asked Her Majesty's Government:What methods of destruction of pigeons and other birds in urban areas are permitted under licence by the Ministry of Agriculture to private firms; how many firms are licensed; and what methods of humane destruction are used when birds are first made unconscious by the use of food drugged with alphachloralose.

Where such licences are issued, the control technique involves the use of a stupefying bait, which is based on alphachloralose. The target species are then collected and humanely destroyed, normally by asphyxiation with carbon dioxide. The licences are issued to named individuals on the basis of their practical experience in pest control. They are valid for one year. There are currently 406 licence-holders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many representations they have received in the last 12 months about the annual slaughter of seal pups off the coast of Canada, what proportion of these representations have been in favour of the annual slaughter continuing, what representations they have made to the Canadian Government about this matter, and what steps have been taken to ensure that none of the products of this slaughter can be imported into this country.

A petition presented by the International Fund for Animal Welfare in August 1980 carried some 1¼ million signatures. In addition, some 11,000 people have in the past 12 months expressed their opposition to the hunt by signing locally organised petitions, through letters to their Members of Parliament or direct to the Government. I do not believe that representations have been received in favour of the hunt continuing.Her Majesty's Government are thus fully aware of the depth of feeling in the United Kingdom on this matter. There are, however, no grounds on which we can intervene since the hunt takes place wholly within Canada's jurisdiction. The Government also stand by their decision in June 1979 that a ban on goods made from seal skin would not be the right response. However, because of the danger that people opposed to seal killing might unwittingly buy seal skin products, a labelling order, which was welcomed by the RSPCA, was made under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to require all such goods offered for sale to indicate that they are made from seal skin and where the skins come from. The order came into operation on 1st January 1981 and applies to goods imported into or made in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made with the research arising out of the Report of the Working Group on Back Pain (The Cochrane Report 1979); and whether they will make a statement.

The main Government-funded body supporting research into back pain is the Medical Research Council. The council is aware of the priority accorded by the health departments to the need for research into the topic and is continuing to support relevant work; the DHSS is also supporting some studies. I will write to my noble friend with the details.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many former members of the Foreign and Diplomatic Service are non-resident in the United Kingdom.

I regret to say that the information requested by my noble friend is not available.House adjourned at twenty-one minutes before ten o'clock.