Written answers

Monday, 2 July 2007

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Afghanistan: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place to ensure that UK resident citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay receive regular health checks; and...

    • Afghanistan: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the US authorities on securing independent investigations into the allegations of torture...

      Arms Trade: Firearms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to establish an international treaty to prohibit the sale of small arms.

      Commonwealth: International Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects the President of the host country for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala to...

      Departments: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007, Official Report, column 1216W, on Departments: advertising, what terms and conditions...

      Diplomatic Service: Dismissal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many foreign diplomats were asked to leave their posts by the Government in each of the last 10 years; what the reasons were...

      European Union: Constitutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with his Polish counterpart during the recent conference in Brussels to discuss the new EU...

      European Union: Treaties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a White Paper when the new European Union treaty is available, setting out side by side what the original...

      India: Demonstrations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on protests by Maoist rebels against the Indian Government in the districts of Bihar, Purlieu,...

      Kashmir: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom will support the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into violations of international...

      Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the future of Anglo-Saudi relations.

      Somalia: Peace Keeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of India on that country's role in peacekeeping in Somalia.

      Vietnam: Oppression

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the government of Vietnam on the persecution of Christians in that country, with...

  • Duchy of Lancaster

    • Departments: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the...

    • Departments: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Office in the last three years; and at what total cost.

      Departments: Training

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department spent on away days located outside his Department's buildings in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

      Departments: Training

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much public expenditure was incurred by Directgov for paying to send staff to attend the Good Communication Awards on 30 May 2007 held at the...

      Departments: Vacancies

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what reason the vacancies published on the Government Communication Network public website will no longer be advertised to the public.

      Official Residences: Deputy Prime Minister

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office received from the Deputy Prime Minister's Office for the official residence of the Deputy Prime Minister in Admiralty...

  • International Development

    • Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what requests have been made to his Department under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000; and what the (a) FOI case reference...

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Mass Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 24 April 2007, Official Report, column 1013W, on armed forces: mass media, 2 May 2007, Official Report, column 1665W, on...

    • BAE Systems: Saudi Arabia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contacts his Department has had with anti-corruption investigators from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in relation to...

      Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there have been revisions of and amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding between the US Government European Command and the Ministry of...

  • Innovation, Universities and Skills

    • Higher Education: Sanctions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely impact of a boycott of Israeli universities and academics by British universities,...

    • Students: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students have brought complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator in each month since it was...

  • Leader of the House

    • Modernisation

      To ask the Leader of the House when she will bring forward plans to modernise further the House of Commons.

    • Westminster Hall Debates

      To ask the Leader of the House if she will consider extending the amount of time allocated to Westminster Hall debates.

      Front-Bench Speeches

      To ask the Leader of the House what assessment she has made of the effect on debates of the length of Front-Bench speeches.

      European Legislation: Scrutiny

      To ask the Leader of the House what steps she is taking to ensure effective scrutiny of European legislation; and if she will make a statement.

  • Transport

    • Fast Link Trains

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 25 June to Question 145649, on fast link trains, what the anticipated frequency is of the one hour and 25 minute fast trains...

    • M1: Castle Donington

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will examine the feasibility of bringing the hard shoulder into use as a carriageway on the M1 motorway in the vicinity of junction 24 during...

      M1: Nottingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how long the slip road at junction 25 of the M1 motorway towards Nottingham is likely to remain closed; what the reason is for the closure; and if...

      Motor Vehicles: Safety Measures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to require new cars sold in the UK to be fitted with electronic stability control.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Fire Services: Cambridge

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the deadline is for authorities to sign up to the proposed regional fire and rescue control centre to be located in Cambridge.

    • Ordnance Survey: Copyright

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of requiring the Ordnance Survey to make licensable or copyright material available...

  • Justice

    • Community Legal Service: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the establishment of a Community Legal Services Strategy for Wales; and if...

    • Departments: European Union

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in his Department are (a) involved in assisting European Council negotiations, (b) involved in assisting and advising the European...

      Departments: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of (a) his Department's and (b) courts service staff in Newcastle-upon-Tyne are in each of the five new area related...

      Departments: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total...

      Electoral Register: Barnet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the measures put in place by Barnet council to ensure the electoral register for Grahame Park, Colindale is properly...

      Home Detention Curfews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted criminals were returned to prison for breaking home detention curfews in the last three years for which figures are available.

      Magistrates: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of magistrates expected to be recruited for Welsh courts in financial year 2007-08.

      Magistrates: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of magistrates expected to leave the magistracy in Wales in financial year 2007-08.

      Magistrates: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates are employed in courts in Wales.

      Prison Population: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) men and (b) women are being held in (i) each prison and (ii) police cell accommodation in Wales; (2) what the (a) maximum and (b)...

      Prisoners: Facilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what arrangements have been made for providing food to prisoners held in (a) court cells and (b) police cells since January 2006; (2) what the...

      Prisoners: Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007, Official Report, column 1727W, on prisoners: transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that prisoners are not...

      Prisoners: Young Offender Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007, Official Report, column 2129W, on prisoners: young offender institutions, what the average (a) male and (b)...

      Separation: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce further mediation services for separating couples with children.

  • Home Department

    • Airguns

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation controls the (a) ownership and (b) use of airguns; and if she will make a statement.

    • Antisocial Behaviour: Blackpool

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what antisocial behaviour initiatives her Department has funded in Blackpool since 1997.

      Asylum: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of claims for asylum were dealt with within the eight week target time period in each of the last 12 months.

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were referred to Ministers for review of the continued detention of children on immigration grounds beyond 28 days in each of...

      Asylum: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the section 9 pilot on removal of support to refused asylum seeker families was concluded; when the evaluation of the pilot was (a)...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people attending hearings before the Asylum Support Adjudicator were provided with overnight accommodation in each of the last three...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of complaints about poor accommodation provided under (a) section 95 and (b) section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act...

      Asylum: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accommodation providers under section (a) 95 and (b) 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 have been subjected to financial...

      Asylum: Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the criteria for considering applications for asylum from Iraqi citizens differ from those applying to other countries.

      Automatic Number Plate Recognition

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the reliability of automatic number plate recognition technology.

      Children: Romania

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with the Romanian National Agency for the Protection of Minors on unaccompanied Romany minors...

      Community Policing: Blackpool

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was made available by her Department for neighbourhood policing initiatives in Blackpool in (a) 1997, (b) 2005 and (c) 2007.

      Community Policing: Blackpool

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to provide further funding to Blackpool as part of the town's award of Respect Area status.

      Convictions: Offensive Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been under the (a) Licensing Act 2003, (b) Knives Act 1997 and (c) Drugs Act 2005.

      Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost has been to public funds of keeping dogs held by the Metropolitan Police Service under the provisions of the Dangerous...

      Departments: Older Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

      Domestic Service: Foreign Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals her Department has made to change the rights to legal protection of domestic workers from overseas; and if she will make a...

      Driving Offences: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists in (a) the area of North Wales police and (b) England and Wales were wrongly identified as driving while uninsured as a...

      Emergency Services: Radio

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has held on the implementation of tetra based trunk radio, with particular reference to the Airwave system; and...

      Entry Clearances: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds a refusal stamp for a visa application to live in the UK made by a US citizen can be removed from a person's passport.

      Fraud: Cheques

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent estimate she has made of the incidence of (a) cheque and (b) plastic card fraud; (2) what discussions she has had with...

      Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007, Official Report, column 1958W, on the Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies scheme, what further...

      Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007, Official Report, column 1958W, on the Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies scheme, when she...

      Homicide: Wiltshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences recorded as homicide by sharp instrument were recorded by Wiltshire Constabulary in each year from 1997-98 to 2005-06.

      Insurance: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of information provided by the Motor Insurers' Bureau Police Helpline.

      Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelan activists in (a) London and (b) the UK.

      Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a statement on recent arrests of the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelan activists under counter terrorism legislation.

      MI5: Official Secrets

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will declassify MI5 file series PF600, 439 to 610 and 109.

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will answer Question 115828, on indefinite leave to remain, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 10 January 2007.

      Police: Horses

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual cost was in the last three years of each mounted police section.

      Police: Protective Clothing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2007, Official Report, column 2078W, on Police: protective clothing, what guidelines her Department issues...

      Police: Safety Measures

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what risk assessment she has commissioned on the health and safety of police officers during a (a) chemical, (b) biological, (c)...

      Police: Stun Guns

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) injured and (b) killed due to the firing of a stun gun by the police since April 2003; and during what type...

      Police: Stun Guns

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions Taser stun guns have been used by each police force since April 2003; and in what type of operation they were used.

      Police: Yorkshire and Humberside

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) crimes were reported to the police, (b) police officers were deployed and (c) police support staff were deployed in each of...

      Theft: Bicycles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bicycle thefts were recorded in (a) England and Wales and (b) London in each of the last five years.

      Work Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007 to question 144097, on work permits, how many work permits in total were issued in each year since...

      Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she expects to reply to Question (a) 125557 and (b) 125547, tabled on 1 March 2007, on English classes for asylum seekers; (2)...

      Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to answer Question 125719 on the IPPR tabled by the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire on 1 May 2007 for answer on 5 May.

      Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to make a substantive reply to Question (a) 138530 and (b) 138531, on asylum cases, tabled by the hon. Member for...

  • Treasury

    • Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were with an alcohol-related underlying cause in (a) the north east, broken down by local authority area and (b) the UK, broken down...

    • Defence: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to paragraph 5.32 of Consolidated Budgeting Guidance 2007-08, what (a) arrangements for the control of non-cash to near-cash switches and (b)...

      Departments: Consultants

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on (a) management consultants and (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since 2000; and which of these...

      Departments: Credit Cards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many (a) corporate charge and (b) corporate credit cards were lost in each year since 2001-02 in his Department; (2) how many (a) corporate...

      Departments: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last three years; and at what total cost.

      Departments: Performance Appraisal

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in 2006-07.

      Departments: Public Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Consolidated Budgeting Guidance for each financial year since 1999-2000.

      Departments: Recruitment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1498W, on Departments: recruitment, what payments have been made from the public purse to...

      Departments: Sick Leave

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

      Immigration

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in (a) the proportion of immigrants arriving in the UK from the European Union since 1 May 2003 and (b) the countries of origin...

      Landfill Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised by the landfill tax in each of the last 10 years for which records exist; and how much was (a) allocated in grants and (b)...

      Landfill Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue collected under the landfill tax was (a) allocated and (b) disbursed to local authorities in each of the last 10 years for which records...

      Local Government

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what his policy is on the number of unitary authority proposals implemented on the basis of the local government review; (2) whether his officials...

      National Income

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the share was of (a) wages and (b) profits of national income in each year since 1979.

      Navy: Military Bases

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on his commitment to move civil service jobs out of the South East, with...

      Olympic Games

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contribution his Department's (a) devolved countries and regions team and (b) education, training and culture team made to discussions on the...

      Public Sector: Standards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the current public service agreement targets.

      Transport: Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the overall annual level of public expenditure on transport per head of population was in (a) each of the English regions, (b) Northern Ireland, (c)...

      Unitary Councils

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on local authorities seeking unitary status which appeared on the...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Working Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to assess the levels of support available for working carers.

    • Unemployment Trends

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of trends in levels of unemployment since the end of 1997.

      Worklessness: London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle worklessness in London.

      Inactive Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are receiving inactive benefits; and if he will make a statement.

      Employers' Contributions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to enforce the automatic enrolment of employers and making appropriate contributions by employers in respect of personal...

      Youth Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on youth unemployment.

      Disability Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has introduced to reduce complexity in the assessment process for disability benefits.

      Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target will be set for the time taken to secure an assessment under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will...

      Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what restrictions there will be on (a) deduction orders and (b) lump sum deduction orders under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement...

      Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the Department's latest forecast of the (a) winners and (b) losers under the new maintenance formula which will be used by...

      Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Debt Collection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make use of the key objectives of the new Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission on the recovery of existing maintenance arrears;...

      Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill: Curfews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many curfew orders he estimates will be used each year under the powers in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill.

      Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide an estimate of the expected reduction in annual administration costs as a consequence of the Child Maintenance and Other...

      Child Support Agency: Debt Collection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Child Support Agency maintenance arrears are expected to be collected in each quarter between June 2007 to June 2012; and if he will...

      Child Support Agency: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the costs of setting a Child Support Agency maintenance disregard for those on benefits of up to (a) £10,...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on child maintenance payments of new powers in respect of (a) curfews and (b) passport withdrawal;...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on poverty levels of non-resident parents on benefits of setting a £7 minimum child maintenance...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis is for the Department's view that, for child maintenance collection, historic tax income information is close enough...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce a general anti-avoidance rule in respect of payments of child maintenance by a non-resident parent.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of Child Support Agency cases involve use of a deduction of earnings order; and what change he expects in this proportion under...

      Pensions: Family Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect past receipt of family credit has on entitlement to pensions under the state earnings-related pension scheme; by what means...

  • Prime Minister

    • 10 Downing Street: Manpower

      To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to change the number of staff employed by 10 Downing Street.

    • Accident and Emergency Departments: Closures

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will visit accident and emergency departments due to close to discuss alternative provision.

      Afghanistan: Reconstruction

      To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from military commanders on the allocation of additional funds to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

      Departmental Responsibilities

      To ask the Prime Minister whether he has considered the recommendations of the recent report of the Public Administration Select Committee on changes to the machinery of government; and if he...

      Departments: Pay

      To ask the Prime Minister how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working in his Office in each year between 1997 and 2006; and at what total cost.

      Ministerial Policy Advisors

      To ask the Prime Minister who his new special advisers are.

  • House of Lords

    • Armed Forces: Target Identification

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have developed a strategy for the implementation of the combat identification policy and a timetabled plan for developing a credible target...

    • Channel Tunnel: Intergovernmental Commission

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the names and official addresses of the chairman, vice-chairman and secretariats of the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission; whether this...

      Crime: Drink-driving

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are reviewing the penalties for drink-drive offences.

      House of Lords: Divisions

      asked the Chairman of Committees: For the latest period (being three months or longer) for which records are easily available, what number of votes were recorded by Members whose titles begin...

      Railways: Smartcard Ticketing

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Over which passenger franchises there is a requirement for the franchisees to implement smartcard ticketing; and whether they intend to require all other...

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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