asked Her Majesty's Government:To list, for each publicly owned enterprise, the number of workers employed at the end of 1977 or, where this information is not readily available, at the most convenient recent date; the date to which the figure applies, if it is not 31st December, 1977; the most recent estimate made by the enterprise of the number of workers it will employ in the future; the date to which that estimate relates; and. if estimates have been made relating to several different future dates, each of those estimates and the dates to which they relate.

I regret that to provide the information requested for the numerous public corporations other than the nationalised industries would involve a disproportionate expenditure of time, effort and resources. The following table shows the estimated numbers employed by the nationalised industries on 31st March 1978:

National Coal Board	239,300
Electricity Council and Boards	158,700
North of Scotland Hydro-electric Board	3,900
South of Scotland Electricity Board	13,600
British Gas Corporation	99,600
British National Oil Corporation	800
British Steel Corporation	200,000
Post Office	404,900
British Airways Board	57,300
British Airports Authority	5,800
British Railways Board	240,000
British Transport Docks Board	11,500
British Waterways Board	3,200
National Freight Corporation	40,100
National Bus Company	65,100
Scottish Transport Group	14,100
British Aerospace	68,800
British Shipbuilders	85,000
	1,711,700

Forecasts of future employment are not available for all the nationalised industries and such forecasts as the industries have made are subject to numerous uncertainties. It would not in my view be right to reveal these figures, for which the industries themselves are responsible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Soviet submarines, and which, have passed through the Bosphorus in recent years: whether their passage has been in strict conformity with the provisions of the Montreux Convention; and if not, in what respects.

Since 1975 four Soviet submarines have transitted the Bosphorus. In each of the years 1975, 1977 and 1978 a T class submarine transitted from the Black Sea. They were declared for refitting in the Baltic and Northern Fleet area and hence can be held to conformed to the provisions of the Convention. In 1976 a ZIV submarine transitted the Bosphorus. It was similarly declared.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications for release have been received and are currently under consideration or have been approved, from Officers, Warrant Officers, NCOs and men and women of the Armed Services, giving separate figures for each category, for each of the Services.

The numbers of trained male officers who applied to leave the Services prematurely during 1977–78 were as follows:(The number who have still to leave is shown in brackets).

RN/RM	Army	RAF
338 (284)	908 (448)	778 (415)

There is a large number of different types of engagement for non-commissioned personnel and the three Services handle applications for premature release differently.In the Royal Navy, for example, though not in the Royal Marines, premature voluntary release (PVR), as such, does not exist. All ratings with less than nine years' service either serve on, or may transfer to, notice engagements, which enable them to leave after a minimum of three years' productive service, subject to giving 18 months' notice. In the Army, the majority of soldiers enlist on 22-year notice engagements and commit themselves to three, six or nine years' service, at the end of which they too may leave on giving 18 months' notice but they may also apply to purchase their premature release at any time after the first three years. Subject to manning and other considerations, the majority of PVR applicants are permitted to leave within a few weeks. Airmen initially enter the Royal Air Force on fixed term engagements of six, nine or 12 years or, in some cases, on nine year notice engagements but applications for PVR may be considered at any time after three years' service. Non-commissioned personnel in all three Services who have served for more than nine years enjoy the right to leave on giving 18 months' notice.It is not therefore possible to give comparable figures for applications for premature release but the numbers of men and women who actually left prematurely during the period were as follows:

RN/RM		Army		RAF
Men	Women	Men	Women	Men	Women
1,719	202	5,125	73	1,996	200

It is not practicable to provide a more detailed breakdown of the figures in respect of Warrant Officers, NCOs and other ranks.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in view of the fact that the Forestry Commission have recently announced their intention to afforest a very large part of Scotland, plans of the areas intended for planting can be provided, and also an intended time scale.

No announcement of this nature has been made by the Commission, although they have recently circulated a consultative document which puts forward possible programme options for the future of the forestry industry as a whole. A copy of this document is in the Library of the House. The bulk of the Forestry Commission's annual programmes of new planting will be carried out in Scotland where most of the acquisitions of plantable land are taking place. There has been a steady downward trend in new planting in Scotland from 17,000 hectares achieved in 1974–75 to 12,200 hectares in 1977–78. A total of 12,400 hectares is estimated for the current year and little improvement is envisaged for the immediate future. A major factor in this trend is the availability of suitable land on the market for acquisition.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Equal Opportunities Commission has not received funds from public sources other than its grant-in-aid from the Community Services Vote of the Home Office. The approved estimate for this grant in 1978–79 is £1,996,000.House adjourned at twenty-four minutes past three o'clock.