Written answers

Monday, 23 January 2012

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Advertising: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was spent on advertising in the UK economy in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of...

    • Broadband: EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on European regional development fund...

      Diamond Jubilee 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what provision will be made for British Overseas Territories in the official Queen's diamond jubilee celebration; (2)...

      HMS Ark Royal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made on the possible financial benefits to the economy of Torbay from the sale of HMS Ark...

      Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many listed places of worship have participated in the grant scheme for repairs in (a) Leicester and (b) England in the...

      Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which five sports (a) he and (b) the Minister for Sport and the Olympics visited most in an official capacity in 2011.

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has assessed the effect of (a) advertising specifically focused on children and (b) fictional acts of violence...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society...

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of the Standard Learning Credit scheme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15; (2) what...

    • Armed Forces: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to encourage more service personnel to take advantage of the funding assistance provided by his Department through schemes such...

      Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the National Security Council has discussed the Arms Trade Treaty; and whether he has asked the Council to discuss it.

      Entertainers: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding from the public purse has been spent on provision of accommodation, hospitality, transport or other facilities to enable showbusiness...

      Ex-servicemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to assess whether levels of (a) alcohol dependency, (b) substance dependency, (c) homelessness, (d) mental health problems and...

      HMS Victory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future management and conservation of the wreck of HMS Victory 1744; and if he will make a statement.

      Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Programme: Tankers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RFA tankers are to be ordered in the MARS programme.

      Rescue Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2011, Official Report, column 799W, on rescue services, what the minimum altitude was of the maritime patrol...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral answer of 11 October 2011, Official Report, column 172W, on individual voter registration, for what reasons the level of voter registration...

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has considered downgrading the remit of the Electoral Commission to monitor electoral registration.

  • Education

    • Academies Act 2010

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the outcome of the consideration he gave under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010 to the effect of establishing the free schools...

    • Academies: Faith Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether his Department is working with the Church of England to make it possible for community schools to convert to faith academies in one...

      Academies: Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of any effects of the conversion of primary schools into academies on (a) head teacher salaries, (b) provision of cooked...

      Education: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans his Department has to include reference to children's subjective well-being relating to school life within school inspection frameworks and...

      Education: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the ending of educational maintenance allowance on levels of subjective well-being...

      Financial Services: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) level of financial education in schools.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he gives to the number of free school meals claimed when calculating levels of educational (a) attainment and (b) performance.

      History: GCSE

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of children taking history at GCSE level.

      Primary Education: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) men and (b) women have qualified as primary school teachers in the last three years for which figures are available.

      Pupils: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children eligible for the pupil premium in Carlisle constituency in academic year 2012-13.

      Pupils: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children the pupil premium has been allocated to in Carlisle constituency since it was introduced.

      Schools: Liverpool

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on schools in Liverpool of reductions in his Department's budget in 2014-15.

      Secondary Education: Gifted Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of maintained secondary schools had nominated at least one pupil for the Gifted and Talented programme as at the end of...

      Sixth Form Colleges: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the updated health and safety guidance for schools and local authorities issued in July 2011 also applies to sixth form colleges; and if he...

      Skerton Community Primary School

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions have taken place between his Department and Lancashire County Council on the future of the Skerton Community Primary School site.

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Carbon Sequestration: EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what written representations he has made to Commissioner Hedgegaard on UK readiness to co-finance carbon capture and storage projects...

    • Carbon Sequestration: EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assurances representatives of the European Commission's DG Climate have sought on the UK's readiness to co-finance carbon capture...

      Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

      Environment Protection: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the impact assessment for the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation, what estimate his Department has made of the...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      European Investment Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to be notified by the European Commission's DG Climate of the relative positions of UK projects in the ranking prepared...

      Homesun Holdings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what legal costs his Department has incurred in the case of Homesun Holdings Ltd v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Scottish farmers have received in subsidies from the EU in each of the last five years.

    • Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legal obstacles prevent the enactment of a ban on wild animals in circuses in the UK.

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the recent decision by the Austrian Constitutional Court, whether she has taken further legal advice on the...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 456W, on animal welfare: circuses, and with reference to...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2012, Official Report, columns 733-4W, on animal welfare: circuses, which licensing...

      Animal Welfare: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency budget was allocated to the inspection of live animal...

      Animal Welfare: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency are responsible for inspecting live animal export...

      Dangerous Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; (2) what discussions...

      Departmental Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts her Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month...

      Departmental Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on recruitment agencies in each month since September 2011.

      Dogs: Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2012, Official Report, column 363W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, on dogs:...

      Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the number of days fishermen can spend at sea on the...

      Fishing Catches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what her policy is on over-fishing; what recent representations she has received on the issue; and if she will make a...

      Forestry Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the relevance to her Department's policies of the recommendations in the report commissioned by the...

      Habitats Regulations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of the Habitats Regulations between July 2011 and...

      Hydroelectric Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applicants for hydro-electric power schemes there have been; and what progress she has made with the Nene Valley...

      Lakes and Reservoirs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage farmers and landowners to excavate and install lakes and reservoirs.

      Natural Capital Committee

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what criteria she proposes the Natural Capital Committee will use to determine if natural assets are being used...

      Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to stop the sale of endangered species as pets.

      Rivers: Surrey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of river flows in Surrey and West Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

      Water: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has assessed the available annual water resource in the UK under the (a) 2°C and (b) 4°C global...

  • Northern Ireland

  • Transport

    • Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate she has made of the number of vehicles which used the Dartford crossing in each of the last 18 months; (2) what estimate she has...

    • Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate she has made of how much of the cost to the public purse of the Tyne and Wear Metro falls beyond the comprehensive spending review...

      East Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Ministers have been involved in the decision by East Coast Trains to apply to the Office of Rail Regulation for train paths to enable them to...

      Heathrow Airport: Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on a rail connection from the Great Western Main Line to Heathrow airport and the proposed High Speed 2 scheme.

      Highways Agency: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles of each type are available to incident support units in each area of the Highways Agency network; and how many such vehicles of each...

      Japan Tobacco International: Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in her Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010.

      Pearson VUE

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have met with representatives of Pearson VUE since 25 October 2011; and what future...

      Pedestrian Crossings: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of accidents that occurred on zebra crossings in the latest period for which figures are available.

      Pedicabs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations she has received on the application of traffic regulations to pedicabs since June 2010; (2) what recent discussions she has...

      Pedicabs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the provisions of the Disability Discrimination (Transport Vehicle) Regulations 2006 apply to pedicabs; and what assessment her Department has...

      Pedicabs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the (a) safety and (b) roadworthiness of pedicabs.

      Port Security Regulations 2009

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress she has made on implementing the Port Security Regulations 2009.

      Railways: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK cities do not have disabled access at mainline railway stations.

      Railways: Exchange Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the foreign exchange rate risk was considered as part of the major projects and rail investment review.

      Railways: Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of theft of metal from railways lines there have been in (a) Newton Abbot constituency and (b) Devon in each of the last three years.

      Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who she consulted on her decision to alter standards in respect of (a) response time to incidents and (b) winter maintenance on roads under the...

      Roads: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the appropriateness of the volumes of road grit reserves.

      Travel Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to ensure that travel information is available in a variety of formats.

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the Government and police.

  • Treasury

    • Air Passenger Duty

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of air passenger duty on the airline industry.

    • Air Passenger Duty

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic effects of levying variable air passenger duties in different parts of the UK.

      Banks: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to make the bonuses awarded to employees of state-owned and state-funded banks more transparent.

      Banks: Unfair Practices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on the number of cases where banks were found to be in breach of Conduct of...

      Business: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to officials in HM Revenue and Customs on the practice of offering sweetheart deals; and what his policy is on the future of...

      Child Benefit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average annual saving to the Exchequer of abolishing child benefit for (a) higher rate taxpayers and (b) third and...

      Climate Change Levy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the spending cap to be reached for every policy covered by his Department's Control framework for Department of Energy and Climate Change...

      Community Development Tax Relief

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Community Development Tax Relief Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

      Cooperatives

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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 he...

      Credit Reference Agencies: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will estimate the (a) credit rating an independent Scotland would receive from international ratings agencies and (b) the 10 year bond...

      EU Law

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and...

      Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the introduction of Machine Game Duty on (a) seaside tourism and (b) city centres.

      Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of machine gaming duty on (a) jobs and (b) businesses in the amusement sector.

      Financial Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the quality of data published by banks on their lending activities to businesses in deprived areas; and if he will make...

      Gift Aid

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider relaxing the requirement that in order to claim 25 per cent. Gift Aid, charities must write a letter to the donor on each occasion a...

      Income Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of income tax revenue was derived from the (a) first, (b) second, (c) third and (d) fourth quartile of earners in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

      Insurance: Floods

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 December 2011, Official Report, columns 140-1WS, on flood risk management, what meetings (a) have taken...

      Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to review the budget allocated to the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme.

      Loans

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was owed to the UK, and by which countries, in the last year for which figures are available.

      Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect of the outsourcing of services in the manufacturing sector on its assessed contribution to GDP in National Statistics over...

      Mortgages

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has for future regulation of buy-to-let mortgage loans.

      Revenue and Customs: Industrial Disputes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to ensure that members of the public are able to obtain assistance and advice on the deadline for online self-assessment returns...

      Revenue and Customs: Standards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is on charging penalties for late return if the delay is the fault of HMRC.

      Tax Evasion

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of tax evasion.

      Universal Credit: Self-employed

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to introduce minimum pay for self-employed workers when calculating tax credits in respect of the Government's plans for universal credit.

      Unpaid Taxes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax was unpaid in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of collecting all unpaid tax in each of...

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the effect on small businesses of making online submission of VAT returns compulsory from April 2012.

      VAT: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of VAT fraud within the EU emissions trading system in each year since 2008.

      VAT: Repayments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many small and medium-sized businesses were rejected repayment agreements in respect of their VAT liability in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c)...

      Working Tax Credit: Shrewsbury

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many households in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency in receipt of working tax credit were working less than 24 hours per week in the latest...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Big Society Capital

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much money Big Society Capital has raised from dormant accounts in banks, building societies and other financial institutions since its inception;...

    • Charitable Donations

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to incentivise employers to offer payroll giving opportunities to their employees; and if he will make a statement.

      EU Law

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and...

      Families

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of children live with (a) married (first time marriage), (b) married (reconstituted), (c) divorced (living with father),...

      Families

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many and what proportion of children live in more than one household; (2) what estimate he has made of the effect of the number of children...

      Shift Work

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the number of people who worked night shifts in each of the last 30 years.

      Social Impact Bonds

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government has invested in social impact bonds in the latest year for which figures are available; what estimate he has made of the level...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society initiative; and if he will make a...

      Voluntary Work: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the recommendation of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations Commissioner on Big Society that the...

      Working Hours

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the average number of hours worked by full-time workers in each socio-economic group in each of the last 30 years.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

    • Council Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to provide funding to deal with the backlog of capital works needed to council housing; and what his...

      Council Tax: Sefton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the income of Sefton borough council of proposed reform of council tax.

      Electoral Register: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has had discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister on the potential effects of funding reductions by his Department...

      EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much money from the European regional development fund has been (a) contracted and (b) paid to projects in each region...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c)...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which EU (a) directives, (b) regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department require transposition into UK law;...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      European Regional Development Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that regions of England access all funds available under the European regional...

      Fire Services: East of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) revenue and (b) capital cost was of the Eastern Region Fire Control Centre in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire in each of...

      Fire Services: East of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the disposal of the Eastern Region Fire Control Centre building in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire; and if he...

      First Time Buyers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first time buyers have participated in the (a) First Buy Shared Equity and (b) New Build Home Buy scheme since it was...

      Housing: Wiltshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the level of New Homes Bonus funding to be allocated to (a) Swindon and (b) Wiltshire in 2012-13.

      Local Government Finance: Kent

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department has provided to Kent County Council in each year since 2005.

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what economic impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effect of the proposed changes to the Local Government...

      Mobile Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to review guidance issued by his Department on the management of mobile home parks.

      Mobile Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers are available to local councils to deal with owners of mobile homes who breach the guidance on the number of homes...

      Mobile Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish proposals for the regulation of park homes.

      Non-domestic Rates: Sefton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the income of Sefton borough council of his proposed changes to non-domestic rates.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Antarctic Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure the enforcement of the Antarctic Treaty.

    • Australia: Eagles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the effect of intensive logging on the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle population with the Government of Australia.

      Belarus: Freedom of Expression

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Belarus on freedom of expression in that country.

      British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects the Government's target to halt overall loss of biodiversity by 2020 to apply to the British Overseas...

      Burma: Political Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the health of monk U Sandawbartha, known as U Gambira, recently released from prison in Burma.

      Crown Dependencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that the contracts it awards relating to Crown Dependencies and...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department are solely responsible for Overseas Territory affairs; and what the (a) job title and (b)...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full- time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering...

      Diplomatic Service: Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many unpaid or expenses-only interns there were employed by or based at UK (a) embassies and (b) consulates since May 2010.

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      European Court of Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Departments, (b) Ministers and (c) other stakeholders are consulted prior to the preparation by his Department of...

      Ilois: Resettlement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 85W, on Ilois: resettlement, what the costs to the public...

      Libya: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on unrest around the town of Gharyan in Libya.

      Nigeria: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Nigerian counterpart the effect of unrest and industrial action on disadvantaged communities in that...

      President of the European Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the cost to the Exchequer of a new headquarters for the President of the European...

      Somalia: Piracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has sought that (a) the Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy in January 2012 and (b) Somali pirates...

      USA: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the US Secretary of State on the national security implications for the US of independence for...

  • Health

    • Air Ambulance Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of future commissioning arrangements for air ambulance services.

    • Air Ambulance Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of air ambulance personnel are funded by the NHS.

      Benzodiazepines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what warnings his Department has issued on possible teratogenic effects of the use of benzodiazepines; when such warnings were issued; and on what...

      Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

      Departmental Air Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions since August 2010 he has taken flights on departmental business in the UK; how many of any such flights were made in either first or...

      Diabetes: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to introduce universal screening for diabetes in South Asian communities.

      Drugs: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the timescales for variations to pharmaceutical licences on UK businesses involved in the...

      Dystonia: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the conclusions were of the review by the South West Specialised Commissioning Group (SCG) of funding of deep brain stimulation for severe dystonia;...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b)...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      Genito-urinary Medicine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether data on the percentage of appointments at genito-urinary clinics made within 48 hours of the appointment will continue to be collected after April...

      Health Professions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the recommendations made by the NHS Future Forum about health professionals asking patients about their lifestyle.

      Health Professions: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to the provision of health trainers in (a) England and (b) Worcestershire in the latest period for which figures...

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he proposes for the development of nationally convergent commissioning policies in relation to specialised services; what plans he has for...

      Health Services: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he proposes to allocate to Healthwatch in Lancashire in each of the three financial years from 2013-14.

      Health Services: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was made available to local involvement networks in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

      Liposonal Dioxorubicin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to reduce regulations which limit the manufacture and supply of approved drugs such as liposonal dioxorubicin.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of mindfulness-based practices on levels of (a) mental health, (b) depression and (c) physical health.

      Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the recommendations on the mental health of veterans in the Fighting Fit report will be implemented in full.

      Mental Health: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to employment for people with (a) mental health issues and (b) learning difficulties.

      Neurology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will prepare and publish a national outcomes strategy for long-term neurological conditions.

      NHS Foundation Trusts: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Trusts were found to have breached his Department's advertising guidelines in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010 and (e) 2011; and how...

      NHS: Parking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics each NHS organisation reported to his Department in the Estates Return Information Collection on (a) the number of car parking spaces...

      Pancreatic Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the causes of regional variations in pancreatic cancer survival rates; (2) what steps he is taking to ensure that...

      Paroxetine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has assessed paroxetine as being teratogenic.

      Schizophrenia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people in England diagnosed with schizophrenia in each (a) primary care trust area, (b) strategic health...

      Schizophrenia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with schizophrenia in (a) each primary care trust and (b) England in each year since 2002.

      Social Services: Kent

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of adult social care in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent in (i) 2020, (ii) 2040 and (iii) 2060.

      Suicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital-based staff have completed Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training in each primary care trust in each of the last five years; and...

      University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale, local clinicians and patients to discuss (a) the lessons learned from the investigation of...

  • Home Department

    • Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if she will make a statement.

    • EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which EU regulations her Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if she will make a statement.

      Immigration: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the letter from the Minister for Immigration of 13 June 2011 on the number of appeals allowed by the First-tier Tribunal...

      Riot (Damages) Act 1886

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of the monetary value of claims brought under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 have been paid since August 2011; (2) how...

      Security: London 2012 Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the security systems and resources of the Metropolitan Police, Government and Olympic Agencies, Transport for London and...

  • Justice

    • Bronzefield Prison: Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of security checks on family visitors to Bronzefield prison was in the last year for which figures are available.

    • Chief Coroner

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether he proposes that the charter for the coroner service will include reference to the chief coroner and his (a) functions and (b) powers; (2)...

      Civil Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases relating to the public disorder in summer 2011 summer disorder have involved the use of restorative justice processes.

      Civil Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any offenders convicted of involvement in the public disorder in August 2011 whose cases were heard in the Inner London Crown court were issued...

      Civil Proceedings: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Lord Jackson's recommendations in his review of civil litigation funding, what steps he has taken to determine the means by which a 10...

      Civil Proceedings: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in determining the qualifications that will be used in the qualified one way costs shifting regime for civil litigation; and if...

      Community Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost is of (a) providing supervision for and (b) supporting an offender with a community sentence; and what the average cost is of...

      Contact Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many contact orders issued by the family division were contested by a parent in each of the last three years; (2) how many contact orders were...

      Crimes Outside National Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether a time limit exists for prosecutions brought in respect of offences committed in other countries; (2) whether steps are being taken to...

      Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Tooting of 28 February 2011, Official Report, columns 5-8W, on departmental public expenditure and...

      Debt Collection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints about bailiffs his Department has received in each month since May 2010.

      Debt Collection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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 statement.

      Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average waiting time for a disability living allowance appeal to be heard was (a) in London and (b) nationally in the latest period for...

      Driving Under Influence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people were convicted of causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; (2) how many...

      Employment Tribunals Service : Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to alter fees and charges for lodging cases with employment tribunals.

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy area which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      European Court of Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what response he has made to the European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber Judgement in the Hanif and Khan v United Kingdom case; whether he has any...

      Fixed Penalties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fixed penalty notices were issued in each of the last five years.

      HM Courts and Tribunals Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what costs under each heading of expenditure his Department incurred in (a) abolishing HM Courts Service and (b) establishing HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

      Judicial Appointments Commission for England and Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what categories of expenditure he expects the Judicial Appointments Commission to make savings; and what assessment he has made of the effect of...

      Kidnapping: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of child abduction came before the courts where the abductor was a parent of the child concerned in each of the last three years.

      Legal Aid Scheme: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the response of the Employment Appeal Tribunal to his consultation on the Reform of Legal Aid.

      Legal Services Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to ensure that inadvertent errors in completing Legal Services Commission forms can be corrected without the need for a...

      Legal Services Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his estimate is of the total amount of time spent in a month by judges on endorsing claims by Counsel seeking payment for their work from the Legal...

      Legal Services Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason a one-page Family Advocacy Scheme Attendance form has to be signed or initialled by a judge in up to six different places before a...

      Legal Services Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time taken by the Legal Services Commission was to process fee payment applications on behalf of barristers undertaking work funded from...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 28 November 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Tariq Nadeem and Mrs Salma Tariq.

      Offences Against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number was of previous convictions for taking indecent photographs of children held by a person convicted of that offence without being...

      Offenders: Dyslexia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to measure the proportion of offenders diagnosed as dyslexic.

      Prisoners’ Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were recalled to prison in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011.

      Prisoners: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners have no educational qualifications; (2) what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prisoners...

      Prisoners: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) with which countries his officials are negotiating treaties for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners; (2) with which countries the UK...

      Prisoners: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which non-EU countries the UK has a treaty for the repatriation of foreign national prisoners; and on what date each treaty was signed.

      Prisons: Voluntary Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding was allocated to (a) prisoner support and (b) offender support third sector organisations in each of the last five years; and if he will...

      Social Entitlement Chamber

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost is of a hearing at the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First Tier Tribunals.

      Victims Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department allocated to organisations providing support to victims of crime in each of the last five years.

      Young Offender Institutions: Injuries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1068-72W, how many times a restrictive physical intervention was used; how many...

      Youth Custody: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from the London borough of Enfield have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Christmas

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if she will make a statement.

    • Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many and what proportion of full- time equivalent staff in the Government Equalities Office are engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b)...

  • Work and Pensions

    • StartHere

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department is working with the Department of Health on the deployment of applications produced by StartHere.

    • Female Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reduce the rate of female unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

      Work Capability Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking in conjunction with disability groups to update the handbook and guidance used by Atos in the...

      Carer's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to his Department of continuing to pay carer’s allowance to those carers in receipt of a state pension.

      Charities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child support cases the Child Support Agency held for Carlisle in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

      Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

      Co-operatives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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;...

      Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average backdated claim was which was awarded in disability living allowance appeals in the latest period for which figures are...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy area which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      Future Jobs Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had on the effects on unemployment of closure of the future jobs fund.

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to protect the interests of people with small pension pots.

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on living standards of people (a) with disabilities and (b) diagnosed with cancer of his proposals in...

      Unemployment: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's recent unemployment figures include those people aged over 60 but under 65 who no longer need to make further national...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date he expects to publish programme plans for universal credit.

      Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what sources of information his Department bases its calculations of the number of job vacancies that are available to people seeking employment.

      Welfare State: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he expects to save from the reform of the welfare system in each of the next three years; and what assessment he has made of the cost...

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many off-benefit checks his Department has performed in relation to the Work programme since its inception.

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means he will assess the extent to which Work Programme Prime Providers' funding arrangements meet the Merlin Standard for equitable...

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 217W, on the Work programme, whether claimant starts for the period June to...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Acas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with ACAS on changes to early conciliation and the resources to support such changes.

    • Acas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the additional resources required by ACAS to implement the Government's early conciliation...

      ACAS: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided to ACAS in each year between 2008 and 2011; and how much his Department plans to provide...

      Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average debt of those entering bankruptcy in each year since 2001; and what the average debt...

      Business: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of average levels of cash on companies' balance sheets; and what discussions he has had with...

      Business: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      Business: Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the opportunity to develop and increase Business in the Community's Business Connector programme;...

      Business: Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what steps he is taking to encourage companies to offer opportunities and assistance to help their staff volunteer; and if...

      Consumers: Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the EU Consumer Credit Sweep (1) what steps he plans to take to ensure that UK regulatory and enforcement...

      Dementia: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the (a) Medical Research Council and (b) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council spent on dementia research...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full-time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering (a)...

      Departmental Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a list of (a) all new regulations introduced and (b) all regulations abolished under his Department’s...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been...

      Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the (a) CBI, (b) Institute of Directors and (c) Federation of Small Businesses on...

      Flexible Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to promote flexible working in the last 30 years.

      High Street Support Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 1211W, on the High Street Support scheme, what the...

      Higher Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to issue guidance to universities on donations from countries with a poor record on human rights.

      Higher Education: Yorkshire and the Humber

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 145W, on higher education: admissions, following the 15...

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Insolvency Service intends to release information on personal insolvencies in each parliamentary constituency for 2010.

      Local Enterprise Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role local economic partnerships will play in delivering services previously provided by UK Trade and Investment.

      Overseas Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Strategic Relations Unit has taken to ensure there is a coherent trade policy across all Government Departments.

      Overseas Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Third Special Report from the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, HC 1545, paragraph 14, if he will...

      Overseas Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the UK's global ranking is for (a) exports and (b) inward investment in the (i) marine, (ii) security, (iii) aerospace and...

      Overseas Trade: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of changes in the levels of (a) exports and (b) inward investment arising from UK Trade and...

      Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent from its funding for science and research programmes in each region in each year for which figures...

      Trade Promotion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that (a) small and medium-sized businesses, (b) the creative industries and (c)...

      Trade Promotion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanism his Department has put in place to assess the effectiveness of The British Business Ambassadors Network.

      Trade Promotion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) name, (b) country of origin and (c) sector expertise is of each member of the Catalyst UK network.

      UK Trade and Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what strategy UK Trade and Investment has put in place to increase its work with small and medium-sized businesses.

      UK Trade and Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to attract business leaders into roles in UK Trade and Investment.

      UK Trade and Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria UK Trade and Investment uses to calculate its budgets for different international markets.

      UK Trade and Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role sector group task forces have within UK Trade and Investment.

      UK Trade and Investment: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff UK Trade and Investment employs in each country in which it has a presence.

      UK Trade and Investment: PA Consulting Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what services PA Consulting provides through its contract with UK Trade and Investment.

      UK Trade and Investment: Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many unpaid or expenses-only interns have been employed by UK Trade and Investment since May 2010.

  • International Development

    • Departmental Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprentices were employed by each public body for which his Department is responsible between (a) April 2010 and March 2011...

    • Departmental Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much...

      Departmental Apprentices

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

      Departmental Visits Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the names are of people other than officials and political advisers who have accompanied him and his Ministers on official visits...

      Developing Countries: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions officials from his Department have had on the development of new agreement mechanisms for (a) food insecurity and (b)...

      Developing Countries: Famine

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the Save the Children Charter to End Extreme Hunger.

      Developing Countries: Famine

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what his policy is on the Save the Children Charter to End Extreme Hunger; (2) if he plans to hold discussions with...

      East Africa: Droughts

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the famine in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

      East Africa: Droughts

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had on the UK's contribution to the 2012 Consolidated Appeals for Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti.

      East Africa: Droughts

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the recent famine in the Horn of Africa; and if he will make a statement.

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which EU (a) directives, (b) regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department require transposition into UK law; and what...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which EU regulations his Department has not implemented; on what date the regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

      Food Aid: East Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much Government aid was given to East African countries to alleviate the food shortages in the last financial year for which...

      Food Aid: East Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he is taking steps to avert a food crisis in West Africa.

      Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the UK will make a contribution to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme.

      Migration: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has any plans to respond to the Government Office for Science’s Foresight report entitled Migration and...

      Nigeria: Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government have provided for the training of police in Nigeria.

      Sahel: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk of a food crisis developing in the Sahel; and what steps his Department is...

      Sahel: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase the livelihood resilience of (a) rural populations and (b) smallholders in the Sahel.

      Trade Promotion

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of foreign governments including the promotion...

  • House of Lords

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate the building of an effective relationship between the Government of Afghanistan and civil society in Afghanistan.

    • Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Astor of Hever on 18 July 2011 (WA 226), 11 August 2011 (WA 456), and 10 January (WA 2), when is the next conversion course...

      Armed Forces: Medals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Queen's Jubilee medal is being awarded only to service personnel with five or more years' service.

      Banking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take any action to regulate the shadow banking sector further, in the light of the growth of that sector relative to the regulated banking...

      Businesses: Multinational Companies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage corporate responsibility so that multinational companies are accountable to both governments and citizens.

      Civil Service: Private Health Care

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is any provision made from public funds for Civil Service employees to have access to private health care.

      Copyright

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs and losses for the creative industries of the proposals in the consultation on copyright to (1) introduce an exception...

      Cyprus: Sovereign Bases

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the circumstances surrounding the recent demonstration and rioting at the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area in the Republic of Cyprus; who was involved; and...

      Developing Countries: Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the recommendation by the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations and the...

      Education: English Baccalaureate

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider including music in the English Baccalaureate.

      Education: ESOL

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their approach to providing and funding English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in 2012; and what schemes and projects are being promoted.

      Education: Literacy

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 20 December (WA 343), what is their assessment of the 13-point rise in the proportion of 16 to 18 year-olds...

      Energy: Wind Turbines

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of ongoing studies on whether low-frequency noise produced by wind turbines causes significant nuisance in their vicinity, whether they will halt the...

      Ethiopia

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of attacks on opposition politicians and the media in Ethiopia; and whether they have any plans to raise those attacks with the...

      EU: Administrative Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there were any measures contained in the statements on 15 December concerning (1) the European Union Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, (2) the...

      Export and Re-export Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the current members of the Management Team of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; when each was appointed; on how many occasions the...

      Export Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government under what legislation export control is regulated; what amendments have been made to the legislation since it was enacted; what changes are planned in each of the...

      Finance: Payday Loans

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions each Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has had regarding the regulation of payday loans since July 2011; with...

      Finance: Regulation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the operation in the United Kingdom of the securities repurchase market and its role in regulatory arbitrage and systemic risk posed by...

      Financial Services Authority

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Financial Services Authority employees have been employed by the Banking Regulatory Division of the Bank of England and other similar government...

      Fire Safety

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 1 December 2011 (WA 93), which relevant research projects are currently being considered by the Department for...

      Fire Safety

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 29 November 2011 (WA 49), what research was carried out by the Department for Communities and Local Government...

      Government Departments: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the past five years for which figures are available and according to Civil Service band, how many people were eligible for performance and special...

      Government Departments: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the next three years for which figures are available and according to Civil Service band, how many people are eligible to receive performance and...

      Government Departments: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many press officers employed by the Government are members of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations; and what percentage of the total number employed...

      Housing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prospectuses for the Get Britain Building investment fund have been issued to interested developers to date.

      India

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the Government of India in calling for automatic exchange of tax information.

      Insolvency

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out an impact assessment on proposed changes to the pre-packaged insolvency sales regime; and, if so, whether they will publish that...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they are making to discuss with United Kingdom development, humanitarian and human rights non-governmental organisations issues relating to trade...

      Meat Plants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the completed impact assessment which the Food Standards Agency has submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee on charges for...

      Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to follow the Government of the United States in condemning the murder of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan in north Tehran...

      Music: Youth Orchestras

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many visits Ministers in the Department for Education have made to national, regional and district youth orchestras, bands or choirs since 6 May 2010.

      Official Veterinarian

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the charge-out rate for a contracted official veterinarian comprises the cost paid by the Food Standards Agency to the contractor; what are the...

      Overseas Stability

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what strategic direction the National Security Council and Building Stability Overseas Board will give to the Stabilisation Unit with respect to post-conflict and...

      Overseas Stability

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to facilitate the integrated approach advocated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the Building Stability Overseas Strategy.

      Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Richard Benyon, on 22 November (Official...

      Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statements by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 20 December 2011 (WS 195-201), which public sector pension schemes will have active members'...

      Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 December (WA 128-130), what will happen to the One North East pension scheme on that body's closure; and...

      People Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Separated Children's Guardianship Project scheme in Scotland and its application to trafficked children in England.

      Public Bodies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will require every form or other piece of paperwork produced by a public body that is intended to be completed by a private person, including a...

      Questions for Written Answer

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Cabinet Office Ministers' attention has been drawn to Lord Barnett's Question for Written Answer which was due for answer on 8 November and remained...

      Railways: Infrastructure

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the rail infrastructure capital investment announced in the 2011 Autumn Statement has been allocated to each region in England.

      Roads: A14

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timescale for the widening of the A14 Kettering bypass between junctions 7 and 9.

      Schools: Music

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 14 September 2011 (WA 76), whether they will research the links between the economic and employment...

      Schools: Sport

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £1 billion investment in youth and grassroots sport over the next five years will be invested in primary schools.

      Schools: Teachers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teaching staff in England were investigated by the General Teaching Council during its operation from foundation up to and including 2011 in respect of...

      Schools: Teachers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the teaching staff in England investigated by the General Teaching Council from foundation up to and including 2011 were found to be (1) guilty of...

      Schools: Teachers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the process from now on by which a teacher's (1) professional misconduct, and (2) unsatisfactory teaching performance, will be (a) reported, (b)...

      Sport and Recreation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much each local authority spent on sports and recreation facilities for each of the years 2007 to 2011; and what is their projection of the level of local...

      Sport: Young People

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport's comments on 10 January that sport legacy "does not mean taking funding and programmes that were...

      Sport: Young People

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many partnerships exist between schools and local clubs for participation and competition in sport and recreation, in both Olympic and non-Olympic sports; and...

      Steel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the steel industry in the United Kingdom. To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure the...

      Steel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Tata Steel about the retention of steel making in Corby.

      Sudan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government under what conditions they intend to provide debt relief to the Government of Sudan.

      Taiwan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which embassy represents the United Kingdom in Taiwan.

      Taiwan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the last official Government visit to Taiwan took place; who attended; and what was the occasion.

      Taiwan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when a representative of the Government of Taiwan last made an official visit to the United Kingdom.

      Taiwan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make an official visit to Taiwan.

      UK: Union

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the interests of fairness and equality, all the nations of the United Kingdom should be asked, through simultaneous referendums, whether they wish to...

      Water Supply: Meters

      To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many homes in each of the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London water usage is measured by a domestic meter.

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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