asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the proposed capital payment of £1,000 to widows will be related to their age, to the duration of the marriage or to their late husband's national insurance contributions; and what assistance will be available for widowers whose working wives may have been essential bread winners.

The lump sum payment for widows proposed in the Green Paper Reform of Social Security (Cmnd. 4517) would be payable to widows who currently qualify for widow's allowance and would be subject to the same national insurance contribution condition. Widowers who were formerly dependent on their wives may qualify for assistance under the income support, housing benefit and family credit schemes. Those eligible for child benefit would continue to qualify automatically for one-parent benefit.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What restrictions are placed on books and other literature allowed to be read by prisoners segregated under Rule 43 for reasons of good order and discipline that are not applicable to prisoners on ordinary location.

No special restrictions are placed on reading material which may be obtained by prisoners subject to Prison Rule 43. The purchase of books and periodicals is a privilege under Prison Rule 4. Under Standing Order 4 a Governor may withhold access to reading material either as part of a punishment for an offence against prison discipline or where, in his opinion, the contents could present a threat to good order and discipline, or where the contents are considered likely to have an adverse effect on the prisoner. In addition, an inmate will normally not be allowed to retain more than 12 books (other than library books and approved text books) in his possession at any one time, and the Governor also has discretion, if conditions in a particular establishment dictate, to reduce the number of books, and to set a limit on the number of copies of newspapers and periodicals which may be retained.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state the approximate number and average duration of visits paid to this country without visas by:

I understand that the Soviet airline Aeroflot have 11 flights a week to the United Kingdom. The crews, averaging about 11 persons per flight, usually stay about one to two hours, except on three days when they stay overnight for about 15 hours.As my noble friend Lord Whitelaw said in the debate on the Defence Estimates on 26th June (H. L. Debates, cols. 799–800), 1,492 Soviet ships visited United Kingdom ports in 1984. The estimate of 35,000 visits which my noble friend then gave refers to the operational crew members of such ships, who may come ashore without visas while their ship is in port. An average duration for their stay cannot be estimated without disproportionate cost.My noble friend has asked me to take this opportunity to correct the information he gave the House on the same occasion about Soviet seamen coming to join their ships. Such seamen are in fact required to have visas, and we are not aware of any Soviet seamen visiting the United Kindom for this purpose in recent years without a visa. I should also make clear that the figure of 18 quoted by my noble friend related to the average number of Soviet ships in our ports at any one time during May 1985.With regard to the corresponding figures for British ships and aircraft, British Airways fly to the Soviet Union five times a week with six aircrew on each occasion, staying a matter of hours. Eighty-seven British ships visited the Soviet Union in 1983, but the figure for 1984 and other details are not immediately available. The vessel engaged in the Anglo-Soviet liner service made 28 visits to Leningrad in 1984, but, outside this, vessels engaged in trade with the USSR are employed on an underline basis and have predominantly been of Soviet or other foreign flag.We are not aware of any British seamen travelling without a visa to the Soviet Union to join ships there.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average annual cost of a place in a probation hostel.

The average annual cost of a place in an approved probation hostel in England and Wales during the financial year 1983–84 was £6,797.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average annual cost of a place in a day centre managed by the probation service.

The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average cost of an attendance centre order.

The average cost of giving effect to an attendance order in the financial year 1984–85 is estimated to have been about £69.