asked Her Majesty's Government:How many Category A prisoners there were in prisons in England and Wales on 30th June 1970 and on the same date in each subsequent year up to and including 1981, and whether they will publish an analysis of the offences for which these prisoners were sentenced in each of those years.

The information which is readily available is given in the following table; provision of an analysis by offence group would involve disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total number or the best estimate of housewives in Northern Ireland who are so disabled that they are incapable of undertaking paid employment and of performing normal household duties;Whether they will state the number of applicants in Northern Ireland for the non-contributory invalidity pension for married women during the years 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981; and the number refused benefit at first application because they did not meet the "household duties" test; also the number receiving benefit following an appeal in each of the years mentioned above; andWhether they will state the number of married women in Northern Ireland in receipt of the noncontributory invalidity pension, on the latest available date.

Information on the number of house-wives in Northern Ireland who are so disabled that they cannot undertake employment or perform household duties is not available. In 1981 there were 660 applications from married women (including a woman living with a man as his wife) for non-contributory invalidity pensions. At 31st January 1982, 2,417 women were in receipt of this type of pension. Information for 1977 to 1980 is not available.It is not possible to distinguish those refused benefit because of the "housewives duties" test on first application from those refused on further application. The numbers of claims disallowed benefit on the grounds in question, and those successful on appeal in each of the years, are as follows:-

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will authorise the Public Trustee to appoint two or more officially quoted investment trusts to manage the funds in their responsibility on a unit trust basis.

The Public Trustee is already able to purchase shares in commercial unit trusts on behalf of trusts under his control. He is also the manager of the common investment funds for the investment of private money held in court, and provision is being made in the Administration of Justice Bill for the Public Trustee to purchase shares in these funds on behalf of trusts uhder his control.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps are being taken to improve the protection afforded to the 13,000 Scheduled Ancient Monuments in England against vandalism and clandestine excavation in the light of the serious damage reported recently to one of the unexcavated Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk), which is a protected monument deemed to be of national importance under the provisions of Part I of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

No new steps are being taken by Government. Under the Ancient Monuments Act 1979 there are already penalties for damage to scheduled monuments when the perpetrator is caught. Prevention is a different matter, and as with other property, it must remain the responsibility of owners of monuments to do what they reasonably can to protect them from damage or vandalism. About 400 scheduled monuments are in Government care. Of the other 12,000 or so, some are in the ownership or guardianship of local authorities, but most (including Sutton Hoo) are in private hands. Many monuments are in open fields. Only in very few cases would round-the-clock patrols be practical or justified. The Sutton Hoo damage, though most regrettable, does not point to the need for new legislative or administrative action by central Government. The onus must remain upon owners and on the general public to be vigilant against prospective vandals.House adjourned at ten minutes past nine o'clock.