asked Her Majesty's Government:How many "British" places in the Commission of the EEC are vacant; and why.

The Commission is responsible for recruitment of its staff and the Commission Staff Regulations do not permit posts to be reserved for a particular Member State. In terms of numbers the United Kingdom has approximtely the right level of representation in the most senior grades, though we are less well represented in some of the lower grades.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list in the

The figures are as follows:

	Real weekly take-home pay (including family allowance or child benefit) at lower decile, at 1977–78 prices£
1964–65	36·40
1965–66	37·70
1966–67	39·80
1967–68	39·90
1968–69	40·10
1969–70	39·90
1970–71	41·00
1971–72	41·80
1972–73	44·20
1973–74	44·10
1974–75	43·20
1975–76	42·50
1976–77	43·30
1977–78	44·10

The estimates of the lowest decile in the distribution of gross weekly earnings used in the calculation relate to all full-time men aged 21 and over. Estimates for 1970–71 and later years are derived from the New Earnings Survey. They relate to April in each year and to workers whose pay was not affected by absence.Estimates for earlier years are derived from the smaller samples in the Family Expenditure Survey; consequently they are subject to much wider margins of sampling error than the NES estimates. They relate to the nearest calendar year and to normal weekly earnings of employees in survey households.The Retail Prices Index used for 1977–78 is the average from April to December 1977, the latter being the latest month available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What areas of the high seas have been closed to international shipping because of rocket and other weapon tests in recent years, by which States, and for how long, and whether such closing of the high seas would be in accordance with either Article 88 or Article 89 of the Composite Negotiating Text (CNT) now before the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III).

Many States, including the United Kingdom, have in recent years engaged in rocket and other weapon tests on the high seas. In British practice the tests are suspended if a vessel enters the range. This does not constitute a claim to close an area of the high seas and would not contravene Articles 88 and 89 of the ICNT. In an earlier period when nuclear weapon tests were being conducted in the Pacific in areas comparatively little used for navigation, the States concerned took various measures to ensure that navigation was not endangered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are now their rights in international law in relation to

Where such equipment interfered with the rights enjoyed by the United Kingdom in its Continental Shelf and in its fishery zone the United Kingdom is entitled to ensure respect for its rights.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Within what distance of the shores of the United Kingdom would the Composite Negotiating Text permit foreign Governments to establish permanent or temporary platforms for purposes other than economic exploration or exploitation (

Provided that such a platform did not affect the exercise of the rights of the coastal State or of other States and their legitimate uses of the sea, this appears to be lawful anywhere outside the territorial sea of the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What types of vessels, and how many of them Soviet or Warsaw Pact vessels, have entered the safety zones set up round British oil and gas installations, and what steps have Her Majesty's Government taken on such occasions.

Since 1969 about two-thirds of vessels reported to have entered safety zones around offshore installations on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf were fishing vessels, and the remainder were other commercial or military vessels. There have been 294 reported infringements, of which 24 have been by Soviet or East European vessels. Minor safety zone infringements by foreign vessels have been brought to the attention to the Government of the flag State, with a request to rebuke the owner or master. Similar action is taken by the Department of Trade for United Kingdom registered vessels. Serious infringements have been the subject of formal diplomatic protests to the appropriate Governments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Soviet vessels have conducted exercises or weapon tests or scientific research within the area of the present British fishery zone or over the British Continental Shelf and, if so, when and for how long and, in the case of research, for what purpose.

It is not possible to know whether Soviet vessels on the high seas within our fishery zone or over the Continental Shelf may have been engaging in exercises or weapon tests. As to scientific research, the United Kingdom recognises in general freedom of research on the high seas, including its fishery zones unless it is research concerning the Continental Shelf and conducted there. Comprehensive information is not available therefore as to what research has been undertaken within the area of the present fishery zone or over its Continental Shelf.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Ministry of Defence is or is not asked at an early stage to comment on the defensibility against terrorist or enemy attack of new designs for oil and gas extraction installations and for pipeline systems.

The Ministry of Defence is not consulted on the design of individual platforms or pipeline systems but its general views on their vulnerability have been taken into account.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Soviet or East European fishing vessels, when they are licensed to fish in British waters, are entitled to engage in electronic and other forms of surveillance of British oil and gas installations and their related pipelines, or to carry equipment which could be used to interfere with their communications systems.

The use of electronic and visual equipment during navigation on the high seas is permitted even if this makes possible the observation of installations and other vessels. Use of electronic equipment on vessels deliberately to cause interference with other vessels or installations using their own channels of communications is not lawful.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Soviet Union has conducted fishery or any other research within the present area of the British fishery zone or on or over the British Continental Shelf that required permission from the British authorities and, if so, for what period and with what British participation.

The United Kingdom recognises in general freedom of research on the High Seas, including its fishery zone, unless it is research concerning the Continental Shelf and conducted there. Comprehensive information is not available therefore as to what research has been undertaken within the area of the present fishery zone or over its Continental Shelf. Much of the fishery research is conducted under the auspices of ICES so that the results become available to the British authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the United Kingdom has conducted or sought to conduct any research in zones or areas subject to Soviet jurisdiction and on how many occasions has permission not been forthcoming.

The United Kingdom has not recently sought to conduct research in zones subject to Soviet jurisdiction.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Soviet Union has undertaken in the context of the UNCLOS negotiations to allow the régime of free transit to operate in any straits within 12 nautical miles of the Soviet Union, and if so in which.

Her Majesty's Government have not discussed this question with the Soviet Union but see no reason to believe that the Soviet Union would not carry out its obligations if it became a party to the prepared new Law of the Sea Convention.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the territorial seas of which States do naval vessels engaged in innocent passage have to obtain prior permission and submarines have to travel on the surface.

The 1958 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone provides that ships of all states including warships shall enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. The Informal Composite Negotiating Text of the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference adopts a similar approach. As a party to the 1958 Convention, Her Majesty's Government take the view that there is no basis in international law for requesting prior authorisation or notification to the coastal State of the intended passage of warships through the territorial sea and have reserved their rights accordingly. According to information available to Her Majesty's Government, the following States have enacted legislation purporting to require prior notification of the transit of warships through territorial waters:

Country	Year of enactment
Honduras	1935
Dominican Republic	1951
Soviet Union	1960
China	1963
Denmark	1968(1)
Libya	1973(2)
Dominican Republic	1974
Bangladesh	1976
India	1976
Sudan	1976
Sri Lanka	1976
Denmark	1976(3)
Pakistan	1976
Barbados	1977
Seychelles	1977
Mauritius	1977
PDRY	1977

FOOTNOTES(1) If duration of passage through Danish territorial waters for more than two days, with the exception of the port areas of Frederikshavn and Elsinore and the port and roadstead of Copenhagen, where prior permission required, and passage through Hallaenderdyb and Drogden, where advance notice required.(2) In the Gulf of Sirte.(3) Except for the passage of fewer than three warships simultaneously through the Great Belt, Samsoe Belt or the Sound.Article 14(6) of the 1958 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone requires that submarines engaged in innocent passage through the territorial sea shall navigate on the surface and show their flag. An identical provision appears in the Informal Composite Negotiating Text.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the territorial seas of which States has "innocent passage" been suspended, and for how long, and how often.

According to information held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, on 1st August 1977, North Korean authorities announced the establishment of a military zone up to 50 miles out to sea off the East coast of Korea, and up to 200 miles off its West coast. All foreign naval vessels and military aircraft are reportedly banned from the zone. It appears that nonmilitary ships may only use the zone with prior permission. In 1967 the Government of India declared the territorial waters of the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands closed to all foreign shipping.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(i) Whether Whitby is in the Northumberland National Park;

(ii) What is the height of Whitby Abbey;

(iii) Whether a potash refinery is planned on or near Broomfield Farm;

(iv) What are the dimensions and relative height of any proposed buildings and storage tanks;

(v) How far would they be from the Abbey;

(vi) What is the acreage allocated to the complex and what height the chimney;

(vii) What are the present main bases of the economy of Whitby;

(viii) How and by what routes will waste be disposed and

(ix) What other subsidiary sites are proposed within the National Park.

This Question presumably relates to the application by Whitby Potash Limited to extract potash by a solution mining method from land underlying the North Yorkshire Moors National Park in the vicinity of Whitby and to erect a refinery in Whitby itself which is not in the National Park. Planning permission for this development was refused by the National Park Committee and the company has appealed to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment against the refusal. An inquiry into the appeal is due to commence on 7th February.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In respect of those Public Acts which received the Royal Assent between March 1974 and 31st December 1976, which (

I understand that no central record is kept and this information could only be compiled at disproportionate cost.House adjourned at twenty-six minutes before eight o'clock.