To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what controls exist over the nature of fuels used in cement kilns where co-incineration takes place.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the types of (a) fuels and (b) raw materials used since 1 January in the production of cement at Rugby...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 17 September 2003, Official Report, columns 776–77W, on flooding, what progress has been made...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent meetings she has had with her EU counterparts at which plans to change the procedure for approval of GM (a)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the effects she estimates the adoption of genetically modified crops in the UK would have on...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent evidence there is on the impact of the effect of herbicide use on GM maize, with particular reference to levels...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has held with the Royal Society in respect of herbicide regimes used within the farm-scale evaluations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether decisions will be made by her Department in respect of applications to grow GM crops in the UK before the final...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure that UK companies are informed of measures required to comply with the European Landfill...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) which criteria have been established by the Marine Consents and Environment Unit for time periods for the issue of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what fee is paid to the Chairman of the Parrett Catchment project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the performance targets that (a) her Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many primates were imported for research into each member state of the European Union in 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has undertaken of the environmental impact of refilling and reusing printer cartridges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received on the release of dioxins caused by the incineration of waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the original energy output is typically produced by the incineration of waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned on the impact on human health of home composting.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the definition of waste, pursuant to recent judgments by the European Court of Justice.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the evidence produced by research he has commissioned on the impact of a rise in interest rates on consumer debt.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter of 1 August from the hon. Member for Aylesbury, on behalf of Mr. M.G. Moore of Great Missenden, about professional...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people died from deep vein thrombosis in the last 12 months; and in how many of these cases long haul air travel was found to be a contributory factor.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the Defence Dental Agency's Account Direction for financial year 1997–98 was withdrawn.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list United Kingdom companies which have (a) made representations to and (b) signalled their intention to take action against the (i) British...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to bring about the level playing field in regulations affecting companies and industrial and provident societies, to which he...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures are in place to stop the practice of grossing up by insurance brokers in Northern Ireland; and what plans he has to change the appropriate...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he estimates agreement will be reached on the International Finance Facility; and when he estimates it will have funds in it.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds was of large scale voluntary transfer for each of the last 10 years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) lock-up garages, (b) car parking spaces, (c) advertising hoardings and (d) charity shops were leased in the last year for which figures are...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the UK visits made by ministers in his Department in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his forecast is of losses on Network Rail for 2003–04.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) HM Treasury, (b) Customs and Excise and (c) the Inland Revenue spent on (i) opinion polling and (ii) market research in the last financial...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated economic cost is of the effect on businesses in London of the forthcoming visit of President Bush.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of productivity growth in the public sector was on the last year for which figures are available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list taxation and transfer pricing cases involving United Kingdom companies which have been (a) decided and (b) entered for decision by the...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual cost to the Treasury of allowing income payments from the Thalidomide Trust to thalidomide victims to be tax exempt; and if...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the HM Treasury official involved in the early release of statistics on 24 October had authorised access to those statistics; and if he will...

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the (a) content and (b) design of his Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking towards the introduction of (a) bioethanol and (b) biodiesel fuels for road users.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on safety on the London Underground.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the service levels stipulated in the agreement registered by the Government with private sector companies to run the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for improvements in rail transport in the West Midlands.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's strategy for (a) increasing cycling journey numbers and (b) reducing cycling injuries and deaths.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of (a) traffic flows and (b) congestion on the A40 in Cheltenham since the opening of the new GCHQ building; (2)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he will take to improve road safety on the A414 from Chelmsford towards the M25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications of the Altmark case on (a) ferry services sailing from ports in Scotland, (b) the application of the EU...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the materials used to demarcate the hard shoulder on motorways in alerting drowsy drivers...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of night flights into Heathrow operated on (a) a westerly and (b) an easterly flightpath (i) in 2001, (ii) in 2002 and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what amounts of (a) low level, (b) intermediate-level and (c) high-level nuclear waste have been transported by train in each year since 1979; and if...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports his Department has received about plans to increase the transport by train of nuclear waste through London; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains went through London with (a) low-level, (b) intermediate-level and (c) high-level nuclear waste in each of the last five years; and if...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the decision by Network Rail to close its final salary pension scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the principle of regulatory proportionality will be incorporated in the proposed amendments to Regulation 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the rates of congestion were on the M54 between Shrewsbury and Telford in each year since 1997; (2) what the rates of congestion were on...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills regarding funding for school transport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the decision by the Strategic Rail Authority to take over the south-east franchise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings he has had with train operating companies to discuss train performance in the last six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken since 11 September 2001 to improve security at (a) ports and (b) rail freight terminals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the arrangements approved by his Department for the refuelling of tug boats towing vessels from the United States for...

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of how many vehicles which have (a) lightly tinted and (b) heavily tinted windows do not comply with the proposed amendments to...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action the Cabinet Office is taking to reduce the burden of administration in the public sector.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps have been taken towards improving transparency in the public appointments process.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress the Civil Service is making in appointing women to senior positions.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of ethnic minority staff in the Senior Civil Service.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what floor space in square metres his Department had use of on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 November 2003.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the contracts for consultancy and other work carried out by Bechtel for agencies responsible to the Office in each year since 1997,...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by the Cabinet Office and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted...

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation has been paid to...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will respond to the consultation by the Civil Airports Authority on financial protection for travellers and package holidaymakers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the kind of experiments animals are used in; what controls are in place to reduce to reduce the unnecessary...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if her Department will initiate discussions with Leeds University Business School about research it has recently conducted on debt collectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to standardise the cooling off period for consumer credit contracts and agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with Energywatch on measures to help elderly consumers develop a greater understanding of their rights in...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has for the statutory regulation of debt management companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 11 September, Official Report, column 392W, to the hon. Members for Cunninghame, South and for Gateshead East and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the UK trade and investment relationship with India.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the milk processing industry on (a) prices and (b) profitability in that industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to investigate the implementing of further merger activity in the milk processing industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will press mobile phone companies to standardise practice in notifying customers of unusually high mobile phone usage patterns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has conducted on the number of mobile phone customers who receive bills for mobile phone charges incurred by...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from consumer bodies about mobile phone fraud arising when SIM cards are stolen after consumers have...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will require mobile phone operators to present charging structures in a standardised format, similar to the credit card industry's...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in Midlothian have benefited from the national minimum wage since its introduction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers there are to impose penalties on people perpetrating phishing frauds in internet banking; and what the penalties are.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulatory approvals are necessary for the Post Office partnership with the Bank of Ireland to provide financial services to proceed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons elements of management within the Post Office are given a financial incentive to close post offices; and what percentage of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post office robberies occurred in each of the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on promoting the use of post offices; and if she will...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the survey on raising standards commissioned by the Quality Mark Scheme in July; and if she will...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what statutory investigatory powers the Department has; which ones will be superseded by use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the additional £98 million funding for renewable energy capital grant programme to 2006 is being allocated to (a)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much capital grant funding she will make available for large scale solar PV projects in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much private sector investment there has been in UK based solar PV manufacturing since the start of her Department's major demonstration...

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new installers were registered under her Department's solar PV major demonstration programme in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs have been created in the UK solar PV industry since the start of the major demonstration programme phase one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria her Department will use to assess the success of the solar PV major demonstration programme phase one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the totally installed capacity is of Solar PV in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications of the case of Vanco v BT; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by country of origin, the numbers of non-UK citizens who have joined the Army in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will suspend military aid to Colombia until the Colombian Government takes action to comply with UN recommendations on human rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans the Government have to celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-Day; and if he will make a statement; (2) what funding has been allocated by...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the land owned by Defence Estates South West at Pilning Range will be subject to an open market bidding process when it is sold; and if he will...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations have been made to him from (a) other governments and (b) foreign non-governmental organisations on the Defence Services export...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has (a) initiated and (b) evaluated on the effects of depleted uranium on British (i) service personnel and (ii) civilians; and if he...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent evidence he has collated relating to Gulf War Syndrome; what studies have been commissioned by him in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list outstanding inquiries relating to operations in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British wounded have been brought back from Iraq since United Kingdom military action began in March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the success of measures taken to avoid using cluster munitions near civilian areas in Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received of former regime arms dumps within the British area of responsibility in Iraq; and what measures are being put in place to...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of priority given to (a) avoiding civilian casualties and (b) ensuring the security of British troops in respect...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) gun and (b) bomb attacks there were on British troops in the provinces of (i) Basra City and (c) Maysan, broken down by type of incident and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqis are being interned by the British forces because they are perceived to be a threat to coalition forces; how long each such person has...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means UK forces in Iraq have sought to confirm whether civilian fatalities have occurred during incidents involving the use of firearms and other...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are being taken to fit British military vehicles in Iraq with vehicle protection kits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost is per day, per person, of the food provided to British security personnel in Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rotation schedule is expected for troops in Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has held with his counterpart in the US Administration about the stance taken by (a) the Senate and (b) the House of Representatives...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the King's Own Scottish Borderers are due to finish their deployment in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 915W, and the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mr. Hancock) of 15...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 October 2003, Official Report, column 375W, on parliamentary questions, how many questions tabled to his Department by the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims for payment by the Saudi Government have been endorsed by staff of his Department's Director General of the Saudi Armed Forces Project...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of his Department's Director General of the Saudi Armed Forces Project are based in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Saudi Arabia; and what...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what conditions relating to (a) security sector reform and (b) human rights are included in the contracts governing the Al Yamamah programme; and if he...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) technology transfer contracts from his Department to Scottish companies and (b) technology transfer contracts per Scottish company,...

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to help recruit doctors into the Territorial Army.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps United Kingdom forces are taking to protect British citizens from terrorist attacks in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children in Iraq have taken part in the Theatre Mine Risk education programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation has been paid to...

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial aid the Occupied Palestinian Territories received from his Department in each of the last five years; and what provision...

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what the proportion of people living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa was in each year since 1992; (2) what proportion of people...

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial assistance the United Kingdom provides to governments in developing countries to reduce their weapons stocks; and what...

To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make it the policy of the Crown Prosecution Service to pay fees to their legal advisers within 30 days.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) solicitors and (b) barristers there are in England and Wales; and how many are (i) black and (ii) Asian.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations her Department has made to the Department for Transport on the Aviation White Paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research she has commissioned into the effect of food advertising on levels of childhood obesity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about (a) childhood obesity and (b) lack of access to sports facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with other departments about implementing a strategy to tackle childhood obesity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many grants have been made from the Community Fund to projects in the Cheltenham constituency since its inception.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery funding per capita has been awarded to (a) organisations in each of the regions in England and Wales and (b)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many National Lottery ticket sales there were in the (a) GL50, (b) GL51, (c) GL52 and (d) GL53 postcode areas in each of the last 10...

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list each item of market and opinion research commissioned since May 1997 by (a) her Department and (b) agencies and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the Civil Service in her Department in each of the last...

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what estimate she has made of the revenue received by each of the commercial television channels from selling advertising airtime...

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the content and design of her Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ayr (Sandra Osborne) of 30 June 2003, Official Report, column 64W, what reports he...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical help has been provided to the Colombian Government in accordance with commitments given at the London conference...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter of 20 August 2003 from the Member for Banff and Buchan to the hon. Member for North...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has made to investigate British companies named in the final report of the UN Panel of Experts on the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what independent mechanisms exist for the United Nations Panel on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to pursue its...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has received from British-based individuals and companies relating to the release of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the United Kingdom made to the UN in relation to United Kingdom-based individuals and companies mentioned...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government are making on behalf of the welfare and human rights of the non-British detainees at...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 22 October 2003, Official Report, column 617W, on the Middle East, whether Article 147 of the Fourth...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the US Administration's plans for new low yield nuclear weapons will comply with that...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the UK will put forward to strengthen the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty at the preparatory conference,...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what statutory investigatory powers the Department has; which ones will be superseded by use of the Regulation of Investigatory...

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what basis it was decided to make the forthcoming visit of President Bush an official state visit.

To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those peers created since 1997, with particular reference to people's peers.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the timetable for creating further people's peers.

To ask the Prime Minister how many of those aspiring people's peers who were invited to interview but who were unsuccessful have indicated that they no longer wish their application to be...

To ask the Prime Minister how many aspiring people's peers who were invited to interview but were not subsequently recommended for elevation to the peerage requested feedback from the Commission...

To ask the Prime Minister how many applications for a people's peerage have been received since April 2001 from hereditary peers who no longer have the right to sit in the House of Lords.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answers of 13 November 2003, Official Report, columns 429–30W, on the House of Lords, what initiatives the House of Lords Appointments Commission...

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answers of 13 November 2003, Official Report, columns 429–30W, on the House of Lords, whether any of the applications received since April 2001...

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answers of 13 November 2003, Official Report, columns 429–30W, on the House of Lords, if he will ask the House of Lords Appointments Commission to...

To ask the Prime Minister how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by the Prime Minister's Office in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and...

To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the issue of Israel's construction of the Security Wall with President Bush during his visit; and if he will report to the House the outcome of those...

To ask the Prime Minister whether he intends to discuss with President Bush the subject of the United States ratifying the Kyoto Treaty during the President's forthcoming visit.

To ask the Prime Minister what the estimated total cost to public funds is of the forthcoming state visit of President Bush.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Brussels with the Church of England VAT Group to meet (a) UK...

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to provide greater funding to increase the personal security of medical staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average weekly gross pay in Northern Ireland for individuals was at the latest date for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the International Monitoring Commission has the authority to investigate the allegations of activities by the Provisional IRA and...

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications to the Planning Service are awaiting consideration; and what the average waiting time for the consideration of these...

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to address skills shortages in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to the elementary occupations; and if he...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the funding of Brampton Abbotts Church of England primary school in Herefordshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what services are available to (a) students and (b) teachers to deal with bullying in schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the Government's estimate is of the proportion of children that were bullied in schools in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the North...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Department of Health, (b) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and (c) educational...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people aged 13 to 19 were in (a) school, (b) further education college and (c) neither school nor further education college in (i)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the pay rates are for (a) primary school teachers, (b) secondary school teachers and (c) teaching assistants in the East Riding of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the Employer Training Pilots project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what proportion of 15-year-olds in (a) Wiltshire, (b) Dorset and (c) Devon achieved (i) five or more A* to C GCSE grades and (ii) five...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the graduate contribution scheme described in the White Paper on Higher Education is (a) debt, (b) an income contingent loan or (c)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage mathematics graduates to become teachers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 November, Official Report, column 90W, if he will give a breakdown by individual institution of the 81 students...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Minister for Children sought advice from departmental officials before writing to the Chairman of the BBC about child abuse in...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies carry out exit surveys with those who (i) complete and (ii) do not complete modern...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of successfully completed modern apprenticeships in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 were provided by (i) further...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of young people undertaking a modern apprenticeship in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 had all or part of their...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many non-European Union students registered for courses in (a) further education colleges and (b) universities in each of the last five...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he will take to raise the percentage of the London workforce with NVQ Level 2 qualifications.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what incentives he plans to introduce to encourage universities to offer places to poorer students under a mandatory bursary scheme;...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what representations he has received from (a) Imperial College and (b) Sir Richard Sykes in respect of proposals to ask universities...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are in place to encourage schoolchildren to stay in school after the age of 16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his pledge of increased school funding is aimed at assisting schools in meeting the cost of (a) incremental drift and (b) teachers...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the average debt medical students will face when they qualify as doctors if they are charged the maximum tuition fee...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues from other Departments in respect of increasing proposed tuition fee remission...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the work of the task force on university enrolments chaired by Professor Thomas.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence he has collated on higher education student participation by socio- economic class in (a) subgraduate qualifications, (b)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of raising the maximum child care element of the working tax credit from 70 per cent. of the costs of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the content and design of his Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when Child Support Agency cases which have been assessed under the old scheme and which are linked to cases which have been assessed under the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible for but not claiming Council Tax Benefit in (a) the City of Edinburgh local...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the take-up of Council Tax Benefit among pensioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from the Disability Rights Task Force.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled (a) children under 16 and (b) people aged between 16 and 59 receive (i) Disability Living Allowance, (ii) Higher Rate Care...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional support has been offered to private individuals who are full-time carers for friends and family since 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged over 65 years have claimed Invalid Care Allowance and subsequently Carer's Allowance since 28 October 2002 in (a) Glasgow,...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Argyll and Bute constituency are in receipt of Pension Credit; and what his estimate is of the number of pensioners in the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has commissioned on the use of profiling; and if he will make a statement on the use of profiling within the benefit system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Scottish local authorities have returned unspent discretionary housing payment funds to the Department of Work and Pensions in each year...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many county court judgments have been made against individuals in (a) London and (b) England and Wales in each of the...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action his Department is taking to promote the use of alternative dispute resolution in legal cases in which...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what cost savings have been achieved by Government Departments through the use of alternative dispute resolution in place...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action his Department (a) has taken and (b) proposes to take to implement the proposed strategy for marriage and...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action the Lord Chancellor is taking to promote the use of mediation and other forms of alternative dispute...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what use the Department for Constitutional Affairs and its agencies make of postcode areas for (a) the collection and...

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress his Department has made in implementing the recommendations of the review of probate procedures.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times local authorities have assisted people in buying properties in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) amount spent.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average funding offered by each county council and unitary authority to people who have been admitted to care homes was in 2002–03.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the role of community land trusts as a vehicle for providing affordable housing, with particular reference to key worker housing.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 3 November 2003, Official Report, columns 497–98W, on council housing, what the 10 per cent. additional subsidy represents in cash...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what requirement there will be on regional housing boards to ring-fence additional subsidy provided for arm's length management organisations.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 498W, on council housing, what plans he has to continue additional funding for arm's length...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that equal funding is being made available for tenants who wish to remain within council ownership and control rather than stock...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what procedures he has put in place to ensure that full and effective consultation takes place with council tenants during the appraisal of the option of stock...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses have been the subject of stock transfer since June 2001; and what the average capital receipt per property accruing to the local authority was.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Audit Commission on the effects of large scale voluntary transfers.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) special advisers, (b) press officers, (c) civil servants, (d) advisers to civil servants and (e) permanent staff were working for his Department in...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what mechanisms he has put in place to ensure that public money spent on information campaigns in the three English regions due to hold referendums on elected...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria English Partnerships uses in reaching decisions on funding priorities; and what account English Partnerships takes of the North West Regional...

To ask the Deputy (1) Prime Minister for what period Lancaster City Council has requested funding from English Partnerships for the West End housing regeneration project in Morecambe; and for...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people in each year since 1997 (a) were in professional training to become environmental health officers and (b) entered the profession as environmental...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to increase the number of environmental health officers.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many environmental health officers were employed in each year since 1997 (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority area.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total number of vacancies for retained firefighters in the Essex fire and rescue service was on 1 September.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many retained firefighters were employed by the Essex Fire and Rescue Service on 1 September 2003.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many control room staff were employed by the Essex Fire and Rescue Service on 1 September 2003.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire engines were retained by the Essex fire and rescue service on 1 September.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what evidence was shown to English Partnerships to substantiate the claim by the Walton Group that they had paid their wholly owned subsidiary Todd and Benn...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent on food by his Department and by each of the agencies for which it is responsible in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 17 September 2003, Official Report, column 739W, on formula funding share, on what basis he will determine the 2005–06 formula...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff are employed by the Government Office for the South West; and how many were employed in 1997.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning applications are being considered for hazardous waste landfill; and how many sites for hazardous waste landfill received planning approval in...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2002, Official Report, column 488W, on housing, when he expects to publish the updated Survey of English Housing, based on...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many properties in Shrewsbury and Atcham are awaiting adaptations for disabled people; and what the estimated value is of such adaptations.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he issues to local authorities on the siting of landfill sites in the green belt.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding was granted by the North West Regional Development Agency in each year since 1997 for regeneration of Morecambe's sea front; and what sums have...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the 2001 Census estimate of the percentage of children who live in overcrowded housing; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what obligations a local housing authority has to a household deemed to be statutorily overcrowded.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to protect and develop parks and green spaces, with particular reference to (a) Sunderland and...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent employees were employed in the Regional Co-ordination Unit (a) when it was first established and (b) in July.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what arrangements he has put in place to assess the effect of orders under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 on local authorities' activities in (a) the...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was (a) raised in council tax and (b) contributed in revenue support grant in (i) each authority within and (ii) the county areas of (A) Tyne and Wear,...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what the total revenue grant from all sources allocated to Worcester city council was in each year since 1992; (2) what the percentage cash charge in...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish the review of the system for valuing properties for Right to Buy purposes undertaken by the College of Estate Management.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his response to the report of the Select Committee on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the draft Housing Bill, what assessment he has made...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the reports his Department and its predecessors have commissioned since 1979 on valuations for properties bought under the Right to Buy.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many right to buy applications there were each month since June 1997, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) region.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many sheltered accommodation centres (a) have and (b) do not have resident wardens; and if he will make a statement on the trends regarding resident wardens...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make an assessment of the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages, including financial considerations, of requiring resident wardens in all sheltered...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has collated on the treatment of the Somali community in relation to housing.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 11 July 2003, Official Report, columns 1062–63W, on housing (black minority ethnic communities), if he will commission research...

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what research policy decisions on the housing needs of the Somali community are based.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the housing needs of the Somali community.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will include in the decent homes standard the provision of sound insulation in domestic properties (a) constructed and (b) converted into flats and apartments.

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the voluntary bodies in Wolverhampton in receipt of direct government grant, broken down by (a) capital and (b) revenue.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates he estimates that the Airwave communications system will be fully operational in each police force area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent to date on the Airwave communications system, broken down by police force area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of offences related to the misuse of alcohol, broken down by offence category, in each of the...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of alcohol-related crime in each of the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laboratory animals were used in the United Kingdom for the potency testing of batches of botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes in...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to facilitate the trial in normal criminal courts of those detained under section 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders in Gloucestershire have (a) received and (b) breached anti-social behaviour orders since their inception; and if he will...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's strategy is on arson and catching arsonists.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase resources to police forces in order to tackle arson.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision will be taken on the asylum application lodged on 8 June 1998 by Mr. Mohamed Aweis Yusuf, Home Office reference M685182; when...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he plans to take to amend his Department's policies in relation to (a) the detention of children in removal centres and (b) the...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that asylum seekers are integrated into the community.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with other departments about implementing a strategy to tackle childhood obesity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has commissioned on the effect on children's criminal behaviour of (a) poor nutrition and (b) childhood obesity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of those brought into a police station tested positively for Class A drugs in 2002; and what the level of voluntary...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 21 October, Official Report, column 543W, on communication masts, what plans he has to commission further research...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 21 October, Official Report, column. 543W, on communications masts, what the conclusions were of the Defence...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours per week the average offender sentenced to a community punishment order spends engaged in purposeful activity, broken down by...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been detained by a community support officer; and in how many cases a police officer took charge of the detainee within...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the contracts his Department has awarded to computer games companies, broken down by (a) company to which the contract was...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many projects his Department has contracted out to external consultancies in each year since 1997; and at what cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton to discuss the letter to him dated 9 September, with regard to Mrs. S. Ahmed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to his Department was of (a) the Good to be Secure website, (b) the Don't let them bag your booty publicity campaign, (c)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) of 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 662W, whether...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested for drug offences in (a) Tyne and Wear, (b) the North East and (c) the UK in each year since 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs involved in introducing a mandatory national identity card scheme in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement on identity cards of 11 November 2003, Official Report, column 176, what was the basis for his estimate of...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) police authorities and (b) other interested parties on the introduction of identity cards, with...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use in special immigration appeals committees of evidence obtained through torture in a foreign country.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on purchasing and upgrading IT equipment in each of his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date Mr. Digby Griffith was appointed to the team which undertook the independent review of the National Asylum Support Service; on...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences recorded by the police resulted in no further action being taken in each year since 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the undertaking of activities by MI5 which require authorisation by warrant but which have been carried out...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been lost by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Liverpool in 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis he reached his decision to set fees for (a) applications for variation of leave and (b) endorsing passports at the current level.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints he has received in relation to the introduction of fees for (a) applications for variation of leave and (b) endorsing...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of the adult population of the United Kingdom does not have a passport.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what penalties are in place to punish those convicted of people trafficking; and what measures are in place to deter people traffickers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of (a) setting, (b) monitoring and (c) measuring the performance targets for his Department in 2002–03; and how...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the performance targets that (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are required to meet;...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) civilian police staff were employed in (i) Avon and Somerset, (ii) Bedforshire, (iii) Leicestershire and...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to release the 2002–03 authorised firearms officer figures for all forces in England and Wales; what the cause of the...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the projected funding per head of population for each police authority in England and Wales is in 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the projected funding for 2004 is for each police authority in England and Wales under the Rural Sparsity Grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what police funding was allocated to the North West in each year since 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police vehicles there were in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) police authority area and (b)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is issued to police forces in relation to negotiating contributions from the organisers of (a) football matches and (b) other...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to make football clubs responsible for a greater proportion of the costs of policing football matches.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will initiate a review of the introduction of visa charges on pupils from overseas attending United Kingdom boarding schools which...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racist incidents were reported to the police in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department are taking to ensure consistency in using the Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 across all Government...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the police have used their new power to confiscate vehicles that persistently infringe road traffic regulations or are...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what help he will give chief constables to reduce illegal speeding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the Civil Service in his Department in each of the last five...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 4 November 2003, Official Report, column 575W, on the Terrorism Act, if he will break down the number of stop and...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for authorisations under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been received from (a) Avon and Somerset, (b)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the Extradition Treaty he signed on 31 March gives the US the right to request extradition from the UK without the need to...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the content and design of his Department's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how significant he estimates working immigrants will be in remedying problems of an ageing population in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many opiate-based painkillers are available on prescription.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the reforms set out in his Department's document, "Making Amends", will require primary legislation; (2) if he will publish the responses...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual personal care costs were for someone with Alzheimer's disease living in their own home in the last 12 months for which figures are...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what length of time on average ambulance crews spent on each emergency call out in each of the London boroughs in the last year for which figures are...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will amend the contractual procedures with equipment suppliers so as to bring forward the date when ambulatory oxygen administration systems...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for audiologists at each NHS trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will amend the restrictions placed on the provision of chiropody in the health service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement will have new structures in place and working by 1 December 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Public Bodies (Access to Meetings) Act 1960 applies to the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to extend the life of community health councils in advance of the transition to the new structure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures he has put in place (a) for the employment of community health council officers and staff in the new complaint and consultation structure...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that new organisations handling complaints and patient issues in place of community health councils should establish (a)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are in place to ensure that patients' interests are safeguarded during the period leading up to the abolition of community health councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in care homes have a form of dementia; what proportion of care homes are registered as being able to accept people with...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact which moving responsibilities for dentistry from health authorities to primary care trusts has had on...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists offered NHS treatment in (a) Taunton and (b) Somerset in each year since 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the safety of (a) mercury and (b) silver fillings in dentistry; (2) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b)...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time is for digital hearing aids in the NHS, broken down by primary care trust area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been invested in the (a) planning and (b) establishment of Early Intervention Services; how much has been allocated to each primary care...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of specialist epilepsy nurses for children with epilepsy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely range of costs of (a) building and (b) maintaining the membership base of an NHS foundation trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he made of the effects of piloting the proposals for NHS foundation trusts before allowing their roll-out in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow), of 8 January 2003, Official Report, columns 278–79W, on general...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health care assistants work in the NHS; and if he will list the titles they work under in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each NHS trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for patients from Bath and North East Somerset was in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003 for (i) cancer treatment and (ii) heart operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general dental practitioners offered NHS treatment in York in each year since 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time midwives were employed by Essex Strategic Health Authority on 1st September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time district nurses were employed by Essex Strategic Health Authority on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many occupational therapists were employed by South Essex Partnership NHS Trust on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time administrative staff were employed in general practice surgeries by Essex Strategic Health Authority on 1September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time general practitioners were employed by Essex Strategic Health Authority on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the vacancy figure for NHS general practitioners in Essex was on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the vacancy figure for district nurses in Essex was on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the vacancy figure for ambulance paramedics in the Essex ambulance service was on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time paramedics were employed by Essex Air Ambulance on 1 September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trainee paramedics were employed by the Essex Ambulance Service on 1st September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government will reassess the priorities and planning framework for health and social services; and how future priorities and planning frameworks...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the findings of his visit to the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system in the US, with particular reference to the costs of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he has given to the statement published in October by nine members of the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Government will ensure that the National Service Framework for Long Term Conditions is given sufficient priority by primary care trusts; and what...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make it his policy to exempt people with mental health problems from paying prescription charges; (2) if he will assess the long-term...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of whether the prevalence of physical illness amongst mental health service users is higher than amongst the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health care beds in the independent sector have been occupied by NHS patients on average in the last five years, broken down by (a) number...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) East Sussex and (b) England are waiting for MRI scans; and what the longest time is that a patient has had to wait for an MRI...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans to provide additional MRI scanning capacity in East Sussex.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used in deciding which treatments are referred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the formal status is of the national minimum standards of the National Care Standards Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he intends to publish the National Service Framework for long-term conditions; (2) if he will provide additional ring-fenced funding for the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the introduction of safer devices to reduce the risk of needlestick injury in the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much accrued to the NHS from charges on non-UK citizens for treatment in the NHS in each of the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics his Department has collected on the availability of NHS dentistry in each year since 1997; if he will make a statement on the level of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS Direct staff has a clinical role.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases have been dealt with by NHS Direct; how many calls have been abandoned; how many call centres have closed; how many call centres are...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average monthly running costs of NHS Direct have been over the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost-benefit analyses have been carried out as part of the initial work of the NHS National Programme projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the National Institute for Clinical Excellence uses to decide when to look at new treatments in between their particular class appraisals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide the National Institute for Clinical Excellence with extra funds (a) to carry out more appraisals and (b) to issue interim guidance on...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is being given to funders to ensure that new medical treatments that are class compatible with the National Institute for Clinical...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many learning disability specialist nurses are employed in each primary care trust; (2) what the ratio is of specialist learning disability...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the definition of a stroke unit in relation to the milestones within the National Service Framework for Older People.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 692W, on overseas treatment, how many further operations have been carried out abroad under...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the proposed statutory patient and public involvement forums in England are served by local network providers who are insolvent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will determine which applicants will be selected to serve on each patient and public involvement forum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications have been received for each patient and public involvement forum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that (a) organisations given contracts to organise patients' forums and (b) the members of patients' forums (i) have...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient forums are in place; and how many members have been appointed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Truro and St Austell of 6th February 2003, Official Report, column 450W, on performance targets, how...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reassess the means test limit for personal care costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of pressure ulcers occurring in the NHS in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority, in each of the last six...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) in-patients and (b) in-patient beds there are in psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales; how many individuals serving prison sentences...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff were given smallpox vaccine in 2002–03; and how many suffered ill-effects as a result of the immunisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1351W, on social services, how the figure published in paragraph 2.79 of the Chief...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average waiting time of those waiting for a scan after a suspected stroke; and if he will make a statement on waiting times for these...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the research his Department has commissioned on the cost of (a) treating and (b) caring for patients who have had a stroke.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures within Valuing People are aimed at children; and what plans he has to expand its remit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the clinical areas where the NHS in London has longer (a) waiting lists and (b) waiting times than the national average.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of systemic neglect have been reported by users at NHS hospitals in (a) England and (b) Shropshire in each of the last five years for which...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for hearing assessments for (a) patients under 60 and (b) patients over 60, broken down by primary care trust, was in the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will revoke the application of the European Working Time Directive as it applies to the healthcare profession.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the cost, for each of the last three years, of the six largest public sector pension schemes in Northern Ireland in terms of: (a) total employees'...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to create a pedestrian crossing at the heart of the Holywood Arches area in East Belfast.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the revised timetable for applications for planning permission for the sewage disposal works at Killinchy, County Down; and when it is planned to complete...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 September (WA 8), why proportionality of the Special European Union Programmes Body was taken into...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Who developed and approved the business plan for the North/South Ministerial Council; what are the objectives of the council; which body monitors them; and whether...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they discuss with the Government of Eire the budgets for North/South Implementation Bodies but not the issue of proportionality of contributors; and, if...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 29 October (WA 39) concerning the incorrect title given to Northern Ireland by the North/South Ministerial...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 4 November (WA 88), what is the recruitment process for the president, vice-president and chairmen of the...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the announcement of elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 26 November 2003 will prevent communication between officials from the Northern Ireland...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17 June (WA 87) concerning the budget of the Ulster-Scots Agency for 2003, whether the only consideration...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What legislation has been enacted for Northern Ireland since 1 January 1998 which has discriminated against anyone on the grounds of religion.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What legal advice they have received about their actions in creating 144 smoking chambers for the civil service in Northern Ireland; and whether they are liable...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the mission statement for the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for the years 2003 and 2004; whether it includes the concept of...

asked Her Majesty's Government: How much the employment of the economists in the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure costs per year; whether, as a unit of staff, they have...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether under equality law in Northern Ireland a potential employer is permitted to ask an applicant for a job if he or she is a smoker; if not, why; and whether...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Under the arrangements for the North/South Ministerial Council, whether the departments of the Government of Eire are given equal status to the government...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 8 October (WA 61), whether Libyan-supplied weapons have been used by the IRA, if so, in...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether devolution of central government functions in Northern Ireland to elected representatives or institutions can be achieved by secondary legislation, or...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Answer by the Lord President on 10 November (HL Deb, col. 1088), on what basis they are able to claim that no irregularities have been detected...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Answer by the Lord President on 10 November (HL Deb, cols. 1085–88), what processes are in place to monitor the impartial delivery of food aid...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 3 November (WA 67–68), whether the Attorney-General, in discussions with the United...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Attorney-General on 6 November (WA 128–129), whether the study by Edwards, the Attorney-General, Politics and the...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Attorney-General on 6 November (WA 128–129), whether Erskine May, Parliamentary Practice is correct in stating that the...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the reasons given to the Bow Street Magistrates' Court that led them to extend the date by which a decision must be reached as to the issue of an Order...

asked Her Majesty's Government: How many foreign nationals have been detained under Part IV of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What benefits will be payable when the planned changes to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme take effect in 2005 to war widows aged 70 or over who are: (a) pre-1973...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 6 November (WA 140) and given their disclosures on 9 October of shortcomings in medical record-keeping during and...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether additional funding is being sought by the Health and Safety Commission; and whether an increase in the numbers of inspectors and the amount of preventive...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the terms of reference of the Health and Safety Commission in respect of (a) road transport, (b) rail transport; and (c) other industry sectors; and what...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they offer any programme, addressed specifically to the needs of disabled people, in order to assist them in finding employment.

asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will lay before Parliament the secondary legislation under the Licensing Act 2003 on (a) the procedures to be followed in making an application for a...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What additional funds they are allocating to local authorities in order for them to discharge their functions under the Licensing Act 2003.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What recommendations they will make to local authorities with regard to how much they should charge applicants for (a) a premises licence; (b) a club premises...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the annual tax relief for public schools with charitable status in the last financial year.

asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will be laying under the Export Control Act 2002 (i) an order relating to the export of cultural objects and (ii) guidance about the exercising of...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the law relating to the prohibition of resale price maintenance applies to the retail sale of newspapers and periodicals.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the proposed European Union regulation to remove an individual's right to opt out of the Working Time Directive envisages the exclusion of certain groups...

asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they will take to address the current fall in output in the manufacturing industry.

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the July census date for general practitioner practices disadvantages general practitioners who operate student health services on or near campuses, given...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 18 September (HL Deb, col. 1066) that "attempts were made to reach a consensus. This House rejected an elected...

asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they consider that there is a need for 108 independent regulators, as identified by the Better Regulation Task Force report, Independent Regulators.

asked Her Majesty's Government: What training is provided for senior Ministers in (a) the structure and administration of government; and (b) the constitutional framework and principles within...