asked Her Majesty's Government:What policy they adopt when applicants for Home Office sponsorship for the Certificate of Qualification in Social Work have been convicted of imprisonable offences, and whether all such cases are referred to Ministers.

:Applicants for Home Office sponsorships as probation students are considered on their individual merits. Where there had been a previous conviction, all the relevant circumstances would be taken into account but it would not be an automatic bar to acceptance, though the suitability of an applicant who had a serious or recent conviction would obviously be very much in question. The way in which such cases are considered in the Home Office depends on the circumstances of each individual case.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the number of persons detained in prisons following a non-custodial sentence and a recommendation for deportation by the courts in 1981 and 1982 respectively; and in each case what was the average length of time for which those persons were so detained.

It is estimated that about 150 people were received into prison department establishments in England and Wales in both 1981 and 1982 for detention under the Immigration Act 1971 following a non-custodial sentence and a recommendation for deportation by the courts. In both years the average period of detention of such persons was about eight weeks.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What changes in the criteria for granting parole and release on licence respectively have been decided by the Home Office; and whether it is their intention to implement these without seeking the approval of Parliament; andWhat are the "new measures" introduced by the Home Secretary, in relation to serious and violent offenders, which he said in his speech to the Boards of Visitors' annual meeting on October 24th "would inevitably have an impact on prisons"; and whether they intend to seek the approval of Parliament for them.

I would ask the noble Lord to await the further statement promised in the reply given by my noble friend Lady Trumpington to the noble Lord, Lord Morris, on 14th November [Official Report, col. 1143].

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they propose to take concerning those prisoners who were charged with prison disciplinary offences following the disturbances at HM Prison, Albany last May in the light of the recent Divisional Court judgment in

We are determined that every effort should be made to ensure that those responsible for the disturbance at Albany face the legal consequences of their actions. We do not, however, think that it would be right to expect the Board of Visitors to proceed with the highly complex issues raised by the outstanding charges of mutiny considered in the light of the judgment in the Divisional Court on 8th November. My right honourable and learned friend has accordingly decided to set aside the disciplinary awards made by the board in respect of offences committed during the disturbance, and he is asking the Chief Constable of Hampshire to investigate any criminal offences which may have been committed during the disturbance which took place at Albany on 19th–25th May.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

:The most widely used measures of international price competitiveness, on which I based my statement, are the indices of relative labour costs per unit of manufacturing output, adjusted for exchange rate changes, which are compiled and published by the International Monetary Fund. These indices are 'normalised' to allow for cyclically-induced differences between countries. The following table gives the indices for the period 1975 to 1983 Q2 for the countries in question. An increase in the cost indices shows a decline in international competitiveness.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will indicate to which bodies the powers of the metropolitan county councils will be entrusted after 31st March 1986 if legislation to transfer their functions to other bodies is not approved in Parliament after the 1985 elections have been cancelled.

The powers would remain with the metropolitan county councils. The legislation to cancel the 1985 elections will not abolish these councils, but it will provide for their membership to consist of councillors appointed by the district councils. Provision will also be made for the reinstatement of direct elections to the county councils if Parliament should reject the Government's subsequent legislation to abolish these councils.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the minimum statutory service which has to be provided for those pupils in receipt of free school meals provision.

The duty placed on local education authorities in England and Wales and on education authorities in Scotland is, as specified in the Acts, to make such midday provision for free meal recipients as appears to them to be requisite. The standard of provision required of the Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland is specified in regulations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are satisfied that the guidelines issued by the DHSS are sufficiently known and understood by those general practitioners who monitor, and also those who use, agency services for night and weekend home visits to patients.

Copies of the guidance circular and code of practice were issued to all family practitioner committees and local medical committees, whose responsibility it is to make their contents known to general medical practitioners and professional advisory committees. We are considering our policy on the monitoring of deputising services, including the extent to which that guidance should be revised and reissued.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many deportation notices were signed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1981 and 1982 respectively, grouped according to the countries of origin of those concerned.

The following information is available on notices of intention to deport. which are signed by officials acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and on deportation orders, which are signed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department or, in his absence, by another Principal Secretary of State.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is true that any investment made in a farm business is ineligible for tax relief under the Business Expansion Scheme should that person decide to work on, or manage the farm; and, if so, whether such a regulation encourages absentee farmers and landowners to the detriment of the rural scene.

The Business Expansion Scheme provides a generous tax incentive for individual outside investors in unquoted trading companies rather than people putting money into their own company. In this way it focuses directly on the needs of new and expanding businesses for additional sources of equity. However, relief is not given if investors have more than 30 per cent. of the business. There is therefore no encouragement for an outsider to take control of a farming or any other business.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in their view the possibility of the inheritance of farm tenancies by two generations after the original tenant under the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 offends against the rule against perpetuities.

Succession under the 1976 Act is not certain since the agricultural land tribunal can decide that an applicant is not eligible or suitable. The succession provisions of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 do not, therefore, offend against the rule against perpetuities, as modified by the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 1964.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree that it would be an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the operator of a crayfish farm carelessly or negligently to allow a signal crayfish (

Yes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many crayfish farms stocked with the signal crayfish (

So far as Her Majesty's Government are aware, no records are maintained relating to the information requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the total level of United Kingdom wheat production in 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1982.

The information requested is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:In how many cases in each of the last five years for which figures are available has the President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors been required to appoint arbitrators in accordance with paragraph 28 of Schedule 6 to the Agricultural Holdings Act 1948.

In the last five years the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors have made the following appointment of arbitrators under paragraph 28 of the Sixth Schedule to the Agricultural Holdings Act 1948:

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will quantify the savings they expect to make arising from the transfer to the President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors of the responsibility for the appointment of arbitrators under Clause 7 of the Agricultural Holdings Bill at present before this House in terms of departmental manpower and public expenditure.

We anticipate a saving of approximately four man-years and some £63,000 of public expenditure