asked Her Majesty's Government:How far the jurisdiction and responsibilities of the British Ministry of Defence police extend over British and allied installations in West Germany.

The jurisdiction and responsibilities of the MoD police do not extend to British and allied installations in West Germany.

asked Her Majesty's Government:(i) how much did the Customs and Excise refund to creditors, and(ii) what was the average delay between the payment by the creditor to the Customs and Excise of the original VAT and the subsequent refund of the VAT;under the provisions for VAT relief on bad debts on voluntary liquidations of companies for the financial year 1984–85 or for the latest year for which figures are available.

The cost of VAT bad debt relief in the financial year ended at 31st March 1985 is estimated to be £50 million.There are no means of separating claims arising in voluntary liquidations from those arising out of other forms of formal insolvency, and no information is available for arriving at an average period of delay.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which EC regulations and directives they propose in the White Paper

The White Paper specifically mentions restrictions on the level of the threshold below which firms are exempt from having to charge VAT and the regulation on lorry and coach drivers' hours as being regulations we consider should be amended to allow more flexibility. More generally, Chapter 6 of the White Paper refers to a list of some 40 proposed and existing Community regulations, including the two mentioned above, which we consider to be excessively burdensome in whole or in part. We have passed this list to the Commission and to other member states, and are pressing strongly for action to reduce the burdens these requirements impose.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are in favour of seeking agreement on a verified nuclear freeze.

A freeze would not address the essential problem, which is to negotiate substantial reductions in the nuclear weapons held by the United States and Soviet Union. This is the United States' objective at the Geneva talks, which we fully support. A freeze would also perpetuate the present imbalance in Soviet favour in a range of improved systems and reduce the incentive for the Russians to negotiate reductions. On intermediate nuclear forces, we and our allies have agreed to a number of criteria in addition to provision for effective verification, which would be necessary for an acceptable agreement. A freeze of the type suggested would not meet these requirements.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their estimate of the cost to London ratepayers of the GLC campaign against abolition, and by how much the cost of a pint of beer would have to be increased in the next financial year to raise a similar amount in the GLC area.

The cost of the GLC's "awareness campaign" is reported to be at least £10 million. An increase of 1p per pint in the duty on beer in the GLC area would produce a net revenue yield, including consequential VAT, of approximately that sum.

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many civil servants working in the Cabinet Office's Enterprise Unit have served in the institutions of the EC; and whether the number is adequate.

While none of the civil servants working in the Enterprise Unit has served in the institutions of the EC, they have a good working knowledge of Community institutions and procedures and, of course, have ready access to expert advice from the Foreign Office and elsewhere as appropriate.

asked the Leader of the House:What restrictions and controls are exercised over the activities of professional lobbyists in the Palace of Westminster.

There are no restrictions, controls or facilities at the Palace of Westminster specifically applicable to "professional lobbyists".