asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state for each of the last five years for which figures are available what percentages of substances sent for forensic analysis by the police because they were thought to be controlled drugs proved, on analysis, not to be controlled drugs.

Information covering the last five years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of an estimated 96,000 case files. The limited information available centrally relates to 1981 and shows that, of the 22,000 drugs cases dealt with by the Home Office and Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratories in that year, 15 per cent. involved no controlled drug.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they propose to take on the report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons on conditions at Gartree Prison at Market Harborough which states that prisoners are locked in their cells for 14 or 15 hours a day, that evening classes are cut to one evening a week and that good work facilities are under-used.

I would refer the noble Lord to my right honourable friend's statement accompanying the report, a copy of which is on the Library. Evening classes on two nights a week will be introduced from the beginning of the autumn term, and workshops will be more fully used as the number of prisoners is increased. Efforts to increase the time which prisoners can spend out of their cells are continuing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their response to the request of the Isle of Wight County Council for an increase in grants to the cost of the libraries in Parkhurst, Albany and Camp Hill prisons, in view of the fact that the island contributes four times as much as the Home Office allowance and the conclusion by the county council that the facilities for the libraries may have to be withdrawn unless the grants are increased.

Repayments to local public library authorities for library facilities provided in prison service establishments are made on the basis of a national agreement between the Home Office and the local authorities' associations. The Home Office has no power independently to vary repayments in respect of individual local public library authorities. I understand the local authorities' associations are considering the case for reviewing the present agreement.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will indicate:—

The information requested is as follows:1. Nursery places, by education and library board, at January each year:

		Belfast	Western	North-Eastern	South-Eastern	Southern	Total
1979	Controlled	1,325	225	775	500	725	3,550
	Voluntary	365	25	150	50	350	940
1980	Controlled	1,400	525	825	500	800	4,050
	Voluntary	425	25	150	50	350	1,000
1981	Controlled	1,500	600	925	550	925	4,500
	Voluntary	525	75	150	150	350	1,250
1982	Controlled	1,500	625	925	600	950	4,600
	Voluntary	525	75	200	150	350	1,300
1983	Controlled	1,500	625	925	600	950	4,600
(estimated)	Voluntary	525	75	200	200	400	1,400

2. The total number of family day care centres operating or proposed is:

	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983
Northern Board	1	1	1	1	1
Southern Board	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Eastern Board	3	5	6	6	7
Western Board	Nil	2	2	2	2
Total	4	8	9	9	10

3. The total numbers of registered premises and childminders and places provided are:

	1979		1980		1981
	Premises/Child-minders	Places Provided	Premises/Child-minders	Places Provided	Premises/Child-minders	Places Provided
Northern Board	453	752	493	840	567	925
Southern Board	202	442	258	509	313	599
Eastern Board	302	615	435	895	562	1,257
Western Board	112	211	146	200	179	278
Total	1,069	2,020	1,332	2,444	1,621	3,059

It is not possible to estimate figures for 1982 and 1983.4. The total numbers of playgroups operating and places provided are:

	1979		1980		1981
	Playgroups	Places Provided	Playgroups	Places Provided	Playgroups	Places Provided
Northern Board	65	1,524	81	1,856	88	1,999
Southern Board	30	642	32	666	34	729
Eastern Board	146	3,932	158	4,313	175	4,438
Western Board	51	1,523	55	1,590	59	1,460
Total	292	7,621	326	8,425	356	8,626

It is not possible to estimate figures for 1982 or 1983.In addition private day nurseries and playbuses provided facilities for 1,205 children in 1979, 1,356 children in 1980 and 1,315 children in 1981.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What inquiries have been made into the disturbances in Crumlin Road Prison in December 1981; and what are their conclusions and recommendations.

A full departmental inquiry was made into the serious damage done to A Wing of Belfast Prison last December, and I have studied the reports. I am satisfied that staff concerned acted correctly, and that no major deficiencies were disclosed in procedures at the prison. Since the details of the conclusions and recommendations concern the security of the establishment, it is not proposed to make them public. As for the alleged causes of the incident, the Government have been reviewing the conditions under which remand prisoners are held; this review is now nearing completion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have noted the conclusions of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that the income per head in Britain is 81 per cent. of that in West Germany compared with 85·6 in 1978 and 84·5 per cent. that of France, and whether they will reverse their monetarist policy.

This situation is not new. It has developed over a long period of time. Income per head depends on productivity and the economy's flexibility and competitiveness. The Government's policies are designed to improve the performance of the economy and are doing so. Both manufacturing productivity and cost competitiveness improved by some 10 per cent. during 1981.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the level of Soviet deposits in British banks and of Soviet indebtedness in Britain—

The available information is as follows:—

	dollars million
	End	End
	1979	1981	1981
Deposits	2,945	2,370	1,536 (end December)
Estimated indebtedness (gross)	3,600	4,200	4,000 (end June)

The figures incorporate all United Kingdom business of United Kingdom registered banks and certain other institutions (as used in the Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin) and credit guaranteed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department. The figures are expressed in dollars as most of the accounts are in dollar terms.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What reports they have received since 1st January 1975 from Royal Commissions, and on what dates, and on what dates they published the reports.

Royal Commission reports published since 1st January 1975 are:—

Publication Date	Cmnd. No.	Title of Report
24. 4.75	6005	Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. Thirty Second Interim Report Archaeological Sites in North East Northamptonshire.
30. 7.75	6171	Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth. Report No. 1.
30. 7.75	6172	Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth. Report No. 2.
28. 8.75	6178	Royal Commission on Historical Monuments—Thirty Third Report. Iron Age and British Monuments in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds.
15. 1.76	6371	Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. Fifth Report. Air Pollution Control.
4. 2.76	6378	Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. Town of Stratford.
5. 2.76	6382	Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments. Monuments threatened or destroyed.
29. 1.76	6383	Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth. Higher incomes from Employment.
17. 3.76	6433	Royal Commission on the Press—Interim Report on the National Newspaper Industry.
2. 9.76	6455	Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales. Glamorgan.
22. 9.76	6618	Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution Sixth Report on Nuclear Power and the Environment.
21.10.76	6626	Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth. Report No. 4.
30.11.76	6643	Royal Commission on Gambling interim report.
9.12.76	6680	Royal Commission on the Press Industrial Relations in the National Newspaper Industry.
11. 1.77	6679	Royal Commission on Historical Monuments.—Thirty Fifth Interim Report—Ancient and Historical Monuments in the City of Salisbury.
7. 7.77	6810	Royal Commission on the Press—Final Report.
7. 7.77	6810–1	Royal Commission on the Press—Final Report Appedices.
7. 7.77	6810–2	Royal Commission on the Press—Research Series 2 Industrial Relations in the Provincial Newspaper and Periodical Industries.
1. 9.77	6810–3	Royal Commission on the Press—Attitudes to the Press—Research Series 3. A Report by Social and Community Planning Research.
7. 7.77	6810–4	Royal Commission on the Press. Research Series 4. Analysis of Newspaper Content.
1. 9.77	6810–5	Royal Commission on the Press. Research Series 5. Concentration of Ownership in the Provincial Press.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware that one of the purposes of the British Atlantic Committee has been described as that of countering the activities of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and whether it is appropriate for such a body to be a registered charity.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office makes a grant to the British Atlantic Committee to support it in its aim of promoting understanding of the North Atlantic Alliance, and of the issues in which the alliance is involved. Whether it is appropriate for the British Atlantic Committee to be a registered charity is for the Charity Commission to decide.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which, if any, existing "run-of-the-river" hydroelectric schemes, as opposed to pump storage, has sufficient installed capacity to supply the amount of electricity that was required by the Smelter at Invergordon; and whether there is any possible "run-of-the-river" scheme which could be built in Scotland which would have this capacity.

The Invergordon smelter requires a constant power supply of around 200 megawatts. There is no existing "run-of-the-river" scheme with sufficient installed capacity to meet that requirement nor is there any potential "run-of-the-river" development which would have more than a small fraction of the required capacity.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the announcement that the National Coal Board is embarking upon a further search for coal under the North Sea may be taken as an earnest of their intention to avoid, if possible, any depredation of the Vale of Belvoir.

The National Coal Board is charged with the duties of working coal in Great Britain, and of securing the efficient development of the coal mining industry. The search for coal under the North Sea, or elsewhere in Great Britain, is not necessarily an alternative to the development of the North-East Leicestershire coalfield. Following the statement concerning the Vale of Belvoir made in another place on 25th March by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment (and which was repeated in your Lordships' House by my noble friend Lord Bellwin) the National Coal Board has announced that it is studying urgently the possibility of new planning applications relating to the North-East Leicestershire coalfield.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proposals have been submitted for alternative industrial use of the Hoover building at Perivale in Middlesex notwithstanding that a preservation order has been placed on that building by the Secretary of State for the Environment.

Three planning applications and two related applications for listed building consent have been received by the London Borough of Ealing in respect of the redevelopment of the Hoover buildings in Perivale. The applications, which can be inspected at the council's offices, Town Hall, Ealing, are for the partial demolition of some listed buildings with adaptation to office use, the majority of the site being redeveloped for a high technology industrial use.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many publicly-owned electricity generating stations there are; how many of these sell or make economic use of the waste heat they produce; and what proportion of the total waste heat is put to use.

At the end of December 1981 the number of power stations operated by the public electricity utilities in the United Kingdom was 199. Waste heat in the form of low temperature cooling water is supplied from Drax Hunterston and Hinkley Point power stations; steam or hot water supplies are currently provided from stations at Battersea, Coolkeeragh, Hereford, Marchwood and Spondon. The proportion of total waste heat used is a fraction of 1 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What incentive or encouragement exists or is proposed, to help electricity producers to make economic use of waste heat.

Under the Energy Survey Scheme grants of up to 50 per cent. can be given towards the costs of employing a consultant to assess the possibility of installing a combined heat and power (CHP) plant where electricity is produced and waste heat can be utilised. Grants, normally up to 25 per cent. costs, have also been given towards a number of waste heat recovery projects under the Energy Conservation Demonstration Projects Scheme. The Government intend, as soon as a suitable legislative opportunity arises, to remove the statutory prohibition on anyone other than an electricity board suppying electricity as their main business. The public electricity supply industry is willing to co-operate in the development of economic CHP schemes and also has its own projects using reject heat.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will reconsider the decision not to refund deductions of payment to members of the Armed Forces while they were imprisoned during the Second World War.

Under the provisions of the Geneva Convention British officer prisoners of war and protected personnel were entitled to receive from the detaining power during captivity pay at a rate which was agreed between the belligerents. This amounted to about one-fifth of pay for prisoners of the Germans and about one-third of pay for prisoners of the Italians. In order to avoid double payment, corresponding deductions were made from home pay accounts. This was announced in Parliament on many occasions. After the War arrangements were made to credit home pay accounts with refunds to compensate for lack of payments in the camps. It is clear from contemporary evidence that substantial refunds were made to those who were prisoners of the Germans and Italians. It was decided and announced by the Government in 1945 that all deductions from the home pay accounts of prisoners of the Japanese should be refunded because of the special conditions applying to those prisoners and the knowledge that pay was seldom issued in Far Eastern camps.In regard to Germany and Italy the then Government's policy was to refund monies which had not been received in captivity or credited to the prisoner's home account during captivity. The arrangements were commented on at length by the Public Accounts Committee and the Comptroller and Auditor General in 1947, copies are in the Library, so also is my letter of 22nd February to Lord Kimberley giving further evidence of credits and refunds. No maladministration has been established. Individual pay records including information on credits and refunds have been destroyed. The Government can find no case for or method of changing the policy at this date.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What fees are being charged to overseas students in general subjects and in medical and veterinary studies who come from Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Andorra, Monaco and Greece; and what sums for identical courses are being charged to students from Australia, New Zealand, Cyprus and Malta; and what is the cost to the taxpayer of subsidies to students from related countries.

Following is the information requested (all figures relate to 1980–81, the latest year for which full data are available):

	Fee £	Subsidy £
	(November 1980 prices)
STUDENTS FROM GUADELOUPE, FRENCH GUIANA, ANDORRA AND MONACO
(charged home rate of fee by reason of their connection with the European Community)
Universities (GB)
Postgraduates:
Medical/Dental/Veterinary	1,105	5,430
Other		2,805

First degree:
Medical/Dental/Veterinary	740	5,795
Other		3,170
Public Sector (all courses):
Advanced (England and Wales)	740*	2,170
Advanced (Scotland)		n.a
*£315 for students in England and Wales on courses not attracting mandatory awards.
Non-advanced (England and Wales)	216	1,444
Non-advanced (Scotland)	115	n.a.
STUDENTS FROM AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CYPRUS, MALTA AND GREECE
Students who had started their course before 1980–81
Universities (GB)
Postgraduates:
Medical/Dental/Veterinary	1,525	5,010
Other		2,385
First Degree:
Medical/Dental/Veterinary	1,165	5,370
Other		2,745
Public Sector (all courses)
Advanced (England and Wales)	1,165	1,745
Advanced (Scotland)		n.a.
Non-advanced (England and Wales)	645	1,015
Non-advanced (Scotland)		n.a.
NEW ENTRANTS
Universities (GB) (all levels)
	Full Cost subject to minima as follows:	Nil
Arts courses	2,000
Science courses	3,000
Clinical medical/dental/veterinary courses	5,000
Public Sector
Advanced (England and Wales)
Classroom-based courses	2,400	Nil†
Workshop/Laboratory-based courses	3,300	(fixed fees)
Advanced (Scotland)
Classroom-based courses	2,000	Nil†
Workshop/Laboratory-based courses	3,000	Nil†
Non-advanced (England and Wales)
Classroom-based courses	1,380	(fixed fees) Nil†
Workshop/Laboratory-based courses	1,890	Nil†
Non-advanced (Scotland)
Classroom-based courses	1,120	Nil†
Workshop/Laboratory-based courses	1,680
†The fees charged were calculated as the average cost of such courses across the sector as a whole.