asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware that a few doctors in the Harley Street area are prescribing controlled drugs to addicts and are charging the addicts for the prescription for a week's supply, and that the addict then sells about half the supply on the black market and lives on the proceeds, and what action they are taking to deal with this problem.

In recent years an increasing number of doctors both in private and NHS practice have become involved in the treatment of addicts, as they are free to do. Some practise in the Harley Street area.The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in its recent Report on Treatment and Rehabilitation (a copy of which has been placed in the Library) has expressed concern about the diversion of prescribed drugs to the illicit market and about the charging of fees for consultation and prescribing of controlled drugs for addiction. The council has made a number of recommendations which are now being studied by my right honourable friends the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Social Services, where appropriate in consultation with the medical profession. Meanwhile if the noble Lord has evidence that would justify action under Section 13 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 against particular doctors for irresponsible prescribing, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary would be glad to consider it.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in those cases in which the police have hypnotised witnesses for the prosecution, the defence has been informed that the witnesses have been hypnotised.

This information is not available centrally. It is understood that police hypnotism is a rare measure of last resort, used primarily as an aid to investigation rather than as a means to secure informa- tion for use as evidence in court. As I said in reply to a question from the noble Lord on 2nd December (col. 1392), the question of advance notification to the defence of evidence gained by hypnosis is a matter which will be covered in the guidance to the police which my right honourable friend the Home Secretary now has under consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Law Society's Legal Aid Handbook is available in all prison libraries.

No.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will consider providing for the sentencing of offenders in suitable cases to short terms of imprisonment in their own homes.

No. The Government do not believe that there are enough (if any) cases in which such a sentence could be both suitably imposed and effectively enforced.

asked her Majesty's Government:Whether the officials at the Home Office dealing with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 are still responsible for the after-care of delinquent human beings.

No; matters relating to the after-care of offenders are now dealt with by a division of the Criminal Department; matters relating to the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876 are dealt with by a division of the General Department.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Surrey Constabulary have any plans to use the old Boys' Grammar School at Woking and, if so, when.

Yes. Approval in principle has been given for its adaptation for use as the new Woking Divisional Headquarters, and detailed planning is in hand. No indication can be given at present of when a building start date can be offered, but in the meantime the start of a modest scheme of minor works to adapt the old library for police use has been approved for next year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(i) from whom they have received representations urging that legislation should be introduced to enable some 300,000 British subjects resident in other Community countries to vote in the next election for the European Parliament, what has been the essence of their arguments and how they have replied;

(ii) from whom they have received representations to the contrary effect and what has been the essence of their arguments and how they have replied.

The Government have received representations urging them to introduce legislation giving all British nationals resident in the European Community the right to vote at the 1984 European Parliament elections from British Conservative Associations in several Community countries, from the Association for the Rights of Brits Abroad, from noble Lords, from members of another place and from members of the public. Their arguments may be summarised as follows:

(a) the right to vote at European Parliament elections should not be confined to people resident in the United Kingdom. Many British people resident in other member states are either working for Community institutions or paying United Kingdom taxes and intend to return to the United Kingdom in due course;

(b) the British Nationality Act 1981, which comes into force on 1st January 1983, provides a straightforward definition of British citizenship on which an extension of the franchise might be based; and

(c) other member states have more generous provisions for their nationals resident outside their national territory to vote in European Parliament elections.

In reply, the Government have said that they accept that Community nationals should be able to vote at European Parliament elections irrespective of their place of residence in the Community. Legislation must, however, wait until agreement is reached in the Council of Ministers on how this principle is given effect. The Government have received no representations specifically urging them not to give the vote to British nationals resident in other member states at the 1984 elections.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are confident, and if so on what grounds, that their failure to legislate to enable some 300,000 British subjects resident in other Community countries to vote in the forthcoming European election is consistent with the letter and spirit of the United Kingdom's treaty obligations, and that both the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the European Court of Human Rights would unhesitatingly uphold this view.

The Government are not aware of any international obligations requiring them to give the vote in this election to people not resident in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will summarise in tabular form the action taken by other Community countries to enable their subjects resident throughout the EEC to use their votes in their own country in the forthcoming election, showing the approximate numbers involved and the method of voting, and whether they expect to be the last country to take the necessary action.

The provisions in force at the 1979 elections were as follows:

Country	Elegibility	Method
Belgium	Citizens whose main place of residence is Belgium	By proxy
Denmark	Citizens permanently resident in other member states	By post through diplomatic missions
FRG	Citizens resident in other member states	By post
Franee	All citizens resident abroad, whether in member states or elsewhere	In person at diplomatic missions or by proxy
Ireland	Service voters	By post
Italy	All citizens resident abroad, whether in member states or elsewhere	At consulates (in other member states) or in person in Italy (if resident eleswhere)
Luxembourg	Citizens resident in other member states	In person in Luxembourg
Netherlands	Citizens resident in other member states	By proxy

The right to vote at the first Greek elections to the European Parliament in 1981 was confined to Greek citizens resident in Greece. No information is available on action member states may have taken, or may take before the 1984 elections, to change the laws in force in 1979, the possible timing of any such action, or the numbers of people who may be involved.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What method of voting they favour to enable some 300,000 British subjects living in other Community countries to vote in European elections, and whether they will make drafting help available to enable a Private Member's Bill to be introduced and passed with Government backing.

The Government have taken no decisions on the method of voting most appropriate for electors resident outside the United Kingdom. The subject is not suitable for a Private Member's Bill.

Henley asked Her Majesty's Government:

1. What is the average nightly figure for the number of children, subject to care orders made by-juvenile courts, who should be residing in community homes but have absconded;

2. How much time is spent on their recovery and what does this cost;

3. How many additional offences are committed while they are "on the run";

4. How many community homes have secure accommodation and how many use it.

Forty-eight currently approved community homes in England include secure units. I regret that information about their use, which is at the discretion of the local authorities concerned, and the other details requested, are not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The department publishes annually Children in the Care of Local Authorities, comprised of statistics centrally collected on this subject. Copies are in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state the number of applications referred to medical tribunals under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979, showing for each tribunal, how many were allowed and how many disallowed.

1,420 applications have been referred to the independent medical tribunals. 91 applications have been withdrawn at the request of the applicant and 99 are awaiting a hearing, most of them at the request of the applicant. Information about the cases heard by tribunals up to 12th November is as follows:

Vaccine Damage Tribunal	Number of Claims Allowed	Reviewed Disallowed
Belfast	9	40
Cardiff	39	117
Edinburgh	23	97
Leeds	31	90
London	124	315
Manchester	55	115
Nottingham	69	106
Totals	350	880

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give details of hospitals offering intensive care facilities for premature babies.

This information is not collected centrally but I am advised, however, that facilities for intensive care are now widely available in the neonatal units of major hospitals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have made to the Governments of Spain, the Republic of Ireland, France and Portugal concerning the annual number of 30,000 women in total who come here for abortions and whether some harmonisation of the abortion laws within EEC countries will now be considered.

No such representations have been made; I am not aware that proposals for harmonisation of laws on this subject are contemplated by the Commission of the European Communities and in any case only two of the countries are members of the Community.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What programme of central efficiency work in the Civil Service will be carried out in 1983.

During 1983 the Government will continue the drive for better management set out in Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Civil Service (Cmnd. 8616). The work will involve practical action on the plans for financial management which departments are developing. The Government will publish a central report on these by July. Work will be undertaken to secure the full implementation of the results of existing scrutinies and reviews.In addition to the above and to the work which departments undertake on their own initiative, there will be a new programme of centrally co-ordinated exercises aimed at further improvements in efficiency and management. This will consist of three elements.First, there will be up to 30 departmental scrutinies. These are intended to cover areas and operations which use substantial resources or are significant in terms of the activities or character of the department concerned. Each scrutiny will report to the departmental Minister concerned and the programme will be co-ordinated by the Rayner Unit in the Management and Personnel Office.Secondly, there will be three multi-department reviews of subjects of wide significance across the Civil Service:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of staff in post in central Government on 1st October 1982.

At 1st October 1982 there were 655,000 staff in post—521,100 non-industrial and 133,900 industrial; that is a reduction of 4,300 since 1st July 1982. The number of civil servants has fallen by 77,300 or 10·6 per cent. since the Government took office.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) How many young people are enrolling for ITeC courses;

(b) what proportion is female;

(c) what they are doing to ensure equal participation of male and female students.

The 36 information technology centres which are already in operation are providing places for over 1,100 young people. By the end of 1983 at least 150 centres should have been established providing places for some 5,000 trainees. All are open to trainees of both sexes on an equal basis; but a breakdown of trainees by sex could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What information they have concerning the ill-treatment of members of the Turkish Peace Association who were imprisoned with convicted criminals while awaiting trial and what are the charges against them; and whether defendants, including the president of the Istanbul Bar Association, have had their heads shaved and have been forced to wear prison uniform; and what is the human rights situation.

The defendants in the Peace Association trial are charged under Articles 141 and 142 of the Turkish Penal Code. They are accused of attempting to found and direct a secret and illegal organisation, of engaging in racist and divisive activities and communist propaganda abroad against Turkey, of incitement to commit crime and of praising criminal activities.Since 5th November, 21 of the defendants, including Mr. Orhan Apaydin, president of the Istanbul Bar Association, have been held in Sagmalcilar civil prison, with convicted criminals. They are wearing prison overalls and are shaven-headed in accordance with civil prison rules. Before 5th November, the defendants were held in Maltepe military prison, not with convicted criminals but in a separate building.We continue to make the Turkish authorities aware of our concern over alleged violations of human rights.