asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend to publish the draft constitution of the Falkland Islands.

Copies of the draft constitutions for the Falkland Islands and the Falkland Islands Dependencies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many holders of British passports are presently detained in Zimbabwe, either without trial or after acquittal by the courts there.

The British High Commission in Harare are aware of one mono-British citizen detained in Zimbabwe under these conditions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of the establishment by the Australian Government of a secretariat to co-ordinate government and community activities to mark the United Nations International Year of Peace in 1986; whether they will consider taking similar action; and, if not, how they propose to co-ordinate government and community activities.

We are not aware of Australian intentions. We do not plan to take similar action, as our main contribution to the year will be to continue to work for international peace through complementary policies on defence, arms control and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the yearly average of new plantings of trees over the period 1956–80 (

New planting by the Forestry Commission averaged 17,200 hectares per annum over the period.Records distinguishing between new planting and restocking in the private sector were not kept centrally before 1970–71. However, it is estimated that the average amount of new planting grant-aided by the Forestry Commission during the period 1956–80 was 11,600 hectares per annum.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish a table similar to the one given in the

The information available is given in the following table:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the current regulations concerning the frequency with which blankets in use in prisons, and police cells are washed or cleaned.

Governors of prisons have instructions to arrange the laundering of blankets for inmates, other than those in prison hospitals, at least every six months. Blankets in use in prison hospitals are washed as frequently as the prison medical authorities consider necessary. Blankets used in police cells are required to be cleaned regularly so that they are at all times fit for use.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in any possible future reconstruction of the National Coal Board the National Union of Mineworkers might be invited to nominate a few of their leading members—possibly three or four—to share in mutual discussions on the organisation and administration of the coal industry.

The machinery for such discussions with coal mining unions already exists, and has operated at all levels of the industry since the National Coal Board was set up in 1947.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have taken a decision on future ethnic surveys in the Civil Service.

The Government have decided to follow the ethnic surveys undertaken in the North West and County of Avon with surveys of all remaining non-industrial staff in a phased programme during 1985–88. The first stage of the programme will cover all non-industrial staff in the East and West Midlands later this year. All new entrants to the Civil Service will also be covered as soon as the necessary arrangemens can be made. Separate arrangements are being worked out for industrial staff. Consideration wil be given to further monitoring of recruitment schemes in the light of the results of the recruitment surveys undertaken last year in the North West and County of Avon; the data from these surveys are now being analysed and we expect to publish the report in the spring.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Government provide grant-in-aid for the construction of factories to the Scottish Development Agency, Highlands and Islands Development Board, Welsh Development Agency, Development Board for Rural Wales, Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board and the English Industrial Estates Corporation. These agencies keep detailed registers of all their factories, closely monitor the performance of individual units and report on their overall performance to their respective sponsoring departments in the Government. The Government have full access to all the information kept by these agencies.At the end of 1984 these agencies had a total of 2,860 vacant units comprising 1,548,700 square metres of floor space, which was equivalent to 18·8 per cent. of the floor area of their total stock.Factory building by the private sector may also be assisted indirectly by grants in support of capital investment by industry, such as those given under Sections 7 and 8 of the Industry Act 1982 and urban development grants. Like the plant and machinery associated with such projects, these factories are the property of the investors concerned and no registers are kept. Monitoring in such cases embraces the whole of the investment, and is to ensure that the conditions of grant are met.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What special arrangements for heating allowances are to be made during periods of cold weather.

In addition to the regular weekly help with fuel costs available to supplementary benefit claimants, the supplementary benefit regulations also provide for single payments to be awarded to claimants who have used more fuel than they have budgeted for because of a period of exceptionally severe weather. It is for the independent adjudication authorities to decide whether claimants are entitled to benefit and, if so, how much. The Chief Adjudication Officer has decided to advise local adjudication officers that during the recent cold spell the "exceptionally severe weather" condition was satisfied in six weather station areas covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and the South of England.The criteria on which the Chief Adjudication Officer bases his advice are published in paragraphs 7426–7459 and Appendix 19 of the S Manual (a copy of which is in the Library), and he applies them using temperature data obtained from the Meteorological Office. The normal rules governing entitlement to single payments apply, and any capital over £500 is taken into account in calculating any amount due. We are publicising the help which is available and leaflets explaining how to claim can be obtained from local social security offices in the areas concerned, which are: