asked Her Majesty's Government:How many cases of suspected arson have been notified to the police forces in England, Scotland and Wales respectively, in each of the last four years; how many convictions have resulted and how many prosecutions have been made or re now pending.

Information on the number of offences of arson recorded by the police in England and Wales is published annually in Criminal Statistics, England and Wales (Table 32 of the volume for 1979, Cmnd. 8098). I understand from the Secretary of State for Scotland that in Scotland the crime is not known as arson but as either wilful fire-raising or culpable and reckless fire-raising. The number of crimes and offences reported to the police in Scotland is published annually in Criminal Statistics, Scotland; the latest year for which figures are published is 1978 (Cmnd. 7676). In 1979, 2,598 cases of wilful or culpable and reckless fire-raising were reported to the police in Scotland.The latest information available on prosecutions and convictions in 1979 is given in the following table. Corresponding information for earlier years is pub

lished for England and Wales combined and for Scotland in the publications already referred to: separate figures for England and Wales could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on prosecutions pending is not collected centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the maximum and minimum penalties for the crime of arson; how they compare with the penalties for causing explosions; and whether they consider that the penalties for arson should be strengthened.

The maximum penalty for arson is already life imprisonment, as it is for causing explosions, so that the question of strengthening the penalty does not arise. Minimum penalties are not a feature of our criminal law.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When representation will be made to the European Commission in regard to the introduction of a corporation tax concession for Northern Ireland.

The Government are at present reviewing the structure of corporation tax and its future development, with the intention of publishing a Green Paper in due course. I note my noble friend's suggestion that there should be special corporation tax concessions for Northern Ireland, and I can assure him that this idea will be taken into account in that review. However, before the results of that review are known, it would be premature to consider whether it would be appropriate to make representations to the European Commission.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the total cost over five-year periods since 1965 of issues of public dividend capital for each nationalised industry, all figures to be expressed in terms of constant 1979 survey prices.

Following is the information:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take the initiative within the United Nations to provide assistance to Tanzania which, according to President Nyerere, is threatened with the death of thousands from hunger next year owing to adverse weather.

Our information shows that Tanzania has so far secured nearly 90 per cent. of her cereals import requirements for the present harvest year to June 1981, over half of this through food aid. This compares with 58 per cent. average for the poorer countries as a whole, and 46 per cent. for the poorer African countries alone. FAO, the United Nations World Food Programme and the International Wheat Council are watching the situation here as elsewhere, and we shall take this analysis into account as we consider with our partners in the Community what further help might be provided.House adjourned at fourteen minutes before nine o'clock.