what action was taken in each case.

Figures for cases considered between 1 January 1985 and 15 January 1986 by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland involving persons killed or injured by alleged use of baton rounds are as follows:

	Number
Cases	9
Persons injured	15
Persons killed	1
Prosecutions directed	1
No prosecution directed	7

In one case, a final direction pends the outcome of other proceedings.

asked the Attorney-General in how many criminal cases in Northern Ireland courts accomplices of an accused have turned Queen's evidence; in how many cases this evidence has been uncorroborated; and what has been the result of such cases in the latest calendar year and year to date.

The law and practice in Northern Ireland, as in England and Wales, has always permitted the use of the evidence of accomplices in criminal trials. It is not something which has happened only in the context of the prosecution of terrorists or only in the situation which currently obtains in Northern Ireland. However, I take the present question to be directed at cases where such evidence has been used in recent years and specifically at trials for offences which are scheduled offences under the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978. In respect, therefore, of trials on indictment for scheduled offences where evidence was given by an accomplice, the position for the years 1982 to date is as follows:

Year	Number of trials	Persons acquitted	Persons convicted or pleading guilty
1982	1	0	4
1983	4	13	55
1984	3	46	26
1985	3	41	41
1986 to date	0	0	0

In 1984, the convictions of 14 of the persons tried in 1983 were quashed on appeal to the Court of Appeal.It must be borne in mind that the persons numbered above as having been convicted or as pleading guilty were not necessarily convicted on the evidence of an accomplice. For example, in one trial in 1985 the trial judge rejected the evidence of the accomplice but convicted five of the accused on other evidence which was before the court.There is no comprehensive record of, and it is not now feasible to identify without disproportionate cost, all the evidence which was before the court in relation to individual charges or whether such evidence was capable of constituting corroboration.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will describe the types of information published by his Department in respect of accidents, incidents and untoward occurrences, including those without any radiological consequences, at licensed nuclear sites and at other nuclear sites; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will describe the types of information published by

The CEGB publishes accident statistics in its annual report; they are also recorded in the annual report of the Electricity Council's chief safety officer and the quarterly safety reviews issued by the Electricity Council. The UKAEA sets out details of any radiological incidents and non-radiological accidents occurring at authority establishments in the authority's "Annual Report on Radiological Protection and Occupational Health" which is made available on request. British Nuclear Fuels plc publishes an annual report on occupational safety, which includes incidents reportable to the Health and Safety Executive in accordance with schedule 1 of the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, and details of deaths and major injuries. The industry also reports to the NII on those incidents which fall within the criteria announced in the House of Commons on 26 July 1982 by the then Under-Secretary of State for Energy; they are later summarised in reports published by the Health and Safety Executive. There are no separate Department of Energy publications.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many people have been employed by his Department's press and public relations office in each of the past five years; and what has been the annual budget for that office over the same period.

The total number of staff employed by my Department's information division in January in each of the past five years and their costs are:

	Staff in post	Annual Cost
		£
1981	31½	606,207
1982	27½	565,328
1983	27½	615,988
1984	26½	614,373
1985	27½	685,847

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the percentage change in real terms, measured by the gross domestic product deflator, in the funding of each university by the University Grants Committee between 1980–81 and 1984–85, excluding those amounts representing compensation for changes in the level of home student fees, compensation for redundancy and early retirement, provisions for changes in arrangements for capital in recurrent expenditure, local authority rates and additions made for the information technology and new blood programmes.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 21 January at columns 149-52.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards financing the salaries of clinical staff in universities over the next three years.

The financing of the salaries of clinical staff in universities is under consideration following the representations my right hon. Friend has received from the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students taking teacher training courses in physics, mathematics, craft, design or technology have responded to the financial inducement offered of £1,200 to students taking these courses.

The bursary scheme for students entering one or two year initial training courses in mathematics, physics or craft, design and technology was launched this week. It is too early to assess the possible impact of the scheme on recruitment to the relevant training courses.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in his Department's educational material for schools about drug misuse, what mention there is of the danger of acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

The Department recently issued guidance on AIDS in draft form to the local education authorities, and it is intended that, following consultation, this should be formally published in the near future.The Education Departments' booklet "Drug Misuse and the Young" does not mention AIDS specifically, but in the section dealing with the physical dangers of drug taking it draws attention to the risk of unsterile injecting practices in general.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has in respect of local authorities which have indicated that they do not intend to take up education support grants in respect of lunchtime supervision under the provisions of the Education (Amendment) Bill.

No authority has written to inform the Department that it has no intention of taking up education support grant for midday supervision. A few have indicated formally or informally that they do not expect to submit bids for 1985–86 and press reports suggest that others will not settle details until the present teachers' disruption ceases.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has advised local education authorities or education committee chairmen to exclude teachers from contracts for lunchtime supervision under the Education (Amendment) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

No such advice has been issued to LEAs or education committee chairmen. We have made it clear that it is entirely for LEAs to decide who should be employed.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many people have been employed by his Department's press and public relations office in each of the past five years; and what has been the annual budget for that office over the same period.

I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about the London borough of Merton's code of conduct on communications with the media as it applies to all teaching and non-teaching staff employed by that authority; if he has received any representations on the implications of this code; and if he will make a statement.

I understand that the code is an internal document which offers guidance to employees of the borough on dealing with the media. My right hon. Friend has received no representations about this code.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance his Department offers to local education authorities on the optimum size for secondary schools without sixth forms.

I refer the right hon. Member to paragraph 275 of the White Paper "Better Schools", copies of which have been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many education authorities supply fluoridated milk to schoolchildren.

This information is not collected centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why his Department has increased the travel award for students studying from the parental home.

The travel element contained within the maintenance grant of mandatory award holders has been increased for all students.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made with plans to mark the Australian bicentenary in 1988.

The British-Australia Bicentennial Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Peter Gadsden, is co-ordinating Britain's participation in this event. It is the Government's intention to invite Parliament to vote some £1 million to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for use on the bicentenary. It is envisaged that £850,000 of this should be used in 1987–88 to provide a specially commissioned sail training ship as Britain's official gift to Australia and the balance to cover other bicentenary events and administrative expenses. Appropriate estimates will be laid before Parliament in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what grounds his Department has opposed the re-naming of the avenue in Washington containing the British embassy in honour of Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

We are aware of this idea; it is entirely a matter for the relevant United States authorities. We have not objected and will not do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the current waiting time for the right of abode in the United Kingdom from time of application for British overseas subjects, broken down by each country of application.

As at 31 December 1985, applicants in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India with a prime facie claim to the right of abode in this country were waiting three months or less from application to first interview. Waiting times to decision vary from case to case.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library as much information as is in his possession about Mr. Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement.

I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of a document produced by the Swedish Government last year which brought together the main evidence then available. The Swedes also have available in Stockholm several volumes of evidence that has not been translated into English. As has been made clear on many occasions in the past, we stand ready to help the Swedish Government with their inquiries to establish with greater clarity what has happened to Mr. Wallenberg.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the full text of the report handed to the Swedish ambassador by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1957 of the alleged death of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg.

An unofficial translation of the 1957 note has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the current expected waiting time from application to interview for entry clearance by (a) fiancé(es) and (b) spouses at ports in the Indian sub-continent.

Those applying on 31 December 1985 would expect to wait for the following times for first interview (in months):—

	Dhaka	New Delhi	Bombay	Islamabad	Karachi
Queue 1	3	2½	3	3	3
Queue 2	13	5½	6	11	6
Queue 3	13	7	9	14	11
Queue 4	23	10	10	15	12

The queues are made up as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many clearance officers were employed in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in 1979; and what is the total number employed at the latest available date.

The information is given in the following table:

	December 1979	January 1986
Pakistan	21	16
India	10	11
Bangladesh	14	15

These figures do not include temporary entry clearance officers, sent to cover leave absences and seasonal increases in work load. (In April 1986 the permanent complement in Pakistan and Bangladesh will be increased to 18 and 17 respectively.)

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the average waiting time for persons wishing to enter the United Kingdom from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in 1979; and what is the waiting time at the latest date.

Details for 1979 are given in table 5 of Cmnd. 9544 "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 1984".As at 31 December 1985 those called for first interview in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh had waited (in months) as follows:

	Queue 1	Queue 2	Queue 3	Queue 4
Islamabad	3	12	14	15
Karachi	3	7	12	12
New Delhi	3	6	10½	10
Bombay	3	6	9	9
Dhaka	3	18	18	25

Waiting times to decision varied from case to case.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been employed by his Department's press and public relations office in each of the past five years; and what has been the annual budget for that office over the same period.

The size and costs of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office news department and the ODA press office during the last five years have been:

Year	Staff	Cost
		£
1981–82	26	447,000
1982–83	27	483,000
1983–84	26	475,500
1984–85	26	498,000
1985–86	26·5	543,500

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 20 January, when and how he disclosed to the Bangladesh Home Minister and Home Secretary the intention of the British Government to carry out an experimental scheme in Dhaka using the DNA fingerprinting techniques; what the reaction of Bangladeshi Ministers was; and if he will make a statement.

I indicated our intention to introduce the DNA technique on an experimental basis to the Bangladeshi Home Minister and senior officials in Dhaka during my visit from 7 to 10 January. Subsequent to our discussions they indicated some anxiety. The High Commissioner in Bangladesh is continuing to discuss the matter with the Bangladesh authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Indonesia concerning atrocities by Indonesian soldiers in East Timor.

The Indonesian Government are well aware of our position on human rights. I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex gave the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mr. Parry) on 11 November 1985 at column 60.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to increase his proposed grant to the United Nations Association international service programme in the Sahel for the next two financial years to no less than the present level.

We propose, subject to parliamentary approval, to increase the amount to the United Nations Association international service for 1986–87 to £360,000. This grant is not offered on a geographical basis and it is for the United Nations Association international service to put forward proposals about how and where the grant might be best deployed. No decisions have been made about the level of grant for 1987–88.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries to which he has made recent representations concerning human rights violations.

We deplore violations of human rights and make our views known when meeting Ministers or representatives of countries where such violations occur. In some case representations are more productive if undertaken without publicity, and it would not be helpful to disclose full details.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens, or the relations of British citizens, have complained to his Department on the grounds that they have been tortured while abroad since 1976.

Specific complaints of torture have been received in respect of one British citizen in the last three years. We raised the allegation with the authorities concerned but they have denied them. Information on allegations of torture made between 1976 and 1982 is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the European convention for prevention of torture.

The text of the draft European convention on torture is currently being discussed in Strasbourg by a committee of experts on which the United Kingdom is represented. Our aim is to reach agreement on a convention that can be signed and ratified by all members of the Council of Europe.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to raise the public profile of civil defence; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. My colleagues and I will take all suitable opportunities to explain the need to plan against a range of emergencies including war. Later this year we plan to produce new information material including a film to promote this all hazards approach.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any further civil defence handbooks are in preparation; and if he will make a statement.

Handbooks of guidance to local authorities on communications and on environmental health are in preparation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take against local authorities which do not fulfil their obligations under the civil defence regulations.

My right hon. Friend will consider this when the assessment of progress on implementation of the 1983 regulations is complete. The Government are determined to ensure that all local authorities meet their obligations under the civil defence regulations and will take whatever steps are necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in support of 100 per cent. grant-aid for emergency planning staff salaries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in support of 100 per cent. grant-aid for all civil defence expenditure incurred by local authorities.

Support has been expressed by the National Council of Civil Defence, the Association of County Councils, the Association of District Councils and other interested organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to issue local authorities with a staged programme for civil defence progress.

We plan to do so by the middle of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to provide direct communication links between county emergency centres and local British Broadcasting Corporation and commercial radio and television stations.

In a war emergency, local authorities would have access to the wartime broadcasting service through the regional government headquarters. There are no plans to provide direct links as such.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is conducting any studies about emergency resource data for civil defence; and if he will make a statement.

A pilot study is being undertaken in three areas to examine the need for resources registers for emergency planning and ways of identifying, collecting, storing and accessing data. The study is expected to be complete by the end of 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to protect emergency communications against the effects of electromagnetic pulse.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a question from my hon. Friends the Members for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) and for Ynys Môn (Mr. Best) on 5 December, at column 316.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has carried out any studies to investigate the public's general perception of civil defence; and if he will make a statement.

Research looking at people's general perception of civil defence was carried out last year. I referred to it, and its relevance to the preparation of new public information material, in my speech to the County Emergency Planning Officers' Society annual study on 30 October, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which local authorities have submitted civil defence plans to his Department; and if he will place copies in the Library;(2) if any of the civil defence plans submitted by local authorities to his Department include completed sections on each of the 12 subjects specified in schedule 2 to the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) Regulations 1983.

We have received plans from the vast majority of county authorities and are in touch with the remainder. It would not be appropriate to give further details until our assessment is complete, nor to place copies in the Library. My right hon. Friend will make a report to the House in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received about the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill [Lords].

The Government have consulted widely in the preparation and introduction of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill, now in another place, and during this process my right hon. Friend has received representations from a variety of organisations and individuals. The Bill, which repeals the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 and establishes an entirely new system of controls over scientific procedures on living animals, has been widely welcomed by the moderate animal welfare movements and by science and industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has further to develop community policing.

Although it is a matter for the judgment of chief officers how they deploy the officers and resources at their disposal, my right hon. Friend has made clear his support for the concept of community policing, which means essentially that police officers should know and understand the people whom they protect and serve. To carry out this task successfully the police need, and are entitled to expect, the support and co-operation of the citizen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of police community forums.

Section 106 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which came into force on 1 January 1985, requires all police authorities (and the Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis and of the City of London) to make arrangements for obtaining the views of local people on matters concerning the policing of their area. Although not required to establish consultative committees, the Home Office guidance encourages them to do so. In almost all police areas the arrangements made include the establishment of consultative committees in at least part of the area. These committees are in various stages of development and Her Majesty's inspectors of constabulary continue to keep us informed of progress.Properly representative consultative committees have a vital role to play in ensuring that the police and local people are able regularly to exchange views and information on the policing of the area. Such exchanges help to encourage positive relations between the police and the public locally and may lead to practical forms of cooperation, particularly in crime prevention. Consultative committees are not to be confused with the police committees established by a number of Labour-controlled London boroughs and some districts outside London, which are aimed, not at improving relations between the police and the public, but at securing political control over the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to prohibit chief constables from making partisan political statements.

Police regulations already require officers of all ranks to abstain at all times from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of their duties or to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that it may do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his Department's areas of responsibility of a fixed Channel link.

The Department has been closely involved in the assessment of proposals for the construction and operation of a Channel fixed link. This enabled matters within my right hon. Friend's area of responsibility to be taken properly into account in reaching the decision which was announced on Monday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has carried out any studies of the factors which make it increasingly likely that a person will become a victim of a crime of violence; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Data from the British crime survey show that over the country as a whole the chances of becoming a victim of a crime of violence are quite small, and that the highest risk group are young, single males living in the inner cities who go out a lot, particularly in the evenings and at weekends.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of prisoners on remand in prison at the latest available date and the number of those who had been awaiting trial for (a) over 18 months, (b) over one year, (c) over nine months and (d) over six months.

On 30 November 1985 there were about 7,900 untried and 1,500 convicted unsentenced prisoners in England and Wales. Information is not available on the numbers still awaiting commencement of their trial or on how long they had been waiting. However, about five of the untried prisoners had been first remanded in custody over 18 months earlier, about 150 over 12 months earlier, about 380 over nine months earlier and about 890 over six months earlier. These periods include any time which was spent on bail following the initial remand in custody.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the progress of inquiries involving alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Acts, involving the right hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Parkinson) and Miss Sarah Keays.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to his question by my hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General on 13 January, at columns 770-71.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects the Peacock committee on the financing of the British Broadcasting Corporation to report.

We expect the committee's report in the summer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet the director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

My right hon. Friend expects to lunch with him on 12 February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of Government initiatives in the field of crime prevention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of Her Majesty's Government's initiatives on crime prevention.

The recent crime prevention seminar chaired by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister resulted in agreement on a range of initiatives by industry, commerce and the Government which will be followed up by a seminar to be chaired by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary in the summer. They include:

—a British Standard for car security, which will be prepared by the British Standards Institution with the help of the motor manufacturers;

—the insurance industry will consider what scope there is to encourage policy holders to improve the security of their homes;

—advisory packages on security in inner city households and commercial premises will be produced;

—studies will be established and completed urgently on crime on the London Underground, security on new residential estates and violence to bus crews and to helath service staff.

Work is progressing well on the five local crime prevention projėcts and the national community programme crime prevention initiative announced Last autumn. Following encouraging results in London and the midlands, the "Magpies" television and press crime prevention campaign is shortly to be extended to the north of England.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has of the percentage of homes in England and Wales which now have burglar alarms or efficient door and window locking systems.

Precise figures are not available. It has been estimated, however, that only some 30 per cent. of homes in England and Wales are fitted with effective door and window locks and considerably fewer with burglar alarms. We shall continue to emphasise in our crime prevention advice the importance of fitting and using effective security devices to protect property in the home.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what crime prevention measures the Metropolitan police have instituted.

In his recently published strategy report (a copy of which is in the Library). the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has emphasised that crime prevention will remain of central importance in his force goal for 1986 with priority being given to the reduction of criminal opportunity through community involvement and co-operation.Measures include:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collects on the number, sex, age, race and occupation of victims of crime; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a question by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms. Short) on 5 December 1985, at column 308. I understand that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board records information on the age, sex, and occupation of victims of crimes of violence who apply for compensation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving the use of firearms were made known to the police in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and what were the comparable totals five and 10 years previously.

Statistics of notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms of all types, including air weapons, were reported to have been used are published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" (tables 3.1 and 3.2 of the lastest edition for 1984, Cmnd. 9621). Eight thousand three hundred and seventy-six such offences were recorded in 1984, 6,547 in 1979 and 2,828 in 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases brought to the attention of the police involved firearms in (a) England and (b) the three Yorkshire local authorities for the most recent six-month period for which statistics are available.

Annual figures of notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used are published annually for each police force area in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales,"(Supplementary tables, vol. 3 (table S.3.1.(a) of the issue for 1984). Figures for the latest available six months are given in the table.

Notifiable offences recorded by the police in which firearms were reported to have been used.
1 July-31 December 1984
North	South	West
Yorkshire	Yorkshire	Yorkshire	England
26	129	183	3,761

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of victims of crime during the 12 months ended September 1985: and what were the figures to the 12 months ended March 1979.

The information requested is not available. Statistics of individual victims of crime are not

Offences of Rape recorded by the Police
England and Wales
	1979	1984	Change 1979–84
Police force area	Number of offences		Number	Percentage
Avon and Somerset	32	39	7	+22
Bedfordshire	12	23	11	+92
Cambridgeshire	16	22	6	+38
Cheshire	13	9	-4	-31
Cleveland	8	18	10	+125
Cumbria	7	8	1	+14
Derbyshire	17	18	1	+6
Devon and Cornwall	29	22	-7	-24
Dorset	8	7	-1	-12
Durham	10	20	10	+100
Essex	27	26	-1	-4
Gloucestershire	11	9	-2	-18

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the number of crimes cleared up by the police as a percentage of notified crime for both 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available.

The proportion of notifiable offences by the police in 1979 which were cleared up was 41 per cent. The corresponding figure for 1984 was 35 per cent. These figures have been published in table 2.17 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1984" (Cmnd. 9621). However, although the proportion of recorded offences which have been cleared up has fallen, the number cleared up has risen from 1 million in 1979 to 1·15 million in 1984.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the increase from October to September 1985 over the previous 12 months in the number of offences of violence against the person.

The police recorded 119,410 offences of violence against the person from October 1984 to September 1985, 6,560 more than in the preceding 12 months. The latest statistics of recorded offences are published in Home Office "Statistical Bulletin," issue No. 34/85.

aked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the absolute and percentage increase in violent offences against women recorded in each police authority area between 1979 and 1984.

The figures relating to offences of rape and of indecent assault on a female recorded by the police are given in the following tables. Where the numbers of offences are small the changes shown are subject to wide variation and may therefore be misleading. No information is separately available for offences of woundings of or common assault on a woman because the information collected centrally does not include the sex of the victim.