asked the Attorney-General why Mr. Manus Nunan was given no reason for the termination of his recordership.

Contrary to what the hon. Member states, in October 1984 Mr. Nunan was in fact warned in advance of defects in his judicial performance which had been reported to the Lord Chancellor's Office. Thereafter, the Lord Chancellor followed the procedure described in my answer to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Meadowcroft) on 9 July 1986. Mr. Nunan's term of office expired on 31 December 1984. On 4 December, the Lord Chancellor, who was previously unaware personally of the case, satisfied himself as to the justification for the advice he had received that Mr. Nunan's performance had fallen below the standard required for renewal of his appointment. Mr. Nunan was duly informed of this decision. I understand that, at the invitation of the senior presiding Judge and with the approval of the Lord Chancellor, Mr. Nunan is to visit the senior presiding Judge in order that the situation may be further explained. In addition, the Lord Chancellor has granted a request which he has just received from the Bar Council that Mr. Nunan should be given an opportunity for his case to be reconsidered by the Lord Chancellor.

asked the Attorney-General why Mr. Manus Nunan did not have his recordership renewed for 1985.

Mr. Nunan's judicial performance fell below a standard which justified the renewal of his appointment. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leeds, West on 9 July 1986 for the procedure observed on these occasions.

asked the Attorney-General how many applications for legal aid in matrimonial causes were (a) made and (b) granted in each of the years 1984–85 and 1986, respectively, and if he will make a statement.

I will arrange to have the detailed figures printed in the Official Report. Between 1984–85 and 1985–86 the number of civil legal aid certificates issued for matrimonial proceedings rose by 2·6 per cent.The figures are as follows:

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the speed with which the Law Society responds to applications for legal aid.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Devon, North (Mr. Speller) on 7 July, at column 15–16.

asked the Attorney-General what amount was paid out of legal aid for the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

The net cost of all types of legal aid (including advice and assistance but excluding administration) in financial year 1985–86 was £320 million.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement pursuant to his answers, Official Report, 14 April, column 246, on the Metropolitan police report submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions about allegations relating to honours for Alan Bristow over Westland.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Mr. Atkins) on 10 July 1986.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the responses the Lord Chancellor has received so far to his consultation paper, "Interdepartmental Review of Family and Domestic Jurisdiction".

Responses have been asked for by 31 October. So far, five have been received.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give the cost to public funds of the Bow street hearings on Commander Bothwell.

No Bills of costs have yet been presented for taxation, and when taxation is complete the hon. Member will be aware that it is not the practice to publish individual fees. In addition, the cost to public funds will include the costs of court hearings which cannot be assessed except as an arbitrary component of the overhead costs of administering the court. In addition there will be costs of the other Government Departments concerned to which similar consideration apply.

asked the Attorney-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland expects to receive the final report about the conduct of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in relation to the deaths in 1982 of Michael Tighe and others begun by Mr. John Stalker, and continued by the chief constable of West Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Colin Sampson will submit his final report to the Chief Constable of the RUC whose duty will then be to furnish that report to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland for consideration. Although Mr. Sampson, who is actively and urgently pursuing his investigations, has assured the Director of Public Prosecutions that a final report will be submitted to the Chief Constable as soon as possible, I am not able to give the hon. Member any indication as to when the final report will be submitted to the Chief Constable or when it will be furnished by him to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, Official Report, 1 July, why she will not publish the evidence that Libya was involved in the bombing of the La Belle discotheque in Berlin on 5 April.

The customary reasons why we cannot make intelligence evidence public are because of the nature or source of certain information.

asked the Prime Minister what is the estimated cost of providing a free television licence for all pensioners on supplementary benefit, as recommended by the Peacock committee.

The Peacock committee estimated that the maximum loss of licence fee revenue per year which would result from exempting from the licence fee all pensioners drawing supplementary pension, in households wholly dependent on a pension, would be in the order of £80 million. Further work to refine this estimate is in progress. The committee also recommended a separate licence fee of not less than £10 should be charged for car radio, which the committee estimated could yield an equivalent sum.

asked the Prime Minister if she will make it her policy not to accept any recommendation from the machinery of government review of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys which would result in a reduction of the quality of integrity of statistics available to Parliament and Government.

All Government statistics are produced with integrity and to standards appropriate to their intended use under the supervision of professional statisticians. This will continue to be the case. When the review is complete, I shall consider its recommendations.

asked the Prime Minister why the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys is to be the subject of a machinery of government review; how much notice was given to the staff concerned; what reviews of statistical and similar services have been conducted since 1979; when such reviews were completed; and if she will make a statement.

A review of Government statistical services was completed in December 1980, a review of the commissioning of ad hoc social surveys in September 1981, and an efficiency scrutiny of the registration of births, deaths, and marriages in February 1985. Since 1979 there has not, however, been a review of the activities of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys overall and I have decided that such a review would be appropriate now. The trade union side of OPCS was notified on 2 June, when the review commenced.

asked the Prime Minister, pursuant to her reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, 8 May, Official Report, column 217. on the ministerial convention for answering parliamentary questions, whether this convention precludes the answering of factual questions for the period of earlier Administrations; and if she will make a statement.

The convention is that the Government of the day do not normally disclose information relating to the period of a former Administration and not published during that period.

asked the Prime Minister what progress has been made on the devolution of control of Welsh and Scottish universities from the Department of Education and Science to the Welsh Office and Scottish Office.

There is no present intention to devolve control of the Welsh and Scottish universities. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Education and Science are considering the recommendations of the Scottish Tertiary Education Advisory Council on the planning and funding of higher education in Scotland.

asked the Prime Minister what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the introduction of one person one vote and the attainment of black majority rule in South Africa.

We have repeatedly called, both bilaterally and with our EC and Commonwealth partners, on the South African Government to dismantle the system of apartheid and institute a process of genuine dialogue with a view to establishing a democratic, non-racial system of government acceptable to the people of South Africa as a whole. But we have also made clear that it is not for us to prescribe what constitutional structures might emerge from such negotiations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Sea Fish Industry Authority on the effects of privatisation of water authorities on the maintenance of shellfish beds.

The Government have received a large number of responses to their consultation paper "The Water Environment: The Next Steps". It is for those responding to publicise the fact that they have done so if they wish.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will bring forward legislation to implement the proposals for registration of common land set out in the common land forum's report to the Countryside Commission; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 7 July at column 34.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been the numbers of public and private sector housing starts and completions in Brighton and Leicester, respectively, in each year since 1977.

The reported figures of house building within Brighton and Leicester are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the work commissioned by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee; whether the committee has a policy of initiating research or studies; whether it is passed research, studies or reports from other Departments; and whether it has to report all its deliberations to other Departments.

The Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee has complete discretion on the work it may initiate. In addition, it may be asked by Government for advice on specific subjects. In setting about its work, it will have access to material in Government Departments or agencies. It is not required to report its deliberations other than in its annual report each year or in the advice given directly to Ministers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the procedures for the selection of members to the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee.

Members of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee are appointed by the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Scotland and Wales after they have taken advice from the chairman, and, as they consider necessary, from colleagues and other sources.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the reports and any other publications of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee; what is the policy of the committee as regards publication of its reports and deliberations; and whether the committee makes available transcripts or other records of its meetings.

The committee's policy is that its deliberations should be in confidence, but that its conclusions and advice to Ministers should be made public, usually through a report each year to Ministers which is then published. Six annual reports for the years 1980 to 1985 have been published. The report for 1986 will be published later this month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his reply of 25 June, Official Report, column 227, why his Department currently makes no estimates on either a national or regional basis of the shortfall between the demand for and the supply of public rented accommodation to meet both general and special needs which cannot be met by other means.

Such estimates would depend on assumption about the relationships between different sectors of the housing market which may or may not hold true over time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has carried out concerning (a) the ages at which young people leave their parental home, (b) the circumstances in which young people leave their parental home and (c) those factors influencing when young people leave their parental home; and what assessment his Department has undertaken of the implications of this information for (i) the demand for and (ii) the supply of public rented housing in England as a whole, and in each regional area of his Department.

Projections of the number of households, which are one factor influencing demand for housing, are published periodically by my Department for England, regions, counties, metropolitan districts and London boroughs.The base data for these projections include census information about the proportion of young people living as independent households. My Department also helped fund the 1981 survey of the national child development study cohort, and this included questions on the ages at which members of the cohort, born 1958, had left their parental home, and the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many workers were employed in the cement industry in July 1979; and what are the comparable figures for the latest available date.

About 12,000 people were employed in the cement industry in March 1986. Comparable information for July 1979 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the report by the emergency planning officer for Nottinghamshire, Superintendent Tordoff, concerning the recent discovery in Nottinghamshire of a radioactive device produced in the 1930s and 1940s for the treatment of rheumatism and other ailments, known as a Q Ray compress; and if he will make a statement.

I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Q Ray electro-radioactive compresses have been found in the last five years.

Four have been brought to the attention of my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department first issued advice on the safety of Q Ray electro-radioactive compresses.

This Department has issued no written guidance, and my officials have advised as necessary in response to inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his intention to make redundant Property Services Agency staff employed in the Palace of Westminster and put their work out to contract; and if he will make a statement.

Following discussions with their trade union, the remaining seven cleaners employed by the Property Services Agency at the Palace of Westminster have accepted redundancy. Their employment ended on 11 July. From that date their work will be taken over by the contractor who already undertakes the rest of the cleaning work at the Palace for which the agency is responsible.Two plant attendants also accepted redundancy on the same date. Existing contractors will take over their work as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date and in what manner he intends to publicise the availability of increased discounts for the purchase by sitting tenants of council flats.

Preparations are in hand to ensure that tenants will be informed of their new rights when the Housing and Planning Bill is enacted; but final decisions have not yet been taken on the precise form the publicity will take, and timing must depend on the Bill's progress.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will reply to the request from the North West water authority for funds to tackle pollution in the Mersey.

The North West water authority has not requested such funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the volumes of sewage sludge dumped into the Mersey by the North West water authority in each year since 1979.

It has never been the practice of the North West water authority to dump sewage sludge in the River Mersey.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has compiled a list of those radioactive devices produced for use in the home which are potentially dangerous for the public.

Radioactive devices are only made available if careful assessment has shown that they present no danger to the public.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the progress made between 1975 and the date of the transfer of the building to the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission in restoring Lower Leigh, Churchstow; and what was the estimated date of completion in 1975.

After having taken immediate steps to prevent the collapse of the building, between 1975 and 1984 my Department carried out the following projects: replacement and repair of masonry on the gatehouse; major renovation of the south range, including the construction of a new roof and the replacement of the wooden gallery; and the construction of new internal walls.In 1975, it was estimated that the full restoration would take more than 10 years to complete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, when issuing licences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, checks are made to ensure that applicants have not been convicted under that or other relevant legislation; and if the applicant is required to make any signed declaration to prove that his or her record is satisfactory.

My Department checks where possible that applicants for licences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 have not been convicted of offences under the 1981 Act or other relevant legislation.Applicants for licences to take birds of prey from the wild are required to declare convictions under the Protection of Birds Act 1954 and 1967 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; applicants for licences to take birds for the purposes of aviculture, or to take birds by certain methods are additionally required to declare convictions under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters from hon. Members to his Department still awaiting a substantive reply were received more than (a) one month ago, (b) two months ago, (c) three months ago and (d) four months ago; and if he will make a statement.

As at 11 July, the total number of letters from right hon. and hon. Members to my Department where substantive replies had been outstanding for more than one month was 121. Of these cases 29 had been outstanding for more than two months; 12 for more than three months and one for more than four months.Expressed as percentages of the total number of letters received during the period of review, the above totals represent 0·9 per cent., 0·2 per cent., 0·1 per cent. and 0·007 per cent., respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to permit local authorities to factor their collection of rents, rent arrears and rate arrears; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no plans to legislate in this area.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to require local authorities to apply to the courts to evict squatters occupying council-owned properties; and if he will make a statement.

No. It should be for each local authority to decide whether and when to take such action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to lay an order to replace the Landscape Areas Special Development Order 1980.

The Town and Country Planning (Agricultural and Forestry Development in National Parks etc.) Special Development Order 1986 has been laid before the House today. My Department, in conjunction with the Welsh Office, has also published for comment the draft of a circular to cover the new order: a copy has been placed in the Library. We propose to bring the new order into force on 1 November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to complete the revision and re-issue of circular 108/77, "Nature Conservation and Planning".

We have had extensive consultations with other Government Departments, the Nature Conservancy Council and interested voluntary organisations concerning the revision of this circular announced in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) on 27 January this year at column 423 by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold).It has not proved possible to complete the consultations as quickly as I had hoped, given the volume of comment. However, the large number of bodies consulted will ensure that this important topic is thoroughly and properly covered. Every effort is being made to conclude the remaining consultations quickly and we expect to publish the revised circular before the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the number of homeless people in the city of Coventry for each half year since 1979.

[pursuant to his answer, 10 July 1986]: The number of households in Coventry accepted as homeless for each half year since the beginning of 1979 is as follows. (Because of changes in recording practice, figures for the second half of 1982 are not strictly comparable with those for earlier periods.)

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent recent changes in European Economic Community regulations have effected United Kingdom procedures for notifying the presence of quantities of polychlorinated biphenyls on particular sites.

[pursuant to his reply, 11 July 1986]: No EEC measures require the notification of the location of PCBs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if will list in the Official Report the total amount of money made available to each local authority in England and Wales for loft insulation grants for 1985–86; and if he will state how this compares with 1984–85

[pursuant to his reply, 11 July 1986]: The total resources made available to each local authority in England for grants under the homes insulation scheme in 1985–86 and 1984–85 was as follows.In Wales, the Homes Insulation Scheme is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.