Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish an independent and public inquiry into the abuse of inmates at the Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham between 1970 and 1990.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will review the basis on which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decides whether to bring a prosecution with a view to encouraging the CPS to be less risk averse when making such decisions.
Stephen Byers: I want, if I may, to take the hon. Gentleman back to the subject of India, about which I thought he was going to speak for slightly longer. Does he agree that there is great merit in UK universities establishing business schools that focus on India? We lack such schools, and the Indian high commissioner is a great advocate of such an approach. I should be interested to know whether the hon....
Stephen Byers: I draw the House's attention to my declaration in the Register of Members' Interests. The Chancellor's statement last week demonstrated the extent to which economic stability has now been embedded in our country, in stark contrast to the situation that constituents such as mine witnessed in the 1980s and early 1990s. From that position of economic strength, we can plan ahead with confidence...
Stephen Byers: That relates to what will be my next point, on a fair deal for the pensioners of tomorrow. We must do all that we can to make sure that pensioners claim unclaimed benefits. We all know the nature of pensioners, however—they are reluctant to go through a means-tested process, so those sums are unavailable to them. If we can make them available for universal provision—of which the £200...
Stephen Byers: I will give way only once, to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Mr. Love).
Stephen Byers: I take my hon. Friend's point, and I have some sympathy with it. I hope that the Government will not duck that issue, among others, when the White Paper is published. I hope that they will take it on and that when we talk about a fair and just system for the future that is affordable and sustainable, they will consider issues such as tax relief. That is one way in which we can secure a system...
Stephen Byers: The Minister will know that local government makes a number of requests and representations to Government, not all of which are agreed. He said that he wanted all authorities to be treated fairly. The consequence of his decision is that Tyne and Wear is being treated unfairly. This debate is being held because we, as Members for Tyne and Wear, find that unacceptable. Yes, we want free travel...
Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the percentage of those entitled to claim child benefit who do not do so and (b) the amount that went unclaimed in each of the last five years.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will re-define the term brownfield site to exclude gardens of residential homes.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in secondary schools with over 20 percent. of pupils entitled to free school meals, what is (a) (i) the percentage of such pupils and (ii) the overall proportion leaving without a qualification and (b) the overall proportion achieving grade A* to C at GCSE or equivalent.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of (a) the percentage of those entitled to claim (i) housing benefit, (ii) income support, (iii) council tax benefit and (iv) pension credit who did not do so and (b) the amount that went unclaimed in each case in each of the last five years; (2) what estimate he has made of the amount and percentage that...
Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he introduce a process by which reviews of the science infrastructure are in future subject to a form of public inquiry.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will abolish the Class 2 National Insurance contributions in respect of those self-employed people living abroad.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to protect pensioners from above inflation increases in council tax; and if he will make a statement.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people who are self-employed and working abroad paid the voluntary class 2 national insurance contribution in each of the last 10 years; (2) how many people living abroad have changed their national insurance contributions from class 3 to class 2 in each of the last 10 years.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children were living in families which received below 60 per cent. of median household income in (a) England, (b) each English region, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in 2004–05.
Stephen Byers: In my personal statement on 17 October 2005, I apologised to the House for the factual inaccuracy in my answer to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) during the Transport Sub-Committee meeting held on 14 November 2001. I am grateful to the Committee on Standards and Privileges for its investigation into my evidence, and in particular for its finding that I did not lie to...
Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much each Science Council has awarded under the Small Business Research Initiative; what percentage this represents of its overall Research and Development budget; and when further allocations will be made.
Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to move onto the new Child Support Agency scheme those who are paying under the old scheme.
