asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there has been any discussion within the Anglo-Irish ministerial conference about (a) facilities for playing Gaelic football at Northern Ireland prisons and (b) facilities for playing cricket at Republic of Ireland prisons.

There has been no such discussion, but at the request of the Irish Government we recently provided information on the facilities for playing Gaelic football in Northern Ireland prisons.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he will make a statement on the number of student places available for speech therapists;(2) how many speech therapists graduated in 1979 and for the latest date for which figures are available.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Dr. Marek) on 7 July 1986, at column 53. For the reasons that I gave then, I am not in a position to provide information in the form requested. I understand, however, that in 1985 the College of Speech Therapists awarded a licence to practise to 286 graduates from approved courses of relevant study. Comparable information for 1979 is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to increase funding for research into motor neurone disease.

The research councils, which receive grants-in-aid from the Department's science budget, are the main Government agencies for the support of scientific research. They determine their own scientific priorities. Both the Medical Research Council and the Science and Engineering Research Council are funding research into motor neurone disease. I understand that the councils are

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in respect of the statistics kept and published by his Department, he will publish in the Official Report any changes since 1979 in (a) the statistical series which are published, including those which have been introduced and those which have been dropped, (b) the basis on which any elements in the statistics are estimated, calculated or presented, (c) the periods over which, and the dates on which the series are collected or published and (d) any other respects in the ways in which the statistics are collected, recorded, presented, evaluated or published; and if he will explain the reasons for any such changes.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state, for each year since 1964, for the whole of the United Kingdom (a) the percentage of secondary schools accounted for by grammar schools, (b) the average pupil-teacher ratio in secondary schools, (c) the level of per capita expenditure in secondary schools at constant 1986 prices and (d) the number of pupils achieving five or more higher grade passes at O level or certificate of secondary education; and if he will give his assessment of the impact on these figures of the raising of the school leaving age.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Attorney-General what are the latest figures for the number of appeals to the commissioner for (a) sickness benefit and (b) invalidity benefit; and what were the results of the appeals and references in each category.

To the end of November 1986, the relevant figures for this year for England and Wales are as shown in the table. I understand from my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland that the relevant figures for Scotland are also as shown in the table. It is assumed that by "references" are meant appeals remitted to the lower tribunal. The results of those cases before the tribunal are not immediately available and further information will accordingly be provided to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Attorney-General what is the practice of Her Majesty's Government in seeking the advice of the Treasury Solicitor in civil cases in which Her Majesty's Government are involved; and if he will make a statement.

The advice of the Treasury Solicitor in relation to civil cases is sought as required.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will prosecute under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act the New Statesman for publishing information in the form of excerpts from the book, "One Woman's War" by Joan Miller.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he now plans to allow retired members of the Overseas Civil Service to count war service towards their pension entitlement on the same terms as apply to retired members of the Home Civil Service; and if he will make a statement.

So far, we have not been able to accommodate this extra commitment; but we are keeping the matter under careful review.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in respect of the statistics kept and published by his Department, he will publish in the Official Report any changes since 1979 in (a) the statistical series which are published, including those which have been introduced and those which have been dropped, (b) the basis on which any elements in the statistics are estimated, calculated or presented, (c) the periods over which, and the dates on which the series are collected or published and (d) any other respects in the ways in which the statistics are collected, recorded, presented, evaluated or published; and if he will explain the reasons for any such changes.

The only regular series of statistics kept and published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office relate to British overseas aid. Details of commitments and disbursements of aid by type, purpose and geographical distribution are contained in the annual publication "British Aid Statistics", normally published in July or August, and in which most tables provide a series for five years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates of the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation's exercises in 1987.

The exercise programme for the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) in 1987 has not yet been finalised.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation and the Royal Observer Corps will be participaing in the WINTEX 1987 exercises; and if he will make a statement.

Full-time staff at HQ United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) and HQ Royal Observer Corps (ROC) will be participating in WINTEX/CIMEX 87.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were held on remand on 1 November in (a) Preston prison and (b) Manchester, Strangeways prison.

The available information is given in the table.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) firearms and (b) shotguns were registered between 1960 to 1970, 1970 to 1980 and 1980 to 1985 in the United Kingdom as a whole and in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland separately; and if he will make a statement.

The available information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of prisoners serving life sentences for murder with firearms involving (a) rape with homicide, (b) robbery, (c) terrorism and (d) murder of police officers; and if he will make a statement.

The readily available information is that in prison department establishments on 31 December 1985 one person was serving a life sentence for murder by shooting involving a sexual motive, 38 for murder by shooting during the course of theft, five for murder by shooting whilst engaged in terrorist activity and 10 for murder by shooting a policeman in the course of his duty.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure for the recruitment of graduate entrants to the police service in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

It is not possible to estimate the total expenditure on the recruitment of graduates to the police service in England and Wales, since this includes the time spent by members of police forces in interviewing and assessing candidates, which cannot be quantified. Expenditure by the Home Office, which is responsible for graduate recruitment advertising and literature and for the administration of the graduate entry scheme for the police service, amounted to a little under £300,000 in 1985–86. I regret that comparable figures for earlier years are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate the reason why residents in the Colton area of Staffordshire experience radio interference from the Pye Green repeater station; and if he will make a statement.

Preliminary tests have shown that the transmitting equipment at Pye Green is operating in accordance with the licence issued under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949, but further investigations are being carried out and I shall write to my hon. Friend when these have been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the formal lines of communication between his Department and the civil defence committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's senior civil emergency planning committee.

The Head of F6 (Emergency Planning) Division is the United Kingdom delegate to the civil defence committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what specific deliberations of the civil defence committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's senior civil emergency planning committee have affected the formulation of current civil planning in the United Kingdom;(2) when the civil defence committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's senior civil emergency planning committee last met; and if he will place the minutes of the committee's deliberations in the Library;(3) what are the terms of reference for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's civil defence committee.

The civil defence committee provides the forum for consultation on national plans for all aspects of the protection of the public in an emergency. Discussions inform the development of planning in the United Kingdom, but do not determine its direction.The committee last met on 2 and 3 October 1986. It would not be appropriate to place records of the committee's meetings in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the terms of reference for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's senior civil emergency planning committee.

The senior civil emergency planning committee co-ordinates and gives guidance for the activities of eight planning boards and committees, each of which covers a specific field in civil emergency planning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a committee to review the re-introduction of capital punishment as a penalty for child murder.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy in Her Majesty's Government's campaign against acquired immune deficiency syndrome to license and legalise brothels; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no plans to introduce legislation to legalise brothels.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he plans any changes to penal policy in the light of the Howard League's proposals for reducing the prison population and easing the prison crisis published in the booklet, "Go Directly to Gaol", on 24 November, a copy of which has been sent to him.

No. Our policies were summarised in the revised edition of the working paper "Criminal Justice" published on 27 November.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each year since 1978, how many persons were convicted of offences whose investigation was assisted by the forensic science laboratory at Chorley; and what were the offences.

This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state for each year since 1978 the number of crimes whose investigation was assisted by the forensic science laboratory at Chorley.

The forensic science service maintains records of the numbers of cases submitted for examination but not the number of crimes to which they relate. The number of cases received at the forensic science laboratory, Chorley, since 1978 are as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in respect of the statistics kept and published by his Department, he will publish in the Official Report any changes since 1979 in (a) the statistical series which are published, including those which have been introduced and those which have been dropped, (b) the basis on which any elements in the statistics are estimated, calculated or presented, (c) the periods over which, and the dates on which the series are collected or published and (d) any other respects in the ways in which the statistics are colleced, recorded, presented, evaluated or published; and if he will explain the reason for any such changes.

I shall reply as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to seek to restrict the sale of crossbows; and if he will make a statement.

In consultation with the police and other interested parties I have been considering whether any steps can usefully be taken to prevent the misuse of crossbows. The law relating to cases of actual misuse is already extensive and I have concluded that there are no significant gaps.Crossbows are, however, dangerous weapons in the wrong hands, and I do not consider that they are suitable to be in the possession of unsupervised young people. Accordingly, my Department proposes to issue a guidance notice to traders urging them not to sell crossbows to persons under 17. The Government approve, in principle, of a statutory prohibition on the sale of crossbows to persons under 17, and on their purchase or possession, without supervision, by young people. In the absence of an early opportunity for Government legislation on this matter, the Government would look favourably on an initiative by a Private Member if a suitable Bill were to be introduced.In consultation with the responsible crossbow sports organisations, we also propose to prepare and issue a code of safe practice for crossbow users.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) to whom the forensic laboratory at Chorley provided details of the method used by Dr. Skuse in his application of the Greiss test on 22 November 1974;(2) what information he has as to whether Granada Television was provided with details of Dr. Skuse's method for the Greiss test used on 22 November 1974 whilst Dr. Skuse was still in service, in connection with the "World in Action" programme on the Birmingham pub bombing.

[pursuant to his replies, 1 December 1986, c. 486]: Information was given in response to a request from Mr. Baldock, an independent forensic scientist, who was engaged by Granada in the preparations for a "World in Action" programme. No such information was given direct to Granada Television. For further detail I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) on 20 November 1986, at column 287.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the factors most likely to improve business prospects in the midlands; and if he will make a statement.

The best prospects for business lie in the Government's economic and industrial policies which are creating conditions for sustainable growth in jobs and output. A large part of the midlands was designated as an assisted area two years ago. Companies there are already benefitting from financial assistance from my Department although it is too early to carry out a full assessment of the impact of these measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he intends to introduce legislation to strengthen the consumer protection offered to people taking package holidays, with regard to the overbooking of chartered holiday flights; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he intends to introduce legislation to strengthen the consumer protection offered to people taking package holidays with regard to the overbooking of holiday accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

The Government have no plans to legislate in these areas at present. Tour operators are already bound by legislation such as the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. In addition, holiday makers who travel with tour operators belonging to the Association of British Travel Agents, which represents the great majority of the United Kingdom travel industry, receive further protection by virtue of the association's code of conduct for tour operators. This contains provisions on the overbooking of holiday accommodation. It also contains provisions on other holiday alterations, which embrace changes to charter flights, and which have been strengthened with effect from the 1986–87 winter season. The Government favour self-regulation by the industry provided that the code and associated conciliation facilities operate effectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has any plans to seek to extend existing consumer protection legislation to the sales techniques used by companies to sell time-share properties, with particular regard to national time-share competitions organised by British companies; and if he will make a statement.

I have no plans at present to introduce such new legislation. I recognise the concern that arises from the selling methods used by some of those engaged in marketing time-share and my Department will shortly be issuing a checklist to which consumers may refer when they are approached about time-share purchases.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in respect of the statistics kept and published by his Department, he will publish in the Official Report any changes since 1979 in (a) the statistical series which are published, including those which have been introduced and those which have been dropped, (b) the basis on which any elements in the statistics are estimated, calculated or presented, (c) the periods over which, and the dates on which the series are collected or published and (d) any other respects in the ways in which statistics are collected, recorded, presented, evaluated or published; and if he will explain the reasons for any such changes.

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

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his policy towards takeovers of public limited companies by management groups from outside such companies.

[pursuant to his reply, 1 December 1986, c. 432]: The Fair Trading Act 1973 enables certain transactions to be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission for further investigation. These are mergers of two or more enterprises when either the assets test of the market share test in the act is satisfied. Our policy is that references to the MMC will be made primarily on competition grounds.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Director General of Fair Trading has

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used (a) in rejecting any developments on the proposed tunnel lid on the M11 link road at Leyton and Leytonstone and (b) in approving development on the tunnel lid on the Al at Hatfield; if he will now reconsider his decision in relation to the M11 project; and if he will make a statement.

No local authority or developer has come forward with plans for the commercial exploitation of tunnel lids over the A12 Hackney Wick to M11 link road. At Hatfield the local authorities took the initiative at the outset in promoting the redevelopment of

[pursuant to his reply, 1 December 1986, c. 432]: The proposed management buy-in of Simon Engineering plc through Valuedale plc is being considered by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). A qualifying merger for the purposes of the Fair Trading Act 1973, must involve two or more enterprises ceasing to be distinct. I understand that, on the information currently available, the OFT considers that the proposal does not qualify for further investigation because Valuedale does not constitute an enterprise under the terms of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish a table showing information available to him in index form of (i) output, (ii) output per hour, and (iii) unit labour costs in Japan, the United States of America and the European Community as a whole for the years 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985 and 1986.

I have been asked to reply.Information on output per man hour and unit labour costs in the whole economy are not readily available for countries outside the United Kingdom. The following table shows figures for manufacturing industry:a wide area which included the tunnel lid. I see no reason to reconsider the decisions that have been announced on the link road.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation to require all large ports in the United Kingdom to provide reception facilities for residues and mixtures of oily and noxious wastes from vessels visiting the United Kingdom's shores; and if he will make a statement.

Legislation was introduced in July 1984 which required port authorities and terminal operators to provide reception facilities for oily waste and, from 6 April 1987, such facilities for residues and mixtures of noxious liquid substances.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list ports where in accordance with the United Kingdom's obligations under annex II of the Marpol convention 73/78 reception facilities are available to accept residues containing noxious liquid substances from vessels visiting British shores.

The United Kingdom has no obligations under annex II of Marpol 73/78 with respect to reception facilities for residues containing noxious liquid substances until 6 April 1987. A list of ports where these are provided will be available after that date.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information Her Majesty's Government provides to mariners of a detailed and periodically updated nature on the location of and possibilities for utilising reception facilities in United Kingdom ports which receive oily residues and mixtures of noxious materials from vessels visiting United Kingdom shores.

The United Kingdom advises the International Maritime Organisation annually on the availability and use of reception facilities for oily residues in United Kingdom ports. The Department is in the process of advising port authorities that shipping agents and ship operators using ports should be provided with certain detailed information so that mariners are fully informed of the provisions for oily residues. It is envisaged that similar arrangements will be made with respect to reception facilities for residues containing noxious liquid substances when annex II of Marpol is implemented.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if there is a standard charge for the use of reception facilities in United Kingdom ports which receive oily residues and mixtures of noxious materials from vessels visiting United Kingdom shores; and if he will make a statement.

Whilst a United Kingdom port may make reasonable charges for the use of reception facilities in accordance with current legislation, a standard charge does not exist.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number, locations and types of reception facilities available in the United Kingdom to accept oily residues and mixtures of noxious materials from vessels visiting United Kingdom shores.

Department of Transport records show that approximately 80 reception facilities are available for oily wastes throughout United Kingdom ports and terminals.There is at present no legal requirement for United Kingdom ports to provide reception facilities for noxious liquid wastes arising from ships, therefore no information is available as to established facilities. Such facilities will, however, be required in certain ports for wastes from a limited number of noxious liquid substances carried in bulk by ships after implementation of Marpol, annex II, on 6 April 1987.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps Her Majesty's Government has taken to ensure that the best available technology is employed in reception facilities in United Kingdom ports which receive oily residues and mixtures of noxious materials from vessels visiting United Kingdom shores.

I have been asked to reply.The transfer of ship residues from vessels to reception facilities is covered by the Prevention of Pollution (Reception Facilities) Order 1984. The handling, transfer and storage of the residues in the harbour area will be subject to the Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations 1986 and elsewhere to the provisions of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Advice on the best practicable means of dealing with waste is available from the regulatory authorities. The actual technology employed is a matter for the owner or operator of the reception facilities provided these comply with the relevant regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if in respect of the statistics kept and published by his Department, he will publish in the Official Report any changes since 1979 in (a) the statistical series which are published, including those which have been introduced and those which have been dropped, (b) the basis on which any elements in the statistics are estimated, calculated or presented, (c) the periods over which, and the dates on which the series are collected or published and (d) any other respects in the ways in which the statistics are collected, recorded, presented, evaluated, or published; and if he will explain the reasons for any such changes.

Changes in the basis of compilation, presentation, and publication of statistical series are made from time to time in response to the Government's requirements for statistical information, changes in the administrative sytems on which some series are based, the development of new statistical techniques, and technological developments affecting the compilation and dessemination of statistical data. When such changes are made they are documented in the Department's annual statistical publication "Transport Statistics Great Britain", copies of which are in the Library.The principal changes since 1979 have been:

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether W. S. Atkins and Partners, consulting engineers on the Reigate-Leatherhead section of the M25, have yet received a submission from the contractors Birse Farr; whether W. S. Atkins and Partners have yet determined where responsibility for defects in the construction of this section lies; and if he will make a statement.

The consulting engineers have recently received a detailed statement of claim from the contractor concerning the defects in the concrete pavement of the Reigate-Leatherhead section of the M25. The consultants are considering this. It may take them some time to reach a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) on how many occasions in each year from 1981 to 1985, and in respect of the current year to 15 November, civil helicopter pilots on flights over the North sea contacted air traffic control at (i) Aberdeen, (ii) Sumburgh, (iii) Baltasound and (iv) Shetland radar at Royal Air Force Saxa Vord to report suspected, indicated or actual technical malfunctions of their aircraft;(2) on how many occasions emergency services were alerted at (i) Aberdeen, (ii) Sumburgh and (iii) Baltasound airports in connection with civil helicopter landings in each year between 1981 and 1985 and in the current year to 15 November.

The Civil Aviation Authority, which is responsible through the national air traffic services for air traffic control, has informed me that the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many mandatory occurrence reports were filed by civil helicopter pilots on flights over the North sea in each of the following years: (a) 1981, (b) 1982, (c) 1983, (d) 1984, (e) 1985 and (f) 1986 to 15 November;(2) what steps have been taken in the last five years to ensure enforcement of the regulations on mandatory occurrence reports in respect of civil fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft, operating in the north of Scotland and in North sea operations.

The Civil Aviation Authority, which is statutorily responsible for all aspects of aviation safety, has informed me that legislation on the mandatory occurrence reporting scheme is contained in article 85 of the Air Navigation Order 1985. Information and guidance on the scheme is set out in the CAA's "Civil Aviation Publication Number 382," which was last amended in 1984 and is currently subject to review. The authority subjects all holders of an air operator's certificate for the conduct of public transport flights to periodic detailed inspection. An operator's system for the handling and forwarding of mandatory occurrence reports to the authority is one of the aspects to which particular attention is paid. Any shortcomings found, that is failure to report a reportable occurrence, are drawn to the operator's attention. Serious weakness in MOR practices could be one of the factors in suspension or revocation of an air operator's certificate. In the last five years, all the North sea major helicopter operators have been subject to the CAA inspection. During that period the number of MOR reports filed by civil helicopter pilots on flights over the North sea were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has had against sanctions from non-governmental South African sources; and if he will make a statement.

We have received representations in this sense from a number of non-governmental South African sources, including the Inkatha movement, the Progressive Federal party, and the South African business community. We agree with them that general economic sanctions would not be effective as a means to end apartheid.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on European Economic Community co-operation on measures to combat terrorism.

The measures agreed by the Twelve on 10 November and the statement issued on 29 November sent a clear signal to Syria that the involvement of its officials in acts of terrorism was totally unacceptable. These latest actions demonstrate the determination of the Twelve to co-operate closely in adopting practical counter-terrorist measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he will take to seek to combat terrorism from all sources in the middle east.

We shall continue to do everything we can to combat terrorism, from whatever quarter it may come, working closely with other like-minded countries in the process.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with the adequacy of security measures taken following the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador from London; and if he will make a statement.

Yes. Security measures are reviewed on a regular basis according to the level of threat.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of state sponsored terrorism at the next meeting of European Economic Community Foreign Ministers.

The issue of terrorism will be discussed at the European Council on 5 and 6 December in London.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Republic of Ireland to pass the legislation providing for extradition, arising from the European convention for the suppression of terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

A Bill which makes provision for Irish ratification of the European convention on the suppression of terrorism was published by the Government of the Republic of Ireland on 25 November. Its passage is a matter for the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to visit the occupied territories and east Jerusalem.

My right hon. and learned Friend has at present no plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's relations with middle east countries.

We enjoy excellent relations with most countries in the middle east: these are founded on mutual interest and respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress in the peace process in the middle east.

We shall continue to look for realistic ways forward towards the negotiation of a just and lasting settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the United Kingdom's relations with China.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Anglo-Chinese relations.

Our relations with the People's Republic of China are excellent, as I saw for myself during the state visit to China in October. Exchanges in many fields, including trade, continue to expand fruitfully in both directions.

asked the Secretary or State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of the modernisation of Fylingdales for the anti-ballistic missile treaty.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces told the House on 22 May, we are satisfied that the modernisation of RAF Fylingdales will be in full conformity with US obligations under the ABM treaty.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions Her Majesty's Government have had with the United States Administration on the interpretation of the anti-ballistic missile treaty.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the United States Administration on the interpretation of the anti-ballistic missile treaty.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the United States Secretary of State, since the Reykjavik talks, on the applicability of the anti-ballistic missile treaty to strategic defence initiative developments.

We regularly hold discussions with the US Administration on a range of political military issues, for example, when my right hon. and learned Friend met Mr. Shultz in Vienna. The ABM treaty, to which the UK is not a party, is raised in the course of these discussions as appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about the proposal of President Alfonsin on 18 November to end the state of hostilities in the south Atlantic.

The specific points in the Argentine declaration of 17 November are all conditional on negotiations on sovereignty. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated on 18 November, we are not prepared to negotiate sovereignty.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about Anglo-Argentine relations with special reference to the south Atlantic.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on non-negotiability of the sovereignty and self-determination of the Falkland Islanders in the light of the recent offer made by the Government of Argentina.

We shall continue to seek more normal relations with Argentina, while honouring our commitments to defend the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination. We are disappointed that Argentina continues to refuse to co-operate on matters of practical importance to us both. In addition, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Berwick-Upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) earlier today.

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

Following the break in diplomatic relations with Syria on 24 October, a small British interests section remains in Damascus as part of the embassy of Australia, which has agreed to protect British interests in Syria.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to discuss relations with Syria with the Government of France.

The French Foreign Minister and my right hon. and learned Friend discussed Syria at the Anglo French summit on 21 November. We are in regular contact and will continue to exchange views on Syria as necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EEC measures against Syria.

The measures agreed on 10 November reaffirmed the resolve of the Twelve to curb terrorism in all its forms and to send a clear message to Syria that its involvement in the Hindawi affair was absolutely unacceptable.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the reaction of the Soviet authorities to evidence from Her Majesty's Government that the Syrian Government are involved in terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

The Soviet authorities have questioned the weight of our conclusive evidence of Syrian official involvement in the Hindawi affairs which my right hon. and learned Friend discussed with Mr. Shevardnadze on 4 November. We have provided a detailed account of this to the Soviet authorities and hope that on reflection they will accept the force of our case.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances Her Majesty's Government have received from their Common Market counterparts regarding their policy towards putting pressure on Syria to obtain the release of hostages in the Lebanon.

We have not sought the assurances described by the hon. Member. We are in close touch with our partners in the Twelve, especially those whose nationals are among those missing in Lebanon, and continue to do all we can to obtain news of the hostages.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government have any evidence that the Soviet Union has contravened the moratorium on nuclear weapons testing which it initiated in August 1985; and if he will make a statement.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons by 1996.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Reagan agreed at their meeting at Camp David on 15 November that NATO's strategy of forward defence and flexible response would continue to require effective nuclear deterrence based on a mix of systems.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the implications of the extent to which the exclusive fishing zone around the Falkland Islands overlaps the 200-mile territorial limit claimed by Argentina for the possibilities of increased tension in the area.

The boundaries of the Falkland Islands interim conservation and management zone fully respect the rules of international law governing the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction between neighbours. We therefore see no reason why the choice of the zone's boundaries should increase tension in the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has had discussions with the Soviet authorities in recent weeks concerning human rights.

My right hon. and learned Friend raised human rights with the Soviet Foreign Minister, Mr. Shevardnadze, at his meeting with him in Vienna on 4 November. We shall continue to take every suitable opportunity to raise with the Soviet authorities our concerns on this score.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will indicate the number of occasions since June 1983 that he has raised the issue of human rights with the Soviet Government.

My right hon. and learned Friend has raised the issue of human rights with Soviet leaders on 10 occasions since June 1983, and most recently on 4 November with Mr. Shevardnadze in Vienna. We will continue to take every suitable opportunity to represent to the Soviet authorities the extent of public and parliamentary concern about their performance on this most important issue.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with Mr. Shevardnadze, the Soviet Foreign Minister.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Terlezki) on 18 November, at column 143.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what pressure is being brought on the Soviet Government concerning their breaches of human rights under the Helsinki agreement.

We and our Western partners raise human rights abuses regularly with the Soviet authorities at the CSCE follow up meeting in Vienna. We also do so in bilateral contacts.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United States Secretary of State on the supply of arms to Iran.

My right hon. and learned Friend has not discussed arms supplies to Iran at any of his recent meetings with the United States Secretary of State.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's relationship with Iran.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with Iran.

I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) on 18 November, at column 145.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to make any further representations to the United States Government concerning arms deals with Iran.

My right hon. and learned Friend has no present plans to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made on behalf of Her Majesty's Government to the United States Government regarding the SALT 2 treaty.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made on behalf of Her Majesty's Government to the United States Government regarding the SALT 2 treaty.

asked the Secretary of Slate for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the United States Government's compliance with the SALT 2 treaty.

We have repeatedly made it clear that the SALT agreements should continue to be observed by both sides. We have recognised the United States concerns about Soviet non-compliance and have urged the Soviet authorities on many occasions to take action to allay these concerns. We regret the lack of substantive Soviet response. We look forward to further consultations with the United States Administration on these and related issues.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest position in relation to the proposal to station two drug liaison officers in India; and if he will make a statement.

As I told my right hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Sir B. Braine) on 21 November, the Indian Government have agreed to the postings of the drug liaison officers, who will take up their posts as soon as their personal arrangements have been completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had recently with the Indian Government regarding their refusal to allow two British drug officers to be posted in Delhi and Bombay; and if he will make a statement.

As I told my right hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Sir Bernard Braine) on 21 November, the Indian Government have informed us that the postings of drug liaison officers to Delhi and Bombay can now take place; and they will do so as soon as the officers concerned have completed their personal arrangements. We welcome this development.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest negotiations on arms control.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's statement of 15 November, agreed with President Reagan, set out the priorities for arms control after Reykjavik. A copy of the statement has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of the mutual and balanced force reduction talks in Vienna.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about recent progress at those disarmament and security conferences at which the United Kingdom is represented.

During the 40th round of the mutual and balanced force reduction talks in Vienna, which opened on 25 September, Britain and her allies have continued to press for a serious response from the Warsaw Pact to the Western initiative of December 1985. Although the Warsaw pact agreed the principle of on-site inspection at the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe, it has shown little flexibility on this at MBFR. Nor has it shown willingness to exchange detailed information on force levels, which is the other principle issue under discussion at Vienna.In the chemical weapons negotiations we are pressing for further progress on verification issues. Although the next session of the conference on disarmament only formally reconvenes on 4 February 1987, we will continue to seek agreement to the United Kingdom initiative on challenge inspection during intercessional work.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what responses there have been to the United Kingdom's compromise proposal on verification of a chemical weapons ban at the conference on disarmament in Geneva.

The reaction of other delegations to the conference on disarmament has been generally encouraging. We have particularly welcomed a number of public expressions of support. The United Kingdom proposals are currently the subject of detailed discussion among delegations in Geneva.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current East-West relations.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the right hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. MacKenzie) on 29 October, at column 171. We are pressing the Soviet Union at the Vienna Meeting for progress on human rights and contacts.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to visit Egypt.

My right hon. and learned Friend last visited Egypt in January 1984. He hopes to visit Egypt again, but has no plans to do so at present. I visited Egypt in September this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response Her Majesty's Government have made to the memorandum giving new life to the Helsinki accords signed by opposition and human rights representatives from eastern Europe and submitted to the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in Vienna.