asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will bring up to date the information concerning housing action areas in Northern Ireland, contained in their Written Reply of 7th December 1979.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has declared 24 housing action areas since 1st January 1976, 23 of which are in Belfast. Registered housing associations are currently working in 7 of the declared areas.On 30th December 1980, 494 dwellings had been improved by the Housing Executive in these housing action areas and work was in progress on a further 105; 166 dwellings had been improved by housing associations and work was in progress on a further 63. In addition, a total of 741 improvement and intermediate grants under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 had been approved in housing action areas for private persons. To prevent deterioration in areas immediately surrounding declared or proposed housing action areas, the Housing Executive and some housing associations continue to acquire vacant properties for rehabilitation. Private sector house renovation grants also continue to be available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to persuade other building societies to follow the lead of the Nationwide Building Society in providing £5 million for mortgages and improvements in five housing action areas in Belfast; whether they will make it possible for the Housing Executive to match the resources provided by the private sector; and whether the possibility of additional loans from EEC sources to the Housing Executive has been fully explored.

The Government have taken a number of initiatives, in co-operation with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, to inform building societies of the considerable potential for lending in Northern Ireland. A series of meetings at both national and regional level involving all societies operating in Northern Ireland have been held. The response has been most favourable and detailed discussions are now taking place with individual societies about the level and extent of the assistance they will provide. In addition, the Government have approached the Building Societies Association with a view to continuing the arrangements which have applied for the last two years whereby socities collectively allocate a specific sum for lending on older, cheaper property.Sufficient public resources will be provided to enable the Northern Ireland Housing Executive proposals for declared housing action areas to be undertaken, through the purchase and improvement of houses and grants to private owners.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies resident in India renounced that citizenship in each of the last five years.

The figures for 1979 and 1980 are 71 and 77 respectively. Figures for previous years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many women were registered as citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies by the British High Commission in India on the grounds of marriage to a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies in each of the last five years.

Complete figures for 1980 are not yet available. The numbers registered in the years 1975–1979 were as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Consistent series on a continuous basis of the size of the United Kingdom working population are available only from 1959 onwards. For earlier years, approximate estimates are given which take account of the discontinuities in the available statistics but which are not precisely comparable with the more recent information. The figures relate to the middle of each year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the figures for the balance of trade between the United Kingdom and the other members of the EEC in each year since British accession.

The available information is as follows:UK VISIBLE TRADE WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

asked Her Majesty's Government:What decisions have been reached, following discussions between the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with the chairman of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) regarding allocations to the CDC, commercial borrowing by the CDC and further cuts in direct aid to developing countries; and whether special aid to the poorest countries will be maintained.

Decisions on the level of future allocations to CDC, and on commercial borrowing, have still to be taken in the light of the report of the CDC Review, which I was glad to have the opportunity to discuss with the chairman of CDC on 10th February. The House will be informed of the Government's conclusions as soon as possible. The question of cuts in direct aid to developing countries did not feature in these discussions. We have made it clear on other occasions that the poorest countries will remain major beneficiaries of our aid.House adjourned at fourteen minutes before eleven o'clock.