asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will introduce legislation in ample time before the next elections to the European Parliament to enable United Kingdom nationals resident in another member state of the European Community to vote in elections in this country, now that the European Parliament has made a proposal to this effect.

The European Parliament's proposals are being considered.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Council for Arms Control received Government or NATO funds.

No.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their view of the Syrian Government's proposals for a settlement in the Middle East by—(1) Israeli withdrawal from Arab territories occupied during the 1967 war; (2) Israeli assurance of Palestinian rights, including an independent state and the return of refugees to their homes; and (3) the ending of the state of war between the Arabs and Israel.

We have frequently urged the Arab Governments to produce constructive proposals at a comprehensive negotiated peace and the Syrian points have some positive elements. In our view a lasting peace will have to be based on the two balanced principles set out in the Venice Declaration: the right to existence and security of all states in the region including Israel; and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many staff were employed at the Forestry Commission headquarters in 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980 and how were they divided between:

Figures for 1950 and 1960 are not now available. In 1970 the commission employed 370 staff in its headquarters, but, as records were then maintained only by grade and location, it is not possible to provide the breakdown requested. Figures at 1st April 1980 were as follows:

(a) forest management	20
(b) harvesting and marketing	10
(c) private woodlands	5
(d) information services	12
(e) other services	287
Total	334

The "other services" figure includes the staff in the economics, engineering, estates, finance, personnel and secretariat divisions; and staff engaged in the drawing office, in computer operations, and in providing common services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the Forestry Commission's harvesting programme in volume and (budget) value over the next decade: (

The Forestry Commission's harvesting programme is based on a forecast of production which is updated every five years, the current programme being based on a 1977 forecast which is due to be revised later this year. The 1977 forecast provided estimates of average annual production for each of the four quinquennia to 1996, and the relevant data for the next decade are as follows:

	million cubic metres (over bark)
Operation	1982–86	1987–91
Thinning	1·48	1·81
Clear Felling	1·42	1·83
Total	2·90	3·64

Over the past three or four years prices for British timber have fluctuated markedly, reflecting variations in world prices for wood and wood products. The total volume harvested by the commission for the year ended 31st March 1982 is expected to be 2.7 million cubic metres, giving an income of about £40 million (inclusive of VAT). Over the next decade income is expected to increase in line with the production forecast, but the production levels actually achieved and the income realised will depend on market conditions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the Forestry Commission's planting programme or target (new planting only) over the next decade.

New planting by the Forestry Commission for the next decade is estimated as follows:

Year ending 31st March	Hectares
1982–83	9,300
1983–84	7,700
1984–85	6,200
1985–86	5,200
1986–87 and thereafter not less than	5,000

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much has the Forestry Commission spent at 1981 prices on Forest Authority activities since 1919 and of this how much is Private Woodland Grant Aid.

Expressed at October 1981 prices, £401,740,000 had been spent by the Forestry Commission on Forestry Authority activities up to 31st March 1981. Of this sum, £209,520,000 was spent on grant-aid for private woodlands, and the balance on research, education and other services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been the total expenditure by the Forestry Commission since 1919 on unplantable land, farm and other land, buildings and other assets; what is the total value of sales of land, etc. since 1919; and what is the current capital value of the remaining assets.

Because the form of the Forestry Commission's accounts has changed six times since 1919, it is not possible to provide reliable information of past expenditure on such assets or of income from disposals. The capital value of the remaining assets as at March 1981 was £159,566,000. This excludes land under plantations and the plantations themselves.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the current capital value of: (

The capital value of the plantations at 31st March 1981, expressed at October 1981 prices, was £934,358,000, of which the values of the land and the trees were estimated to be £281,553,000 and £652,805,000, respectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much has the Forestry Commission spent at 1981 prices in the periods 1919–39, 1940–60 and 1961–81 on: (

There have been six changes in the presentation of the commission's annual reports and accounts since 1919 which make it impossible to provide information in the form of detail requested except at disproportionate cost. However, the grant-in-aid for the Forestry Enterprise for each of the periods, expressed at October 1981 prices, and the area of the plantations created during those periods were as follows:

	Grant-in-Aid £	New Plantations created (hectares)
1919–1939	150,757,000	111,859
1940–1960	748,584,000	230,168
1961–1981	957,554,000	353,677

The gross revenue at October 1981 prices from the sale of timber in the same periods was:

	£
1919–1939	19,505,000
1940–1960	239,131,000
1961–1981	589,138,000

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Advisory Committee on the Landscape Treatment of Trunk Roads was consulted on the flyover on the proposed A.34 Whitway diversion in front of Beacon Hill; if not, why the flyover was introduced into the proposed scheme without consultation with them; and if they will now review this aspect of the proposal.

The committee were asked for advice on the Whitway diversion scheme in 1978 before the department's draft proposals were published. At that stage a ground level junction at Beacon Hill was envisaged. For road safety reasons it was subsequently decided that the published proposals should provide for a bridge to carry the side road over the trunk road. The proposals were referred again to the committee in December 1980 following press comments about the scheme. Their attention was not drawn to the bridge as the press comments were mainly concerned with the effect on Highclere Park. It is not the department's practice to consult the Committee on all changes to individual junction proposals. All objections, including those relating to the form of the proposed Beacon Hill junction, will be considered by the Secretaries of State before they decide whether or not the orders should be made.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give the Net Present Value/Cost Ratio calculated under "COBA 9" for low growth traffic flow for the published scheme for the A.34 Whitway Diversion compared with the "Do-Minimum" option and whether they will state when this was calculated.

The Net Present Value/Cost Ratio on the basis requested is minus 0.08, as calculated in February this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state the results of the latest 16-hour traffic count on A.34 in the Whitway area, and the predicted traffic flow based on the latest traffic forecasts.

Many counts are made during a year. The Leitch Report recommended that May was one of the most suitable months for recording traffic flow. The recorded traffic flow on the section of A.34 in the Whitway area during a period of 16 hours on a day in May 1981 was 11,100 vehicles. The predicted traffic flow for the proposed new route, based on the department's memorandum National Road Traffic Forecasts (July 1980), is within the range 14,000 to 18,000 vehicles per 16-hour day in May 2001. For August 2001, for which the scheme is being designed the forecast flow is within the range 17,000 to 21,000 vehicles per 16-hour day.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the legal advice summarised in the

As I have already explained to the noble Lord, the Highways Manual is an internal document which gives guidance to officials of the Department of Transport on policy and procedures for use in day-to-day administration. It is continually updated to take account of the latest advice and information in all areas, including that on legal matters. It would not be appropriate either to publish or to disclose detailed information about any advice the manual contains or to which it may refer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider a longer transition period for closure of the Gibraltar Dockyard, bearing in mind that an open border with Spain coinciding with a dockyard closure would impose substantial administrative and infrastructure costs with an excessively high rate of economic change for the Gibraltar Government.

The Government's decision that the RN Dockyard, Gibraltar, should start to close in 1983, with preparatory action in 1982, took into account the possibility of the border with Spain being reopened. It is recognised that the closure of the dockyard will have a significant effect on Gibraltar's economy, and we are in consultation with the Gibraltar Government about possible alternative economic activities for the future, including the possibility of transforming the dockyard into a civil commercial enterprise. We believe it is important to the realisation of such possibilities not to delay the timescale for closure of the naval dockyard, and we have made clear to the Gibraltar Government our intention to look positively at ways of assisting them to overcome the difficult period of transition.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any statement to make on the price of the Official Report.

Hansard prices were last increased in July 1980 and, as production costs and overheads have continued to rise, it is now necessary to increase the price of the Daily Edition from 80p to £1·00 and the Weekly Edition from £1·60 to £2·00. There will be corresponding increases in the prices of Indexes, bound volumes and subscription rates. The scale of charges for reprints of Peers' speeches appearing in the Official Report will also be raised. The revised prices will come into effect as soon as possible, but annual subscriptions immediately become renewable at the new rates. Despite these increases, Hansard will still need a substantial subsidy.House adjourned at two minutes before eight o'clock.