asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have now abandoned hope of fulfilling their election pledge to update the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 in this Parliament.

It remains the Government's intention to improve and modernise the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 when parliamentary time permits and when final agreement has been reached on the draft Council of Europe Convention on the protection of laboratory animals. At their meeting in Strasbourg from 23rd–26th November, the Council of Europe ad hoc Committee of Experts agreed the complete texts of the Convention and the Explanatory Report. A further meeting is to be arranged in the earlier part of 1983 to agree the text of the remaining ancillary documents, Appendix A (Guidelines on Accommodation and Care of Animals) and Appendix B (Statistical Tables). The complete text will then he submitted to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for adoption. In the meantime, the Government are continuing to study detailed proposals for the updating of the 1876 Act.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish further details of their proposed independent review body to consider applications for import controls.

No decision has been reached on the question whether or not an advisory body of this kind should be established.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have for the future of the RAF base at Kemble; what visits have been made by US Government representatives; and what inquiries have been received from civilian employees.

It is planned that the RAF maintenance unit at Kemble will close on 31st March 1983. However, the United States Air Force have expressed a possible interest in the facilities there and their representatives have paid a number of visits in the past few months. The workforce and their trade union representatives have been kept abreast of developments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is the case that they, having previously intended to extend British territorial waters to 12 miles in acordance with the consensus reached at UNLOSC III, in view of the dissatisfaction with the text announced by the present American Administration, are now no longer proposing so to extend British jurisdiction despite the substantial advantages such extension would bring to this country.

We are considering this issue in the light of the results of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is possible for the assisted places scheme to be of benefit to pupils who are physically or sensorily handicapped.

The scheme makes no special provision for such pupils, but there is no reason why they should not be selected by participating schools provided that both the academic requirements of the school and the age. residence and income requirements of the assisted places scheme are met.