Hansard Written Answers and Statements
Written answers

Some recent written answers

Transport: Motorways: Accidents answered 1 February 2012

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the risks of proposed changes to the Incident and Support Unit (ISU) service in respect of (a) the public and (b) employees of the ISU.

House of Lords: Neet answered 26 January 2012

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons living in (1) Liverpool, (2) north-west England, (3) London, and (4) England and Wales, broken down by age group, were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in each of the past three years; what plans they have to decrease this number; how much funding has been allocated to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to reduce the number of NEETs; and how much of this funding will be made available to (a) Liverpool, and (b) north-west England.

Treasury: EU Law answered 26 January 2012

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other means originated from proposals by the European Commission in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

House of Lords: Higher Education: Quality Standards answered 31 January 2012

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions during the period 2005 to 2011 the Quality Assurance Agency expressed concerns about the quality of higher education in United Kingdom higher education institutions; and, on each occasion, how the Government responded.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Quality Assurance Agency has taken to improve the quality of education offered at United Kingdom higher education institutions.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms are available to the Quality Assurance Agency to maintain quality standards in higher education institutions; and what evidence there is that such mechanisms have ever been used.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many courses at higher education institutions have been deemed unsatisfactory by the Quality Assurance Agency; and what results have followed such findings.

Work and Pensions: Unemployed People: Mental Illness answered 31 January 2012

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the assessment of mental health disorders amongst people undergoing return-to-work interviews at jobcentres.

Education: English Baccalaureate answered 30 January 2012

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider including (a) music and (b) other intellectually rigorous, creative and technical subjects within a sixth pillar of the English Baccalaureate.

Culture Media and Sport: Copyright: Internet answered 26 January 2012

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport

(1) whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed US legislation, the (a) Stop Online Piracy Act and (b) Protect IP Act on free expression and circulation of ideas within British culture and media;

(2) what (a) discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and (b) representations he has made to the US Government on the proposed US legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act.

Education: Children: Protection answered 30 January 2012

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many serious case reviews have been undertaken (a) in total and (b) in each English local authority area in each of the last five years.

Business, Innovation and Skills: Post Offices: Wrexham answered 31 January 2012

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on which post offices in Wrexham constituency Post Office Ltd plans to operate on the Local model.

House of Lords: Civil Service: Retirement answered 31 January 2012

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average age of retirement from the senior civil service in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; what this figure was for its predecessor departments; and what was the average pension paid to these retired senior civil servants in each year since 2001.

International Development: Somalia: International Co-operation answered 26 January 2012

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what international development objectives he has set for the international conference on Somalia on 23 February 2012.

House of Lords: Immigration answered 1 February 2012

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK Border Agency-approved centres provide English language tests at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference; and what consideration they have given to the cost and practical difficulties of Yemenis taking an English language test at that level as a result.

Business, Innovation and Skills: Construction: Industry answered 30 January 2012

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the construction industry on (a) skills and training and (b) the role of national agreements in maintaining levels of skills in the construction industry.

Culture Media and Sport: Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme answered 30 January 2012

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department publishes a breakdown of the types of work for which claims are made under the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme.

Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Arrest Warrants answered 30 January 2012

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has made inquiries with another sovereign nation’s government on whether that government would comply with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant in the last 10 years.

Wales: Voluntary Organisations answered 31 January 2012

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what contribution her Department is making to implementation of the Compact with the voluntary sector; and if she will make a statement.

Energy and Climate Change: Green Deal Scheme answered 31 January 2012

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on the use of the £200 million additional funding recently announced to incentivise take-up of the Green Deal.

Defence: Departmental Allowances answered 1 February 2012

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any plans to remove the London allowance for its civil servants who live in London.

Justice: Victims: Compensation answered 2 February 2012

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to changing the composition of the Sentencing Council better to reflect the views of victims of crime; and if he will make a statement.

Home Department: Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles answered 30 January 2012

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unmanned aerial vehicles were in use by police forces in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.