Written answers

Thursday, 30 January 2014

  • Transport

    • Curzon Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those...

    • Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the likely effect on household budgets of rail price increases coming into effect in January 2014 will be.

      Roads

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the funding allocation is for Highways Agency route based strategies in Oxfordshire; (2) what total funding is allocated to Highways Agency...

  • Wales

    • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library all assessments of new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 which give due consideration to the UN...

  • Attorney-General

    • European Commission

      To ask the Attorney-General if he will set out the Law Officers' Departments' priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

  • Prime Minister

    • European Commission

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out No. 10 Downing Street's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

  • Defence

    • Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's new Finance and Military Capability Operating Model.

    • Radar: Hebrides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date his Department allocated funding to permit the contract process to begin for the North Uist air defence radar upgrade; (2) on what...

      Radio Frequencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid in radio spectrum fees in each year between 2009-10 and 2012-13.

      Radio Frequencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department expects to pay in radio spectrum fees in each financial year between 2013-14 and 2015-16.

      Radio Frequencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department is making with the sale of (a) 2.3GHz and (b) 3.4GHz electromagnetic spectrum bands; and if he will make a statement.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Environment Protection: Taxation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to suspend any planned increase in the carbon price floor...

    • EU External Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on EU free trade agreements.

      European Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out his Department's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work Programme; and...

      Mailing Preference Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have chosen to use (a) Royal Mail's opt-out scheme and (b) the...

      Postal Services: Competition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ofcom and (b) Consumer Futures on the effect of end-to-end competition in the postal...

      Postal Services: Competition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the universal postal service of the extension of end-to-end delivery services by...

      Research: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what publicly-funded research budgets are ongoing at universities in the West Midlands.

      Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his forecast outturn for science spending is in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place a copy of the model used to forecast revenue from student loan payments in the Library.

      TNT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with TNT on extending end-to-end postal services in (a) Liverpool, (b) Manchester, (c)...

      Vetting: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he or Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the blacklisting...

      Vetting: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings his Department has had where the blacklisting of Scottish workers has been discussed.

  • Justice

    • Bail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what proportion of people aged 21 and over and suspected of burglary on non-residential premises received police bail in the last two...

    • Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appellants in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England are waiting for the Tribunals Service to list their first-tier tribunal social...

      Hewell Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the number of deaths at HM Prison Hewell in the last 10 years.

      Internet: Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what legislation cyber-bullying offences are currently prosecuted; and how many prosecutions for cyber-bullying have been undertaken in each year...

      Judges: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of providing judge's lodgings was in the latest period for which figures are available.

      Legal Aid Scheme: Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to legal aid on the sentencing of those convicted of sexual offences.

      Magistrates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he is monitoring the number of lay magistrates who choose to leave the magistracy.

      Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many named day parliamentary questions sent to his Department were answered after the day named without a holding letter being sent in each session...

  • Health

    • Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many cases in which an abortion was certified under ground C the woman seeking the abortion had met the authorising medical practitioner in each...

    • Curzon Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies;...

      Dementia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost of caring for patients in the acute care setting who suffer from dementia; and what number of acute care beds are...

      Dialysis Machines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dialysis units in England provide the full range of treatments for end stage renal failure.

      Driving Under Influence: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of drug driving legislation on patients; and if he will make a statement.

      Fast Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2014, Official Report, column 347W, on fast food, which Ministers attended the meetings on (a) 7 March 2013 and (b) 5...

      Fats

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effects of trans fats on public health.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time waiting to be seen is for GP appointments in (a) Birmingham South Central clinical commissioning group and (b) clinical...

      Infectious Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparative assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of a (a) homeless person and (b) member of the general population being infected...

      Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to monitor the performance of renal units in managing kidney transplant recipients.

      Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is...

      Medical Records: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who have opted out of the NHS National database and the availability of their records to the Health and...

      Medical Records: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the ability of the Health and Social Care Information Centre to ensure the anonymity of NHS patients when sharing data with...

      Mental Health Services: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions patients from other areas were admitted to inpatient psychiatric facilities run by NHS Cumbria due to a shortage of beds elsewhere...

      Mesothelioma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 696, on mesothelioma, how many mesothelioma cases were treated by the NHS in each...

      NHS: Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 416W, on NHS: redundancy, for what reasons the information is not available from the...

      Older People: Mental Capacity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report by the Care and Quality Commission published on 20 January 2014, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the...

      Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the prevalence of active pulmonary tuberculosis amongst (a) the homeless population and (b) the general population.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues to discuss the European regional development fund.

    • EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what allocations in each local authority area of England have been made by the European regional development fund in each year...

      Fire Services: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government has given to fire and rescue services in Cumbria in each of the last five years.

      Housing: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many affordable homes have been built in each London borough in each of the last five years; (2) how many local...

      Land: Public Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 632W, on housing: construction, if he will place in the...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that grants paid under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 can be paid to local...

      Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what date he expects to have made full payments to local authorities in respect of small business rate relief for the 2013-14...

      Temporary Accommodation: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families currently placed in temporary accommodation reside in one room in each London borough.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households will lose eligibility for the reimbursement for costs of servicing essential home adaptations under...

      World War I: Anniversaries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants and contracts of what value have been awarded by his Department in relation to the centenary of the First World War.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Electronic Government

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure that people can continue to communicate with public services in writing after the Government's digital strategy has...

    • European Commission

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will set out his Department's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

  • Treasury

    • Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to require banks not to prevent customers taking out large sums of money in cash without proof of reason for withdrawal.

    • Economic Policy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the speech delivered to the Mile End Group by the permanent secretary to the Treasury on 15 January 2014 represents the policy of the Government.

      European Investment Bank

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the output of the European Investment Bank desalination plants at Ashdod, Sorek and Hadera goes to (a) Israel, (b) settlements in the...

      European Investment Bank

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Israeli entities and projects have received European Investment Bank loans since 2008; which such loans had UK support at board level; which such...

      Financial Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have been compensated for being mis-sold interest rate hedging agreements to date.

      Housing Benefit: Young People

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost to the Exchequer of social housing benefits for people under 25 is.

      HSBC

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the potential effect on business of HSBC's policy of limiting the amount customers can withdraw in cash.

      Land

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for...

      Met Office

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the transfer of the Met Office from the Ministry of Defence to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will have on the Ministry of...

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the mortgage guarantee element of the help-to-buy scheme on (a) housing starts, (b) house completions,...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received council tax benefit in each of the...

    • Curzon Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with...

      Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cumulative effects of its policies on disabled people in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the...

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) adults and (b) children whose main disabling condition was cystic fibrosis successfully appealed a negative benefit decision for...

      Employment Schemes: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Workchoice programme in getting disabled people into work.

      Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will mark the 40th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

      Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to enable local authorities to exempt patients on home dialysis from the under-occupancy penalty.

      Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants in wheelchair-standard properties affected by the implementation of the under occupancy penalty also...

      Occupational Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the cost to the Exchequer of the Government's contribution to an auto-enrolment pension scheme, (b) the...

      Social Security Benefits: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when he expects My Benefits Online to be completed; how much it will cost in total; and what proportion of the budget has been spent to...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that pensioners receive their first payment of state pension as soon as possible after they reach pension age.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the cost is of housing benefit for the under 25s; (2) what the cost is of housing benefit to under 25s living in private sector...

  • Education

    • Children: Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total ring-fenced spending on children's services was in each London borough in each of the last five years.

    • Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much capital funding has been allocated to each local authority for basic need for the 2011-17 period.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in each type of primary school in each local authority area are entitled to free school meals.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in England and Wales are eligible for free school meals.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether funds for the key stage one free school meals programme will be allocated directly to schools or to local education authorities; and when he...

      GCSE: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in England and Wales eligible for free school meals achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C in any subject in 2013.

      GCSE: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in England and Wales eligible for free school meals achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C of which two were English...

      Pupils: Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the proportion of children of foreign nationals who are enrolled for school but do not attend; and what assessment he...

  • Home Department

    • Emergency Services: Telecommunications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the risk assessment of the move to a shared network communications infrastructure for emergency services and other civil...

    • Firearms: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will review the fee for a firearms certificate.

      Forced Marriage

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress the Government has made in eradicating forced marriage.

      Mental Illness

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained by police in a place of safety in accordance with section 136 of the Mental Health Act 2007 in each of the last...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Energy: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Derby North of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 975, on energy efficiency, how...

    • Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Jarrow, of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 978, on fuel poverty, if he will...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average annual change in gas and electricity bills has been in each of the last 10 years.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what the Government's policy is towards permitting fracking operators to drill under land belonging to homeowners; (2) if the...

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have held in which the requirement that energy companies carrying out fracking...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many buildings owned by (a) central Government Departments or agencies and (b) local government have received finance under the...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and(iii) contractors of...

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials of each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of these officials have...

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of increased use of wind generated power on imported forms of energy.

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind farms were granted planning permission in each year from 2004 to 2009.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Online Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the level of online gambling problems.

    • Arts and Culture Spending

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of Government spending decisions on the arts and culture outside London.

      2022 World Cup

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with representatives of FIFA and the domestic leagues on the timing of and arrangements for the 2022 World cup.

      Nuisance Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made on tackling nuisance calls.

      Rugby World Cup

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to prevent 2015 rugby world cup tickets being purchased by organised syndicates of touts associated with...

      First World War

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans are being put in place to ensure a suitable commemoration of the Commonwealth nations’ involvement in the first world war.

      BBC Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the BBC Trust on political impartiality.

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the £250 million additional funding for superfast broadband rollout to achieve 95 per cent coverage will be delivered.

      Broadband: Braybrooke

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that superfast broadband is made available to the village of Braybrooke in Kettering constituency.

      Curzon Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent contact her Department had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts her Department holds with...

      Food: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the level of promotion of food and drink products to (a) child and (b) adult users of online...

      Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to raise awareness of the dangers of gambling addiction.

      Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has agreed any voluntary scheme for improved player protection with betting companies; and if she will make a statement.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 16 December 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to...

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of expenditure on her Department's procurement contracts was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a)...

      Swimming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of (a) children under the age of 16, (b) adults over the age of 60 and (c) people in total who...

      Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the contribution of tourism to the British economy.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on establishing more marine reserves in UK Overseas Territories.

    • Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions the UK, through the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, has had with the Women's League of Burma; (2)...

      Curzon Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department...

      Embassies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the hon. Members who have stayed at the Residence in (a) Paris, (b) Berlin, (c) Rome and (d) Madrid since May...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Iran’s portfolio of advanced IR-1m centrifuges will be discussed under the P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action recognises Iran's right to enrich uranium.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to Iran on human rights abuses.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking with his (a) US and (b) European counterparts to tackle human rights abuses in Iran.

      Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the...

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel and (b) the Gulf on Iran's support for international...

      Missing Persons: United Arab Emirates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the safety and whereabouts of Abbas Yazdi; and if he will make a statement.

      Missing Persons: United Arab Emirates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the (a) Home Office, (b) the Law Officers' Departments and (c) the Serious...

      Property: Ownership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU member states on the issue of the restitution of property...

      Property: Ownership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of international agreements entered into by the UK in respect of the...

      Property: Ownership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the progress in the implementation of the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets by...

      Thailand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Thailand on the recent violence and state of emergency in that country;...

      Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the Ukranian government and opposition leaders on the street protests in Kiev.

      Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political unrest in Ukraine.

      Yemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on security in Yemen of drone strikes in that country. [R]

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Colombia

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which individuals and organisations will accompany him on his forthcoming visit to Colombia.

    • Curzon Institute

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent contact he has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the National Farmers' Union is underwriting any part of the costs of the badger cull.

    • Curzon Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his...

      Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK is prepared for the arrival from overseas of diseases affecting crops and...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 125W, on flood control, if he will fund research into...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on research it has conducted in...

      Forests: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the use of EU farming subsidies to incentivise contour afforestation as water catchments...

      Forests: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) which flood risk areas benefited from the England Woodland Grant Scheme; (2) how many England Woodland Grants were...

      Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what...

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials of each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of these...

      Secondment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what level of vetting and security clearance is applied to staff seconded to his Department from the private sector;...

  • House of Lords

    • Abortion

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to tackle illegal abortions of female foetuses.

    • Abortion

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Chief Medical Officer’s letter to general practitioners and hospitals on the subject of the illegality of sex-selective abortions,...

      Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of any variety of golden rice that has been submitted for regulatory assessment and approval anywhere in the world.

      Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report of the use of children in golden rice feeding trials in the United States and China without informed consent.

      Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will represent the policy of the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, the...

      Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Professor Ingo Potrykus and Dr Patrick Moore on Greenpeace's argument against the premature use of the...

      Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the standing of undertakings that golden rice will be made "freely available" to small farmers, in the light of the fact that Syngenta have retained...

      Apprenticeships

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Nash on 7 January (HL Deb, cols 1473–5), from what date apprentices with learning difficulties or disabilities who did...

      Burma

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions, if any, have taken place within the Government and between the United Kingdom and Burma about the possibility of future arms sales if the...

      Central African Republic

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the contribution made by disaffection and unemployment amongst young people in the Central African Republic in the outbreak...

      Cyprus and Northern Cyprus

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, at his recent meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the Prime Minister agreed an arrangement to transfer United Kingdom Sovereign...

      Equality Act 2010

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention to add Sport England, by statutory instrument, as a named public body in the Equality Act 2010.

      Eurozone

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comments by the Polish Foreign Minister, Mr Radoslaw Sikorsk, on 20 January that the eurozone is the political heart of...

      Finance: Short Selling

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have estimated the impact on the United Kingdom fund management and ancillary industries of the European Court of Justice's judgment on short...

      Flooding

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the co-ordination between the different bodies with responsibility for flood prevention in the Somerset Levels area; and...

      Flooding: Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis they decided on exclusions for the insurance scheme Flood Re.

      Flooding: Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plan to remove the current exclusions in the insurance scheme Flood Re.

      Food: Prices

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the price of food in the United Kingdom compared to other countries in Western Europe; and what, if any, action they plan...

      Government Departments: Administrative Costs and Salaries

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the administrative costs, including salaries, of the private offices of each Minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government for...

      Government Departments: Research and Development

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Home Office spent in total in (1) 2010–11, (2) 2011–12, (3) 2012–13, and (4) 2013–14; how much the department spent on...

      Homeless Families

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 22 October (WA 159–160), whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of...

      Homeless Families

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to commission research into the ability of London boroughs to identify private rented sector properties for use as temporary...

      Homeless People

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of homeless people in the United Kingdom originating from each European Union member state.

      Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of immigrants on the United Kingdom economy.

      Iran

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Iran for the release of Sara Rahiminejad, Majid Sheidaee, Mostafa Nadri and George Issaian, who...

      Islam

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government which programmes and organisations they sponsor to foster understanding between the Muslim and other faith communities in the United Kingdom; and whether any...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations have they made to the government of Israel concerning the rise in settler violence reported by the United Nations Office for the...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the demolition of homes, Red Cross replacement tents, and animal shelters in...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Arab League about the continuation of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority after the...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with Mahmoud Abbas regarding incitement to violence by the media in the West Bank, particularly during the current peace...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposals to boycott the Israeli company, Sodastream, on the 900 Palestinian employees of that company.

      Libya

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, in concert with international colleagues, to stem the flow of small arms, light weapons and armaments from Libya; and what is...

      Libya

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are assisting the Libyan authorities in Tripoli to secure the borders of Libya and to control the activities of the Revolutionary Brigades in the...

      Libya

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to regain possession of the former British Embassy complex in central Tripoli; and whether they will seek compensation from the Libyan...

      Libya

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many military and civilian advisers they now have working with the Libyan authorities; and whether they are paid for by the United Kingdom or by the...

      Pakistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recent conviction of British citizen Muhammad Asghar in Pakistan for the offence of blasphemy.

      Questions for Written Answer

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will answer questions HL3983 and HL3985 tabled on 6 December 2013.

      Schools: Free Schools

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on creating and supporting free schools in the north-east of England.

      Shipbuilding

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the attempted management buy-out of the Portsmouth shipbuilding yard.

      Smoking: e-cigarettes

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos that the European Commission has misinterpreted his research when citing it to...

      Somaliland

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the United Kingdom’s engagement with Somaliland.

      Somaliland

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any British private security firms are operating in, or giving security advice in, the five blocks of Somaliland where oil exploration has taken...

      Somaliland and Somalia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the dispute between Somaliland and Puntland over the Sanaag and Sool areas.

      Taxation: Fuel Duty

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Newby on 15 January (HL Deb, col 230), whether they will provide a breakdown of the £22.5 billion by which they will...

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent assessment of the likely timetable for the accession of Turkey to the European Union.

      UK Financial Investments

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the board of UK Financial Investments have previously worked in or for the banking industry and how many have not.

      Ukraine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in relation to the situation in Ukraine.

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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