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Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has not given any advice to British Coal on this matter. Regulations and codes of practice approved under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act have the force of law.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information on the number of female part-timers in April 1988 with an average working week of (a) one hour, (b) two hours, (c) three hours, (d) four hours, (e) five hours, (f) six hours, (g) seven hours and (h) the total below eight hours ; and how many have been working (i) over eight hours but below 16 hours, and (ii) 16 hours and above.
Mr. Lee : Preliminary estimates from the spring 1988 labour force survey are as follows :
Women aged 16 and over in part-time<1> employment in Great Britain Basic usual weekly hours |Number working worked<2> |(thousands) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 |19 2 |57 3 |65 4 |113 5 |97 6 |176 7 |87 Less than 8 hours |<3>627 8 hours but less than 16 hours |1,545 16 hours to 30 hours |2,821 <1> Basic usual weekly hours of 30 or less per week. <2> Excludes mealbreaks and overtime. <3> Includes a few people whose basic usual weekly hours were a half hour or less. Half hours are rounded to the nearest even hour.
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Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide information showing the number of male part-time workers in Great Britain in April 1988 and the proportion of those workers whose earnings fell below (a) £3.80 per hour, (b) £2.85 per hour, (c) £2.80 per hour and (d) £5.70 per hour.
Mr. Nicholls : There were an estimated 914,000 part-time male employees in employment in March 1988. The estimated percentage of part- time male employees earning below the specified amounts in the new earnings survey sample in April 1988 was :
Hourly earnings less than |Percentage ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ £ 2.80 |55 3.00 |63 3.80 |79 5.50 |87 6.00 |88
Figures of the proportion earning below £2.85 and £5.70 per hour are not available ; the nearest available figures have been given.
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have become self-employed in the last year in the east midlands ; what trend can be discerned ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : There are no figures on people starting or finishing self employment. Between December 1987 and December 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, the estimated number of self-employed in the east midlands region increased by 10,000 to stand at 205,000. This is an increase of 82,000 or 67 per cent. since 1979, and follows the national trend of substantial growth in self employment during the 1980s.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many home workers are covered by each wages council, and the total number of home workers covered ; and if he will publish in the Official Report the statistics on compliance with wages council rates in 1988 for home workers in a similar format as the answer of 1 March, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms. Short), Official Report, columns 201-06.
Mr. Nicholls : The available information on home workers in wages council trades is as follows. No count is made of the numbers covered by the councils but estimates suggest that the total lies between 20, 000 and 30,000.
Results of wages inspectorate checks of home workers pay by division-1988 Division |Home workers whose pay|Home workers found |Percentage of home |was checked |underpaid |workers checked found |underpaid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- London |79 |5 |6.3 South East |49 |0 |0 Eastern |283 |0 |0 South West |59 |0 |0 Midlands |67 |0 |0 North West |14 |1 |7.1 Yorkshire and Humberside |28 |0 |0 Northern |0 |0 |0 Scotland |0 |0 |0 |------- |------- |------- Total |579 |6 |1.04
Results of wages inspectorate checks of home workers pay by division-1988 Division |Home workers whose pay|Home workers found |Percentage of home |was checked |underpaid |workers checked found |underpaid ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- London |79 |5 |6.3 South East |49 |0 |0 Eastern |283 |0 |0 South West |59 |0 |0 Midlands |67 |0 |0 North West |14 |1 |7.1 Yorkshire and Humberside |28 |0 |0 Northern |0 |0 |0 Scotland |0 |0 |0 |------- |------- |------- Total |579 |6 |1.04
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he now plans to bring in new legislation on public utilities and street work ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : I have been asked to reply.
Proposals for the reform of the Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950 have been drawn up with the benefit of advice from the street works advisory committee, following extensive consultation. A paper has been sent to interested parties inviting comments on the details of our proposals. A copy of that paper is in the Library. Legislation will be brought forward as soon as there is a suitable opportunity.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for (a) Brodsworth parish council and (b) Clayton with Frickley parish council in the parliamentary constituency of Don Valley (i) his estimates of the income raised for a 1p rate on the non-domestic properties in 1989-90 and (ii) his estimates of the total amount of business rate income available in 1987-88 and 1988-89.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available.
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Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how much nuclear waste is being produced annually in the United Kingdom ;
(2) what is the total amount of nuclear waste so far accumulated in the United Kingdom at (a) high level, (b) intermediate level and (c) low level ; and what quantity in each category is currently awaiting disposal.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The figures are contained in the 1987 United Kingdom Radio-active Waste Inventory, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends taking any action against the Wirral non-metropolitan borough for its 23 per cent. rate rise in the current year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Because of the introduction of the community charge in April 1990, we do not intend to take action against any authority which budgets excessively in 1989-90. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has power to take early action to reduce the budget of any authority which he considers excessive next year.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to how many second homes there are in each metropolitan district authority in the county of South Yorkshire ; in each case what percentage of the total housing stock this represents ; and if he will show in his answer, the figures for five and 10 years ago.
Mr. Trippier : The most recent information is available from the census 1981 county report for South Yorkshire. Table 18 shows for each district numbers of unoccupied second residence household spaces, together with all household spaces. A copy of the publication is available in the Library.
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out in the Official Report, the volumes of water at present being abstracted in the Greater London area and the Inner London area and the number of licensed boreholes in each area.
Mr. Howard : This information is not held centrally. Thames water authority is responsible for licensing water abstractions.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to hold an inquiry into the south-east Bradford local plan following the decision by the council to change to industrial use 21 acres at Low Moor.
Mr. Chope : The primary responsibility for the south-east Bradford local plan and its content lies with
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Bradford city council. The local plan has already been the subject of a public local inquiry. There is no cause for the involvement of the Secretary of State.Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions have been held between representatives of his Department and Bradford council regarding the west end development ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Officers of Bradford city council have been present at preliminary discussions which my officials have had with the prospective developer. Any application for city grant, which has been discussed, would be made direct to the Department by the developer. Planning permission must be obtained before any such application is accepted.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the information in his Department concerning time-limited derogations and delays which have been granted on the non-compliance of potable waters in England with the EC directive relating to the quality of water intended for human consumption, 80/77/EEC.
Mr. Ridley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Gateshead, East (Ms. Quin) on 7 February 1989 at columns 591-97.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a list, for each water authority, of those sewage works in respect of which applications have been made for revised sewage discharge consents.
Mr. Ridley : I have today placed a list for English water authorities in the Library of the House.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will study the system implemented in the Federal Republic of Germany for the environmentally safe recovery of the chlorofluorocarbons in refrigerators in order to assess its applicability for the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Officials of the Department of the Environment are shortly to visit the Federal Republic in order to make a technical evaluation of the experimental plant in question and to determine the possible use of the system in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will show in the Official Report the numbers, grades and cost of his Department's staff dealing with public and media inquiries about the community charge and with publicity campaigns on the community charge ; and whether these costs were included in the costs of his campaign announced on 8 May.
Mr. Ridley : No members of my Department deal exclusively with public and media inquiries, or with
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information campaigns, about the community charge. As is usual, the figures included in my letter to the hon. Member dated 8 May were for production and distribution costs and did not cover the time of departmental staff.Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the annual cost of the community charge publicity unit being run from PO Box 622, Bristol BS99 1TR ; and what are the numbers and grades of staff employed there.
Mr. Ridley : The PO Box No. to which the hon. Member refers is that of a private company contracted by the Central Office of Information, on behalf of the Department, solely to fulfil requests for departmental publications on the community charge. The estimated cost of this service is some £300,000, but the final cost will depend on the number of requests received.
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report his letter of 8 May to the hon. Member for Copeland setting out his plans to publicise the community charge.
Mr. Ridley : I am arranging for copies of my letter to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy towards the inclusion in structure plans and local plans of policies designated to curtail the freedoms provided by the use classes order.
Mr. Howard : Structure plans and local plans may reasonably seek to encourage particular types of development, but they should not include development control policies whose effect would be to impose general restrictions on the freedoms provided by the use classes order and by the general development order where those orders provide for changes of use without the need for specific planning permission. As was recognised in Circular 13/87, it may very exceptionally be appropriate for a local planning authority in determining a particular planning application to impose a condition restricting the use to which land or buildings may subsequently be put ; but plans should not embody general policies for such restrictions. Development plan policies must be relevant and up to date if they are to carry weight in the consideration of planning applications and appeals. Local planning authorities should, therefore, where necessary bring forward early alterations to policies in plans which are in conflict with the basis of the use classes order. Where already submitted alterations or replacement plans have been drawn up on the basis of the former provisions, the Secretary of State will want to consider the need for modifications to bring them into conformity with the order. Planning authorities should where necessary be prepared to put forward revised proposals for consideration at the examination in public.
Mr. Nicholas Baker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to include powers in the Water Bill to allow charges to be made recovering the cost of providing extra capacity to meet demands from newly connected properties.
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Mr. Howard : I have considered evidence provided to me about the operation of the existing arrangements. I have concluded that a right to charge at the time new connections are made to water mains and public sewers will provide a clearer, fairer and more certain basis for ensuring infrastructure is provided. The necessary amendments to the Water Bill are therefore being tabled. Conditions of appointment of the water and sewerage companies will place a ceiling on the level of charge that can be made, related to the investment costs of the companies.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost of installing treatment plant to reduce pollution of the water supply to the European Economic Community standard ; and whether the water companies after privatisation will be allowed to add a margin of profit on the capital employed in the installation in addition to the cost of borrowing the sum required for that purpose.
Mr. Howard : Water undertakers have submitted programmes of work, together with projections of the cost (including the cost of installing new treatment plants) of complying with the EC drinking water directive. My right hon. Friend is reviewing the programmes, which require discussion with individual water undertakers. Until he has examined them all it is not possible to indicate their costs. However, the programme together with their costs, will be included in prospectuses to be published later in the year.
Clause 7 of the Water Bill requires the Secretary of State, or the Director General of Water Services, to ensure that water and sewerage undertakers are able (in particular by securing reasonable returns on their capital) to finance the proper carrying out of their functions.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has funded any staff or research at any time since 1979 at Odstock hospital in Salisbury.
Mr. Sainsbury : The MOD funds a considerable amount of extramural research, but it is not our practice to go into details of individual contracts. It is for the institutes themselves to confirm their involvement.
Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the purpose of a holding berth ; whether holding berths have permanent safety precautions against radiological hazards ; and if he will publish in the Official Report a full list of all the locations of holding berths in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Archie Hamliton : A holding berth is a berth available for use over the shortest practical period by a nuclear-powered warship in circumstances when an unplanned event either temporarily precludes the use of a Z or X berth to which it is on passage, or temporarily prevents the warship continuing with its intended movement when leaving a port or berth. A holding berth is for contingency use only and may not be used by
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planned intent. Holding berths are all covered by public or special safety schemes, but, because they are by nature off shore, much of the detail that applies to Z and X berths is not appropriate. When a nuclear-powered warship is temporarily occupying a holding berth, a tug must be in attendance, other shipping must be required to pass or anchor away from the warship, and an emergency radiation monitoring team must be maintained on call in operational readiness. There are holding berths off shore from Barry, Cardiff, Devonport, Liverpool and Rosyth.Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost (a) to design, research and compile and (b) to print the pamphlet, "British Defence Policy" ; how many copies have been printed ; what is the cost of distribution ; and if he will list the organisations provided with copies and the number provided to each.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The cost of designing, researching and compiling "British Defence Policy 1989-90" was £29,187 (including VAT) ; printing is estimated to cost £78,434 (including VAT) ; and the estimated cost of distribution is £5,100. A total of 130,000 copies are being printed, of which 5,000 have been distributed to date, free of charge, to MPs, peers, journalists, foreign defence attache s and advisers, officials and members of the armed forces and NATO headquarters. We have also sent them to non-government organisations which have requested them, such as Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve Associations, Peace through NATO, the British Atlantic Committee, Families for Defence, the Royal United Services Institution, and the Royal Institute for International Affairs. Additional copies will be sent on request.
Mr. Paul Flynn To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his departmental library has on order the monthly magazine Sanity produced for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implications for Vickers Submarine Engineering Ltd. of the Canadian Government decision to withdraw from purchasing Trafalgar class nuclear power submarines.
Mr. Sainsbury : The Canadian Government had not awarded any contracts prior to their decision not to proceed with a nuclear-powered submarine programme. Had the programme gone ahead and the United Kingdom been selected as country of origin for the design of the submarine, United Kingdom industry, including Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd., would have expected to obtain a significant proportion of the business.
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list in the Official Report all surveys of whatever size carried out by his Department amongst past and present submarine service personnel or their offspring to determine whether there has been any abnormal
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statistical evidence of medical disorders arising from exposure of Royal Navy nuclear submarine personnel to radiation ; if he will publish the dates and the population census for such surveys ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Archie Hamilton : Medical records of all naval personnel are analysed annually and any health trends are identified. There have been no special surveys carried out by the Department to determine whether there is any evidence of medical disorders arising from exposure of Royal Navy nuclear submarine personnel to radiation. A report on morbidity in submariners between 1969 and 1974 was produced in 1975 : this was not specifically concerned with the effects of radiation. Also, as I said in reply to the hon. Member on 2 May at columns 61-62, a study into mortality and morbidity among submariners is currently in progress. This, too, is not specifically concerned with radiation, although it examines radiation along with all other factors which could affect the health of submariners. In general, personnel serving in Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarines receive lower radiation doses than members of the public, since they are shielded from much cosmic and terrestrial radiation. Those submarine personnel designated as radiation workers are included in the national register of such workers, unless they explicitly ask to be excluded.
Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the size and composition of the housing stock owned and rented by his Department in the Plymouth area and the number currently (a) unoccupied and (b) for sale ; and if he will provide the corresponding figures for Torpoint, including the addresses of those that are to be sold.
Mr. Neubert : The Ministry of Defence currently owns 2,914 houses and 637 flats in the Plymouth area. We have no rented properties there. As at 31 March 1989, the most recent date for which comprehensive figures are available, 1,190 properties were vacant and 501 of these were in the process of disposal. At Torpoint we own 102 houses and 64 flats ; 52 were vacant on 31 March 1989 and nine of those were in the process of disposal. Many of the vacant properties are undergoing modernisation or major maintenance, some are already allocated to service families who will be moving in shortly and others are being prepared for disposal. I shall write to my hon. Friend about the properties to be sold at Torpoint.
Mr. John Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now agree to release medical records to past submariners when these are asked for.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is not the policy of the Department to release medical records. Two exceptions to this are the release of copies of relevant clinical notes to a qualified medical practioner for the purposes of continued treatment, and the release of copies of relevant notes to a medically qualified adviser for use in legal proceedings. They are not released to the person to whom they refer. This accords with the policy of the NHS for the handling of civilian records. Radiation dose records are, however, kept for those submariners designated as radiation
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workers, and are maintained separately from the medical records. These dose records are released to the individual concerned on request, and are forwarded to him as a matter of course when he leaves the service, in accordance with the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985.Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what safety experiments have been conducted, using the DIDO reactor at Harwell by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 5 May 1989] : UKAEA Harwell undertakes work for the Royal Navy on a commercial basis. Tests of materials performance relevant to the design and safety of the naval reactor systems have been conducted in the DIDO reactor.
14. Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prison officers now reside in prison accommodation.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : About 20 per cent.
15. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on recent developments in dealing with juvenile offenders.
Mr. John Patten : Recorded juvenile crime is falling. More juveniles are being cautioned rather than prosecuted and more being dealt with under an increasing range of demanding and constructive community-based measures. Custody remains available to deal with the most serious juvenile offenders. The Government are considering how to improve the arrangements for the remand of alleged juvenile offenders.
16. Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the chairmen of London football clubs to discuss football ground safety in London.
23. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the chairmen of London football clubs he has met officially in the last six months.
Mr. Hurd : I have had no such meetings. My hon. Friend the Minister for Sport meets the chairmen of league football clubs, including London clubs, from time to time, as well as representatives from the Football League and the Football Association.
17. Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received any representations regarding the current police initial recruitment test.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have received representations from the Commission for Racial Equality about the
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validity and possible culture bias of the test, which the Commission suggests should be more closely related to the needs of the job. Although there is no evidence that the test works to the detriment of applicants from the ethnic minorities, the Police advisory board is considering the case for a new test.18. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to tackle increasing violence in non- metropolitan areas.
Mr. John Patten : We have strengthened the police ; tightened the law on under-age drinking and increased the penalties available to the courts ; reminded the police and courts of their powers to deal with outbreaks of disorder ; encouraged the swift hearing of cases of this kind ; and made it an offence to carry a knife in a public place without good reasons. My right hon. Friend has also approved pilot projects in seven areas to test the effectiveness of byelaws making it an offence to drink alcohol in designated public places. The ministerial group on alcohol misuse will take action to follow up certain recommendations contained in a recently published Home Office research study on drinking and disorder.
38. Mr. Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce drink-related violence in South Yorkshire.
Mr. John Patten : We have strengthened the law on sales of alcohol to under-age drinkers and increased the penalties available to the courts. We have reminded the police and courts of their powers for dealing with outbreaks of disorder and infringements of the licensing laws, and asked them to arrange for swift prosecutions and court hearings after outbreaks of hooliganism and violence. In February the Government issued a circular giving advice about local action to tackle all forms of alcohol misuse. Initiatives at national level are being taken forward by the ministerial group on alcohol misuse. Meetings with representatives of the drinks and fast food industries are planned to discuss recommendations contained in a newly published Home Office research study on drinking and disorder.
21. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made of young people in the London area for each of the last six months for which figures are available, under section 3 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information is not available.
22. Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has raised with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis the influence of freemasonry in the Metropolitan police.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend discussed the matter at length with the Commissioner. There is no evidence that freemasonry has influenced Metropolitan police officers either in the execution of their duties or in the internal management of the force.
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25. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to help encourage recruitment into the police force in the light of the growing shortage of young people coming on to the employment market.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : A working party has been set up by the Police advisory board to examine the recruitment problems arising from the reduction in numbers of school leavers and to make recommendations for future recruiting strategy. I hope that the working party's recommendations will be ready for consideration at the board's next meeting in the autumn.
26. Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to alter the responsibilities of the Charity Commission.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. Friend hopes shortly to publish a White Paper setting out the Government's proposals to implement the Woodfield report which recommended a number of changes in the responsibilities.
27. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to reduce theft from shops.
Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking against theft from shops.
Mr. John Patten : The prevention of theft from shops is primarily a matter for the retailers themselves. We support the retailers in a range of ways ; through the advice on preventive measures contained in the 1986 report of the Home Office standing conference on crime prevention working group on shop theft, our crime prevention handbook "Practical Ways to Crack Crime" and crime prevention unit research papers, and in meetings with retailers and their representative organisations. It is encouraging that the number of offences of theft from shops fell by 12 per cent. in 1988 and that the number of offences has fallen by almost a quarter since 1985.
28. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in implementing the recommendations of the Audit Commission on police efficiency.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Following its special study on the police, the Audit Commission has produced detailed audit guidance for district auditors, for use in the value for money audits which they are conducting in all provincial police forces. The police forces are co-operating fully with the district audit service in these inquiries. Chief officers of police and the police authorities are primarily responsible for implementing promptly the improvements in efficiency and effectiveness which are identified. This is valuable work which has the full support of the Home Office and Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary.
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