asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to extend the tougher régimes pilot project and to make changes in accommodation in detention centres.

My right honourable friend proposes to introduce the pilot project at Foston Hall junior detention centre in Derbyshire and Haslar senior detention centre in Hampshire on or soon after 7th September 1981. From that date the centres will take only trainees who are sentenced initially to three months' detention. To prepare the way for this, revised committal areas for detention centres are to be introduced with effect from 6th July 1981. The committal areas will also reflect the introduction of additional accommodation which my right honourable friend announced on 23rd March for senior detention centre trainees at the borstal and detention centre at Hollesley Bay in Suffolk and at Guys Marsh borstal in Dorset and the conversion of the senior detention centre at Blantyre House in Kent to accommodate junior trainees. This accommodation will be available to receive trainees from courts from 6th July 1981. As a result of these changes there will be some significant alterations in the catchment areas from which detention centres accept committals. A circular will shortly be issued to courts informing them of the changes and setting out the revised committal areas. We will place a copy of the circular in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they or another place were represented at the conference in London on the export arms trade; what was its purpose; whether the United States defence establishment and European Governments were represented; if the latter, which; whether the arms industry was represented and, if so, from which countries; whether an increase of 56 per cent. in arms expenditure during the next 2 years was estimated; and what was the attitude of the British representative, if present, to this expanding trade, particularly to the third world.

I understand that a private company, specialising in industrial and commercial conferences, recently held a seminar in London on the subject of exporting defence-related equipment and technology. Attendance was apparently open to interested individuals and organisations on payment of a fee. Her Majesty's Government were not represented. No other details are known about the seminar.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Crown Agents are playing any role in the development of the ports of Assab and Massawa in Eritrea; who is their client; what is the contract sum; by whom the work is to be carried out; whether they will make inquiries as to what fees are being charged to the Soviet Navy for the use of port facilities at Massawa, and whether these fees are being taken into account as an offset against the cost of development.

The Crown Agents are playing no such role.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons from the Crown Agents have visited Ethiopia since the beginning of 1979, and for what purposes.

These are matters for the Crown Agents themselves, and I am asking them to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the conclusions of the meeting of the United Nations Food Council in Yugoslavia; whether the United Kingdom was represented and, if so, what was the attitude of its delegation to the proposal that food aid should be raised to the level of 10 million tonnes a year.

At the ministerial session of the World Food Council my honourable friend the Minister for Overseas Development, who led the British delegation, said that we hoped to see the life of the Food Aid Convention extended and its membership enlarged by new donors. I am placing copies of the full conclusions of the meeting, and of what my honourable friend said, in the Library.House adjourned at seventeen minutes before ten o'clock.