asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are in communication with the Government of the USA about reports of recruitment of British and foreign agents to join mercenary insurgents engaged in military activities in Central America.

No. But, as I told the noble Lord on 10th June, we deplore the use of mercenaries. We are paying a full part in the United Nations ad hoc committee on the drafting of an international convention against the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries.

asked Her Majesty's Goverment:How many baths, showers, WCs and urinals there are for the use of prisoners at Birmingham, Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Wandworth prisons respectively.

The information requested is as follows:—

asked Her Majesty's Government:How often prisoners at Birmingham, Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Wandsworth prisons are allowed to have a bath or shower.

All prisoners in these establishments have a hot bath or shower once a week. Prisoners at Birmingham, Durham, Leeds and Liverpool are permitted additional baths or showers in certain limited circumstances—for example, after using the gymnasium.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will lay before Parliament their proposals for the designation of persons as the authority responsible for making arrangements for the classification of video recordings under the Video Recordings Act 1984.

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today laid before both Houses his proposals for the designation under Section 4(1) of the Video Recordings Act 1984 of those persons who on designation will be the authority responsible for the matters set out in that section of the Act. He proposes to designate the Earl of Harewood, the Lord Birkett, Miss Monica Sims and Mr. James Ferman, respectively the President, Vice-Presidents and Director of the British Board of Film Classification (formerly the British Board of Film Censors). The board will be responsible for determining whether or not video works are suitable to be classified, having special regard to the likelihood of classified video works being viewed in the home, and for carrying out the two arrangements specified in Section 4(1) of the Video Recordings Act.I have placed in the Library the text of a letter he intends to send at the time of designation to each member of the authority. Attached to the letter are the Video Appeals Committee Provisions containing the arrangements for appeals, in accordance wth Section 4(3) of the Act, against determinations by the board, with which we are satisfied, and the tariff of fees which he has approved for the purposes of Section 4(5) and (6) of the Act.My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right honourable friend the Home Secretary propose to bring the criminal provisions of the Act into force on 1st September 1985 in respect of all video works where a video recording containing the video work has not been sold, let on hire or offered for sale or hire in the United Kingdom to the public before that date.We intend next to bring those provisions of the Act into force for remaining classes of works in a series of stages. This is to allow sufficient time for the classification of existing video works to be undertaken before dealings in them become liable to the criminal sanctions for which the Act provides. Under this scheme, those video works which have caused most concern will be liable to be classified in the first stage.