asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have studied the proposals put forward by the Society of Biophysical Medicine for the treatment of heroin, methadone and cocaine addiction, and whether they think these proposals are worthy of further examination and encouragement.

The information provided to the department by the Society of Biophysical Medicine about their use of electro-acupuncture in detoxifying drug misusers does not demonstrate that this method is superior to any other. The results of a comparative trial on the use of neuro-electro therapy and oral methadone in managing opiate withdrawal conducted at the Bethlem Royal Hospital were published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1984; though the number of patients involved in this trial was small and the results are therefore not conclusive, electro stimultation was found to be markedly inferior to methadone withdrawal treatment. I understand that a study is presently being undertaken by the National Institute for Mental Health in the United States of America. The department has indicated that it would be prepared to consider research proposals for a further comparative trial.It is for the local health authority to consider whether it wishes to incorporate the clinic set up by the Society of Biophysical Medicine into their services for drug misusers.

asked her Majesty's Government:How they intend to remedy the shortage of nursing staff in the National Health Service.

Although there are difficulties in recruitment in some locations and some specialties, overall, qualified nursing and midwifery staff in England continue to increase and there is no general shortage. Between September 1978 and September 1984 there was an increase of 39,400 to 227,000 in whole time equivalent terms. To assist health authorities in their recruitment of nursing staff the department does however devote resources to a continuing publicity campaign designed to persuade more people to take up nursing as a career and to attract more recruits to areas and specialties in which they are needed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Under what circumstances and by whose authority are the personal particulars of patients disclosed to the CID without their consent when general practitioners' claims for "item of service" payments are investigated.

Usually the consent of the patient and/or the doctor concerned is required prior to disclosure of personal health information. Disclosure to the police should be wholly exceptional but the Government recognise that in certain rare circumstances—for example, where a serious crime is suspected—the public interest may prevail over the individual patient's right to confidentiality.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether all installations where hazardous substances are handled, or from which they are released, are required by law to be fully covered by insurance against liability to third parties, and what protection, where they are not so covered, is available to victims of accidents should the owners of the installations become bankrupt.

Apart from liability for nuclear damage, there is no general requirement for the insurance against liability to third parties of installations where hazardous substances are handled and from which they are released, though insurance against liability to employees is compulsory by law. There is no special provision governing claims by accident victims against the owners of such installations in the event of the owner's bankruptcy.In practice, however, the majority of businesses are insured against their liability to the public. Furthermore, the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires employers to do all that is reasonably practicable to ensure that their activities do not put workpeople or the public at risk. There is a system of specific statutory controls over installations where hazardous substances are handled. There are also a number of control measures under planning legislation on the location of such installations and development nearby.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the approval of ski tows and associated developments within the Caenlochan National Nature Reserve, Glas Moel, (Tayside/Grampian) contravenes the national planning skiing guidelines issued by the Scottish Development Department in 1984; whether an Environmental Impact Assessment into the development proposals was undertaken; whether the Nature Conservancy Council objected to the development; and whether this site qualifies under EC Directive 79/409 for listing as a Special Protection Area.

Kincardine and Deeside District Council have granted planning permission for a ski tow on Glas Moel, Glenshee, the top 100m of which is within the Caenlochan National Nature Reserve. This approval does not contravene the national planning guideline for skiing developments: an environmental assessment was prepared; the Nature Conservancy Council lodged an objection to the planning application; and the Nature Conservancy Council have identified the Caenlochan National Nature Reserve as meeting the criteria for designation under EC Directive 29/409.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What "social and economic issues" (4th December, Col 1401) were brought to their attention by the Argyll and Bute District Council in support of the application for planning permission to extract peat from the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Duich Moss on Islay, and which of these issues the Secretary of State gave particular weight to in deciding to grant permission to develop this site.

As the noble Lord is aware, the decision letter of 18th July 1984 noted that the district council supported the application for planning permission in view of the social and economic issues involved. The district council expressed general concern that the continued well-being of the whisky industry on Islay might be compromised if peat extraction were not allowed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they now feel that the development for peat extraction of the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Duich Moss on Islay has been undertaken with the "appropriate care" that they believed was necessary if the development was not to have "significant adverse effect" (4th December, col. 1402) on the nature conservation interest of the site, given that the conditions attached to the planning consent have been breached in a serious way at least once within a few weeks of work starting on the site.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is concerned that conditions relating to the drainage of the site may not have been strictly observed. As the noble Lord is aware, the Scottish Development Department have been discussing with the interested parties how best to remedy a breach that appears to have taken place.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Why compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is not "payable for the maintenance of any child born as a result of a sexual offence" (Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Twentieth Report, Cmnd. 9399, December 1984).

This is one of the matters which will be addressed in the report of the indepartmental working party on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, whose report my right honourable friend hopes to receive early in the New Year. He will then consider the question in the light of the report.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What statistics they have on the incidence of rape in other Western democracies; whether the proportion of such offences reported varies between countries; and whether they are able to draw any conclusions, especially regarding prevention, from such statistics as they have.

Comparable estimates of the numbers of offences of rape committed in different countries are not available. The number of offences of rape recorded by the police in different countries will vary depending on legal definitions of rape, the police view of what constitutes rape, and the willingness of victims to report offences. In the USA it has been estimated that 45 per cent, of rapes are not reported, although many researchers have produced even higher estimates.Such figures as are available on rates of recorded rape per head of population in Western countries are given in the following table. Rates are high in North America, less high in Australia and relatively low in most Western European countries. If any conclusion can be drawn from these figures, it would be that this country probably does have an incidence of rape lower than some other comparable Western countries. However, we are most concerned about the problem, and I would refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave to the noble Baroness, Lady Masham of Ilton, concerning the preventive measures that the police are taking (

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether in their view it would be within the terms of the Montreux Convention for the Soviet Union to send the aircraft carrier now under construction in the Black Sea through the straits into the Mediterranean.

We have taken the view that the passage of aircraft carriers through the straits is not compatible with the Montreux Convention. As the noble Lord will be aware, this view is not shared by all parties to the convention.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in view of reports that the new Parliament in Guyana was produced by a bogus and rigged election, they will recommend to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association the suspension of Guyana's membership.

No, my Lords. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is an independent association of Commonwealth parliamentarians and its membership is a matter for that body.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What voluntary joint arrangement covering all waste disposal functions after 1st April 1986 have been agreed between district councils in West Yorkshire; andWhat voluntary joint arrangement covering all waste disposal functions after 1st April 1986 have been agreed between district councils on Tyne and Wear; andWhat voluntary joint arrangement covering all waste disposal functions after 1st April 1986 has been agreed between district councils in South Yorkshire; andWhat voluntary joint arrangements covering all waste disposal functions after 1st April 1986 has been agreed between district councils in the West Midlands.

In South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear and the West Midlands, the voluntary joint arrangements made between the districts provide for a joint committee to exercise certain functions establishing common criteria and systems for waste disposal site licensing, and common policies for waste disposal, and generally to co-ordinate arrangements. In each area there will be a "lead district"—Rotherham in South Yorkshire, Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, and Walsall in West Midlands—to service the joint committee and to provide a central Hazardous Waste Unit. These units will have the resources to exercise, on behalf of the districts, the functions under the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980, to act on a county-wide basis to deal with any emergencies involving hazardous waste, and to ensure that consistent standards are set and enforced for the licensing of waste disposal sites. The councils have also undertaken to consult the Hazardous Waste Unit on any applications for site licences or proposed resolutions for the Council's own sites under Section 11 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Each unit will also have the rights of entry, inspection, sampling, etc. conferred by Sections 91 and 92 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974.In West Yorkshire, the five district councils have agreed that a joint committee, with Wakefield acting as "lead" district, should discharge on their behalf all the waste regulation and disposal functions conferred on them by Section 9 of, and Schedule 6 to, the Local Government Act 1985.In each of these four areas, the joint arrangements have been underpinned by binding agreements between the districts which also provide a satisfactory basis for the financing of this service.Section 10(1) of the Local Government Act 1985 places a continuing duty on my right honourable friend to ensure that the arrangements for waste regulation and disposal are satisfactory, and the districts have undertaken to prepare annual reports on how they discharge these functions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What total sum of money was allocated to the metropolitan authorities and London boroughs in the Rate Support Grant Settlement each year since 1979.

The table below shows the latest estimates of grants paid to metropolitan districts and London boroughs covered by the RSG Settlement from and including 1981–82. These are based on the latest supplementary report for each year and on returns made by local authorities. Figures for 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86 may be adjusted in future supplementary reports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:If they will make a statement on the balances of the Greater London Council and the Metropolitan County Councils after abolition.

My honourable friend the Secretary of State has today published a consultation paper. Copies are available in the Library.I understand that some of the outgoing authorities, and the GLC in particular, have significant financial resources available to them which will not be required for the discharge of their functions during their remaining period of existence. Now that abolition is less than four months away I consider that it would not be appropriate for the outgoing authorities to incur significant expenditure on major new initiatives without the express support of all successor authorities in the area.The benefit of the cash book balances of the outgoing authorities should be returned to local people. My right honourable friend is proposing that this should be achieved by distributing the balances through the residuary bodies to the boroughs and districts in the proportion in which their ratepayers contributed—that is to say,

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, pursuant to the Minister's reply to Lord Dean of Beswick's supplementary question on 4th December 1985 (col. 1296) on the subject of inner city poverty, they can give a financial estimate of what these measures will cost in total.

The expenditure provision in 1986–87 for each of the programmes mentioned in my reply to the noble Lord's supplementary question on 4th December 1985 is as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will issue their decision on applications made by the GLC for their consent under Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1985 in respect of payments under the council's stress boroughs programme, and if they will make a statement.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has today written to the GLC to indicate that his consent has been given under Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1985 to some payments which the council propose to make to certain London boroughs. My right honourable friend has also considered the information that the council has provided about assistance that it has given during the 1985–6 financial year without his consent under Section 91. The department's letter indicates those individual payments where my right honourable friend has decided that he would not wish to exercise his discretion to direct the London residuary body to recover the value of the assistance from the authority concerned, together with those cases to which he will give further consideration in the light of any additional information provided by the GLC and the London boroughs. My right honourable friend is awaiting further information from the GLC in respect of payments made in 1984–5.In issuing these decisions, my right honourable friend has made it clear that he is concerned about the continuing financial assistance proposed to be given by the GLC to individual boroughs on a selective basis, particularly where this involves funding activities continuing beyond abolition. He takes the view that, with the approach of abolition, there is in general little justification for the GLC/MCC seeking at this stage to fund post-abolition activities from ratepayers' money. Decisions as to such funding are primarily the province of successor authorities. My right honourable friend will therefore wish to look very closely at any further applications for his consent to such assistance under Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1985. He wishes to make it clear beyond doubt that if payments are made henceforth to selected borough or district councils without his consent, or if his consent is refused, he will not hesitate to direct the appropriate residuary body to seek recovery of the money in every case where this appears to be justified.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many pits have been closed, how many working days have been lost, how many miners and administrative staff have been dismissed, since the appointment of Mr. MacGregor as chairman of the National Coal Board; andHow many British pits are scheduled for closure, how many miners and how many administrative staff respectively will be made redundant, and how many senior staff at Hobart House will also be made redundant, as a consequence of the closures.

I will ask the chairman of the National Coal Board to write to the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What consideration they have given to the pricing of British oil in ecus (European Community units of account) and, if none, whether they will consider the matter.

Buyers and sellers of British oil are free to choose any currency, including ecus, to denominate their transactions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In how many cases in the last five years, and at what locations, has fencing or other development on common land in Wales been carried out without the authorisation of the Secretary of State under Section 194 of the Law of Property Act 1925.

The information requested is unavailable. The Secretary of State for Wales is made aware of works on common land only where applications are made for his consent under Section 194 of the Law of Property Act 1925.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have received the report of the Priorities Board and whether they will make a Statement.

The Priorities Board for Research and Development in Agriculture and Food has now delivered its first report to agriculture ministers and the chairman of the Agricultural and Food Research Council. We are most grateful to Sir Kenneth Durham and the board for the work which they have undertaken.The report considers the whole of the publicly-funded research and development programme for agriculture and food in the United Kingdom and makes recommendations to the sponsors about future resource allocations and priorities. We are agreed that the broad thrust of the board's advice should guide us in the formulation of the future research programme and the allocation of resources. Detailed discussions will now be held between the sponsors to establish how the recommendations are to be implemented.On this occasion I am making arrangements for the report to be published and copies are being placed in the Library of the House. Copies will be made available for information to all those organisations and individuals who submitted material to the board in the course of its deliberations and those who have been involved in the consultations with the agriculture departments on industry funding of research and development. Additional copies will be available from the Ministry's Publications Unit at Alnwick shortly.