asked Her Majesty's Government:What consultations have taken place with the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Surgeons in connection with the prohibition of female circumcision, and what advice has been received.

I understand that the sponsors of the Prohibition of Female Circumcison Bill have kept these Royal Colleges informed about progress in the Bill and that neither has any objection to the Bill as currently drafted. In correspondence, the Royal College of Surgeons indicated that they would leave professional comment on the matter to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, whose advice they would support. The position of that Royal College is that they too seek to prohibit female circumcision of any kind being performed in this country and they approve of the Bill as currently drafted. They point out that there are some surgical operations that are necessary for the physical and mental health of women which have nothing whatsoever to do with circumcision performed for traditional or cultural reasons. The college would be opposed to any statutory limitations on these legitimate operations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Who in the following categories is authorised to travel first class by air when going on duty to Japan and other places involving journeys over 16 hours in the aircraft—(

The position for a journey of 16 hours or more is as follows:

(a) Ministers: all Ministers would normally travel first class.

(b) Members of the Diplomatic Service, the armed forces and the Civil Service have similar arrangements. Only staff in Grades 1 and 1 A or officers of the rank of Four-Star General (and its equivalent levels) and above would normally travel first class.

Staff in Grade 5 and officers of the rank of Brigadier (and its equivalent levels) and above may be allowed to travel first class where the airlines fare structures for the route do not have a Club Class or equivalent. Staff in other grades and officers in other ranks may be permitted to travel first class in special circumstances—for example, when they necessarily travel in company with another entitled to first class in order to discuss or deal with official business; when they necessarily travel for official reasons in company with a person not a United Kingdom civil servant or member of the armed forces who is travelling first class; when a member of the armed forces is head of a British Mission abroad or the senior HMG officer serving in a representative capacity at a station abroad. All armed forces personnel would be expected to travel on a Royal Air Force flight, if available.There are no special provisions on how soon after arrival a person not authorised to travel first class is expected to fulfil his first engagement. However, the Civil Service and the armed forces have guidance to the effect that whenever possible after all long air journeys across time zones staff should be allowed an acclimatisation period. This is normally 24 hours but may be extended for longer journeys.(

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they propose to inform the Lord Hams of Greenwich of the total quantity of heroin and cocaine seized in the first quarter of 1985, and its value, as promised by the Earl of Gowrie on 4th April 1985 (Written Answers, col. 428).

HM Customs and Excise wrote to the noble Lord on 15th May 1985 with details of the quantities of the heroin and cocaine seized in the first quarter of 1985. The quantities were 32·4 kgs (heroin) and 13·4 kgs (cocaine); the estimated street values were in the range of £5m—£6·5 million and £2·3–£3·1 million repectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are aware of the damage that will be done to the Camphill Devon Community for handicapped adults, by the proposed amendment to the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations 1977, which will require the community to pasteurise the milk produced and consumed there.

Proposals for amendments to the regulations on untreated milk to implement restrictions on sales to certain outlets were issued to interested parties for comment last February. A number of organisations (including certain Camphill Communities) and individuals submitted comments on the proposals: these ranged from those who felt that the restrictions go too far, to those who urged us to introduce a complete ban on sales.We were, of course, conscious of the need to strike a reasonable balance between these conflicting views and decided to go ahead on the basis of the proposals. In reacing this decision, we had in mind particularly that the health risks associated with untreated milk outweigh the marginal nutritional benefits which might be derived from it.Regulations were therefore laid before Parliament on 9th April. These will rule out the supply of untreated milk, from whatever source, to schools and other institutions from 1st November 1985. We had to hear in mind that institutions seem particularly susceptible to major outbreaks of food poisoning and so it would not be appropriate to make exceptions for particular institutions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Following the reply given by Lord Trefgarne on 8th May (col. 653), whether they will make a further statement on the exchange of telephone calls between the Group Commercial Director of British Aerospace and the Principal Director of Contracts (Air) on 13th March concerning the new trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force.

I am aware that the Group Commercial Director of British Aerospace, Mr. Alan Smith, denies that in the telephone call made to him by the Ministry of Defence's Principal Director of Contracts (Air) on 13th March, he was told that an end-point of midday on 14th March had been set for improved offers in respect of the new trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force.The Government regret that such a misunderstanding should have arisen. This matter has been fully discussed in a de-briefing given to British Aerospace by the Ministry of Defence on the competition. While each side maintains its position on what was said during the telephone call, both now regard the matter as closed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Following the conclusion of the consultative process, what are their intentions towards dog licences and a dog warden scheme.

The Government are considering the response to the recent consultation paper and will announce their conclusions as soon as possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are yet in a position to respond to the First Report of the Environment Committee on the Operation and Effectiveness of Part II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, published in January, and if they will make a statement.

The Government have already implemented several of the recommendations made by the Select Committee. We feel this area is of sufficient importance to publish our formal response today as a Command Paper, issued jointly by my department, the Welsh Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Although the committee's report did not deal directly with Scotland, the Secretary of State for Scotland wishes to be closely associated with the approach set out in response.The committee clearly recognised the major contribution of the Wildlife and Countryside Act to the valuable developments that have taken place in our drive to conserve the resources of the countryside. We are especially encouraged by their firm endorsement of the voluntary approach to conservation. We should like to record a special tribute to the vast majority of those who live and work on the land for the constructive way in which they have responded to the policy for consent and co-operation embodied in the Act.The Government response deals with the detailed recommendations and sets these in the context of its overall policies. It makes clear that we will continue to support voluntary co-operation with the selective use of more rigorous measures. The Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Bill, which we are supporting through Parliament, will provide useful improvements in the effectiveness of the 1981 Act.The committee expressed concern about the balance of the Government's priorities between agriculture and conservation. The Government's policies are not of course those of a single department or Minister but represent a balance of the departmental objectives of the various departments involved. My department works closely with MAFF and the Welsh and Scottish Offices and other Government departments to seek to ensure this balance. The agriculture industry and those concerned with the ownership and management of the countryside are becoming much more aware of the importance of conservation, and the changing policies of agriculture departments both foster and reflect these changing attitudes. As examples, I would mention the changes to the Farm Capital Grant Scheme to achieve a closer integration of conservation and agricultural policies, and the Government's success in negotiating a provision in the new structures regulation for special payments to farms in environmentally sensitive areas. The joint MAFF/Countryside Commission three-year experiment to conserve the unique landscape of the Broads is a very positive example of this approach.Many of these initiatives meet criticisms made by the Committee and represent a real attempt by the Government to pull together the various aspects of policy in this area. There has, for example, been a move away from providing support for operations such as hedge removal and land reclamation in favour of assistance for positive conservation measures. And we broadly accept the Committee's recommendation that ADAS staff should give greater priority to advisory effort related to conservation of the natural beauty and amenity of countryside.The Government are grateful to the Environment Committee for its hard work, which has resulted in a very valuable report. We welcome it as an important contribution to the emerging consensus on how best to safeguard our precious countryside and its wildlife. Our Command Paper sets out in detail the many actions we have already taken to meet recommendations made by the committee. We intend to press ahead with our policies, reviewing them where necessary to cope with changing circumstances.