asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will relax the restrictions on the spending of capital receipts by those local authorities that have immediate plans for repairing, improving or building accommodation for homeless people, whether directly or by assistance to housing associations.

No. The revised rules on the use of capital receipts introduced for 1985–86 are essential if local authority capital spending is to be kept to the levels allowed for in the Government's public expenditure plans.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the amount of rent and rates arrears outstanding in Greater London and each of the metropolitan counties for each year from 1971 until the latest year for which figures are available.

Figures on rent arrears have been published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) for the years 1971–72 to 1977–78 in Housing Statistics Part 2 and from 1978–79 to 1982–83 in Housing Revenue Account Statistics (Actuals). These publications are available through the Library.Rent arrears at 31st March 1984 in Greater London and the metropolitan counties were as follows:—

asked Her Majesty's Government:What they conclude from the report ("News at Ten", 17th April) that of lorries involved in a police spot check, one in two was ordered to be taken off the road, and what were the nationalities of the vehicles involved.

We understand that, although nearly half the vehicles checked were found to have defects, many of these were minor, and only a very small number were prohibited from proceeding, As far as we are able to ascertain, all vehicles checked were of United Kingdom origin.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How they propose to reconcile paragraph 05.21 of the

There is no inconsistency. Paragraph 16.6 of the Invitation refers to the liability of shipowners and paragraph 05.21 to the liability of the constructors and operators of a fixed link.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to receive the Report of the Sizewell Inquiry; whether they intend to lay it before Parliament; and whether it is their intention to publish it before taking decisions upon the recommendations of the Inspector.

The Inspector has informed my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy that he hopes to be able to deliver his main recommendations to him before the end of this year. It is the Government's intention to publish the report and make it available to the House, but the Secretary of State will wish to see it first and consider it before deciding on the publication date.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received the judgment of the European Court of Justice on the Origin Marking Order; and to make a statement:

The European Court of Justice has now delivered its judgment that the Origin Marking Order—the Trade Descriptions (Origin Marking) (Miscellaneous Goods) Order 1981—is in breach of Article 30 of the EEC Treaty, in so far as it relates to goods imported from elsewhere in the Community. The Government will be carefully considering the judgment and its implications for the future of the order, and will consult bodies representative of those affected as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are considering the introduction of any measures intended to stop or reduce the cuts recommended for hospitals in the Greater Manchester Health Authority area.

Salford and South Manchester Health Authorities will significantly overspend their budgets this year unless corrective measures are taken. As responsible managers, they are tackling the problem in order to protect patients' services and ensure that patients actually benefit from the £8 million extra we will be spending this year on health services in the North-West. The noble Lord may wish to contact the chairman of the health authority concerned for more detailed information.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to ensure that children's hospitals continue to be able satisfactorily to care for sick children, in view of recent cuts in the Health Service.

Responsibility for the management of individual children's hospitals rests with the relevant health authorities. It is for them to keep under review the need for hospital services of the local child population and to ensure that these are met effectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In how many (

This information is not held centrally. It is for the

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what proportion of the sheriff courts in Scotland have summary criminal trials been fixed for dates within two months of the pleading diet in the course of the last two years for which figures are available.

Information is not collected in respect of individual cases. The following table shows how many of the 49 sheriff courts had a delay between pleading diet and trial diet in summary criminal cases of not more than two months at the end of each quarter during the years 1983 and 1984.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what percentage of all summary criminal cases in the sheriff courts of Scotland has the interval between pleading diet and trial, in the course of the last two years for which figures are available, been—

Information is not collected in respect of individual cases but quarterly returns are made by sheriff courts which show the total number of outstanding summary trials and the current delay between pleading diet and trial as at the end of each quarter.The following table shows the percentage (rounded) of all outstanding summary trials at sheriff courts with delays falling within the specified periods at the end of each quarter during 1983 and 1984: