asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept the principle that all British citizens resident in the European Community should be given the opportunity to vote in the June 1984 European Parliament elections and, if so, what they are doing to make this possible.

The Government believe it is desirable that all Community nationals should be able to vote in European Parliament elections. The Council of Ministers is examining the Parliament's proposals for a uniform electoral procedure under which citizens of member states would have the right to vote in European Parliament elections irrespective of their place of residence within the Community. It is not yet clear whether agreement will be reached in time for a uniform procedure to be implemented at the 1984 elections.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons in each of the years 1979 and 1980 (

The information available is as follows:—

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in light of the decision by Westminster County Court on 28th July 1982 to award £2,000 damages to Henryk Podlewski for assualt, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution by the Metropolitan Police on 12th March 1978, they will conduct fresh inquiries into the actions of the police officers involved, and whether they will state how, in the light of the jury's findings, it was possible for the Police Complaints Board to say on 8th February 1982 that no disciplinary charges could be made against the police officers involved.

In cases of complaints against the police the power to bring disciplinary proceedings is vested in the appropriate chief officer of police subject to review by the independent Police Complaints Board, and my right honourable friend the Home Secretary has no authority to intervene. The award of civil damages subsequent to a decision of the hoard does not of itself invalidate that decision because the civil and disciplinary reviews are conducted on a different basis and for different purposes. On the other hand, if civil proceedings disclosed fresh facts or allegations relevant to police discipline it would be for the responsible disciplinary authority to initiate further inquiries and to submit the outcome to the hoard as appropriate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they believe that police statistics accurately reflect the number of incidents involving the illegal use of air weapons, and whether they agree that the number of such incidents is increasing.

The information recorded by the police relates only to serious offences in which air weapons were reported to have been used; the number of offences not reported to, or recorded by, the police is not known. Statistics on serious offences recorded by the police in which air weapons were reported to have been used are published annually in Criminal Statistics, England and Wales (Tables 3.3, 3.4 and 3.6 of the volume for 1980 (Cmnd. 8376)).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What view the British Veterinary Association has expressed to them about the desirability of extending firearms control to cover air guns.

The British Veterinary Association wrote to my right honourable friend on 6th July to express its continuing concern about the injuries caused to animals by air guns. The association recommended that the control on firearms be extended to include air guns.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of veterinary practices report coming across clinical cases of air gun pellet injury, and what percentage of such practices regularly inform the police of such incidents.

The information is not available. The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons recently carried out a survey of injuries caused to animals by air weapons, but the response to the questionnaire was not sufficient to allow firm conclusions to be drawn.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which species is most frequently illegally injured or killed by air weapons.

I regret that the information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will invite the Commons Select Committee on Home Affairs to consider as a priority the need to legislate in good time to enable some 300,000 British subjects resident in EEC countries to vote in the next elections for the European Parliament, thus bringing the United Kingdom into line with the seven of our partners that have already taken the required action.

I understand that the House of Commons Select Committee on Home Affairs has already decided to consider the extension of the franchise to our citizens overseas as part of its investigation of the Representation of the People Acts next Session.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If they will institute a full-scale review of arrangements for transport and storage of armaments at Welford Camp.

No. I am satisfied that the arrangements for the transport and storage of Military armaments at RAF Welford are satisfactory.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether asbestos suits were used by members of the Falkland task force, and if so in what circumstances.

No asbestos suits were used by Service personnel in the Falklands task force.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many senior officers in the Departments of Industry and Trade who reached their 61st birthday during 1980 were condidered tit for retention for a further year: how many who reached their 62nd birthday in 1980 were so considered fit: and in each case, what proportion these numbers represented of those seeking to remain in service at that age.

Retention beyond 60 for senior civil servants is exceptional. In 1980 one senior officer reached his 61st birthday and was considered fit for retention for a further year. One other senior officer reached his 62nd birthday and was also considered fit for retention. "Senior officer" is taken to include grades at assistant secretary level and above for the purpose of this Answer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a statement on the response to the report of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee of the House of Commons on efficiency and effectiveness in the Civil Service.

The Government's observations in the Third Report from the Treasury and Civil Service Committee of the House of Commons (Session 1981–82, HC236) were published and laid before Parliament on 28th September 1982 as a White Paper (Cmnd. 8616). Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The Government accept, totally or with some reservations, 20 of the committee's 26 recommendations and welcome the report as a timely and valuable contribution to promoting greater efficiency in the Civil Service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what grounds a grant is being made of £686,000 by the EEC for the construction of a Muslim meat processing plant while slaughterhouse and meat processing capacity conditioned to the methods of humane slaughter laid down by the slaughterhouses Acts is becoming idle and closing down: andWhat are the causes of the continuing depression in the meat and meat processing industry; andWhy a grant of nearly £2 million is made to seven projects in redmeat processing and slaughtering at a time when FMC at Castle Bromwich is closing down. Unigate's results show a loss on meat and meat products, and the North Devon Meat Cooperative is in financial difficulties because "there is too much slaughtering capacity"; andWhether EEC policies are causing the depression and contraction to our meat and meat processing industry on the one hand, while making grants towards still more slaughtering and processing capacity on the other, and what steps they are taking to resolve this contradiction.

There are indications that, despite the closures of recent years, there is still significant overcapacity in the slaughtering industry. The resultant difficulties have been exacerbated by the decline in the numbers of cattle available for slaughter. There are, however, signs that cow numbers have now stabilised and a seasonal increase is expected in the cattle available for slaughter as those now being finished are marketed.The Government negotiated substantial improvements to the support arrangements for beef at the last price fixing. The target price was raised by nearly 11 per cent., and the maximum amount payable under the variable premium was increased by almost half, from 7.32 to 10.759 pence per kilogramme liveweight. In addition, the Government is maintaining the level of the suckler premium, despite the reduction in the basic Community-financed premium, by means of a contribution of £3.6 million from the Exchequer. These measures, along with the record levels of the compensatory allowances for cattle in less favoured areas, should help to increase beef producers' confidence.The grants referred to have been offered by the European Commission under the terms of Regulation 355/77, which provides assistance to projects which form part of national programmes for the improvement of the marketing and processing of agricultural products. The seven projects mentioned were mainly concerned with the modernisation of slaughterhouses and the meat processing sector, partly to meet new hygiene regulations. All met the requirements of one or more of the following programmes, which were drawn up in consultation with the industry interests concerned and later approved by the European Commission: the programme for the improvement of redmeat slaughterhouses in the United Kingdom; the regional programme for Northern Ireland; the programmes for the improvement of livestock marketing and the processing of livestock products in Scotland and in Wales: and the pigmeat processing programme for England and Wales.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they can now make a statement of their intentions in respect of the case of

The Government have carefully considered the implications of the House of Lords ruling in this case, and has concluded that there is no justification for amending existing legislation. In order to establish a basis on which prosecutions could be brought in relation to suffering undergone by animals on foreign aircraft prior to arrival within our territory, it would be necessary to extend the application of the relevant legislation to such aircraft outside our territory. This would be contrary to the general principle of international law that states do not claim criminal jurisdiction over activites taking place outside their territory on foreign vessels or aircraft. The United Kingdom consistently supports this principle and opposes attempts by other states to punish British subjects for doing, in our jurisdiction, what is lawful here.We are not aware that since the Air-India incident in 1975 there have been any further cases where extraterritorial jurisdiction would have enabled a prosecution to proceed which could not otherwise have done so. The House of Lords decision showed that the prosecution in the Air-India case would have succeeded had the prosecuting authority identified the surviving animals and proceeded in relation to the suffering they had undergone after entering our jurisdiction. In the circumstances we do not consider that it would be right to legislate in a way which would not be in our wider interest.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take part in the new Geneva working group of the United Nations Committee on Disarmament on the subject of a comprehensive test ban treaty.

The United Kingdom plays a full part in this working group. Indeed we worked hard to set it up.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have been a party to negotiations with the United States and the Soviet Union with a view to agreeing the terms of a comprehensive test ban treaty; whether it is the case that the United States has decided not to continue these negotiations: and whether, if this decision proves to be irrevocable, the Government will continue the discussions on a bi-lateral basis.

From 1977 to 1980 the United Kingdom took part in negotiations with the United States and the Soviet Union for a comprehensive test ban treaty. In March 1982, following a review of policy, President Reagan's Administration announced that while a comprehensive test ban treaty remained an objective of United States policy, priority should be given to negotiations for a reduction in the number of nuclear weapons. In April 1982 all three Governments agreed to the establishment of a working group in the Committee on Disarmament to look at the problems of verification and compliance inherent in a comprehensive test ban treaty.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether as the Israeli bombing of Beirut is in breach of international law they will support action to bring the criminals to justice.

Her Majesty's Government have condemned the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and her later actions in Lebanon as a flagrant breach of international law. Her Majesty's Government are working with others to try to secure Israel's full withdrawal from Lebanon, together with the withdrawal of all other foreign forces.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they and the United States Government are taking in support of the unanimous resolution of the Security Council that Israel should withdraw unconditionally from the Lebanon.

The United States Government is actively involved in negotiations whose aim is the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, in accordance with the wishes of the Lebanese Government. United States endeavours to this end have the full support of Her Majesty's Government. In addition, we have taken action with our partners in the European Community to make known to the Israeli Government our strong concern at Israel's illegal invasion and continuing occupation of Lebanon. The suspension of export licences for defence equipment to Israel remains in force.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking in recognition of the fact that Israel has changed from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.

None.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which country is supplying phosphorous to enable Israelis to burn babies to death in Beirut and whether they will insist that international law must no longer be broken in this way.

It is not for Her Majesty's Government to comment on how supplies of phosphorous weapons reach Israel. Regrettably Israel has not signed the International Convention on Inhumane Weapons, which will, when it comes into force, ban the use of phosphorous incendiaries against civilians.