Written answers

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

  • Home Department

    • Departmental Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by her Department have remained...

    • Departmental Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many questions for written answer received by her Department have not received an answer within (a) one month, (b) two months and (c)...

      Departmental Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six...

      Driving Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to permit persons found guilty of an offence under section 14(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to attend a driving...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 9 November 2011 concerning Mrs Sabba Ali.

      Police: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure the provision of funding for rural police forces.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Computers

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 460W, on...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has any plans to vary the statutory interest rate absent parents with assets valued over £65,000 are charged by the Child...

    • Employment Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the funding arrangements are for Work programme providers which provide Mandatory Work Activity.

      Housing Benefit: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will support local authorities with funding to ensure that they continue to employ housing benefit fraud investigators until the...

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to improve transparency in pension charges and transfers before the introduction of auto-enrolment.

      Poverty: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many children (a) in total, (b) with learning difficulties, (c) with autistic spectrum disorders, (d) with disabilities and (e) under...

  • Health

    • Dementia:

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what spending his Department has recently incurred on radio advertisements relating to dementia; and for what reason it has commissioned such advertisements.

    • Hearing Impaired: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in Somerset were identified as deaf through the newborn hearing screening programme in each of the last five years.

      Meningitis: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on making pneumococcal conjugate vaccine available to adults in clinical risk groups; and if he will make a statement.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis a person diagnosed with a degenerative and progressive neurological condition who has been awarded NHS continuing health care may have it...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Departmental Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what equality impact assessments his Department has carried out since May 2010; and for what purpose in each case.

    • European Regional Development Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will meet representatives of the Industrial Communities Alliance to discuss take-up of European regional development fund...

  • Treasury

    • Bristol and West Building Society

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to protect the interests of holders of perpetual subordinated bonds originally issued by the Bristol and West Building Society.

    • Britain Building Investment Fund

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to table 2.3 of his autumn statement (1) what (a) assumptions and (b) methodologies underlie the £50 million saving shown for the Get...

      Corporation Tax: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of receipts to the Exchequer from corporation tax from the transport sector in Scotland in each year since 2001.

      Debts: Business

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) the Bank of England and (ii) other banks on the operation of the market for...

      Debts: Business

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with the Bank of England on the (i) underwriting and (ii) guaranteeing of business debt.

      EU Budget: Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage change has been in the size of (a) the overall EU budget and (b) the UK's contribution to the EU budget in each of the last 10 years.

      Money Advice Service: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the Money Advice Service in Northern Ireland spent on advertising in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 to date; (2) what funding was allocated to...

      National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of receipts to the Exchequer from the employer element of national insurance contributions; and what proportion of the overall...

      Northern Rock plc

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the first coupon payment on the new convertible debt in the sale of Northern Rock is due to be paid; and what further receipts he expects in each of...

      Regional Growth Fund: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on taxation of Regional Growth Fund grants.

      Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of tax credit claims which are awaiting processing.

      Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the amount of underpaid tax in the years up to financial year 2007-08; (2) what his estimate is of...

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost of the Enhanced Learning Credits scheme was in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11; (2) how many service personnel...

    • Armed Forces: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel suffering from post traumatic stress disorder received specialist treatment from the NHS in the last 12 months.

      Armed Forces: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the relative benefits of live firing training for the armed forces and the use of simulators.

      Marines: Rescue Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many callouts RMB Chivenor received from each local authority in (a) England and (b) Wales in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

      Yemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, columns 665-6W, on Yemen, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign...

  • Scotland

    • Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect of the autumn statement on levels of employment in Scotland.

    • Green Investment Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the likely benefits to Scotland of the green investment bank.

      Co-operatives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps (a) his Department and (b) those bodies for which his Department is responsible are taking to mark UN Year of the Co-operative 2012; and if...

      Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his policy is on whether an in or out referendum on the future of the Union between England and Scotland is held as soon as possible.

  • Transport

    • A31

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the (a) delay to and (b) diversion of traffic arising from the closure of local roads leading to...

    • A31

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her estimate is of the additional cost to the public purse of reducing by one week the period of total closure of access from local roads to the...

      A31

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) earliest and (b) latest time is (i) on each weekday and (ii) at weekends contractors will be working on the Canford Bottom junction...

      Coastguard Agency: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department plans to provide for the annual running costs of (a) the new Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) operations centre in Fareham and...

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the (a) minimum, (b) maximum and (c) average time taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to enter registered keeper details for new...

      Fuels: Sulphur

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to review the adoption of the International Maritime Organisations limit on sulphur content of marine fuels so that the UK is in line...

      M54: M6

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the case for connecting the M54 with the M6 toll road; and if she will make a statement.

      M6: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will hold discussions with local authorities in the West Midlands on the possibility of extending the M6 toll road.

      Road Signs and Markings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans her Department has to make greater use of vehicle information signs on motorways and A roads to inform motorists of congestion, accidents...

      Roads

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the importance of roads to (a) reducing congestion, (b) increasing road safety and (c) economic growth; and if she will...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Co-operatives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps (a) his Department and (b) those bodies for which his Department is responsible are taking to mark UN Year of the Co-operative 2012;...

    • Debt Collection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times his Department has used the services of debt recovery companies since May 2010; which companies were used; and if he will make a...

      Departmental Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what equality impact assessments his Department has carried out since May 2010; and for what purpose in each case.

  • Justice

    • Young Offenders: Health Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information is collected from prisoners on their (a) health and (b) education on entry to the secure estate; and whether any other information is...

  • International Development

    • Departmental Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in each of the public bodies for which his...

    • Departmental Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much redundancy pay was paid to civil servants in his Department in each month between September and November 2011.

      Developing Countries: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on supporting agricultural production in developing countries in each year since 1997.

      Developing Countries: Biofuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to address the loss of agricultural land due to biofuel production in developing countries.

      Developing Countries: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist the UK's bilateral partner countries to improve the conditions for doing business in...

  • Education

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess the merits of subsidising wage costs from the public purse for apprentices aged 16 to 18 years.

    • Children: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the Autumn Statement, how many disadvantaged two-year-olds in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) parliamentary constituency...

      Early Intervention Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much each recipient organisation received from the Early Intervention Grant in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

      Email

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether (a) he and (b) his special advisers (1) sought legal advice as to whether the deletion of private emails concerning Government business sent...

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in (a) comprehensive and (b) independent schools achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE (i) in total and (ii) including English...

      Pupil Premium: Pendle

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students have benefited from pupil premium funding in Pendle constituency since April 2011.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Charities: VAT

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will extend eligibility for the VAT refund scheme to charities who deliver public services under a contract with a public sector organisation.

    • Cybercrime: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what (a) cyber and (b) physical steps he is taking to protect UK businesses and individual internet users from cyber infrastructure attacks.

      EU Law

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other means originated...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the ministerial group on the Big Society has met; what subjects were on its agenda at each meeting; and on what dates these...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Co-operatives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps (a) his Department and (b) those bodies for which his Department is responsible are taking to mark UN Year of the...

    • Departmental Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many apprentices were employed by his Department between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and how...

      Energy Efficiency Deployment Office: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to appoint a (a) chair and (b) director to administer the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office.

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on energy bills of (a) the Green Deal, (b) feed-in tariffs, (c) Contract for Difference and...

      Horizon Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) security of supply and (b) competition in the energy marketplace of the sale of...

      Power Failures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have power supply voltage optimisation devices.

      Solar Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 216W, on solar power, whether his Department has any plans to (a)...

      Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the average number of feed-in tariff solar PV installations that were completed between (a) April 2010 and October...

      Warm Front Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 798W, on Warm Front Scheme: St Helens, for how many parliamentary...

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to visit the proposed site of the Brechfa Forest West wind farm.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) bi-lateral and (b) multi-lateral meetings (i) he and (ii) his officials have had with their international counterparts...

    • Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution his Department is making to developing policy on the inclusion of import, export, re-export, transit,...

      Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of his Department's officials at each grade are working on the arms trade treaty negotiations; whether there has been...

      Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the steps the banks that signed up to the Merlin Agreement have taken to encourage increased...

      Business: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the steps taken by the banks that signed up to the Merlin Agreement to initiate...

      Business: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the steps taken by the banks that signed up to the Merlin Agreement to give more...

      Business: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the progress of delivery using the 17 commitments made by the British Bankers' Association...

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the press release issued by the Regulatory Policy Committee on 25 July 2011, whether the net cost figures...

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of progress by his Department in implementing the objective in the coalition agreement to reduce the...

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Second Statement of New Regulation which departments did not (a) pass any deregulatory measures and (b)...

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on which date a final impact assessment was (a) received and (b) validated by the Regulatory Policy Committee for each regulatory...

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the moratorium on new domestic regulation for micro-businesses and start-ups was applied to all (a) regulatory measures...

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the moratorium on new domestic regulation for micro-businesses and start-ups...

      Cluster Munitions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he last met representatives of (a) banks and (b) other financial institutions to discuss direct or indirect investment in...

      Council for Science and Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Council for Science and Technology (CST) (a) received in 2010-11 and (b) will receive in 2011-12; what...

      Departmental Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what equality impact assessments his Department has carried out since May 2010; and for what purpose in each case.

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people were working in his Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011.

      Departmental Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on recruitment agencies in each month since September 2011.

      Departmental Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much redundancy pay was paid to civil servants in his Department in each month between September and November 2011.

      Departmental Temporary Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many temporary staff were recruited to his Department between September and November 2011.

      Foreign Investment in UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to (1) improve the UK's ranking in the World Bank's 2012 Doing Business Report; and what...

      Foresight

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from his Department Foresight (a) received in 2010-11 and (b) will receive in 2011-12; what estimate he has made...

      Green Investment Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Green Investment Bank to receive state aid clearance.

      Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve access to its programmes and services for people with hearing impairment.

      High Street Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Portas review, if he will meet the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to discuss the...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department plans to allocate to the Widening Participation Premium in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to consult on any proposed changes to the widening participation premium.

      Higher Education: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effects of recent trends in UCAS applications for 2012 admission on implementation...

      Higher Education: Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people applied for courses through UCAS in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011 to date by (i) region and...

      Higher Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to ensure and maintain the quality of institutions with degree-awarding powers under his proposals to...

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) businesses and (b) retailers (i) were liquidated and (ii) went into administration in each month in each of the last...

      Japan Tobacco International: Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Minister for Business and Enterprise plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Weaver Vale of 20...

      Met Office: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been paid in bonuses to staff employed at the Met Office in each of the last five years.

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage increased competition in the nuclear industry supply chain and (b) ensure...

      Nuclear Power: Skilled Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises that wish to invest in the nuclear power supply...

      Public Houses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has visited any (a) pubs and (b) breweries in an official capacity as a guest of (i) the British Beer and Pub...

      Retail Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to encourage large retailers to support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers.

      Royal Bank of Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Financial Service Authority on whether RBS was in compliance with...

      Royal Mail: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with the Royal Mail on its chair's remuneration, bonuses, benefits and pension...

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to changing the tuition fee threshold which allows institutions to bid for additional places...

      Third Sector: Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1122W, on third sector, how much assistance to the Russian...

      UK Space Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the UK Space Agency (a) received in 2010-11 and (b) will receive in 2011-12; what estimate he has made of the...

      Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of people undertaking (a) paid and (b) unpaid internships that (i) are and (ii) are...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Adders: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of trends in the number of adders in the UK.

    • Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to improve (a) communication and (b) response times between the Animal Health and...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she plans to implement the proposed licensing scheme to prevent circuses from using wild animals if they do not provide...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to bring forward proposals under Section 12 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to ban the use of wild animals...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the number of wild animals bred in UK circuses; and what her policy is on whether a...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when (a) she and (b) officials from her Department have met with animal welfare organisations to discuss the planned...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to ensure that the introduction of a licensing system does not increase the number of wild...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 221W, on animal...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 464W, on animal welfare: circuses, if she will provide...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2011, Official Report, column 465W, on animal welfare: circuses, which animal welfare...

      Animals: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which countries live (a) cats and (b) dogs are imported into the UK; and if she will make a statement.

      Animals: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of live (a) cats and (b) dogs which have been illegally imported into the UK in each...

      Animals: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live (a) cats and (b) dogs have been (i) imported into and (ii) exported from the UK in each of the last five years;...

      Biodiversity: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage the change in the funding of the Species Recovery Programme is in 2011-12; if she will make it her policy to...

      Biofuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (a) how much was spent on subsidy to UK producers of crops used for biofuel production and (b) how many tonnes of UK-grown...

      Butterfly Conservation: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has had any discussions with Natural England on the effect on species recovery work of funding reductions to the...

      Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to allow public access to circus inspection reports.

      Cocoa: EU External Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's response to the British Standards Institution's recent...

      Common Agricultural Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK's contribution to the EU budget was accounted for by the common agricultural policy in each year...

      Common Fisheries Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many active fishing fleets were registered in the UK in each year since 2001.

      Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were convicted of offences governed by the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild...

      Dairy Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the conclusions of the Committee on Climate Change's Fourth Carbon Budget report and the Government Office...

      Dangerous Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to (1) repeal breed specific legislation in relation to dangerous...

      Departmental Assets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assets with a value of £250,000 or more her Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if she will...

      Departmental Catering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on food purchased through its food and catering services in the last 12 month period for which...

      Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the resource budget allocation was for the office of her Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last...

      Departmental Communication

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications...

      Departmental Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of food sourced by (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible was procured from UK...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were working in her Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011.

      Departmental Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in her Department in each of the last 12 months.

      Departmental Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on hospitality by her Department since May 2010.

      Departmental Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what methodology (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible used to estimate...

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on new furnishings in the last year.

      Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports her Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which...

      Departmental Secondment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what secondments there have been to her Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i)...

      Departmental Temporary Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many temporary staff have been recruited to her Department between September and November 2011.

      Detergents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the adequacy of regulation of the use of environmentally harmful chemicals in...

      Dogs: Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the likely cost to the public purse of the compulsory microchipping of dogs; (2) what...

      Dogs: Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the mandatory electronic chipping of dogs; and if she will make a statement.

      Elephants: Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support the Government is providing through international organisations to tackle the poaching of elephants in Central...

      Elephants: Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support her Department is providing to the African Elephant Action Plan through the African Elephant Fund.

      EU Landfill Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the EU Landfill Directive since its introduction.

      Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of active fishermen in each (a) constituent part of the UK and (b) region in each...

      Fisheries: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review Bylaw 5 as it relates to the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

      Fisheries: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority on enforcement of...

      Fisheries: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that those who hold licences issued by the North Western Inshore Fisheries and...

      Fishing Catches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the total tonnage of fish discards in UK waters in each year of the Common Fisheries Policy's...

      Flood Control: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in spending on flood defences on the budgets for clearing up...

      Food: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to promote exports of British food to other EU member states.

      Food: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider reviewing the best before dates for low-risk food products for the purposes of reducing food waste.

      Food: Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce waste across the food supply chain.

      Government Procurement Card

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Government Procurement Card transactions were made by her Department's officials withdrawing cash from automated...

      Japan Tobacco

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in her Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco...

      Livestock Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to oppose the European Commission's proposals to legislate against the prophylactic use of...

      Marine Conservation Zones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites have been assessed as having adequate supporting scientific evidence for designation as a marine conservation zone.

      Marine Conservation Zones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether funding for improving the scientific evidence base for marine conservation zones will be distributed across all such...

      National Parks: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the review by National Park Authorities on arrangements for local governance to be completed.

      Rural Areas: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the £165 million funding for the rural economy that her Department announced on 29 November 2011 was additional...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much direct funding her Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c)...

      Veterinary Laboratories Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the site property valuations are of the regional veterinary laboratory centres in England and Wales.

      Water Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to replace the use of rateable values in the calculation of bills for unmetered domestic water supply.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Big Lottery Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many applications for Big Lottery funding were made in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the north-east...

    • Big Lottery Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many applications for Big Lottery funding were made in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years; and...

      Works of Art

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of unlisted and unprotected outdoor public works of art in...

  • House of Lords

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recent World Bank report on Afghanistan which predicts that $7 billion per year will be required from foreign donors including the...

    • Agriculture and Food

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the potential of the agricultural industry in the United Kingdom to contribute to the promotion of food security and economic growth in...

      Arts: Funding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Rawlings on 12 December (WA 206), what were the action points agreed at any meetings in the last 12 months between the...

      Dyslexia

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the level of support provided by the educational system for those with dyslexia, and the level of understanding of dyslexia in the educational system, is...

      Environment: Contaminated Land

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the variation agreed in the contaminated land remediation project.

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the shortage of medicines in Gaza, and in particular the lack of dialysis filters.

      Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why, in the light of their commitment to reducing the costs of the UK Border Agency, incoming passengers on the Eurostar have recently been subject to immigration...

      Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will install closed-circuit television cameras at each immigration desk to record the entry of all visitors into the United Kingdom.

      Justice: Legal Complaints

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a consumer claiming fraud and dishonesty on the part of legal practitioners during court proceedings should direct himself to the Law Society, the High...

      Music: Youth Orchestras

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have given to youth orchestras, bands and choirs that cover all or part of the Greater London area.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to enshrine in law the commitment in the coalition agreement to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on overseas development assistance...

      Royal Family: Royal Titles

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to enable all first-born children of princes of the Blood Royal and of other members of the Royal Family to inherit their fathers' titles.

      Schools: Academies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent schools are involved in their academies programme; and how many new school places have been created in the maintained sector as a result.

      Schools: Teachers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers were employed in each of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London in each year since 1995 up until the latest year for which records are...

      Schools: Teaching Assistants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teaching assistants were employed in each of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London in each year since 1995 up until the latest year for which...

      UK Border Agency: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they will take with regard to the administration of the UK Border Agency following the conviction for criminal offences in connection with their...

      UK Border Agency: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the nationality qualifications required for employment in the UK Border Agency; and whether they intend to continue the practice of employing former...

      UK Border Agency: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK Border Agency staff based in the United Kingdom are non-British nationals; and how many hold passports of other countries in addition to their United...

      Visas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students from India and Pakistan have been given visas to enter the United Kingdom to study in the past five years; and how many nationals of those...

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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