asked Her Majesty's Government:What expert advice was sought when consideration was given to the planning application to extract peat from Duich Moss (Islay), on the following matters:

As I have already informed the noble Lord on two previous occasions, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland sought written submissions from Scottish Malt Distillers Limited, Argyll and Bute District Council as planning authority, the Nature Conservancy Council and Greenland White-fronted Goose Study to assist him in his consideration of the application for planning permission for the extraction of peat from Duich Moss. My right honourable friend's decision to grant planning permission for the proposed development was taken on the basis of his assessment of the balance of the arguments set out in these submissions, particularly as regards the three issues raised by the noble Lord. No other expert advice was sought before the announcement that planning permission would be granted was made.The Nature Conservancy Council and Scottish Malt Distillers Limited have recently agreed that they will jointly fund a comprehensive hydrological and ecological survey of Duich Moss to be undertaken by an independent consultant. I understand that this survey is being put in hand immediately

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many households depend principally on North Sea gas for (

This information is not collected by Government departments. I have asked the chairman of the British Gas Corporation to provide as much relevant information as is held by the corporation to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What proportion of energy used (

Oil use in power stations was seriously affected by the miners' dispute in 1984. The table given below relates to 1983 as a more typical year:

Percentage contributions to final consumption (including non energy use of fuels)
1983	Domestic	Industry
Gas (UKCS only)*	44 per cent.	22 per cent.
Direct use of oil (all sources)	6 per cent.	40 per cent.
Electricity	18 per cent.	12 per cent.
Oil as a proportion of all fuels used in the public supply power stations	8 per cent.
* Estimated

Identification of the UKCS content of oils used in power stations and final consumption is not possible as the contribution of imported and UKCS oils to each product varies according to product and is not known by my department. For reference in 1983, 57 per cent. of refinery throughput came from UKCS crude and natural gas liquids.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How much gas was flared from installations on the British continental shelf, each year up to 1985.

Gas has been flared from installations on the British continental shelf as follows:

1978	12·5 million cubic metres/day
1979	18·0 million cubic metres/day
1980	11·6 million cubic metres/day
1981	11·5 million cubic metres/day
1982	11·1 million cubic metres/day
1983	9·7 million cubic metres/day
1984	8·6 million cubic metres/day

Over the same period oil production has risen by 54·0 million tonnes in 1978 to 125·9 million tonnes in 1984.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the international Energy Agency has given its views on the proposed privatisation of the British gas industry, and if so what is their advice, and if not whether they will not seek to obtain it.

The IEA reviews annually the energy policies and prospects of individual member countries. In the context of the latest review of the United Kingdom energy situation, which is currently under way, the IEA has been informed of the Government's proposal to privatise British Gas.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any of the modernisation programmes for weaponry in NATO involve warheads of the kind that have been described as "neutron bombs" and if so which, and whether, and if so where, they are, or will be, deployed, and under what command system.

No proposals are under consideration by the NATO Alliance for the introduction into Europe of enhanced radiation warheads.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they agree with the Anglian Water Authority that "a number of spillages, pollution incidents and surface water contamination have occurred" at the May and Baker chemical works near Norwich, and that "it is inevitable that such incidents will occur again in the future" and that "contamination on this site is unavoidable";Whether they will confirm the facts reported by the Anglian Water Authority to the effect that the May and Baker chemical works near Norwich have caused "significant contamination of the surface water by a complex mixture of organic compounds as well as by heavy metals including mercury and copper"; that this surface water runs off the site of the factory into a nearby soakaway lagoon; and that this represents a threat "of possibly massive and toxic pollution".

In the past there have been a number of pollution problems on the site of the May and Baker works near Norwich. These threatened but did not reach the River Wensum upstream of the abstraction point for the Norwich water supply. They resulted in discharges to the company soakaway lagoon. Following discussions between the company and the Anglian Water Authority, action has been taken and since December 1982 any spillages have been contained on site, or diverted to sewers for treatment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assistance is being given to provide education to reduce the incidence of female circumcision in the United Kingdom.

The Government are making grants totalling £86,000 to three voluntary organisations, the Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD), the London Black Women's Health Action Project, and the Minority Rights Group, to fund schemes to promote an information and education campaign about the potentially adverse effects on health of the practice of female circumcision, which is now specifically prohibited in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many motorway repair schemes have been expedited by a lane rental system, and where they are sited.

In England, 15 motorway and one trunk road repair contracts have incorporated lane rental provisions. They were sited as follows:

In 1984
M.1	Junctions 14–15 near Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
M.5	Junctions 13–14 near Dursley, Gloucester shire.
M.6	Junction 11 Hilton Park SA, Staffordshire.
M.6	Junctions 17–18 near Sandbach, Cheshire.
In 1985
M.l	Junction 8 near Hemel Hempstead, Hert fordshire.
M.l	Junctions 14–15 Phase 1 near Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
M.l	Junctions 14–15 Phase 2 near Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
M.l	Junctions 16–18 near Daventry, Northamp tonshire.
M.l	Junctions 20–21 near Blaby, Leicestershire.
M.l	Junctions 25–26 near Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
M.4	Junctions 10–11 near Reading, Berkshire.
M.5	Junctions 3–4 near Rubery, Hereford and Worcester.
M.5	Junctions 12–14 near Dursley, Gloucester shire.
M.6	Junctions 3–4 near Corley, Warwickshire.
M.62	Junction 4 County Boundary near Huyton with Roby, Cheshire.
A.2	Near Swanscombe, Kent.