asked Her Majesty's Government:Why it is necessary for over 1,000 women to come over from Northern Ireland to Britain for abortions.

One factor may be that the Abortion Act 1967 does not extend to Northern Ireland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied with the provision of intensive care facilities for premature babies in the more industrialised regions of the country.

This is a field where very welcome and rapid medical advance brings with it a need to provide more services to enable children to be treated who could not have been saved only a few years ago. Progress is being made but this has to be in the context of the present constraints on resources and health authorities' other urgent priorities which include not only the needs of other groups like the elderly and the mentally handicapped, but also other forms of maternal and child care.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that class-related infant mortality is showing any signs of reduction in large urban areas including the West Midlands.

Yes. The following table shows that there has been a reduction in recent years in the infant mortality rate for all social classes in large urban areas including the West Midlands.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What improvements they are considering to make early detection of preventable health problems in childhood more effective.

The detection of preventable health problems in childhood is one of the prime aims of the community child health services. Her Majesty's Government, and the health service, are continually reviewing how these services may be made more effective. It is expected that the new assessment procedures to be introduced shortly under the Education Act 1981 will both improve the educational provision for children with special educational needs and lead to their earlier identification.Health departments and professional bodies are considering various proposals for extending the role of general practitioners in preventive work with children. In addition, the professional bodies involved in this work are considering a number of reports on how their training might best be improved.Accurate and comprehensive information is of crucial importance for effective child health surveillance. Proposals are expected shortly from the Körner Steering Group on Health Services Information about the future information needs of the community child health services. The steering group has established close working links with the Child Health Computing Committee, whose pre-school child health module is currently undergoing pilot trials; a similar school health module is at an advanced stage of development.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prosecutions have been brought to the last convenient date against persons deliberately abandoning assets prior to claiming social security benefits, including Part III residence.

None; the deliberate abandonment of assets for the purpose of securing supplementary benefit or reducing the charge for local authority residential accommodation provided under Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948 is not a criminal offence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether a date has been set for the implementation of any of the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1982.

It is the Government's intention to bring the following provisions of the Act into force on 31st January 1983:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they propose to seek a renewal of confidence at the forthcoming general election on their indifferent record on animal protection.

The Government rejects the noble Lord's reference to their record on animal protection, action on which has been set out in replies to questions from him on previous occasions. The Government will continue to act effectively where it is necessary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware that the growing size, cost and distress of the destruction of animals is meeting with increasing revulsion and resistance within bodies created and supported by voluntary effort and whether they will undertake consultations with all concerned to consider practical ways of averting the crisis which will arise from the inability or refusal of voluntary societies to continue to do what the Chairman of the RSPCA recently referred to as "the public's dirty work";Whether they are aware that owing to increased costs numerous animal rescue centres, sanctuaries and societies are losing their capacity to cope with the growing burden of the painful consequences of neglect and callous treatment of domestic pets, and what statutory or discretionary service of Government or local authority agencies is available to support, supplement or replace the efforts of voluntary societies in this task; andWhat responsibilities rest upon what authorities for the destruction of unwanted, rejected, or stray domestic animals, in particular cats and dogs.

The Government fully appreciate the valuable contribution made by voluntary societies to the welfare of animals and the problems which the societies face. However, their policies are matters for the members and the governing bodies and it would not be center for the Government to become involved in their internal affairs. The Government therefore have no plans to undertake the proposed consultations. The Protection of Animals Acts 1911 to 1964, including the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 (and the equivalent legislation in Scotland), are designed to safeguard domestic and captive animals against unnecessary suffering. Responsibility for the administration of legislation to protect the welfare of animals is generally a matter for central or local government, as appropriate. Offences committed under animal welfare legislation are the responsibility of the police and the courts.Central Government and local authorities have no special responsibilities for the destruction of domestic animals. Section 2 of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 empowers the courts to direct the destruction of an animal where the owner has been convicted of an offence of cruelty and where it would be cruel to keep the animal alive. There are provisions under the Dogs Act 1871 and the Dogs Act 1906 for the police and the courts to arrange for the destruction in certain circumstances of stray dogs.

asked her Majesty's Government:How many persons with families resident in Northern Ireland, serving sentences in British prisons for violent crimes committed in Britain, have applied on humanitarian and compassionate grounds for transfer to Northern Irish prisons since May 1979; and how many such requests have been granted.

Since May 1979 there have been about 40 applications for transfer to Northern Ireland by prisoners in England, Wales and Scotland who had been convicted of violent offences. Two were granted, one of which involved a prisoner who was being transferred from Gibraltar to Northern Ireland through England. In addition there have been at least 5 such applications for temporary transfer. One was subsequently withdrawn and 4 were granted; these were by one prisoner who has been transferred at annual intervals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many persons with families resident in Northern Ireland, serving sentences in British prisons for offences committed in Britain (other than murder, bodily harm, possession of arms and explosives, etc.) have applied on humanitarian and compassionate grounds for transfer to Northern Irish prisons since May 1979; and how many such requests have been granted.

Since May 1979 there have been about 30 applications for permanent transfer to Northern Ireland by prisoners in England, Wales and Scotland who had been convicted of non-violent offences. The basis of the applications is not recorded. Three of these applications were subsequently withdrawn and none were granted. In addition there have been about 5 applications by such prisoners for temporary transfer to Northern Ireland and 2 were granted.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many British military personnel convicted of offences committed in Northern Ireland have been allowed to serve their sentences in British prisons since May 1979; and whether such permission has ever been refused and, if so, in how many cases.

Since May 1979 3 prisoners who had committed offences while serving with Her Majesty's armed forces in Northern Ireland have been transferred permanently to Great Britain, one has been transferred temporarily, and 4 have applied for transfers but later withdrawn their applications. No such applications have been refused in this period.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they propose to take action to meet the criticisms made by the trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund about the insufficiency of the

We are currently considering the implications of the trustees' report.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are considering making private treaty sales of land of scientific and scenic importance more attractive to vendors by adding to the list of eligible bodies to which sales attracting the

The Government consider that the nature of the tax reliefs conferred by paragraph 12 is such that they should not be extended to additional bodies outside the public sector.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree that the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council, Sir Ralph Verney, is "quite unable to keep his zealots and minions in any kind of effective check", and what steps they intend to take to prevent such attacks in future; and:Whether they agree that the Nature Conservancy Council is "inconsiderate and oppressive", and what steps they intend to take to prevent such attacks on the NCC.

This was an opinion expressed by a Member in another place and does not represent Government policy. I do not wish to comment on what was a personal expression.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm that large areas of North Moor on the Somerset Levels has been ploughed this year, that such action has destroyed much of the scientific importance of the area, and whether they will confirm that North Moor was identified by the Somerset County Council and the Nature Convervancy Council as an "area of exceptional wildlife interest" in the Somerset Moors and Levels Plan.

I am advised by the NCC that there has been some ploughing and re-seeding on parts of North Moor during 1982 but that this should have minimal effect on the scientific interest of the area.I understand that North Moor was identified by the Nature Convervancy Council as an "area of exceptional wildlife interest" and was described as such in the Somerset levels and Moors Consultative Plan issued by the County Council in May 1982 on a confidential basis to a limited number of organisations and persons with an interest in the area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many visits the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's scientific adviser on nature conservation, Dr. Way, has made to West Sedgemoor in Somerset, what was the length of each visit, what ornithological surveys Dr. Way has carried out on West Sedgemoor. what other surveys he has carried out on West Sedgemoor and whether they agree that a few brief visits at one time of year to this area by a scientist with botanical expertise would not provide any reputable organisation with sufficient grounds for makings a decision about the scientific importance of the area; andWhether they will confirm that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food told the Nature Conservancy Council that only 910 acres of the 2,500 acres of the West Sedgemoor SSSI should be notified as an SSSI, whether this represented the Government's view, and on what evidence this view was based.

Following the Nature Conservancy Council's notification to the Ministry of its proposal to notify an SSSI on West Sedgemoor and its chairman's subsequent request for assistance from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service in the consideration of the boundaries of the proposed SSSI, the ADAS ecology specialist, Dr. Way, paid three separate visits to West Sedgemoor. He inspected every field within the proposed site and reviewed the available published information on its scientific interest. This was a considerable achievement in the time available.Subsequently, my department advised the NCC that on the evidence available the SSSI should be restricted to an area of about 910 acres in the central part of the Moor.

asked Her majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm that Ministers from the Department of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have held meetings with the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) on 8th, 9th and 14th December to discuss the NCC's decisions to notify 2,500 acres of West Sedgemoor as an SSSI, and what was the purpose of these meetings.

In view of the great importance that Ministers attach to the effective working of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, a number of meetings have recently been held with the NCC. At an informal meeting with ten members of the Council on 14th December my center honourable friend the Secretary of State offered to take part at an early date in a meeting at West Sedgemoor with farmers representatives, members of another place and the NCC in an endeavour to clear misunderstandings and improve relationships in the area.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree with the Nature Conservancy Council's decision to notify 2,500 acres of West Sedgemoor as an SSSI; andWhether they will confirm that the Nature Conservancy Council received scientific advice to the effect that the whole of the 2,500 acres of the proposed West Sedgemoor SSSI merited SSSI status on the available scientific evidence, that in addition the NCC have been advised by Treasury counsel that in such circumstances their statutory duty is to notify such sites as SSSI's, and that the one member of the NCC's Council who voted against the notification of the whole area, and others, including Government Ministers who have subsequently tried to persuade the NCC to alter its decision, are in effect attempting to make the NCC break the law.

The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) reached their decision on the basis of scientific evidence, as required by the Act. I understand from the NCC that they did indeed receive the advice referred to. The NCC now intend to carry out their statutory duty to notify the site. There have been no attempts by Government Ministers to persuade the NCC to alter their decision since it was made on 17th November 1982.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are now in a position to forward a list of sites for protection under Article 4 of Directive 79/409/EEC, and whether they will confirm that such a list should have been deposited with the Commission by 2nd April 1981.

An initial list of special protection areas was forwarded to the Commission on 31st August 1982. The Council resolution related to Directive 79/409 and called for a list of such areas by 2nd April 1981.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps to ensure that Ministers with constituency interests in the notification of land as an SSSI by the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) do not take part in meetings or other discussions with the NCC designed to influence or overturn the NCC's decision to notify such land.

It would be an unresonable and far-reaching precedent to require that Ministers should be disbarred from taking part in discussions about policies for which they are responsible on the grounds that such discussions might give rise to effects within their own constituencies.

asked Her Majesty's Government;Whether they will state how much of their grant-in-aid the Nature Conservancy Council has allocated to surveying, setting-up and managing marine nature reserves in the financial years 1982–83 and 1983–84, and whether they believe this will be sufficient to enable the NCC to make rapid progress in creating sufficient marine nature reserves to protect all threatened species and habitats around the coast of Great Britain.

The Nature Conservancy Council have included plans to proceed with the survey and establishment of marine nature reserves in their programme for 1982–83. It will be for them to make adequate provision in due course from their allocated funds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they accept that the Nature Conservancy Council's proposed marine conservation review will provide the essential scientific basis for a marine conservation programme in the United Kingdom, why they have not provided sufficient funds for the NCC to allow the work to proceed, and when they expect the review to be completed.

The NCC proposed marine review when completed will indeed provide a scientific basis for a marine conservation programme in Great Britain. The proposed survey will take a number of years because of the inherent constraints of such work. It is for the NCC to decide how much of their grant-in-aid is directed to this purpose.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Now that planning fees of £44 have been imposed for planning applications for outline permission for one dwelling, what guidelines are given to local authorities regarding:

Although general advice has been given to local authorities on the determination of planning applications, none has been given on the specific matter of site inspections. It is however a legal requirement that the decision reached shall be communicated in writing to the applicant. Article 7 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977, provides that a notice of decision on a planning application shall be issued to an applicant in writing within eight weeks of the application or any extended period as may be agreed. It also contains requirements about the content of the notice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether local authorities may benefit from the availability of additional capital resources this year to carry out much-needed repair and maintenance work.

Where local authorities borrow to carry out repair and maintenance work on their own housing stock, the work counts as prescribed expenditure and it is open to authorities, under the terms of the announcement made by my center honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment in another place on 27th October, to apply for an additional capital expenditure allocation for the purpose of carrying out additional work in the present financial year. For non-housing services, local authorities are already empowered by the terms of a general borrowing approval issued under the Local Government Act 1972 to borrow, subject to a cash ceiling, for purposes including the repair and maintenance of land and buildings. My officials have written to the local authority associations to make it clear that the Government will be prepared to consider giving additional borrowing approvals to authorities wishing to carry out additional repair and maintenance work to public buildings, highways, etc. before the end of the financial year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If they will make a statement about proposed new arrangements for recruitment to the Civil Service.

Under the Civil Service Order-in-Council 1978, the Civil Service Commissioners are responsible for approving and certifying the qualifications of all candidates for appointment in the Home Civil Service and the Diplomatic Service. For many years, however, Government departments have recruited staff to a wide range of junior grades under authority delegated from the Civil Service Commissioners. The commissioners' role in this recruitment has in practice been confined to checking certain aspects of eligibility and issuing a certificate of qualification.From 1st January 1983, full responsibility for recruitment to these junior grades will be transferred from the Civil Service Commissioners to departments. This extension of departments' autonomy, where they already perform the actual recruitment and selection task, will eliminate a good deal of nugatory administrative work. Departments will undertake recruitment in accordance with guidance and instructions issued by the Management and Personnel Office on the authority of the Minister for the Civil Service. Specific and formal arrangements will be made to ensure that, in the departmentally-recruited area, Ministers are not concerned in individual selection decisions, and that final responsibility for such decisions rests with the permanent head of the department concerned. The Civil Service Commissioners will remain wholly responsible for central recruitment to the more senior grades, which they are best placed to undertake.To give effect to the new recruitment arrangements, the Civil Service Order-in-Council 1982 was made at a meeting of the Privy Council which was held today. The order, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, revokes and re-enacts with amendments the Civil Service Order-in-Council 1978.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have yet received the further information requested from Larsen Sweeney Publications Limited on relations between HM Treasury and certain foreign commercial organisations.

A press release issued by Larsen Sweeney Publications Limited made a number of very serious allegations. These allegations were not supported by any evidence. In particular, they were not supported by any of the names, places or dates which the Government needed in order to identify the alleged incidents, investigate them and establish the real facts. The Government therefore immediately approached the authors of the report, and urged them to produce any evidence which they might have to substantiate their allegations. I attach a summary of the correspondence and discussion which have subsequently taken place between Government officials and representatives of Larsen Sweeney Publications Limited, together with some further background material.Despite repeated reminders over a period now approaching three months, the authors of the report have still produced no evidence and the allegations remain wholly unsubstantiated.ANNEX1. This is a summary of the sequence of correspondence and discussions between Government officials and representatives of Larsen Sweeney Publications Limited, relating to the allegations made in the latter's press release of September 1982. It also reviews some further background to these allegations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:(i) What contributions were made to the International Energy Agency (IEA) for research and development in each of the last five years.(ii) Whether these contributions are shown in the budget of the department concerned.(iii) What was the total value of the contracts received from the IEA by British companies and other bodies during the same period.

The IEA does not have a specific budget for research, development and demonstration. The United Kingdom contribution to all IEA activities over the last five years was as follows:—

Financial Year
				£
1977–78	..	..	..	121,000
1978–79	..	..	..	283,000
1979–80	..	..	..	280,000
1980–81	..	..	..	294,000
1981–82	..	..	..	313,000

It is impossible to identify what percentage of the contribution goes towards the small IEA staff involved with research, development and demonstration issues. The department's contribution to the IEA is shown in the Department of Energy budget Class IV, 5 Section D.The IEA does not award contracts for research, development and demonstration. But in 1981 United Kingdom companies and organisations were signatories to 28 IEA Implementing Agreements.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, to encourage the sale of motor vehicles made in Britain, they will withdraw the car tax from vehicles which are made or assembled and sold in this country.

Her Majesty's Government could not discriminate against imported vehicles in the way proposed by my noble friend. Car tax would effectively become an import duty instead of an internal tax levied equally on all chargeable vehicles registered for road use in the United Kingdom. As such it would be unlawful under the EC Treaty.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in view of the recommendation from local authorities concerned with Kemble Airfield that the 536 acres should be used for agricultural and industrial purposes and having regard to the fact that the present workforce is now being declared redundant, they will release the land immediately so that arrangements may be made without delay for future productive employment in the area.

I have nothing further to add to what I said to the noble Lord, Lord Mayhew, on 6th December (Hansard, col. 107).

asked Her Majesty's Government:In the light of the Secretary of State's declared future plans for building but not modernising the

Royal Navy's escort force of destroyers and frigates, how many of these vessels will be on the naval strength (including those undergoing refit, but excluding those on the Disposal List) in 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 in the following categories:

In 1985 we currently expect a little less than half the destroyer/frigate force to be less than 10 years old and over three-quarters of the remainder to have undergone modernisation. Further ahead, details of the planned size and shape of the Fleet remain to be considered; but in accordance with the policy announced last year our aim is to update older ships to the maximum extent possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there are any plans to develop skiing facilities in the region of Lurcher's Crag in the Cairngorms and, if there are, whether they will not ruin the finest valley walk in the British Isles known as the Lairig Ghru.

My center honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland announced on 16th December his decision to refuse outline planning permission for the development of facilities for downhill skiing in the northern corries of Cairn Gorm including Lurcher's Gully. No other application for a skiing development in this area is before my center honourable friend.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the amounts of public expenditure on overseas aid at constant prices for 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84, taking 1979–80 as 100.

The value of public expenditure on overseas aid in cost terms for the five years 1979–80 to 1983–84, taking 1979–80 at the base year, is as follows:

	£ million
	Cost terms Net Aid	Gross Aid
1979–80	788	834
1980–81	751	819
1981–82	734	777
1982–83	682	731
1983–84	701	749

The figure for 1981–82 is based on a cash outturn estimate which will be subject to minor technical adjustment, that for 1982–83 is based on the latest available estimate of cash provision for this financial year, and that for 1983–84 is based on the public expenditure plans for that year given by my center honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Statement of 8th November. The figure for1983–84 will be subject to further adjustment, for example in respect of the statement made in another place on 8th December about the Falkland Islands.Expected repayment of capital on past aid loans makes up the difference between the net and the gross aid programme.There is no single way of expressing cash provisions in constant prices. The above figures are calculated by making adjustments to the cash figures to cover general United Kingdom inflation as measured by the GDP deflator, and using the forecast increase in this deflator of 7½ per cent. in 1982–83 and 5 per cent. in 1983–84, as shown in the Autumn Statement.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether for each of the last 10 completed financial years they will state the amount of overseas aid expenditure in cash terms, in real cost terms and as a percentage of the gross national product.

The figures in respect of the net aid programme are set out below. The figures reported to and published by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and usually used to calculate official development assistance (o.d.a.) as a share of GNP differ from those derived below. The differences arise mainly from the use in DAC o.d.a. figures of the value of promissory notes deposited with certain international financial institutions (i.e., IDA and the regional development banks) whereas net aid figures show the amounts drawn against those notes. There are also other, less significant, differences between the two sets of figures.

	Cash	Constant 1981–82 prices	Share of GNP
	£m	£m	%
1972–73	252	882	0.38
1973–74	266	869	0.35
1974–75	325	885	0.36
1975–76	428	932	0.38
1976–77	496	955	0.38
1977–78	600	1,016	0.40
1978–79	723	1,105	0.42
1979–80	788	1,030	0.39
1980–81	888	983	0.38
1981–82	960	960	0.38

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether published statistics of overseas aid expenditure include pensions paid to former expatriate officials now retired and living in this country and, if so, whether they will state the amount of such payments in respect of each of the last 10 completed financial years.

Yes. The item "pensions and compensation" in Table 13 of "British Aid Statistics 1976–80" (HMSO 1982) comprises expenditure under subhead D2 "Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (Nigeria)" and Section F "Pensions and Allowances etc" in the Overseas Aid Vote (Class II, 10: 1982–83). Data for the last 10 calendar years are as follows:

				£m
1972	..	..	..	7.282
1973	..	..	..	10.712
1974	..	..	..	10.020
1975	..	..	..	6.505
1976	..	..	..	12.165
1977	..	..	..	12.240
1978	..	..	..	14.419
1979	..	..	..	12.674
1980	..	..	..	12.982
1981 (provisional)			..	16.598

The bulk of this expenditure is for pension liabilities attributable to pre-independence service by certain expatriate officers in former dependencies, responsibility for which has been assumed by Her Majesty's Government under the pensions takeover policy announced on 11th March 1970 (House of Commons

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state for each of the last 10 completed financial years the total amount of interest and capital repayments received from countries which are recipients of United Kingdom aid.

The totals are as follows:

			Interest	Principal
			£	£
1972–73	..	..	20,210,038	26,986,303
1973–74	..	..	19,133,262	29,809,791
1974–75	..	..	19,295,390	32,518,529
1975–76	..	..	17,708,182	32,484,404
1976–77	..	..	18,247,740	41,874,989
1977–78	..	..	16,962,359	47,432,002
1978–79	..	..	14,504,007	44,137,208
1979–80	..	..	14,571,178	44,024,252
1980–81	..	..	15,330,958	65,352,420
1981–82	..	..	14,994,143	54,054,610

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the revised request for development aid, submitted by the Gibraltar Government last September, took into account their acute housing problem, mainly in the form of sub-standard accommodation, including dampness and overcrowding; and whether any assistance is also being considered to alleviate the present difficulties of their severely handicapped construction industry as a whole bearing in mind that the proportion of government owned dwellings to privately owned dwellings is about 75 per cent to 25 per cent.

Gibraltar's revised request for development aid argues the case for assistance to increase and improve the housing stock. The United Kingdom contribution of £13 million towards Gibraltar's 1982–86 development programme has recently been announced in another place and discussions soon to take place between officials from the Overseas Development Administration and the Gibraltar authorities will include the problems of housing. Meanwhile at the request of the Gibraltar Government the Overseas Development Administration has agreed to fund a consultancy to advise how home ownership can be encouraged, thereby reducing the need for public sector provision of housing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are encouraging, and assisting in, the expansion of the private sector in Gibraltar; and in particular whether they see the need for renegotiation of Gibraltar's status within the EEC to enable it to function and develop as a new international financial centre, without possible hindrance or restrictions imposed by new members on their accession to the Community.

The Government encourage the development of Gibraltar's economy in all its aspects, We have, for example, agreed to provide assistance should a commercial ship repair yard be established in Gibraltar and we are supporting Gibraltar's 1982–86 development programme, which will help both the private and public sector of Gibraltar's economy. The Government have no plans to renegotiate Gibraltar's status within the European Community, which would not be affected by the accession of new members.

asked Her Majesty's Government:(i) What contributions were made to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for research and development in each of the last five years;(ii) whether these contributions are shown in the budget of the department concerned; and(iii) what was the total value of the contracts received from the OECD by British companies and other bodies during the same period.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) does not itself undertake research and development activities. Most of its costs are staff costs. Some contracts are let to consulting firms, including British consulting firms, but no national breakdowns are available.Research and development activities are undertaken by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which is associated with the OECD.

asked Her Majesty's Government:(i) What contributions were made to the European Space Agency (ESA) for research and development in each of the last five years;(ii) Whether these contributions are shown in the budget of the department concerned; and(iii) What was the total value of the contracts received from the ESA by British companies and other bodies during the same period.

(i) British contributions to ESA in the years 1977–78 to 1981–82 were as follows:

	£
1977–78	39·5
1978–79	39·2
1979–80	41·3
1980–81	48·6
1981–82	61·5

(ii) These contributions are shown in the Supply Estimates of the Department of Industry and the Department of Education and Science, and in the Appropriation Accounts.(iii) ESA estimates that the total value of contracts placed in Great Britain during the period 1977–78 to 1981–82 was £185 million.

asked her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make a statement about the review of the regulations of the European Regional Development Fund; and whether Devon and Cornwall are to be excluded.

The proposals to exclude the Assisted Areas of Devon and Cornwall (and others in Yorkshire and Humberside and the East Midlands) arose in the Commission's proposals of last autumn for the concentration of the fund's resources on the least prosperous regions of the four least prosperous member states. The Government have made it plain that, while welcoming the principle of concentration and wanting to see early agreement on the Regulation, it could not accept the exclusion of any United Kingdom Assisted Area.Discussions have since moved towards a lesser degree of concentration which would render the exclusion of any United Kingdom Assisted Area even less justifiable.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What contributions they have made to EEC research and development direct and indirect action programmes and demonstration programmes for each of the last five years and what is the total value of contracts received by British participating organisations during the same period.

Figures relating to net Community research expenditure and to demonstration projects are shown in the Community's annual budget. In 1981 the allocation for research programmes was 225 Mecu (£124 million), and 29·5 Mecu (£ 16 million) for energy demonstration projects. In 1982 the figures in the budget as adopted were 315 Mecu (£ 176 million) and 28 Mecu (£ 16 million) respectively.It is not possible to state the amount of United Kingdom contributions to EC research and development since our contributions to the EC Budget are not disaggregated. Contracts are awarded for both direct and indirect action (i.e., wholly or partly financed by the EC) by the Commission without reference to member state Governments, and are competed for by a wide range of organisations from both the private and public sectors in all member states. Information issued by the Commission on contracts awarded does not lend itself to analysis based upon shares received by member states. All the indications are, however, that the United Kingdom receives a satisfactory proportion of Community R&D contracts. It is however possible to get a clearer picture in the case of energy demonstration projects. Here, of a total of £102 million budgeted since 1979 for energy saving and alternative sources of energy, we expect about £16 million benefit for United Kingdom companies and organisations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will encourage British Telecom to ensure that the telephone number of anyone who lives alone is kept locally on a separate file, so that if any of those numbers become out of order the line can be rectified as a top priority

I understand from British Telecom that top priority is given to the restoration of the lines of those providing emergency services, such as doctors, the police and the fire and ambulance services but that, subject to this, local managers have discretion to give priority to those in particular need. British Telecom's aim in any case is to clear all reported faults within two working days.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many employees are employed in the finance department of Guy's Hospital, London.

Guy's Hospital does not have its own finance department. I suggest the noble Baroness gets in touch with the Lewisham and North Southwark District Health Authority, who I am certain will give her every assistance.

asked her Majesty's Government:Whether the tests, reported in

Regular progress reports on the laboratory study of tuberculosis infection in badgers and calves, on which The Times correspondent commented on 15th December 1982, have been published in the department's reports on bovine tuberculosis in badgers. The first of these reports was published in November 1976. The members of the Consultative Panel on Badgers and Tuberculosis were fully informed of this study. The membership of the panel includes a wide range of scientific, veterinary and conservation societies and individual experts.I recommend to the noble Lord the full report of this study which appeared in the

asked Her Majesty's Government:What decisions have been made following their review of the nationalised industry consumer councils.

After full consultations with all concerned we are today publishing a departmental paper outlining a strategy for reform of the nationalised industry consumer councils. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.