Written answers

Thursday, 4 November 2004

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Compensation (Destroyed Animals)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the percentage of compensation payments for animals destroyed because of (a) suspected foot and...

    • Composting/Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of households in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley which (i) composted and (ii)...

      Composting/Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK households are recycling and composting; and whether the national target is being met.

      Cormorants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences to shoot cormorants have been (a) applied for and (b) granted since her Department announced its change of...

      Cormorants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 695–96W, on cormorants, what non-lethal...

      Cormorants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 695–96W, on cormorants, what advice her Department...

      Departmental Publications (Accessibility)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of publications issued by her Department are available in (a) Braille, (b) autoprint, (c) large...

      Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether she plans to seek EU Commission approval for Fleetwood fishermen to use 110mm mesh in cod ends in the plaice...

      Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) quota allocations and (b) landings for cod were for the Fleetwood over 10 m fishing fleet in the last five years.

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee (a) on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild...

      Fox Hunting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been undertaken to assess the effect of a ban on the hunting of foxes on the predation of ground nesting...

      Illegal Waste Dumping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the successful prosecutions for illegal dumping of waste in each of the past three years; and what the...

      Ministerial Expenses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential...

      Organic Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of organic farming on biodiversity.

  • Trade and Industry

    • Solar Panels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the operation of schemes to promote solar panels.

    • Energy Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of rising energy prices on British manufacturing.

      Business Link (Northampton)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of Business Link Services in Northampton.

      Regulatory Impact

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the level and cost of regulation imposed on business by her Department since 1997.

      Power Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that power generating companies are able to meet future energy demands.

      Electricity Supply (Rural Areas)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the reliability of electricity supplies in rural areas.

      Premium Rate Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to protect computer users from unsolicited premium rate calls being made from their machines.

      Motor Sport/Performance Engineering Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the importance of the (a) motor sport and (b) performance engineering industries to the UK's industrial base.

      Call Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to minimise the movement of call centre jobs to eastern Europe and Asia.

      Civil Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 October, Official Report, column 996W, on civil partnerships, whether the estimated costs given refer only to...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs dated 11...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the development of airblown gasification combined cycle technology developed by British Coal for making...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will make available to other countries, proposing to construct coal-fired power stations, the airblown gasification combined...

      Emissions Trading

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will pursue improvements to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to ensure that combined heat and power projects benefit fully from the...

      Emissions Trading

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether universities will be able to benefit from emissions trading; and if she will make a statement.

      Energy Bills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average percentage increase in domestic bills for (a) gas and (b) electricity has been since May 1997; and if she will make a statement.

      EU Presidency (Greece)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of directives on the removal of...

      EU Presidency (Greece)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of directives on the removal of...

      EU Presidency (Greece)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the (a) Advisory Committee on standardisation in the field of information technology...

      Export Credits Guarantee Department

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from industry following her statement on the planned Export Credits Guarantee Department Trading Fund on...

      Export Credits Guarantee Department

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has for how the budget for improving efficiency and effectiveness of the Export Credits Guarantee Department will be spent over...

      Export Credits Guarantee Department

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what change she has specified to the current requirement of Export Credits Guarantee Department to obtain Treasury Consents annually, as the...

      Fallow Field Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new (a) gas and (b) oil reserves have been identified from the fallow field initiative.

      Fair Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy that, during the UK's presidency of (a) the EU and (b) the G8, all hospitality is sourced from fair trade producers.

      Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much gas (a) was exported from the UK to Europe and (b) was imported from Europe to the UK in each year from 1999 to the latest year for...

      Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her (a) plans and (b) timetable for bringing gas interconnectors on-stream.

      Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the gas reserves in the UK Continental Shelf.

      Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has for gas storage over the next decade.

      Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications for gas storage requirements to meet peak winter gas demand when the UK becomes a net...

      Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her plans to ensure the security of supply of gas.

      Inward Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of investment between European Union countries other than investment by the UK came to the United Kingdom in each year since 2001.

      Job Creation (Lancashire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs have been created as a result of the Luneside East development; how many jobs have been created to be taken up by residents of...

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many full-time staff have been responsible for the enforcement of minimum wage legislation in each year since 1999.

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions there have been for offences in breach of minimum wage legislation in each year since 1999.

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from (a) employers and (b) employees about the operation and enforcement of minimum wage legislation...

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her plans to improve enforcement of minimum wage legislation.

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many 16 and 17 year olds are expected to benefit from the national minimum wage in (a) Glasgow, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom in...

      Nuclear Plants (IT Systems)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has received from the International Atomic Energy Agency in respect of its evaluation of the adequacy of computer systems...

      Sellafield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the future of the reprocessing plant at Sellafield.

      Shareholder Registers (Animal Rights Activists)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her assessment is of the security implications of the legal requirement for companies targeted by animal rights activists to provide...

      Software Patents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the financial contribution of the licensing of software patents to the UK economy in each year from 1974 to 2003.

  • Education and Skills

    • A-Level Results

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the average A-level points score for (a) school sixth forms, (b) sixth form colleges and (c) general further education...

    • A-Level Results

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the average A-level points score per pupil for 11 to 18 years schools with sixth forms containing (a) 50 or fewer, (b) 51 to...

      Area Cost Adjustment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities receive area cost adjustment in 2004–05.

      Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are in public care in the West Midlands.

      Foundation Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether a school that a local education authority proposes to close can apply to become a foundation school.

      Learning and Skills Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Gloucestershire Learning and Skills Council about its support for (a) The Prince's Trust and (b) the...

      Learning and Skills Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the funding he is providing to the Learning and Skills Council in this financial year.

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 18 October 2004, ref 192930, on benchmarks for university...

      Post-16 Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding streams are available to support students in post-16 non-university based education.

      Press Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many press officers are employed in his Department; and how many were employed in each year since 1996–97.

      Schools (Bury)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching assistants were employed in schools in Bury in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

      Sex Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was granted by each local education authority in the Greater London area to be spent on sex education in (a) 1997 and (b)...

  • Defence

    • Electoral Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are registered as service voters on the armed forces personnel registration scheme; and how many were registered in 2000.

    • Electoral Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the armed forces personnel registration scheme moved to annual re-registration in 2000; and what assessment was made of the implications...

      Missile Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 9–10WS, on missile defence, when negotiations on the ballistic...

      Travel Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the travel costs were of civil servants in (a) his Department and (b) its related agencies in each year since 1997.

      Windows 2000 Combat Management System

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what systems have been put in place to cope with a failure in the planned Windows 2000 operating system in the Type 45 Destroyers; (2) whether...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Analogue Switch-off

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of television aerials that will need to be upgraded to allow analogue switch-off to...

    • British Grand Prix

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the British Grand Prix; and whether she expects public money to be made available to secure the future...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Woking, dated 14 October, concerning Skanska UK Plc.

      Departmental Policy (South Dorset)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the South Dorset constituency, the effects of changes...

      Departmental Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent staff her Department has employed in the (a) corporate services, (b) tourism, libraries and communities,...

      Export Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees the (a) Export Licensing Unit and (b) Advisory Council on the Export of Works of Art had in each year from 1997; what...

      Football Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to review the Football Association; and if she will make a statement.

      Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the competition implications under EU rules of placing a cap or ceiling on the number of regional casinos.

      Lottery Terminals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has held with Camelot on the purchase and supply of National Lottery terminals to (a) newsagents and (b)...

      Olympic Athletes (Ireland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Olympic athletes who have received public funding from the UK have competed for the Republic of Ireland.

      Temporary Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for...

      Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding her Department plans to contribute for (a) marketing, (b) e-tourism, (c) improving the quality of tourism products and...

      Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what ratio of funding between the Government and the private sector she expects in meeting the £100 billion target value for...

  • Constitutional Affairs

    • Consultants

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much expenditure his Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with...

    • Departmental IT

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what...

      Departmental Publications (Access)

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what proportion of publications issued by his Department are available in (a) Braille, (b) autoprint, (c)...

      Press Officers

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many press officers the Department and its predecessors have employed in each of the past five years.

      Special Advisers

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many unpaid special advisers the Department has; what their names are; and which Government (a) bodies, (b)...

      Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Performance and Innovation Unit

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what new projects are (a) planned and (b) under consideration for the Performance and Innovation Unit.

    • Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Office has spent on (a) mobile telephone costs, (b) hospitality and (c) taxi costs in (i) 1996–97 and (ii) the last year for which...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in her Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i)...

  • Health

    • Drug Rehabilitation Places

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug rehabilitation places there are, broken down by (a) police authority and (b) government office region.

    • School Fruit Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which holding locations fruit is supplied to schools under the National School Fruit Scheme; and by what methods it is transported.

      School Fruit Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many schools are participating in the National School Fruit Scheme; and how many deliveries are made per week to these schools.

      Agency Nurses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the use of agency nurses within NHS hospitals within the Greater London area.

      Alcohol-related Deaths

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how his Department records and collates alcohol-related deaths that fall outside the scope of the World Health Organisation ICD 10 codings for death...

      St. George's Hospital, Tooting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are waiting for (a) hearing aids and (b) other audiology treatment at St. George's Hospital, Tooting.

      St. George's Hospital, Tooting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women have been treated with IVF treatment at St. George's hospital, Tooting in each of the last three years.

      B144 Blood Testing Strips

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of B144 blood testing strips from NHS prescription supply.

      B144 Blood Testing Strips

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of providing blood-testing meters to those qualifying for financial assistance with NHS prescriptions in each of the...

      Cancelled Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled at the last minute in the NHS in each year since 1980.

      Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place (a) to check the criminal records of civil servants in his Department and agencies responsible to his Department who have...

      Departmental Administration Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has budgeted for departmental administration costs in (a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06, (c) 2007–08, (d) 2008–09...

      E111 Forms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government have taken to alert British citizens to the 31 December deadline after which E111 forms issued before August will be invalid;...

      Health Service Ombudsman

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were received by the Health Service Ombudsman in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

      Health Spending (Chesterfield)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the health expenditure per head of the population in Chesterfield constituency has been in each year since 1997.

      Hearing Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that guidelines on priorities for fitting digital hearing aids (a) take into account situations where a patient has mental health...

      HIV

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people living in the West Midlands area are HIV positive.

      Hospital Infections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA were recorded in each year since 1997; and how many resulted in death (a) in and (b) not in hospital.

      Hospital Infections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which strains of MRSA primary care trusts are required to report; and if he will make a statement.

      Hysterectomy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is provided by the NHS to women on treatment options for (a) menorrhagia and (b) uterine fibroids; and what alternatives to hysterectomy...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are available for Iraqi nationals who are victims of violence in the war and who cannot be treated in Iraq due to medical deficiencies...

      IT Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2004, Official Report, column 685W to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on IT systems, if he will break down...

      Junior Doctors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of unemployment levels among non-UK trained junior doctors living in England.

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the patient choice agenda extends to mental health patients.

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with severe mental health problems have access to (a) useful information and (b) the highest quality...

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the proposed five-yearly review of the national service framework for mental health will examine issues relating to patient choice, with...

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what objectives he has set the National Director for Mental Health in relation to patient choice.

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the implementation of current guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in relation to atypical...

      Leighton Hospital

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the future of the mother and baby unit in the mental health unit at Leighton hospital; (2) what representations he...

      Leighton Hospital

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will calculate the cost of running the mother and baby unit in the mental health unit at Leighton hospital in each of the last five years for which...

      MRI/CT Scanners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) MRI and (b) CT scanners each NHS trust has; and what the age of each machine is.

      NHS Consultants/Doctors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time NHS (a) consultants and (b) other hospital doctors there were in each speciality in hospitals in (i) Scunthorpe and (ii) Grimsby in...

      NHS Live 2004

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for NHS Live 2004 in the area covered by Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority.

      NHS Logistics Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with trade unions in relation to the proposed abolition of the NHS Logistics Authority; (2) if he will make a...

      Ritalin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged (a) up to five, (b) five to 10 and (c) 10 to 14 years are currently being treated with ritalin within (a) North East Bedfordshire,...

      Smear Tests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Hull and the East Riding had smear tests in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

      Pharmacists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost will be of the new community pharmacy contract to pharmacists looking to expand their practices.

      Processed Food (Salt)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he will take to ensure that supermarkets and food manufacturers reduce the salt content of processed food products.

      Waiting Times

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Hull and the East Riding waited 13 weeks or more for an out-patient appointment in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

      Waiting Times

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times for residents of South West Surrey in the past seven years; (2) how many in-patients in the...

      Willerby Call Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what call statistics have been collated for the East Riding NHS Direct call centre in Willerby for the last 12 months.

      Yellow Card Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to make the Yellow Card scheme a compulsory component of clinical training of medical students; (2) what plans he has to increase...

  • International Development

    • Consultancy Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 19 October 2004, Official Report, columns 562–64W, on consultancy services, (1) if he will list the...

    • Departmental Estate

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the properties occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004; and what the (A) area and...

      Departmental IT

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what plans are in...

      Ghana

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the IPPD2 Ghana payroll system project started; what the initial contract value of the project was; what the projected total...

      Temporary Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average length of continuous service for civil servants within the Department is.

    • Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much expenditure his Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the...

      Departmental Disciplinary Procedures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost in each of the last three financial years was of his Department's internal disciplinary procedures; and how...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for...

      Entry Clearance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many entry clearance refusals he has overturned in 2004.

      EU Savings Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the EU Savings Directive on the (a) British Virgin Islands, (b) Cayman...

      Gabon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the establishment of a British (a) consulate and (b) embassy in Gabon; and if he will make a statement.

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Gibraltar; and which issues were discussed.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterparts concerning measures to protect (a) Christian communities and (b) Christian...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the Government plan for the UN in ensuring independent monitoring of the forthcoming elections in Iraq.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of access for humanitarian and human rights organisations to all parts of Sudan.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan about the need to ensure that all parties to the peace process grant...

      Uzbekistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of Mr. Craig Murray, former Ambassador to Uzbekistan.

      Uzbekistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set up an inquiry into the leaking of a confidential report from former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig...

      Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the number of British war (a) veterans and (b) widows living in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

      Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) financial and (b) physical wellbeing of British war (i) veterans and (ii) widows living...

      Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to organise the emergency repatriation of British war (a) veterans and (b) widows...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Closed-circuit Television

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of change in criminal activity in Northern Ireland since the introduction of CCTV in a number of urban centres.

    • Explorers Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria he has used to assess the value for money of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment's Explorers Programme; what...

      Health Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the money raised by the introduction of water charges is planned to be spent on the Health Service.

      Library Board Suspensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the recent suspension of officials from the (a) Belfast education and library board and (b) South Eastern...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether slopping-out is still required in any prisons in Northern Ireland.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) baseline certified normal accommodation, (b) in-use certified normal accommodation, (c) operational capacity, (d) useable...

      Schools (Maintenance Work)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the backlog was of (a) high priority and (b) other maintenance work in the schools estate in Northern Ireland at (i) 31 March 2001, (ii) 31...

      Temporary Classrooms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many temporary classrooms there are in schools in Northern Ireland; how many there were at the end of each financial year since...

      Tsar Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  • Treasury

    • Equity Release Schemes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1381W, on equity release schemes, what plans he has to change the inheritance tax rules...

    • Income Tax (Pensioners)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners paid (a) no income tax, (b) 10 per cent. income tax, (c) basic rate income tax and (d) higher rate income tax, in England, in (i) 1997...

      Working Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which errors in the calculation of working tax credit were caused by mistakes by staff in the last...

  • Work and Pensions

    • 70-plus Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many people will need to make a claim for the one-off 70-plus Payment; how many claims have been received; and whether...

    • 70-plus Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was in 2003–04 of benefits payable because the beneficiary had a medical condition or disability; and how much of that sum...

      Benefit Payments (Pensioners)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the value of expenditure (a) in cash terms, (b) at current prices and (c) as a share of gross domestic product on (i)...

      Benefit Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people in the United Kingdom are claiming (a) incapacity benefit, (b) the children's tax credit, (c) bereavement benefit,...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral evidence of the right hon. Member for Oxford East (Mr. Smith) of 11 February to the Work and Pensions Select Committee, on...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance the Child Support Agency is able to give applicants for child support in investigating the financial circumstances of the...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many children, broken down by age, Child Support Agency payments have been calculated in each year since the Agency's inception.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with care applied for Child Support Agency (CSA) maintenance after 1 March 2003 and have been prevented from applying on the...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the EDS contract for the Child Support Agency's new IT system.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest time taken to process a Child Support Agency case from when the application is made to...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the new computer system for the Child Support Agency is to date.

      Child Support Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place the latest New Child Support Scheme Progress Report in the Library.

      Citibank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether there is an agreed maximum time that Citibank may take to process (a) State Pension payments and (b) other benefit payments; on...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Chief Executive of the Pension Service expects to reply to the letters to him of 18 May and 3 August from the hon. Member for...

      Council Tax Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners (a) were in receipt of council tax benefit in 1997 and (b) are in receipt of council tax benefit.

      Jobcentres (North Wales)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many clients attended each Jobcentre not due for closure in North Wales in each of the last 10 years.

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how much money available for pension credit has not been claimed because of non-take up by pensioners.

      Pensioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners receive an income from their own investments or savings.

      Pensioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham received (a) winter fuel payments and (b) free television licences in 2003.

      Pensioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women living in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham are in receipt of the state retirement pension; what...

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the percentage increase in the State Pension has been since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) self-employed people, (b) people earning less than the lower earnings limit, (c) unemployed people and (d) other non-contributing...

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of people who are contracted out of the State Second Pension.

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of the state pension in the City of Edinburgh local authority area.

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners living in the UK are in receipt of supplementary benefits.

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of average earnings the state pension was in each year since 1997.

      Press Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years.

      Serps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 639W, on SERPS, what rating was applied to the (a) basic state pension and...

      Sure Start

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in Cleethorpes constituency have received Sure Start maternity grants in each year since 1997.

      TV Licence Fees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households in the London borough of Wandsworth are in receipt of a free television licence.

  • Church Commissioners

    • Responsibilities

      To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will list the responsibilities for which he answers to the House.

  • Transport

    • Air Pollution (Heathrow)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effects on air pollution of widening the M4 around Heathrow.

    • Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of the national bus fleet which is subject to annual random inspections by the Traffic Commissioners.

      Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many buses were inspected by Vehicle and Operator Services Agency officials in each of the last five years; and how many were subject to (a)...

      Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Vehicle and Operator Services Agency officials in each of the English regions are responsible for (a) checking the safety of bus vehicles and...

      Departmental Estate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the properties occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004; and what the (A) area and (B) annual...

      Press Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years.

      ITC Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialist consultants and engineers in the 2003–04 financial year.

      Ministers' Private Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

      Motor Traders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what security measures have been taken to protect the public from terrorist use of vehicles passed between motor traders.

      Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003.

      Temporary Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department or its predecessors in each of the last five years, excluding those working for...

      Train Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will investigate the level of unregulated train fares; and what measures are in place to control such fares; (2) by how much (a) regulated...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Commercial Property Leases (Consultation)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many responses the Government received to the recent Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consultation paper, "Commercial Property Leases: Options for...

    • Departmental Publications (Accessibility)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many and what proportion of publications issued by his Department are available in (a) Braille, (b) autoprint, (c) large print and (d) easy read format.

      Employment (Greater London)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had on the use of European structural funds to create employment in the Greater London area.

      Land Reclassification

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many hectares of land were reclassified from (a) agricultural and (b) industrial-commercial use to land for residential use in each of the last five years for...

      Park and Ride Schemes

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's latest guidance to local authorities is on the development of park and ride schemes.

      Phone Masts

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what circumstances it is acceptable for a mobile communications mast to be operated without a valid ICNIRP certificate being available for public inspection.

      Phone Masts

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what powers are available to local authorities to prevent the erection of mobile telecommunications masts when permission has been refused.

      Phone Masts

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions about mast sharing he has held with (a) telecommunication companies and (b) local authorities as an alternative to the development of new mast sites.

      PPG8

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans his Department has to revise Planning Policy Guidance Note 8.

      Regeneration Funding

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to incorporate the information contained in the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation into future allocations of regeneration funding; and if he...

      Housing Development

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what interim guidance his Department will give to district local authorities on housing numbers up to 2016 if county structure plans are withdrawn before regional...

      Sustainable Communities Plan

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps (a) his Office and (b) its agencies are taking to ensure the Sustainable Communities plan meets or exceeds the Government's energy objectives of...

      Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003.

      Temporary Staff

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data is...

  • Prime Minister

    • Arctic Medal

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will create an Arctic Medal for those who sailed in the Russian convoys.

  • Advocate-General

    • Devolution

      To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues she has considered since 25 October.

  • Minister for Women

    • Pregnant Workers

      To ask the Minister for Women what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) employers and (b) employees are informed of women's rights at work when pregnant.

    • Women's Pensions

      To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of proposals in the Turner Report relating to women's pensions.

      Pension Inequalities

      To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of the findings of the First Report of the Pensions Commission in relation to pension inequalities between men and women.

      Non-traditional Work

      To ask the Minister for Women what plans she has to encourage women to go into non-traditional areas of work.

      Women Priests

      To ask the Minister for Women what discussions she has had on encouraging the appointment of women priests to the highest offices in the Church.

  • Scotland

    • Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 23 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. J. A. Higham.

    • Temporary Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no...

      Press Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years.

  • Wales

    • Renewable Energy (Planning Guidance)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last discussed the implementation of TAN8 with his colleagues in the National Assembly for Wales.

    • Temporary Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data...

  • Home Department

    • GM Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many convictions there have been against restaurants for failing to display their policy on GM foods in each year since August...

    • Police (West Midlands)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ethnic minority police officers there are in the West Midlands region.

  • House of Lords

    • Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 14 September (WA 180), whether an Irish language speaker in Ireland could, as a result of the Official...

    • Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12 October (WA 50) concerning bullying allegations, what was the outcome of the investigations by the...

      Cross-Border Implementation Bodies

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any complaints of bullying and staff harassment have been made to the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure concerning Cross-Border...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the agreement of 30 March 2001 between the sponsoring departments and the Irish Municipal Public and Civil Trade Union concerning the conditions of...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the report of the chief executive of Waterways Ireland on 26 June 2002 to the North/South Ministerial Council included reference to the appointment of a...

      Northern Ireland: Paramilitary Intimidation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people have been prosecuted in each of the past five years for committing, or being involved in the commission of, a paramilitary punishment attack in...

      Northern Ireland: Paramilitary Intimidation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people have been required to leave Northern Ireland in each of the past five years as a result of intimidation by paramilitary organisations; and how many...

      Tourism Ireland: Funding

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12 October (WA 51), why Tourism Ireland's increase in budget for 2003 and 2004 was regarded as necessary for...

      Waste Disposal

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether in the light of the BBC's "Spotlight" programme on 19 October on illegal dumping of waste, including medical waste, they will clarify the criteria for the...

      Waste Disposal

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will liaise with the Irish Republic on cross-border abuse of waste transportation.

      Northern Ireland: Diesel Sales

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of diesel road fuel sales in Northern Ireland in the year before the Belfast peace agreement and for each subsequent year.

      Northern Ireland: Healthcare for the Elderly

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to introduce a system of free healthcare provision for the elderly in Northern Ireland similar to that in Scotland.

      Northern Ireland: School Admissions

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When they expect to publish their proposals to replace the current post-primary education and transfer tests in Northern Ireland.

      Israel: Human Rights

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Government of Israel are in breach of any articles concerning human rights under the European Union-Israel Association agreement; whether the...

      Parole Hearings: Mr Peter Chester

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What action has been taken since March 2001 on the request of Mr Peter Chester, 889983, H M Prison Wakefield, for a review and oral hearing by the Parole Board;...

      Prisons: Education

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many GCSEs and A-levels were awarded last year in prisons and young offenders' institutions.

      Asylum Seekers: Children

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the number of asylum-seeking children detained in the United Kingdom has increased since December 2003; and, if so, by how much.

      Casinos

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the report in the Times on 26 October that the Nevada Gaming Control Board has imposed fines upon MGM Mirage for failing to comply with...

      Child Support Agency: Debt Write-off

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How much debt from non-resident parents was written off by the Child Support Agency in the year to March 2004; and whether this sum has been made up by the...

      Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Railways

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of the cost of making surface rail and London Underground trains and stations fully compliant with the provisions envisaged in the...

What is this?

The parliamentary question is a great way for MPs and Peers to discover information which the government may not wish to reveal. Ministers reply via written answers, a list of which gets published daily.

We let you vote on whether or not the answer given is adequate.

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