asked Her Majesty's Government:What provision in the Prison Rules 1964 or in any of the Standing Orders prohibits a prisoner in England and Wales from writing a letter to the British Ambassador to the United Nations.

Under the regulations which came into force on 1st December 1981 a prisoner in England and Wales would be allowed to write to the Britsh Ambassador to the United Nations but the letter would be subject to the general restrictions on contents set out in Prison Department Standing Order 5.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What purpose is served by the continued existence of the Public Trustee.

The Public Trustee acts as an executor, trustee and custodian trustee where appointed. He frequently acts as a trustee of last resort and may not refuse a trust solely on the grounds of its small value. He also manages the common investment funds and administers pension, friendly society and disaster funds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Governor-in-Council of Hong Kong has rejected the appeal of Christine Vertucci, an American lawyer active in support of human rights and better conditions for women workers, against the refusal of renewal of her visa; if so, on what grounds; and whether they approve of this decision.

The Governor-in-Council decided on 9th February to confirm the Director of Immigration's decision not to grant Ms. Vertucci an extension to stay. It is not the practice of the Hong Kong Government to state the grounds for such decisions. This action is the responsibility of the Hong Kong Government and does not require Her Majesty's Government's approval.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What association they have with the Administration of Pitcairn Island, the colonial possession established by the mutineers of HMS "Bounty" in 1790, and whether they will restore British passports to the isolated inhabitants and save the colony from extinction.

Her Majesty's Government administer Pitcairn, whose community is largely self-sufficient, through the Governor and his Commissioner. Pitcairners will continue to hold British passports in which they will be described as provided for in the British Nationality Act 1981, as British dependent territories citizens.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What contribution to the funds of the International Development Association was made by the United Kingdom in the year ended 30th June 1981 and what will be the contribution in the year ended 30th June 1982.

In each of the two years the United Kingdom has deposited promissory notes amounting to £184,991,600. Of the second instalment £119,901,000 has been released for commitment purposes by the International Development Association (IDA). In accordance with the IDA 6 Agreement (Cmnd. 7900), this figure is proportional to the amount deposited by the United States as its second instalment. The balance of the United Kingdom's contribution becomes available for commitment purposes when the United States completes its contribution.

ask Her Majesty's Government:What assistance the Government will give to help the work of voluntary and church agencies in providing humanitarian aid to Poland.

In my reply to the noble Lord, Lord Orr-Ewing, on 8th February (col. 81), I informed my noble friend that Her Majesty's Government would give financial or other assistance to help co-ordinate the efforts of those voluntary and church agencies in Britain which were providing humanitarian aid to Poland.I can confirm that, in response to a request from the charities concerned, Her Majesty's Government have now agreed to make a contribution of £5,000 for this purpose to be made available during the present financial year as a grant-in-aid to the Ockenden Venture. Parliamentary approval is being sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Services vote.The purpose of the grant-in-aid will be to augment and expand the limited co-ordinating service already provided by the Ockenden Venture to ensure that relief work to Poland may be carried out as effectively as possible. It is hoped that all of the agencies working in this field, and who wish to be involved, could be linked up through Ockenden and in this way might be made aware of the resources and facilities available to assist their efforts.Her Majesty's Government will continue to maintain close contacts with the voluntary and church agencies in the United Kingdom and with the International Committee of the Red Cross. As I explained in my reply of 8th February, Her Majesty's Government have agreed with our Community partners that further sales of European Community food at special prices to Poland should be discontinued in present circumstances. Funds that would have been available for this purpose will now be diverted to the provision of humanitarian aid through voluntary and church agencies. As a result of this decision, the Commission will shortly put forward a proposal for the early allocation of 8 mecu (approximately £4·5 million).Her Majesty's Government believe it will be important to make every effort to ensure that the food and medical supplies purchased by the Community go to those in Poland who most need them. We have no evidence to suggest that humanitarian supplies distributed by the Polish Red Cross have been diverted from those for whom they are intended. We shall nevertheless continue to consult closely with the Church and the International Committee of the Red Cross and other agencies who are in a position to monitor the distribution of relief supplies in Poland. The Commission is at the present time discussing these questions with interested non-governmental organisations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Soviet Union started jamming the BBC's Polish broadcasts; how effective this has been; what is their estimate of the annual cost to the Soviet government; what protests we have made; and what explanations have been received.

Jamming of the short wave broadcasts of the BBC Polish Service by the Soviet Union began on 30th December 1981. Medium-wave transmissions of the Polish Service however remain clear. There is evidence to suggest that even on short-wave frequencies the Polish Service is still being heard in some parts of Poland. It is not possible to make a realistic estimate of the cost of the jamming to the Soviet Government but there can be no doubt that it must be substantial and probably exceeds the actual cost of the broadcasts.Her Majesty's Government have made repeated protests to the Soviet and Polish Governments and have condemned the jamming in the strongest terms. My noble friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary also drew attention to this in his speech to the CSCE Review Meeting in Madrid on 12th February. No explanation for the jamming has been received from either the Polish or Soviet authorities.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any statement to make on the aviation security fund.

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade has decided to undertake a review during the next few months of the way aviation security is organised and financed in the United Kingdom. In particular, he will be considering:—

(i) whether the present Aviation Security Fund system remains the best way to finance aviation security measures at United Kingdom airports; or whether the present arrangements should be adapted; or whether the fund should be wound up altogether, and airports and airlines simply left to bear their own security costs; and

(ii) whether the present organisation of passenger searching and other security measures at United Kingdom airports, and the present allocation of responsibilities in these fields, can be improved.

I should make clear however that my honourable friend's review will not cover the present standards of security at United Kingdom airports.Contributions to the review will be invited from all sides of the civil aviation industry. My honourable friend expects to announce the outcome in the summer.If the noble Baroness or any noble Lord wishes to contribute to the review, my friend would be glad to hear from them by the end of March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the view of the Manpower Services Commission that at least 750,000 people do not register their unemployment, thus bringing the number of jobless to approximately 4,000,000.

My department's most recent estimate of those seeking work but not registered as unemployed is about one-third of a million for 1979–80. It is estimated that the special employment and training measures kept about 315,000 people off the register in December 1981; but those in training or in jobs arising through, for example, the Job Release Schemes, cannot be regarded as "jobless".These estimates differ somewhat from those of the MSC. However, the commission did not suggest that people in these groups should be added to the registered unemployment count to arrive at the number of jobless.There are some groups who are currently included in the official count, which it can be argued might be excluded. For example, various surveys over the years have suggested that for one reason or another some of the registered unemployed are not actively looking for work or are not concerned about being out of work. Estimates of the proportion range between 10 and 20 per cent., varying in part with the coverage and timing of the surveys.House adjourned at ten o'clock.