asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will protest against the decision of the New Zealand Rugby Union to send a team to South Africa.

No. The Government, like the New Zealand Government, are disappointed by the decision of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to tour South Africa this summer, but recognise that the decision is one for the sports body concerned rather than governments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they have received from the civil land mobile radio industry regarding the time-scale for establishing large systems in Band III.

A variety of proposals have been received from companies interested in establishing large radio systems in Band III. Among those responding, several have urged the Government to reach early conclusions on the use of Band III: one company has stated that if any early date were set for the introduction of a large system it could be unhelpful to United Kingdom equipment manufacturers. The Government hope to make an announcement on Band III in the next few weeks.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will send a circular of guidance to housing authorities and other statutory authorities owning houses on the urgent need to use empty property for the benefit of homeless people and families whether by direct licensing or by short-life agreements with housing associations and other voluntary bodies.

The Department of the Environment will shortly issue a circular to local authorities containing guidance on these matters. The Housing Corporation has already doubled its allocation of resources in the current year to the funding of short-life schemes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will provide extra funds to the Housing Corporation so that certain selected housing associations may make available more accommodation each year for young persons coming out of care of local authorities.

The Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme for 1985–86 was announced on 21st January. It includes provision for £7 million for expenditure within that year on new hostel and shared housing projects. Young people leaving care are amongst those who stand to benefit from this provision. Allocations to individual associations and projects are a matter for the Housing Corporation. Local authorities may fund housing association projects from within their total resources. The Government have encouraged authorities to concentrate on those in special need.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to encourage governmental and other public bodies to use minestone rather than traditional aggregates in construction projects, where it has been demonstrated that it is in the interests of the taxpayer to do so.

In response to the Commission on Energy and the Environment's Report on Coal and the Environment, the Government set up an inter-departmental committee to consider the effectiveness of existing procedures for increasing the use of waste materials, including minestone, in highway construction projects. I expect their recommendations to be available shortly. The Government will then consider whether there are lessons that can be applied to encourage the use of waste materials in non-highway schemes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consultations are taking place between the Department of Energy and the Department of the Environment to ensure that landscape and environmental considerations are taken into account when permission is granted for the extraction of gravel.

Consultations between the Department of Energy and the Department of the Environment on the environmental effects of gravel extraction are at present confined to the work of the inter-departmental committee which is considering the use of waste materials in highways schemes. I refer to the answer I have given in response to a similar question from the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will initiate a proposal that, in the celebration of the anniversary of VE Day, the former belligerents should join to establish an effective organisation able to provide rapid relief in cases of natural disasters: e.g. famine, floods, earthquakes, worldwide.

The United Nations Disaster Relief Office (UNDRO) already exists to co-ordinate disaster relief operations worldwide. The Government support continued efforts to improve further the existing UN mechanisms.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list all those activities within 200 nautical miles of the coast of the United Kingdom, whether on or under the seabed, in the water column, on the surface of the sea, or in the air, or in space above, concerning which they exercise sovereign rights and/or jurisdiction, and in each case under what Act of Parliament, Order in Council, or other legal basis and in the light of which international convention or agreement.

It would be disproportionately expensive to obtain the information requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have any plans to increase the number of drug detector dogs in use at ports and airports.

Customs and Excise have recently reviewed the use of drug detection dogs and are increasing the number of dog teams by seven.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will take steps to correct the unbalanced national distribution of transplant units revealed by the survey of the British Transplantation Society.

If the noble Lord is referring to the unpublished paper, Assessment of Resources for Renal Transplantation in the United Kingdom, prepared by Mr. R. A. Sells on behalf of the British Transplantation Society, it appears to contain no evidence of an unbalanced national distribution of renal transplant units as the noble Lord suggests.All regional health authorities have agreed to accept a target of treating at least 40 new renal patients per million population by 1987, irrespective of their current levels of treatment facilities. This target covers both dialysis and transplantation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will appoint an independent inquiry into the situation at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, following the reported postponement of a hip operation because the theatre was dirty; and whether they will take steps to dismiss the contractors responsible.

It is the responsibility of the Cambridge Health Authority to ensure satisfactory standards of cleanliness at Addenbrooke's Hospital. I understand that the main reason for the cancellation of a hip operation last month was the discovery of dust in a part of the operating theatre not included in the contractor's cleaning specifications. The district health authority is now revising the specifications to ensure that this situation does not recur.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to publish the

This year's Statement on the Defence Estimates will be published on Wednesday, 1st May.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What subject matters are covered by the Belfast Integrated Operations Document; which depart ments of the Northern Ireland Government are involved and what other principal statutory or voluntary bodies; what is the present state of readiness of the document; when it is expected to reach final form and be published; and whether any consultation papers will be put out in advance of final publication.

The Belfast Integrated Operations Document was presented to the European Commission on 21st February 1985 by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary with responsibility for environmental matters in Northern Ireland. It develops, updates and replaces the document presented to the Commission in 1981. The document includes all the capital projects within the Belfast Urban Area put forward by Northern Ireland Government departments, district councils, public bodies, voluntary bodies and the private sector for the period 1985–86 to 1989–90 which are envisaged in current expenditure planning or which are regarded as desirable.The document was prepared by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland after consultation with Government departments, district councils, the Northern Ireland Assembly's Environment Committee, the Belfast Co-ordinating Committee, the Confederation of British Industry, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. It is available through Her Majesty's Stationery Office, and there is a copy in the Library. No separate consultation papers are proposed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many local education authorities have provided the Department of Education and Science with returns about the number of children on whom statements have been issued in accordance with the 1981 Education Act; andHow many children have had statements made about them in accordance with the 1981 Education Act, and what were the numbers of such children in each local education authority.

The returns from local education authorities which include this information are submitted annually. There have been two such sets of returns since the Education Act 1981 came into force on 1st April 1983. Those completed in January 1984 included a number of children who had been ascertained under the 1944 Act, and thus do not provide a satisfactory basis on which to answer the question. Returns relating to January 1985 have so far been received from 82 English authorities; 15 are outstanding. It is thus not possible at present to provide a total figure for children with statements under the 1981 Act but I shall write to the noble Baroness as soon as full details are available.