Written answers

Wednesday, 19 November 2003

  • Solicitor-General

    • Departmental Expenditure (Official Residences)

      To ask the Solicitor-General how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Civil Service

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on progress towards achieving ethnic diversity within the senior civil service.

    • Departmental Website

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the content and design of his Department's website.

      Market Research

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) market research in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement.

      Government Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the (a) purpose, (b) annual budget since inception, (c) projected budget for the next two years and (d) current work...

      Government Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff are employed in the (a) Prime Minister's Delivery Unit, (b) Office of Public Services Reform and (c) Office of the e-Envoy; where these...

      Government Bodies

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times the (a) Cabinet Office Strategy Board, (b) Business Regulation Team, (c) Regulatory Reform Strategy Team, (d) Public Sector Team, (e)...

      Official Properties

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

      Work-related Stress

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Marine Consents Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on regulating impact assessments which have been carried out into the work of the Marine...

    • Marine Consents Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the regulatory impacts of the proposed spatial planning body within the Marine Consents Unit.

      Marine Consents Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the progress of the review being conducted into the Marine Consents Unit.

      Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the consultation on measures to address the environmental impacts of agriculture through the use of...

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) strategy has been implemented and (b) funds have been committed to (i) identifying and (ii) eradicating bovine...

      Cement Kilns

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent analysis has been carried out by the Environment Agency to establish emission levels from the Rugby Cement Works,...

      Cement Kilns

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the impact on emission levels from the burning of tyres in cement kilns used for...

      Childhood Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with other Departments about implementing a strategy to tackle childhood obesity.

      Cod Farms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement about the future of cod farming; (2) how many cod farms have been proposed to be built in...

      Consumer Reward Card

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will commission a study of the potential effect of a consumer reward card scheme to influence people's behaviour and...

      Contingency Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on new measures in place to deal with disease breakdown following foot and mouth disease.

      Corporate Environmental Performance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department undertook on the environmental reporting of FTSE 350 companies prior to the Prime Minister's...

      Country Land and Business Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the invitation from the Country Landowners Association to speak at their November conference.

      Countryside Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to abolish the Countryside Agency; and if she will make a statement.

      Countryside Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of the Countryside Agency Headquarters in Cheltenham.

      Dry Walls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Government assistance has been given for repairing dry walls in each of the last five years.

      Egg Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with (a) representatives of the UK's egg industry and (b) the European Union about...

      Energy Consumption (Standby Units)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the daily energy consumption resulting from the use of standby units on televisions; and if she...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates of meetings of (a) the EU Committee for the adaptation to scientific and technical progress of the...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the dates of meetings of (a) the EU Committee for the adaptation to scientific and technical progress of the...

      Fallen Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provisions there will be for farmers to deliver their own casualty animals to the collection point under the new Fallen...

      Fallen Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish details regarding the collection of carcases under the Fallen Stock Scheme.

      Fallen Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether hunts will be able to register as (a) collectors and (b) receivers of fallen stock.

      Farm Holdings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance is provided by the Government to young farmers who wish to obtain their own farm holding.

      Farmers' Markets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what help was given to farmers' markets in England in 2001–02.

      Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she will bring forward at (a) national and (b) European level to tackle cetacean by-catch; and if she will...

      Food Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the adequacy of charges available to prosecutors under food regulations.

      Food Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to improve enforcement of food safety regulations at animal by-products processing premises...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether estimates of yield for GM maize in the GM farm scale evaluation published by her Department will be based upon maize...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the public relations companies employed by her Department to present the Government's viewpoint on GM (a)...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the (a) role and (b) responsibilities of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      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...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has received about whether the planting of GM crops would lead to a change in the use of (a) pesticides...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of EU labelling and traceability regulations in respect of GM (a) seeds, (b)...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment her Department has made of the application for the sale of GM sweetcorn Bt11; and what advice her...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the National Assembly for Wales in respect of their decision to declare...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment has been made through (a) research commissioned by her Department, (b) farm scale trials and (c) other...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to monitor the impact of GM animal feed on animal health.

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role the GM Science Review Panel will play in advising her Department on future decisions in respect of applications to...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role her Department will have in implementing the surveillance scheme proposed in the Food Standards Agency's study on...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2003, Official Report, column 561W, what research has been conducted on unintended...

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set up a GM public debate on the findings of the farm-scale evaluations.

      Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what research the choice of (a) dose, (b) timing, (c) formulation and (d) method of application of the herbicide used on...

      Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the rural proofing of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's new...

      Livestock Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what has been the average (a) disposal sale price and (b) market price for (i) commercial dairy cattle and (ii) pedigree...

      Milk Chocolate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on consumption of milk chocolate in the EU of its re-designation as family milk...

      Ministerial Speeches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the speeches made by each Minister in her Department since 1 January.

      National Environment Campaigns

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the impact of the Bag It and Bin It campaign on individual behaviour, with specific...

      Nuclear Waste Sites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) sites in the United Kingdom on which intermediate level nuclear waste is stored and (b) volume...

      Performance Monitoring

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost was of (a) setting, (b) monitoring and (c) measuring the performance targets for her Department in...

      Pesticides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will carry out the appraisal of the progress of the voluntary initiative on pesticides at the end of 2003, as...

      Pig Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made with measures to support British pig farmers; and if she will make a statement.

      Plankton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what data her Department holds on plankton (a) density and type (b) around the British Isles; and whether areas of cold water...

      Pollution Incidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 12 December 2002, Official Report, column 435W, on discharges into the environment, in respect of...

      Protected Geographical Indicators Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many products from the United Kingdom, broken down by region and nation, are being considered for registration under the...

      Protected Geographical Indicators Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regional foods are registered in each EU state; and how many of these in each state have registered within the last...

      Rats

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the rat population (a) in England and (b) broken down by local authority area (i) in each year since...

      Sewage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers water companies have to divert sewage into rivers; and if she will make a statement.

      Sewage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many recorded incidents there have been in each year since 1997 of water companies diverting sewage into rivers...

      Sugar Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from food manufacturers about the process of applying for reimbursment of sugar costs...

      Timber

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities which have not responded to the letter from the Environment Minister on timber...

      Timber

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list, based on responses to the Environment Minister's letter on timber procurement from 19 September 2002, the...

      Transfrontier Shipment Notifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if a transfrontier shipment notification can be issued when a company does not have a licence to dispose of the shipment.

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has secured from the US authorities undertakings that the ships from the US Naval Reserve due to be stored at...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements the Environment Agency has put in place to prevent environmental damage arising from the storage at...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on who will bear the cost of storage, including any inspection and basic safety measures necessary, of...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors underlay her press statement of 7 November that immediate return of the ships sent for disposal to Able UK at...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her recent discussions with the US Transportation Secretary on the fleet of ships en route...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the Environment Agency's press statement of 6 October 2003 about the decommissioning of United States ships...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been carried out of the (a) economic and (b) environmental impact of the arrival of the ships due to...

      US Warships (Decommissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers Government Ministers have to prevent ships entering United Kingdom waters; and on what occasions they have used...

      Warm Front Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many grants made under the Warm Front scheme have been suspended this year to date; and if she will make a statement.

      Waste Incineration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research is being undertaken into the health effects of energy-from-waste incinerators.

      Waste Incineration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the distribution of proposed waste incineration.

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the practice in other EU countries in relation to excluding rubble and incineration bottom...

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to receive the report of the review into the health and environmental effects of waste disposal.

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what capacity there is in the United Kingdom for the (a) treatment, (b) recovery and (c) recycling of (i) end of life...

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures she has introduced on waste minimisation.

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of commercial and industrial waste diverted to local authority managed civic amenity...

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authority projects for waste minimisation are funded from the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund.

      Waste Performance Reward Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Waste Performance Reward Grant.

      Website

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the use of computer games on her departmental website.

      Yoghurt Classification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice has been given to yoghurt manufacturers to help them comply with EU Directives on yoghurt classification.

  • Scotland

    • Bechtel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the contracts for consultancy and other work carried out by Bechtel in each year since 1997 by the Scottish Office, stating in each case...

    • Bechtel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the contracts for consultancy and other work carried out by Bechtel for agencies responsible to his Department and its predecessor in...

      Civil Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many civil service jobs there were in Scotland in each year from 1974 to 1999, broken down by (a) local authority area, (b) Department and (c) agency.

      Performance Monitoring

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

      Performance Monitoring

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

      Website

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the (a) content and (b) design of his Department's website.

  • Transport

    • Licensed Cabs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to remove local authority powers to restrict the number of licensed cabs in a local authority area; and if he will make a statement.

    • Traffic Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who has statutory authority to direct traffic on a public highway; and if he will make a statement.

      Air Transport White Paper

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the new Air Transport White Paper.

      Silent Aeroplanes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide funds to Cambridge University for research into silent aeroplanes.

      Ballast UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts Ballast UK has for the renewal of the rail network; and what the value is in each case.

      British Transport Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of violence on underground trains have been reported to British Transport Police in the last six years for which figures are available.

      Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of bus lanes there are in England.

      Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on re-regulation of buses.

      Call Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to outsource call centre work to premises outside the United Kingdom.

      Central Railway Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason he is unable to make an immediate decision on the Central Railway project.

      Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has conducted on the effect of climate change on railway infrastructure; what assessment he has made of the likely impact...

      Computer Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what contracts his Department has awarded to external computer game companies, broken down by (a) the company to which the contract was awarded...

      Deep Vein Thrombosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research studies he has (a) commissioned and (b) received on alternative designs for the layout of aeroplane cabins to minimise the risk of deep...

      Deep Vein Thrombosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of deep vein thrombosis in passengers on aeroplanes there were in each of the last 12 months.

      Deep Vein Thrombosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to airline companies on informing passengers on (a) the risk of deep vein thrombosis and (b) drinking water during the...

      Website

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

      Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints were received by (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (b) his Department and (c) other bodies about the process by which...

      Environmental Impact Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has incorporated Directive 85/337/EEC on environmental impact assessment into its consideration of the future development of air...

      Environmentally Sustainable Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce an environmentally sustainable aviation policy; and if he will make a statement.

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the EC-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Transport Committee met during the Danish and Greek presidencies.

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the EU Advisory Committee on transport met during the Danish and Greek presidencies; and if he will make a statement.

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the dates of meetings of (a) the EU Committee for the establishment of conditions for the interoperability of the trans-European...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) the EC-Bulgaria Joint Transport Committee, (b) the EEC-Slovenia Joint Transport Committee and (c) the EC-Romania Joint Transport Committee...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the dates and locations of meetings of (a) the EU Advisory Committee on the definition and use of compatible technical and operating...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) the EC-Czech Republic Joint Transport Committee, (b) the EC-Slovak Republic Joint Transport Committee, (c) the EC-Hungary Joint Transport...

      Freight

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much freight in (a) actual and (b) percentage terms was carried by (i) road, (ii) rail and (iii) water in each year from 1974 to date.

      Heathrow Pollutants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what research he has commissioned on methods of maintaining levels of nitrogen dioxide around Heathrow Airport within EU limits; (2) whether a...

      Missile Incidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents since 1997 have been caused by missiles thrown from bridges over (a) motorways and (b) trunk roads.

      Missile Incidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Government is taking to reduce the number of incidents caused by missiles thrown from bridges over motorways and trunk roads.

      NM Rothschild and Sons Ltd

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on services provided to his Department by NM Rothschilds since 1997.

      Rail Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to take back into full public ownership (a) rail operations, (b) full responsibility for track renewal and (c) London...

      Rail Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessments his Department has made of the potential of high-speed rail as an alternative to short-haul flights.

      Rail Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place a list of the stations which have secure station accreditation in the Library.

      Rail Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new train carriages will be ready for use by December but cannot be used due to insufficient power supply.

      Rail Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress is being made towards reducing the train journey time between London and Manchester; and if he will make a statement.

      Reflective Clothing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment has been made of the effect of wearing reflective clothing on the number of (a) child and (b) road casualties; (2) what support...

      Road Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths of and (b) injuries to (i) vehicle drivers, (ii) vehicle passengers and (iii) pedestrians occurred as a result of road accidents...

      Road Traffic Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on permitting civilians to direct vehicles on public highways; and if he will make a statement.

      Road Traffic Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the SPECS electronic signs on the M4 between junction 4 and junction 15 contain cameras which (a) read vehicle number plates, (b) compute...

      Sleeping Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents caused by drivers falling asleep while driving there were in each year since 1997.

      Speed Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of speed partnerships.

      Speed Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines there are for setting speed areas for speed partnerships.

      Speed Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of fine proceeds from mobile partnership speed vans was given to public authorities in the Avon and Somerset area in 2002–03.

      Speed Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines he has published on partnership speed camera vans in the Somerset and Avon area.

      Transport Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to minimise the security risk from terrorists using haulage vehicles to attack targets; (2) what security checks are...

      Transport Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by (a) the Office of the Rail Regulator, (b) the Strategic Rail Authority, (c) Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate, (d)...

      Trunk Roads

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what weight restrictions are in place on trunk roads; (2) which trunk roads have weight restrictions placed on them.

      West Coast Main Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expected (a) cost and (b) completion date were of the renewal of the west coast main line when the contract was let; and what his latest...

      West Coast Main Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the West Coast Main Line connection between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street will be fully modernised by 2005.

      West Coast Main Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average speed of trains on the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street will be after the line has been fully modernised.

      West Coast Main Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the estimated increase in the costs of modernising will have on the Government's plans for the West Coast Main Line.

      West Coast Main Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated train journey time is for services between London and Liverpool using the West Coast Main Line after 2005.

      West Coast Main Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether the whole of the West Coast Main Line will be fully modernised by 2008; (2) what the estimated journey time is for trains using the West...

  • Leader of the House

    • Official Residences

      To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in his...

    • Legislative Scrutiny

      To ask the Leader of the House if he will list for each Bill with over 150 clauses considered in this session of Parliament, how much debate each clause received at (a) Committee Stage and (b)...

      September Sittings

      To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to his answer of 6 November, Official Report, columns 773W, on September sittings, whether he has tabulated the representations for and against the...

      Sitting Hours

      To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to his answer of 6 November, Official Report, columns 773–4W, on sitting hours, whether he has tabulated the representations for and against the...

  • Prime Minister

    • Gaia House

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Gaia house near Totnes.

    • Guantanamo Bay

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the issue of the (a) legality and (b) impartiality of the proposed military tribunals for the Guantanamo Bay detainees with President Bush when he...

      Iraq

      To ask the Prime Minister how many of the sources of information used in the compilation of Government publications referring to weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have been interviewed since...

      Kyoto/ICC

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise with the US President the decision to secede from (a) the Kyoto agreement and (b) the International Criminal Court.

      Mark Henderson

      To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken towards securing the release of Mr. Mark Henderson, kidnapped by ELN, the national liberation army in Colombia, on 12 September 2003.

      Ministerial Visits

      To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his Oral Answer to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire of 12 November 2003, Official Report, column. 284, what action he has taken to pass on the...

      Performance Monitoring

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

      Performance Monitoring

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the performance targets that (a) his Office is required to meet; and if he will specify for each target (i) who sets it and (ii) who monitors achievement...

      State Visit (Protests)

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that peaceful protest against the visit of the President of the United States is facilitated.

      Work-related Stress

      To ask the Prime Minister how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his office in each of the last three years; how much compensation has been paid to employees; how many work...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • BBC Governor Elections

      Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will put mechanisms in place for the election of a number of BBC governors by viewers and listeners.

    • Childhood Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with sports and leisure representatives on the role of her Department in tackling obesity among...

      Film Locations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to promote sites in (a) the North East and (b) England as film locations.

      Licensing Laws

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice has been given to local authorities on the administration of the new licensing laws for premises selling alcohol.

      Lottery Funds (Orkney and Shetland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total value was of applications for Lottery money made by groups in (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland in each of the past five years...

      Lottery Funds (Orkney and Shetland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total value was of Lottery grants made to groups from (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland in each of the past five years for which...

      Olympic Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the Olympic facilities in London announced in November will be permanently available for sports use.

      Olympic Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps will be taken to improve hotel and tourist facilities outside London in the event of a successful Olympic bid for 2012.

      Tourism Revenue

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the tourist revenue generated in 2002 from visits to (a) the Palace of Westminster, (b) Buckingham Palace,...

      Velodrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the proposed velodrome will be a permanent facility for cycling; and whether it will be built in the event of an unsuccessful...

      Women's Sport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the New Community Development Fund sports budget will be available to women and girls who do not participate in...

      Women's Sport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken by her Department to encourage girls to participate in sport.

      World Heritage Status

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many United Kingdom sites have World Heritage Site status, broken down by government office of the region area; and what steps she...

  • International Development

    • Palestinian Negotiation Support Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding is given by the Government to the Palestinian Negotiation Support Unit; and what conditions are attached to the use of...

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of United Kingdom aid to Afghanistan since 2001 has been used to combat the production of opium.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were employed in his Department on 31 December (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002; and how...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were employed in his Department when the 2002 spending review was completed; and how many he expects to be in post at...

      Ethiopia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his plans to provide aid to Ethiopia in response to predicted food shortages next year.

      Infant Mortality

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made against the target of reducing the number of child deaths under the fourth millennium development goal; and...

      Infant Mortality

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will list the mortality rates of children under five for (a) girls and (b) boys in Asia in each of the last 10 years; (2)...

      Infant Mortality

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on child mortality in developing countries in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 2000.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps coalition forces in Iraq are taking to set up a humanitarian traffic lane on the Iraqi side of the Iraqi-Jordanian border.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of Iraq's demand for domestically consumed fuels was met through imports in the last month.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will identify the roles and responsibilities of (a) the 18 members of staff in his Department and (b) the seconded consultants...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assessment his Department has made of the need for environmental improvements in Iraq; (2) what support his Department is...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advisers have been appointed by Coalition members to support the work of the Minister for the Environment in Iraq.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources provided by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) NGOs are available in Iraq for mine clearance.

      Life Expectancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on life expectancy in developing countries in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 2000.

      Maternal Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many mothers (a) died and (b) suffered injury or disability through childbirth in each developing country in the last year for...

      Maternal Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of births were assisted by skilled births assistants in sub-Saharan Africa in each of the last 10 years.

      Millennium Development Goals

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department estimates that Tanzania will achieve the millennium development goals.

      Millennium Development Goals

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list his estimated expenditure on pursuit of the millennium development goals in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03, (c)...

      Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the countries in which some people live on $1 per day or less.

      Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of children in each developing country receive no education.

      Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of primary age children enrolled in primary school in sub-Saharan Africa in each of the last 10 years.

      Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the ratio of girls to boys enrolled in primary school in sub-Saharan Africa was in 2003–04; and what it is expected to be in...

      Sanitation/Water

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of families in each developing country are without access to water supplies or basic sanitation.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Moylinn Medical Centre (Security)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he will take to respond to attacks on medical staff at the out-of-hours GP co-operative based at Moylinn, Craigavon; and what plans...

    • British-Irish Interparliamentary Conference

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the (a) matters discussed and (b) decisions taken at the 27th British-Irish Interparliamentary conference; and if...

      Carpets International

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is on the use of the land occupied by Carpets International (UK) Ltd. in Donaghadee, should it be unsuccessful in attracting a buyer.

      Coagulometers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2003, Official Report, column 420W, on anti-coagulants, what effect the results of the home use trial of...

      Decommissioning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent (a) meetings and (b) discussions he has had with (i) Unionist politicians and (ii) others on decommissioning of arms held by...

      Devolved Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent discussions with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland on the restoration of devolved government...

      Employment Tribunals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been awarded since 1 November 2002 in Northern Ireland in costs as the result of employment tribunals; and what the average sum...

      Equality Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions the Equality Commission has had with the Northern Ireland Office on the legality of the exclusion of Irish nationals from...

      EU Fisheries Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that the Minister of State with responsibility for Agriculture and Rural Development will be present throughout the...

      EU Fisheries Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what lines of communication will be provided between the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development and representatives of the...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to encourage trainee general practitioners to develop special interests.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to encourage trainee general practitioners in Northern Ireland to develop an interest in the area of family planning.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to encourage experienced senior house officers in hospitals in the Province to remain in Northern Ireland to complete...

      Loyalist Terrorists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of Loyalist terrorists' capacity to carry out (a) targeting, (b) intimidation and (c) racketeering activities in...

      North/South Ministerial Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times the North/South Ministerial Council has met as indicated in the 1998 Belfast Agreement (a) in Plenary format, (b) in specific...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the breakdown is of prison custody visitors by (a) perceived community origin and (b) sex.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of the prison custody visitors scheme was in 2002; and what proportion of this comprises (a) remuneration, (b) travel and (c)...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what administrative support is available to teams of prison custody visitors.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the procedural mechanisms are for addressing (a) general matters of prison administration and (b) expressions of concern about individual...

      Salmon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the impact on wild salmon stocks of salmon fish farms in Northern Ireland.

      Salmon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the number of salmon spawning in each river in the Foyle system has reached the numbers recommended by P. F. Elson and A. L. W. Tuomi in...

      Social Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many units of social housing properties were vacant in each of the last five years in each local government area.

      Strategic Investment Body

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress to date of the Strategic Investment Body (SIB) in improving the profile and performance of the...

      University Capital Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government capital expenditure on buildings used for teaching and research, not including expenditure on science and business parks and...

      Urology Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many urology consultants are employed by the Northern Ireland Health Service; and what the average waiting time to see a urology consultant...

  • Defence

    • First World War (Passchendaele)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on repatriating remains of soldiers fallen in the First World War near the trenches found at the site of the new...

    • Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when last questioned, how many (a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Navy personnel said that overstretch was causing problems in their working; what question was...

      Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of increased rates of childhood obesity on the ability of the armed forces to recruit sufficient numbers of...

      Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what statistical information analysis of recruitment patterns for each of HM Armed Forces is based.

      Asbestos-related Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-servicemen and women have presented with asbestos-related diseases (ARDs); how many more the Government forecasts will present with ARDs; and...

      Congo

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution will be made by the UK to the multi-national rapid reaction force to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

      Defence Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the location of each of the defence agencies headquarters; how many staff each employs; what the annual expenditure of each was in...

      Defence Dental Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the unpublished 1997–98 annual report and accounts for the Defence Dental Agency.

      Defence Personnel (Scotland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence-related jobs there are in each constituency in Scotland.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 October 2003, Official Report, columns 373–74W, on departmental staff, what function previously performed in the...

      Maintenance Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many equipment (a) maintenance, (b) repair and (c) refit projects were (i) planned for and (ii) undertaken in each month of the current year in each...

      Maintenance Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent at each of the military bases in Scotland in each month in 2003 on equipment (a) maintenance, (b) repair and (c) refit; what...

      Ex-service Personnel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provisions he will make for the welfare of ex-service personnel after the Gulf conflict.

      Global Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential overlap between European future research programmes on global security and UK national defence programmes;...

      Illicit Arms Purchases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the proportion of (a) injuries and (b) fatalities caused to United Kingdom forces from illicitly purchased arms in the...

      Iraq

      Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Territorial Army strength has been mobilised for deployment in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions there have been with the US Government regarding the use of (a) anti-personnel mines and (b) cluster munitions in a possible conflict...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the components were of British manufacture in the two vehicles found in Iraq and suspected of being involved in the production of weapons of mass...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plans the UK has, in conjunction with the international community, to limit Iraqi civilian casualties in the event of the use of (a)...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those categories of weapons held by UK forces which will not be permitted for use in the event of a war involving UK forces and Iraq.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial resources are available to the UK armed forces for the administration of the British sector of Iraq.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of experimental weapons by the US forces in the war in Iraq.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what experimental weapons systems were tested in the war in Iraq.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK personnel in Iraq have received special training on the protection and rights of women and girls in armed conflict situations in line with the...

      KPMG

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts his Department has awarded to KPMG since 1997.

      Letter of Intent Framework

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the working groups set up under the Letter of Intent framework to report; and if he will make a statement.

      Low Flying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the latest advice to RAF pilots undertaking low-flying training in the Gloucester and Severn Valley area.

      Market Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each item of market and opinion research commissioned since May 1997 by (a) his Department and (b) agencies and non-departmental public...

      Married Couples' Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rights only married couples have in (a) housing on military bases, (b) pensions and other employment-related benefits, (c) notification when a...

      Medical Discharges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many medical discharges there were from each of the three services in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

      Ministerial Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits he has made since 1 April; what the cost was to public funds of each trip; who he met; and what gifts...

      MOD Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the work on surge capacity referred to in the consultative document issued in response to the Ministry of Defence Police Quinquennial Review First...

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is in 2003–04 to his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible of the...

      Naval Ships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantities of (a) oil, (b) oily ballast water, (c) asbestos, (d) polychlorinated biphenyl, (e) biohazards, (f) ozone-depleting substances, (g)...

      Naval Ships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) Royal Navy ships and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliaries have been sold for scrapping overseas in each year since 1997; in which countries they were...

      Nuclear Test Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-service personnel have been awarded pensions within the last year as a result of health problems resulting from their service on (a)...

      Nuclear Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what sections of the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty the collaborative work between AWE and weapons laboratories in the United States is being undertaken.

      Operation Telic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether morphine, and antidotes to provide post attack therapy against nerve agents, were available to all front line personnel serving on Operation Telic.

      Overseas Deployments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are deployed in (a) East Timor, (b) the Democratic Republic of the Congo and (c) Kuwait.

      Performance Monitoring

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

      Personal Injuries Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Amendment Scheme.

      Service Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent upgrading and building accommodation for the junior ranks of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in each...

      Social Conduct Code

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance has been issued by the Director General of Service Personnel Policy based on the reviewed Code of Social Conduct; and if he will place a...

      Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many SSNs would be capable of continuous deployment in cycles based on an SSN fleet of (a) four, (b) five and (c) six such boats.

      Surplus Arms Stores (Developing Countries)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects on the security of British soldiers deployed overseas of measures to reduce surplus arms stores in developing...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what remit relating to sustainable development is required by his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) advisory non-departmental bodies, (c)...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which United Kingdom commitments arising from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (a) have been incorporated into the Department's existing...

      Territorial Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army soldiers are (a) in the Gulf and (b) overseas; and how many are preparing for deployment in the Gulf.

      Training Establishments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made by principal personnel officers of the resources needed to bring medical facilities at training establishments up to required...

      Transport Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many transport aircraft, and of what type, are used by the armed forces.

      Transport Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his expenditure plans are for transport aircraft in the next five years.

      Voluntary Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding programmes are operated by his Department to support voluntary organisations working with young people; and what the level of support has...

      Vulcan Sky Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support has been given to the Vulcan Sky Trust.

  • Trade and Industry

    • Bank Accounts (Post Offices)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of basic bank accounts available are accessible at post offices; and of those, what proportion offer balance inquiries...

    • Alstom Transport UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how often and on what dates during the last year she has met Mr. Paul Barron, Vice President of Alstom Transport UK, to discuss the future of...

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the number of experiments on animals has increased since 1997; what the average number of animals used has been in each year since...

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies in the UK provide animals for use in experimentation; whether they receive Government assistance; and what regulations...

      Arms Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers she has to enforce the conditions contained in end-user control certificates; and what action she can take in case of breach of...

      Bechtel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the contracts for consultancy and other work carried out by Bechtel for agencies responsible to her Department in each year...

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government is taking to ensure that broadband is available throughout the Glasgow, Pollok constituency at the earliest possible...

      Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the contribution of the Carbon Trust to progress on meeting climate change targets.

      Coal Miners' Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all eligible compensation claims for those suffering from coal-related diseases are...

      Coal Mining

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the future of the coal mining industry in the UK.

      Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average balance between supply and demand of electricity was at (a) peak and (b) off-peak times last winter; what she estimates the...

      Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity generating capacity was available in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997, listing the contribution made by (a)...

      Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the benefits of transmitting energy underground.

      Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much spare generating capacity there is in the United Kingdom; and how much spare capacity her Department deems to be a sufficient safety...

      Employment Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will make an announcement regarding section 23 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 in relation to employment rights for clergy.

      Employment Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to announce the results of her Department's consultation on employment rights for atypical workers, with special reference to...

      Estate Agents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims against estate agents have been taken to the civil courts; how many have been upheld; and how much financial compensation has...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) EU Committee for the implementation of the multiannual community programme to stimulate the...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) EU Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of directives on the removal of...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) EU Committee for the implementation of the multiannual community action plan on promoting...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) EU Committee for the harmonisation of national legislation relating to recreational craft,...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) EU Advisory Committee on restrictive practices and dominant positions, (b) EU Advisory...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of the (a) EU Accounting Directives Contact Committee, (b) EU Advisory Committee on opening up public...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the (a) EU Committee for the harmonisation of credit insurance provisions for transactions with medium and long-term cover, (b) EU...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the (a) EU Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of directives on the removal of technical barriers to trade in the...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of (a) the EU Committee on the specific programme for research, technological development and...

      EU Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates of meetings of (a) the EU Telematics between Administrations Committee (TAC), (b) the EU Advisory Committee on...

      Export Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will discuss with (a) the Foreign Secretary, (b) the Secretary of State for International Development, (c) the Secretary of State for...

      Export Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2003, Official Report, columns 104–05W, on the Export Control Act 2002, what (a) controls and...

      Fair Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department is taking to promote fair trade accreditation at UK universities.

      Fireworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to prevent misuse of fireworks.

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) company insolvencies and (b) individual insolvencies there were in each quarter since 1997.

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much revenue has been generated from fees charged by the Insolvency Service in respect of (a) company winding-up petitions, (b) creditors'...

      Manufacturing Advisory Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many inquiries about the Manufacturing Advisory Service have been made by firms in (a) York unitary authority and (b) Yorkshire; (2)...

      Market Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much her Department spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) market research in the last financial year; and if she will make a statement.

      Mobile Phone Masts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of third generation mobile telephone masts that will be required in Surrey.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will issue guidance to mobile phone companies urging them to cancel mobile phone SIM cards when customers cancel contracts.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received regarding (a) fraud and (b) market abuse in the pre-paid mobile telephone card market; and what action...

      NTL Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints Oftel received about NTL in the last 12 months; what action Oftel has taken in response to complaints; and when she next...

      Oil and Gas Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on the control of the UK's oil and gas industries of the draft European Constitution; and if she...

      Post Office Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many urban post offices in Scotland have been (a) proposed and (b) approved for closure since the inception of the Network Reinvention Scheme.

      Post Offices (Benefit Payments)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the volume of transactions across post office counters was (a) in total, (b) for child benefit payments, (c) for pensions payments, (d)...

      Printer Cartridges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library copies of correspondence between her Department and the European Commission concerning the status of printer...

      Radio Frequency Identifier Devices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with retailers about the use of radio frequency identifier devices.

      Red Tape

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she is taking to reduce the administrative burden on small businesses.

      Royal Mail Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list foreign acquisitions by the Royal Mail Group since May 1997; what the cost of the acquisition was in each case; what their...

      Small Business Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) cost and (b) remit of the Small Business Council was in 2002–03; what use has been made of the council by businesses in...

      Small Loans Guarantee Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) applications have been received and (b) awards have been granted by the Small Loans Guarantee Fund in the last six years for...

      Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Department for Education and Skills, (b) the Learning Skills Council, (c) voluntary sector...

  • Education and Skills

    • Higher Education White Paper

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the additional cost of implementing the proposals in the higher education White Paper in the first three years that...

    • Higher Education White Paper

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his Answer of 12 November, Official Report, columns. 354–5W, on the Higher Education White Paper, how many responses to...

      Non-EU Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the 50 (a) universities and (b) further education colleges with the highest numbers of non-European Union students...

      Non-EU Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what percentage of non-European Union students at (a) further education colleges and (b) universities successfully completed their...

      Bechtel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the contracts for consultancy and other work carried out by Bechtel for agencies responsible to his Department and its...

      Capital Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the Government guidelines are for bids in relation to capital projects for schools; and how counties will apply for funds; (2)...

      Childhood Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he intends to measure the impact of the Travelling to School action plan on childhood obesity.

      Official Residences

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

      Education Villages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discussions and consultations education authorities were required to carry out on education villages; (2) how many schools have...

      Foundation Degrees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of students who will be studying foundation degrees in 2010; and how many he expects to study locally.

      GCSEs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of fifth-form pupils in (a) England, (b) comprehensive schools, (c) grammar schools, (d) secondary modern schools and (e)...

      Graduate Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish side-by-side comparative analyses of the cashflow profiles, showing projected expenditure and receipts of (a) the...

      Graduate Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library copies of focus group research which his Department has carried out into (a) higher education funding and...

      Graduates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent reports he has received from Barclays Bank in respect of changes to the time it is taking for graduates to find a permanent...

      Graduates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent reports he has received from Barclays Bank regarding recent levels of average graduate salaries.

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on widening participation in higher education in each year since 1997; on what schemes; and how much will be spent...

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what models of higher education funding his Department has assessed based on increases to (a) basic rate income tax, (b) basic rate national...

      Household Incomes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the latest research he has commissioned on average household incomes by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local...

      Key Stage 3

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children in (a) Wiltshire, (b) Dorset and (c) Devon gained level 5 or above in the Key Stage 3 tests in (i) English and...

      Licensed Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to introduce a licensed qualification for (a) bricklayers and (b) hairdressers; and if he will make a statement.

      Local Education Authorities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total targeted transitional grant is that he expects to give to local education authorities; and whether this sum is additional to...

      Modern Apprenticeships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had on modern apprenticeships; what plans he has to expand Government aided apprenticeships; and if he will...

      Office of Fair Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) capital expenditure and (b) running costs likely to arise as a result of the establishing of the Office...

      Primary Schools (Essex)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the vacancy figure for primary school teachers in Essex was on 1 September 2003.

      School Performance Tables

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of publishing stand-alone school performance tables for Key Stage 3 was.

      Schwarz Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what process he followed in appointing Mr. Steven Schwarz to lead a review into admissions to higher education; what (a) exchanges and (b)...

      Statistical Bulletin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library statistics for the most recent available year consistent with those on which DFES statistical bulletin...

      Student Drop-outs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence he has collated on the differences in student drop-out rates between institutions, correlated with the socio-economic class of...

      Student Drop-outs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has (a) conducted or (b) received into the relationship between a student's financial position and their...

      Student Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on costs to his Department of raising the repayment thresholds on student loans to £15,000 a year.

      Student Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of (a) the total outstanding size of student loan debt with the Government and its agencies in each year since...

      Student Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research his Department has undertaken to establish whether students differentiate between debt and income-contingent loans.

      Student Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average level of debt for a student leaving university was in each academic year since 1993–94.

      Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent reports he has received on the percentage of students attending university whose parents were graduates; and what trends they...

      Teacher Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve teacher training for further education college staff; and if he will make a statement.

      Top-up Fees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on top-up fees for university students; what assessment he has made of the effect of top-up fees on...

      Tuition Fees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the possible impact of tuition fees at universities in England on salaries for teaching and research...

      Tuition Fees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the residual income requirements are for full or partial remission of university tuition fees; and what the proposed residual income...

      Tuition Fees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what fee remissions he proposes for (a) students from more modest backgrounds and (b) students taking up (i) medicine or (ii)...

      Universities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has sought from businesses on their preferred methods of contributing to more funding for (a) teaching and (b)...

  • Home Department

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the feasibility of implementing the recommendations in the report of July 2002 by...

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans there are to establish national research on the replacement of animals in basic medical research.

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is taking to enhance the status of alternative research to replace animal experiments.

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the levels of financial support other EU member states have given to alternatives to animal research;...

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to encourage alternatives to animal testing for medical research.

      Alcohol (Public Places)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what circumstances he would advise a local authority to introduce a city-wide drinking ban using the model Home Office bye-law...

      Anonymity

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what informed and strengthened guidance has been given to the police and media on anonymity for those accused of historical child...

      Child Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will remove the right to buy from a council tenant any of whose family resident in the family home are subject of an antisocial...

      Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his provision of taxis for asylum seekers for visiting friends and family; out of which budget they are paid...

      Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers in each of the last six years have received (a) a criminal record and (b) been sentenced to prison.

      Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many female asylum seekers that have been settled in the United Kingdom requested that their husband not be granted asylum so as to...

      Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers whose claims have been certified as clearly unfounded under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act...

      Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Department has made of the number of asylum seekers given on committing fraud by unqualified legal advisers in the last...

      Bus Lanes (Policing Costs)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much policing bus lanes in England cost in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

      Citizenship Applications

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average it has taken to deal with British Overseas Citizens' applications in the last year for which figures are available.

      Civil Service Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) criminal justice and (b) other civil service bodies accountable to his Department which are not required to produce...

      Community Justice

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans to introduce community courts; and how these courts will work in practice.

      Community Justice

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects there to be a community justice centre in every area.

      Community Policy Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the purpose is of the Community Policy Directorate of his Department; what its estimated costs were for each year from 1990–91 to...

      Corporate Killing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the introduction of health and safety legislation to deal with corporate killing;...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 11 September from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent, reference: PO 13626/3 +...

      Correspondence

      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 18 September 2003, with regard to Mr. M. J....

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the hon. Member for Bolton, South East will receive a response to his letters of (a) 25 April, (b) 18 June, (c) 29 July, (d) 3...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 24 July 2003 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury on behalf of Mrs. M. Else of Allonby Way, Aylesbury.

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood of 4 September 2003 regarding Weston Clark, date of...

      Crime Statistics (Northumbria)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the recorded crime figures were for Northumbria in each year since 1997.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the number of applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how he intends to (a) decrease the rate of case review manager turnover and (b) increase the rate of recruitment in the Criminal Cases...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the relationship between his Department and the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of accountability of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in its responsibility to consider and report to the Secretary...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many and what percentage of cases reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission an investigating officer was appointed from another...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of cases reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission have been referred to a court of appeal in each year...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to promote public understanding of the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission have arisen from each region in the United Kingdom in each year since its...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of public confidence in the criminal justice system since the establishment of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of co-operation by (a) health authorities and (b) social services departments with the...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the Criminal Cases Review Commission has made of (a) its dealings with non-public bodies and (b) its helpfulness in...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission were referred by (a) an independent solicitor and (b) legal partnerships in...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Criminal Cases Review Commission has a duty to analyse the causes of miscarriages of justice and suggest ways to reduce their...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment the Criminal Cases Review Commission has made of applicants and their views on the openness and transparency of the...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many and what percentage of initial inquiries and communications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission were responded to within...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many and what percentage of reviews at stage one of the Criminal Cases Review Commission have been completed within 30 working days...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of provisional non-referrals at stage two screen of the Criminal Cases Review Commission involved the applicant...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on reaching tray two in the Criminal Cases Review Commission, how long on average cases have waited in each year since the inception of the...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many and what percentage of cases the Criminal Cases Review Commission investigated issues by (a) using its own resources, (b)...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of provisional non-referrals at stage two of the Criminal Cases Review Commission involved the applicant making...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many and what percentage of cases convictions have been quashed as a result of legislation that has been passed since the original...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in how many and what percentage of cases the Criminal Cases Review Commission exercised its section 17 powers in 2003; (2) what the...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many and what percentage of referrals non-disclosure has been a determining factor in the decision to refer in 2003.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what period of time on average cases were classed as non-priority by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in each year since the...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the outcome was of the Process Improvement Project; (2) how many internal process improvement groups have been convened by the...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the Criminal Cases Review Commission estimates it will take to complete the review of case files that have been stored for five...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets the Criminal Cases Review Commission is working towards in the effort to minimise case accumulation; and when it estimates that...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what ways the Criminal Cases Review Commission's accommodation in the Alpha Tower has been designed to encourage communication and...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was allocated to the Criminal Cases Review Commission under the Invest to Save initiative; and how this money was used.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many cases were referred to the court of appeal in each year from 1990 until the Criminal Cases Review Commission was established;...

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were received by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in each year from 31 March 1997 and 31 March 2003.

      Criminal Justice Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for making appropriate treatment more widely available for the purposes of clause 16 of the Criminal Justice Bill.

      Criminal Justice Boards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the (a) work and (b) efficiency of the criminal justice boards; and what recent changes have occurred in the...

      Criminal Justice Royal Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice that reported in June 1996; what the main budgetary items of expenditure...

      Criminal Justice System

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the representation of victims' interests in the criminal justice system.

      Criminal Justice System

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timescale is for the Government's review of inspection arrangements within the criminal justice system.

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the Criminal Records Bureau's Overseas Information Service; (2) what measures he takes to ensure that...

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether applicants for disclosures through the Criminal Records Bureau are required to have their fingerprints taken.

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the outsourcing of Criminal Records Bureau data processing to a company whose employees are based in India.

      Cumbria Crime Squad

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on (a) the total cost, (b) the cost in terms of the wages of the officers under investigation of the...

      Deaths in Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deaths of under-18s held in custody in descending order by institution, there were in the past 20 years.

      Deaths in Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of (a) suicide and (b) attempted suicide by under 18s held in custody there have been in each of the last 20 years.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action (a) has been and (b) will be taken by his Department regarding the recommendations of the 1998 report, Policing Domestic...

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has commissioned on how many children who grow up in homes with domestic violence are (a) abused by a partner or husband...

      Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of property crime attributable to the misuse of Class A drugs.

      Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug dealers were convicted in London in each of the last six years.

      Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the street prices of illegal drugs in the last two years.

      Dungavel

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of stay at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre for (a) adults and (b) children has been over the last 12 months.

      Prisoner Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners at each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution have received formal education within those institutions...

      Prisoner Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison staff in each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution are employed to provide educational services; and what...

      Prisoner Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison staff are employed in (a) prisons and (b) young offenders institutions to provide educational services for each of the past...

      Prisoner Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget has been for (a) literacy and (b) numeracy courses in (i) prisons and (ii) young offenders institutions in each of the past...

      Enforced Migration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work he is doing with the Department for International Development to tackle the root causes of enforced migration, with particular...

      Ethnic Monitoring

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many staff were employed by the National Probation Service in England and Wales as (a) chief officers, (b) assistant chief...

      Ethnic Monitoring

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people left (a) the police service in England and Wales, (b) the prison service in England and Wales and (c) the probation service...

      Evidence (Audio-recording)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason all interviews between the prosecution and defence witnesses in advance of trial cannot be audio-recorded.

      Female Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it costs per annum for each female detained in prison in the UK.

      Female Rape

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to reduce female rape.

      Firearms Legislation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his timetable is for the review of firearms legislation announced on 30 April 2003.

      Fireworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 640W, on fireworks, and 28 January 2003, Official Report, column 754W,...

      Grants (Administrative Costs)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the administrative costs were of (a) Active Community Unit grants, (b) Race Equality grants and (c) Refugee Integration Unit grants in...

      Gurpal Virdi

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will request a copy of the investigation report by south Wales Police for the Metropolitan Police on the handling of the case of...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implications of the proposed identity cards for (a) Irish citizens living in Great Britain and (b) persons...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his statement on Identity Cards on 11 November 2003, Official Report, columns. 171–87, what the evidential basis was of his...

      Identity Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to propose legislation to make identity theft a criminal offence.

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Crosby on delays in releasing persons subject to immigration control from Her...

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made by (a) police and (b) immigration officers for offences under the Immigration Act 1971 in each year since 1997.

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a decision on the case of Mr.William Michael Moore Rigg and Mrs.Marilyn Rigg, reference number R355557; and if he will make...

      Independent Monitoring Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Independent Monitoring Board annual reports he has received in each year since 1997.

      Jamaican Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of female Jamaican nationals in prison in the UK have (a) attempted suicide and (b) committed suicide in each of the last...

      Justice and Home Affairs Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held on 6 November; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed,...

      Market Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each item of market and opinion research commissioned since May 1997 by (a) his Department and (b) agencies and...

      Missing Persons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of children who ran away from home since 1997 had (a) alcohol and (b) drug abuse problems.

      National Alcohol Strategy

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's contribution to the development of a national alcohol strategy; and what assessment he has...

      National Probation Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many probation areas have suffered a financial penalty this financial year for failing to meet their targets; and what penalty was...

      Ombudsmen

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were considered by the (a) Police Ombudsman and (b) Prison and Probation Ombudsman in the last year for which figures are...

      Overseas Pupils

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the total amount of visa charges that will be levied on overseas pupils attending boarding schools in the...

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Woking on 23 October 2003, references (a) 134049, (b) 135434, (c) 135433,...

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the target period of time is for the passport service to deal with applications for passports; and what their performance was in the...

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he carried out before introducing fees for (a) applications for variation of leave and (b) endorsing passports.

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress his Department is making in dealing with (a) passport fraud and (b) duplicate or false national...

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans), Official Report, 30 October 2003, column 321W, what the projected...

      Payroll Contracts

      Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 June 2003, Official Report, column 14W, on payroll contracts, what period the £13.94 million...

      Penal System

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 1 May 2003, Official Report, column 527W, on the penal system, if he will make a statement on the conclusions and...

      Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have taken early retirement (a) prior to and (b) during investigation for misconduct or other work-related offences...

      Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding per head of population Lincolnshire Police received in each year since 1995 from the Government.

      Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding per head of population each police authority in England and Wales received in 2002–03.

      Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to guarantee compensation payments to police officers for illnesses caused by continuous long-term low level...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to combine the prison and probation services into a single correctional service; and if he will make a statement.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons which offer paid employment and the nature of the employment; which prisons have contracts with the (a) private...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 September, references 128559 and 129219, on prisons, for what reason he chose scenario C as the basis for the...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff at (a) High Down and (b) Downview Prisons are not receiving the pay to which they are entitled within one month;...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2003, Official Report, column 1244W, on prisons, on which (a) assumptions about future sentencing trends...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile girls being held in prison are pregnant.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 February 2003, Official Report, column 116W, what his assessment is of the change in (a) criminal convictions...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in each of the last 15 years tested positive for (a) heroin and (b) crack cocaine; what proportion of the total prison...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is necessary for the Chief Inspector of Prisons to seek the permission of the Home Secretary to enter prison at any time; and what...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about his strategy for dealing with changes in the prison population.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the populations of each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institute; whether each institution is overcrowded, giving (i) the...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons offer rehabilitation programmes, giving the nature of the programmes; how many prisoners participated in rehabilitation...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the population of each prison in Haltemprice and Howden was in the last quarter for which figures are available; and what the figures...

      Probation Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes), of 20 October 2003, Official Report, column...

      Profiting from Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the law so that current and former criminals cannot profit from their crimes by (a) selling recorded or written...

      Pupil Visa Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what form of consultation was undertaken by his Department on the planned introduction of visa charges for overseas school pupils attending...

      Racial Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of crimes committed in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since 1997 were racially motivated; what steps he is taking to...

      Rap Music

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent meetings he has held with producers of rap music records; and what the outcome was of those meetings.

      Rape

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug rapes were reported in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) the first half of 2003, broken down by sex of victim.

      Rape

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women reported rape by their husband or partner in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

      Recorded Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the number and proportion of recorded crimes for which an offender was brought to justice changed in 2001–02.

      Sex Offenders Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will set out in descending order how many (a) registered sex offenders and (b) registered sex offenders per 100,000 population there...

      Sex Offenders Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to provide further assistance to police in (a) checking details of individuals on the Register of Sexual Offenders and (b)...

      Sex Offenders Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those on the sex offenders register have been convicted of a further offence following registration.

      Offender Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to introduce legislation to amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

      Released Prisoners (London)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were released from prison in London in the last 12 months; and how many are estimated to have (a) mental health and (b)...

      Road Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what standard of accuracy speed cameras work.

      Road Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what help he gives to chief constables to publish speed messages.

      Schools (Violence)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government are taking to support teachers and school staff in their work to prevent (a) violence and (b) crime in schools.

      Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the sentences available to judges following a conviction for throwing missiles from bridges over motorways and...

      Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve public understanding of (a) sentencing policy and practice and (b) community service.

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent rates of (a) prosecution and (b) conviction are for rape and sexual assault in police areas which (i) have and (ii) do...

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of offenders likely to be caught under the internet grooming provision of the Sexual Offences Bill.

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) sentenced to immediate custody in the course of Operation Ore; how...

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a code of practice will accompany the Sexual Offences Bill.

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will publish guidelines for the Sexual Offences Bill; and what plans he has to consult on these guidelines.

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the NGOs to whom the parliamentary under secretary expressed appreciation for the work they had done on the issue of...

      Student Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of those on student visas who complete their courses; and what estimate he has made of...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the sustainability strategy is for his Department; and if he will make a statement on how it has changed since the World Summit on...

      "Think First" Programmes

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish his research on the completion rates of offenders attending pilot accredited programmes, known as "Think First", in...

      Victim Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) number and (b) percentage of complainants (i) were offered victim support services and (ii) accepted the help of victim support...

      Vulnerable People (Transport)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has given to local authorities to help them determine the suitability of licensed (a) taxi and (b) private hire drivers to...

      Waterloo Immigration Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact he estimates the proposed closure of the Waterloo Immigration Office will have on border control at this point of entry.

      Waterloo Immigration Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he estimates the cost will be of relocating the Immigration Office at Waterloo to France.

      Waterloo Immigration Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason (a) French officers at the Waterloo Immigration Office carry guns and (b) British officers there do not.

      Wetherby Young Offenders Institution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) assaults and (b) incidents of criminal damage there were in Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution Wetherby in each of the...

      Wetherby Young Offenders Institution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sick days have been taken off by staff at Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution Wetherby in each of the past five years.

      Wetherby Young Offenders Institution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times staff at Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution Wetherby had to use control and restraint in each of the past five years.

      Wetherby Young Offenders Institution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the grounds are for (a) the removal of staff batons and (b) the proposed replacement of staff uniforms at Her Majesty's Young Offenders...

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many young offenders found guilty of criminal damage have undertaken reparation under the (a) Reparation Order, (b) Action Plan,...

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the results of the ISSP schemes; what the completion rate of young offenders guilty of criminal damage on the...

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many juveniles failed to make contact with the youth offending team on release from prison in the last year for which figures are available.

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many girls aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 years are serving sentences in women's prisons.

      Youth Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government are taking to reduce youth violence.

      Zahid Mubarek

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will set up a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Zahid Mubarek following the judgment of the House of...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Georgia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to ensure that (a) proper democratic processes are being followed and (b) that fair...

    • Georgia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Georgia.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made in improving Afghanistan's drug law enforcement capacity.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of the UK's heroin supply coming from Afghanistan.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the size of the poppy harvest was in Afghanistan in each year since 2000.

      Azerbaijan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on bilateral relations with Azerbaijan.

      Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British American Tobacco's decision to stop its cigarette making operation in Burma.

      Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure compliance by the Colombian Government with recommendations by the UN on human rights.

      Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his officials have held with the Colombian Government on rates of voter abstention in (a) the Colombian...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when he will reply to the letter to him dated 7 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to...

      Democratic Republic of the Congo

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the levels of (a) United Kingdom and (b) UN troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

      Departmental Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was to his Department for (a) ministerial cars and drivers, (b) taxis, (c) train travel, (d) the use of...

      European Court of Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy (a) to oppose the introduction of new admissibility criteria for individual petitioners to the...

      European Constitution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what shared competence exists on energy policy within the EU; and what impact he estimates the proposed Energy Chapter will have...

      European Constitution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the areas of policy, legislation, administration and decision on objectives to be attained which (a) are and (b)...

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Gibraltar Government in negotiations with the Spanish Government on the future of...

      Guantanamo Bay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the decision by the United States Supreme Court to reassess the legality of holding prisoners in...

      Indonesia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Indonesia on (a) suppressing the rebels' uprising and (b)...

      International Atomic Energy Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to make additional resources available to the International Atomic Energy Agency to support its increased...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining and developing the capabilities to...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on Iran's enrichment of uranium.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the evidential basis is for the statements made on page 34 and 35 of the Iraq dossier of 24 September on inspections by...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's contribution to the provision of a civil police service in Iraq.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Iraqi (a) civilians, (b) police officers and (c) military police he estimates have been killed in terrorist attacks in...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts are being made in Iraq to re-employ the Iraqis who are unemployed; what discussions he has on assisting these...

      Islamabad High Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current status of the high commission in Islamabad; and when he expects it to be fully...

      Israel/Palestine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the UK representative on the UN Security Council abstained in the vote on 14 October on the resolution...

      Israel/Palestine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning the status of Palestinians living between the Green Line...

      Japan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Government of Japan about its refusal to subscribe to the Hague Convention...

      Japan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to make representations on behalf of individual citizens of the United Kingdom to the Government...

      Legislative Council of St. Helena

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will arrange to meet the members of the Legislative Council of St. Helena when he is on Ascension Island at the beginning...

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli Government on the destruction of (a) wells and (b) other infrastructure in...

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian/Lebanese prisoners.

      Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent initiatives have been taken by the United Kingdom to strengthen the provisions of the nuclear non-proliferation...

      Pakistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if (a) he and (b) officials from his Department will meet Christian groups in the UK to discuss rights for Christians in Pakistan.

      Science and Technology Network

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (a) funding, (b) remit and (c) functions of the science and technology network.

      Secondment

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

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of...

      Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of developments in the human rights situation in Turkey; what representations have been...

      United States

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the New York Consul General relocated from the residence at 4 East 66th Street; what use has been made of the apartment...

      United States

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the New York Consul General moved into the new residence; what the total capital cost of this residence, including all...

      United States

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when and at what price the former residence of the San Francisco Consul General was sold; what net proceeds the Department...

      Website

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

      Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the UK will take to support Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa forced to return to Zimbabwe.

      Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent action the Government has taken to ensure that Zimbabwe has (a) legitimate and (b) democratic government.

  • Constitutional Affairs

    • Appointments Commission

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if the Secretary of State will direct the House of Lords Appointments Commission to disqualify applicants for a people's...

    • Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of unqualified legal advisers who represented asylum seekers in the last year for...

      Bankruptcy

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) company winding-up petitions, (b) creditors' petitions and (c) debtors' petitions were issued in each...

      Fines

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total value was of fines imposed at magistrates courts in London in 2002–03; what the default rate was;...

      House of Lords Reform

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many staff are employed on the House of Lords reform programme; and at what cost in the last year for which figures...

      Judicial Appointments

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) high court judges, (b) circuit judges, (c) district judges, (d) recorders and (e) assistant recorders there...

      Judicial Appointments

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) high court judges, (b) circuit judges, (c) district judges, (d) recorders and (e) assistant recorders were...

      Judicial Appointments

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates in England and Wales were in post in the last month for which figures are available; and how many...

      Judicial Appointments

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates were appointed in England and Wales in 2002; and how many were (i) black and (ii) Asian.

      Judicial Appointments

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) justices' clerks, (b) deputy clerks, (c) ushers and (d) administrative clerical and secretarial staff were...

      Justices of the Peace

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action the Lord Chancellor will take in respect of declarations by justices of the peace of their intention not to...

      Witness Suites

      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will take steps to move the witness suite at Nottingham Crown Court from proximity to the main entrance used by...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Bechtel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will list the contracts for consultancy and other work carried out by Bechtel for agencies responsible to his Department and its...

    • Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he will take to help (a) housebound and (b) disabled people access new systems for receiving benefits and tax credits.

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 4 June from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Howarth (Fallows).

      Disability Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) representations and (b) discussions he has had in the last 12 months on the viability of extending the Disability Discrimination Act...

      Disabled People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures have been taken by the Government since 1997 to advance civil rights legislation for disabled people.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the effects of the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinder scheme in Blackpool; (2) if he will make a...

      Local Reference Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what instructions he has issued to the Chief Rent Officer in London on the localities used in the determination of housing benefit local...

      Local Reference Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many localities were being used in the determination of housing benefit local reference rents in London in November (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and...

      Local Reference Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent reports he has received on housing benefit shortfalls experienced by claimants arising from local reference rent restrictions in London.

      Local Reference Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many localities are currently being used by the Rent Service in England to determine local reference rents.

      Local Reference Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 15 May 2003, Official Report, column 373W, to the hon. Member for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard), when the Rent Service will...

      Occupational Pension Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates his Department has made of (a) the number of occupational pension schemes which have failed to meet their full obligations to...

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on uptake of the pension credit in Wirral South.

      Pension Funds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to protect the assets in the pension funds of former nationalised industries.

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) representations and (b) discussions he has had in the last 12 months on encouraging (i) employers and (ii) employees to contribute to...

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) representations and (b) discussions he has had in the last 12 months on the take-up of occupational pensions by part-time workers; and...

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on low income households of delaying commencement of paying state retirement pension until the...

      Performance Monitoring

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

      Performance Monitoring

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

      Post Office Card Accounts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive their state pension by means of (a) direct payment into a bank or building society account, (b) direct payment into...

      Public Employees (Essex)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time workers were employed by the Pensions Agency in Essex on 1 September.

      Social Exclusion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has conducted into the effect of benefit sanctions on claimants with reference to social exclusion; and if he will...

      Work-related Stress

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

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Permitted Development Rights

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress with the review of permitted development rights.

    • Allotments

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to promote the wider (a) use and (b) provision of allotments.

      Coalfield Regeneration Trust

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the Coalfield Regeneration Trust on the former coalfield areas.

      Local Government Finance (Cheshire)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received about the impact on local councils in Cheshire of the formula funding arrangements.

      Planning Policy/Pollution

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received about local planning policies and light pollution.

      Prefabricated Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is under his Department's Decent Homes guidance with regard to local authority decisions on whether to keep prefabricated housing.

      Neighbourhood Wardens

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that achievements of Neighbourhood Warden schemes are recognised by means of awards.

      Arm's Length Management

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 496W, on arm's length management, what percentage of the additional £2 billion announced...

      Asbestos

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what...

      Asbestos

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 15 July 2003, Official Report, column 287W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings identified as containing asbestos.

      Borrowing Guidelines

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will make a statement on the new prudential borrowing guidelines for local government; (2) what the estimated cost of repayments would be per million...

      Council Reserves

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the financial value was of the reserves for (a) Shropshire County Council and (b) Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council in each year since 1997.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government has made of the average level of council tax for the next financial year; and if he will make a statement.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the (a) band D council tax and (b) average council tax paid in (i) Plymouth, (ii) Torbay, (iii) Torridge, (iv) West Devon, (v) south Hams, (vi) Exeter,...

      Departmental Energy Use

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy his Department has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) staff expressed as a full-time equivalent and (b) press and public affairs staff were employed (i) in his Ministerial office, (ii) in other...

      Disabled Children (Play Areas)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps his Department is taking to promote good practice on making play areas more accessible for disabled children.

      Emergency Night Shelters

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many people in each local authority were turned away from emergency night shelter accommodation in each year since 1997.

      Energy Performance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement in respect of his policy on the labelling of buildings open to the public in terms of their energy performance.

      Energy Policy

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement, in relation to his Office, on (a) the amount of energy consumed, (b) spending on (i) energy and (ii) energy efficiency measures, (c)...

      Fire and Rescue Service

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

      Fire and Rescue Service

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many community education vans were retained by the Essex Fire and Rescue Service on 1 September.

      Fire and Rescue Service

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what impact he proposes regional assemblies will have on the structure of the Fire Service in North Yorkshire.

      Fire and Rescue Service

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the reasons for introducing integrated personal development systems for the fire services in the South West Region.

      Fire and Rescue Service

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with individual fire authorities on integrated personal development systems.

      Fire and Rescue Service

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost is of introducing integrated personal development systems for the fire service in the South West Region.

      Green Belt (Development)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many applications have been received for development on green belt land since 1997; how many applications he approved for the development to proceed; and...

      Homelessness (Older People)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to tackle homelessness among older people.

      Houses in Multiple Occupation

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses are in multiple occupation; how many of them are registered; and how many local authorities have registration schemes.

      Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by each local authority on (a) arm's length management organisations, (b) private finance initiative and (c) stock retention in relation...

      Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on investment in social housing.

      Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is regarding owners of ex-local authority homes who wish to sell them back to the local authority.

      IT Projects

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much he spent on IT (a) licences, (b) maintenance, (c) software and (d) hardware in the last financial year.

      Large Scale Voluntary Transfers

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions the Audit Commission has raised with him issues relating to individual ballots for large scale voluntary transfer in the last three years.

      Meeting Costs

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times the (a) Urban Sounding Board, (b) Core Cities Working Group and (c) Arson Control Forum have met since they were established; how much each meeting...

      Pathfinders Programme

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation of the Pathfinders programme has taken place.

      Pathfinders Programme

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what ways (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry have benefited from Pathfinders.

      Performance Monitoring

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost was of (a) setting, (b) monitoring and (c) measuring the performance targets for his Department in 2002–03; and how many and what grades...

      Regional Assembly Elections

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether he plans to offer advice and guidance to local authorities in areas subject to regional assembly referendums on the extent to which they can publicise...

      Registered Social Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what (a) guidance and (b) advice his Department published for tenants of registered social landlords, concerning (i) their rights in respect of consultation...

      Registered Social Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what resources in terms of (a) funding and (b) support are made available by the Government to registered social housing landlords to rectify housing stock in...

      Registered Social Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the optimum size is of housing stock for stock transfers of local authority housing to a single trust or association.

      Registered Social Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is regarding housing trusts or associations created as a result of stock transfer ballots by tenants, in cases where they propose demolishing...

      Registered Social Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is regarding housing trusts or associations created as a result of stock transfer ballots, in cases where tenants demonstrate a desire to...

      Rural Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the exception site planning principle for the provision of housing in villages.

      Rural Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons the use of exception sites in rural areas is being replaced by a requirement for local authorities to provide a specified number of affordable...

      Supermarkets (Planning)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what investigations the Government have carried out into the extent to which existing planning applications for supermarkets have a condition stating the maximum...

      Tenancy Deposit Scheme

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation his Department has made of the pilot Tenancy Deposit Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

      Tenancy Deposit Scheme

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the case for a statutory Tenancy Deposit Scheme; what plans he has to introduce legislation; and if he...

      Traffic Noise (PPG 24)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will reduce the maximum noise thresholds in PPG 24 for aircraft noise to below those for other traffic noise sources; (2) if he will set lower...

      Urban Landscapes Project

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on UK participation in the EU Sustainable and Accessible Urban Landscapes Project.

      Warrington Borough Council

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the rate of local income tax which would be necessary to fund services provided by Warrington Borough Council (a) if such a tax were...

      Website

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of the content and design of his Department's website.

      Wilson Marriage Centre, Colchester

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 6 October 2003, if he will call in public inquiry Application CC/COL/03/1437 by Essex County Council in respect of land it owns at the...

  • Treasury

    • Suicide

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides there were in each month in (a) England and (b) each region in each of the last six years.

    • Teenage Pregnancy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there were in (a) the UK, (b) coalfield communities and (c) Bassetlaw in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

      Unemployment Rates

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of (a) unemployment, (b) seasonally adjusted unemployment and (c) long-term unemployment for the Isle of Wight was for each month since 2000.

      Advertising Costs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the cost of advertising by (a) HM Treasury, (b) the Inland Revenue, (c) Customs and Excise, (d) the Office of National Statistics, (e)...

      Child Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of pensioners with dependent children who are receiving Child Tax Credit.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of general government revenue was accounted for by council tax in each tax year between 1992–93 and 2001–02.

      Employment Statistics

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of jobs in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales were in the (i) public sector and (ii) voluntary sector in the last 12 months for which...

      Gold

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tonnes of gold from UK gold holdings were sold in each year since 1997; at what price per ounce they were sold; and what the value of the sales per...

      Household Wealth

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the stock of household wealth, net of debt, in (a) 1990, (b) 1997 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available; and what...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the savings that his Department will make through the introduction of a compulsory identity card.

      Income Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what increase in income tax he estimates would be required to be levied on English taxpayers in order to generate an additional (a) £19 billion and (b)...

      Ministerial Statements

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his statement of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 420, what evidential basis he used to support his statement that 3 million jobs in the UK...

      Mobile Phone Contracts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the central mobile telecommunications contract managed by the Office of Government Commerce cost in each year since the scheme started, broken down...

      National Insurance Fund

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which years the rate of Treasury supplement to the National Insurance Fund was 18 per cent.; and if he will estimate the amount of the supplement in the...

      Official Residences

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

      Payroll Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures of performance and customer satisfaction were included in the framework agreement between Her Majesty's Treasury and CMG for the...

      Personal Tax/Benefits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to his statement of 13 November 2003, Official Report, column 403, on personal tax and benefit changes since 1997, if he will (a) list the...

      Private Schools

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on value added tax revenue of the charitable status of private schools in the last year for which figures are available.

      Secondees

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 4 November 2003, Official Report, column 620W, on secondees, which organisation is responsible for salaries and expenses of...

      Stamp Duty

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue cost of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales so as to charge marginal rates of (a) 0 per cent. on property...

      Tax Credits (Overpayment)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether existing tax credit claimants will be expected to make contact with the Inland Revenue to request a form or give information regarding their...

      Tax Credits (Overpayment)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints he has received about (a) child tax and (b) working tax credit; how much compensation has been paid for errors; and what the (i) range...

      Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional revenue would be raised from the residents of (a) each of the borough councils in Hampshire and (b) the Southampton and Portsmouth...

      VAT Carousel Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the value of VAT carousel fraud was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; (2) if he will make a statement on the progress of...

      VAT Carousel Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the European Union in respect of its rules on cross-border trade and VAT carousel fraud; and if he will make a statement.

  • Health

    • Chlamydia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what powers the testing of 11 to 16-year-olds for chlamydia in schools is carried out; and what recent discussions he has had on the testing of...

    • GM Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research (a) has been undertaken and (b) is planned by the Government into the effects of consuming GM crops on human gut flora.

      Heroin Addicts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of heroin addicts in (a) Leeds and (b) the UK in each of the last 10 years.

      A and E Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to Accident and Emergency departments there were in each of the past 12 quarters, broken down by hospital.

      A and E Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates since 1 October 2002 changes were made to the criteria used by the NHS in collecting data about the four-hour accident and emergency waiting...

      Ambulances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average length of time ambulances took to reach (a) the patient and (b) the hospital to which the patient needed to be taken in (i) the...

      Ambulances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) frontline ambulances, (b) patient transport vehicles, (c) fast response cars, (d) medical motorbikes, (e) medical cycles and (f) special baby...

      Bovine TB

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department has issued to those who have been in contact with animals infected with bovine tuberculosis.

      Bupa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS has been of (a) hip replacements, (b) knee replacements and (c) cataract operations carried out at the BUPA hospital in Redhill.

      Cannabis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in trialling cannabis for medicinal use; and if he will make a statement.

      Consumers for Health Choice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of his discussions with the representative of Consumers for Health Choice on Tuesday 7 October.

      Contaminated Blood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffering from haemophilia have (a) died and (b) suffered illness as a result of contaminated blood products from the NHS in each of the...

      Contaminated Blood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to compensate (a) the dependants of those who have died from hepatitis due to infected blood products and (b) those who...

      Contaminated Blood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department (a) has commissioned and (b) is evaluating in order to determine the level of compensation for people infected with hepatitis...

      Contaminated Blood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the steps that he is taking to ensure that contaminants are not present in NHS blood products.

      Coronary Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has met milestones one to four for primary care management of heart failure in the national service framework for coronary...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service dentists there were in each year between 1997 and 2003.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (1) what plans he has to increase spending on the provision of dentures; and what discussions he has had with the General Dental Council on the...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state (a) the reasons for compulsory retirement in dentistry and (b) the age limit for this retirement.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on regulations on services that may be provided by dental technicians...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of dental technicians regarding regulations relating to their position in providing dental...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time before dentists qualified overseas can take the qualifying examinations to practise in the UK has been over the last five years.

      Diagnosis and Treatment Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) has been and (b) is intended to be spent on capital costs in the new diagnosis and treatment centres.

      Diagnosis and Treatment Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the location will be of the diagnostics centre in Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement.

      Digital Hearing Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the availability of NHS digital hearing aids in Wirral South.

      Elective Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have waited more than (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months for an elective finished in year admission in each of the last...

      Epilepsy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the national misdiagnosis rates for epilepsy were in (a) adults and (b) children in the last year for which figures are available; (2) what...

      Flu Vaccinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the NHS has made of potential savings derived from sending only one copy of the influenza vaccination reminder letter to a household, even...

      Fluoridation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what peer presented research his Department has examined in assessing the potential benefit in the proposed addition of fluoride to drinking water;...

      Food Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with other Ministers on extending regulations on food advertising aimed at children.

      Food Labelling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that recommended daily amounts for nutrients are carried on food labels.

      Food Supplements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to promote to other European Union member states the methodology for establishing safe levels of nutrient intake adopted by the...

      Foundation Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects to issue further advice to putative NHS foundation trusts on the use of existing databases of (a) patients and (b) staff names for...

      Foundation Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will issue advice to putative NHS foundation trusts on the nature of the questions they may ask prospective members concerning their (a)...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner fundholders there are in (a) the North West and (b) England.

      Genetic Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to determine the ethical framework applied to genetic research in receipt of financial support from the Government.

      Genetic Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health who has been consulted on the ethical dimensions of the Biobank project; and where it is possible to inspect the comments of consultees.

      GPs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there were in (a) Taunton Deane and (b) West Somerset in each year since 1992.

      Health Care (York)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) outpatient consultations and (b) in-patient treatments there were in each clinical specialty provided by (i) York NHS Trust and (ii) York...

      Health Care (York)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hospital and (b) community full-time equivalent nurses were employed by (i) York NHS Trust and (ii) York Primary Care Trust in each year...

      Hepatitis C

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action is being taken to improve the (a) detection and (b) treatment rates of hepatitis C; and what the (i) detection and (ii) treatment rates...

      Hospital Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital projects with a value of over £50m initiated since 1997 he estimates will be completed by the end of 2005.

      Hospital Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what control NHS hospital trusts have over the volume of patients being referred to hospitals.

      Information Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with the National Audit Office regarding the correspondence they have had about the national programme for...

      Joint Working

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on joint working between primary health care trusts and citizen advice bureaux; and how much funding primary health care...

      King George's Hospital (Redbridge)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which private healthcare companies expressed an interest in running the treatment centre at King George's Hospital, Redbridge; and what the criteria...

      Macular Degeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration who were treated privately with photodynamic therapy in...

      Macular Degeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues has received from (i) the Royal College of Ophthalmology, (ii) the AMD Alliance and (iii)...

      Macular Degeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether reading centres assessing patients with wet age-related macular degeneration for treatment with photodynamic therapy will be required to make a...

      Macular Degeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of providing photodynamic therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (a) by primary care...

      Macular Degeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients with classic no occult wet age-related macular degeneration who are unable to receive photodynamic...

      Macular Degeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have equipment and trained professionals in place to provide photodynamic therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration; and if he...

      Meat Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set up an inquiry into the lessons to be learnt from the prosecutions relating to meat fraud (a) at Denby Poultry Products and (b) in Rotherham.

      Medicines and Health Care Products Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2003, Official Report, column 616W, on Medicines and Health Care Products Agency, what the value was of each of the...

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) children and adolescents, (b) adults and (c) pensioners were treated by mental health trusts in west Sussex in each of the last six years.

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his answers of 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 518W, on mental health, if he will place copies of the (a) Robert Lee Review and...

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the statement by the National Director of Mental Health on 31 July on the draft Mental Health Bill represents Government policy; whether he...

      Mental Health Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the backlog maintenance cost was to reach (a) estate code condition B, (b) fire safety standards and (c) health and safety standards for all mental...

      Mental Health Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual maintenance budget for each NHS mental health trust in England was in each of the last five years.

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times during the past six months the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service has been contacted by BT expressing concern about the way in which the...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service (a) failed to answer within two minutes and (b) took more than five minutes to answer in each of the...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to develop an education and training strategy as recommended by the Commission for...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to improve the patient transport service.

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures have been put in place by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to ensure that all staff are trained in infection control.

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the action plan agreed between the Mersey Regional Ambulance NHS Trust and the central commissioning group for...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to ensure that all staff (a) are aware of and (b) act upon their Guidelines for the...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service Trust (a) to assess the implementation of the Community Paramedic Scheme and to (b)...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service has taken to implement an action plan for the use of the decontamination unit; and on what date the unit...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedures have been introduced by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service Trust for the safe storage and custody of drugs in ambulances following the...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taking by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to ensure that all patients' report forms are treated as confidential documents.

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures have been put in place by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to improve access to (a) research literature and (b) the internet at...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action has been taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service Trust to ensure that all staff are aware of the Trust's whistle-blowing policy; and...

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff grievances have been lodged with the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service since March 2002.

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service to introduce more effective clinical and monitoring support for paramedics.

      Mersey Regional Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service Trust to ensure that all staff working in the Patient Transport Service receive life...

      National School Fruit Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much the Government has spent centrally on the National School Fruit Scheme in the last five years for which figures are available; and what...

      NHS Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what procedure he has established to ensure that where a patient is removed from the UK waiting list of a NHS consultant, the consultant is (a) kept...

      NHS Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to what extent the National Health Service spending has been (a) over and (b) under planned levels in (i) financial year 2001–02 and (ii) the first...

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what per capita expenditure was on the NHS in 1997–98; what it was in 2002–03; and what it is expected to be in future years for which plans...

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the distance from target in cash terms for each primary care trust in England for each year of the current spending round.

      NHS Records (Electronic System)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the transfer of NHS records to an electronic system will be funded.

      NHS Reference Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the formula and (b) calculations on which the NHS reference costs are based.

      NHS Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on which NHS equipment his Department holds information of the numbers in service.

      Non-smoking Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to make it compulsory for restaurants and cafes to have non-smoking areas.

      Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average body mass index in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority for each of the last 10 years.

      Paramedics (Data Link Schemes)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide financial assistance to the setting up (a) in England and (b) in Brent of Data Link schemes for paramedics to obtain details of a...

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the questions regarding chiropody services tabled on 14 October 2003 by the hon. Member for Billericay, reference numbers 131565 to...

      Patient Referrals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have been referred by each (a) Strategic Health Authority and (b) NHS Trust in London in each of the last five years for which figures...

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the recorded incidence of pneumococcal disease infection by health authorities was in the last year for which figures are available; and what...

      Poultry Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Food Standards Agency has to provide guidance to those involved in the meat trade to (a) improve self-regulation and (b) assist the trade...

      Poultry Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is planned to ensure effective policing of the segregation of high and low risk waste at poultry slaughterhouses and its distribution from...

      Prostate Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress the Government has made in reducing the incidence of prostate cancer in the last five years; (2) what his Department's strategy is...

      School Sport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2003, Official Report, column 64W, on school sport, what assessment has been made of the percentage of school...

      Sexual Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for sexually transmitted infections, broken down by (a) type of infection, (b) sex of patient and (c) age of patient in (i)...

      Sight Loss

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to (a) the NHS, (b) individuals, (c) families and carers, (d) local authorities and (e) taxpayers of 3,000 people losing...

      Social Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with west Sussex Social Services Department regarding the provision of central funding for the social care of residents of...

      South Woodham Ferrers Health Clinic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to expand services at the South Woodham Ferrers Health Clinic; and if he will make a statement.

      Strategic Health Authorities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which strategic health authority has the highest deficit; what guidance he will give Avon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Strategic Health Authority about...

      Stroke Treatment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of stroke patients are being treated in specialist stroke units; (2) what percentage of stroke patients he plans will be treated in...

      Transgenes Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what published research he has assessed on the effects of transgenes on cellular processes other than the intended function of the gene; and what research...

      Waiting Lists/Times

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the latest available (a) inpatient waiting list figures and (b) outpatient quarterly figures for the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area.

  • House of Lords

    • Starred Questions and Statements:Back-Bench Contributions

      asked the Chairman of Committees: In the last year for which data are available, and in the equivalent period 10 years ago, what was the average number of answers given to each Starred Question;...

    • Religiously Aggravated Offences

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether all police forces monitor and publish the number of religiously motivated incidents; and What are the latest available statistics for the number of...

      Overseas Students: Visa Extension Charges

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will exempt students from charges for visas extensions for the purposes of completing their studies in the United Kingdom.

      Education, Family Care and Crime Prevention: Administrative Areas

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What scope they and local authorities have to align as closely as possible the catchment areas of: (a) secondary schools; (b) social workers and child care...

      Prisons: Child-centred Visits

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Which prisons are able to offer child-centred visits (as pioneered in Northern Ireland).

      HM Inspector of Prisons

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to alter the functions or reduce the powers of HM Inspector of Prisons.

      Women's Security: Licensed Premises in London

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What statistics are collected by the Metropolitan Police on rapes and sexual assaults on women in London's bars and nightclubs; and whether as a result of these...

      Coroner Arrangements

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps the Home Secretary is taking, in the light of the recent report by the independent Review of Coroner Services and the third report of the Shipman...

      Burial Law

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will undertake public consultation on a review of burial law, including arrangements for the disposal of the dead and the exhumation of buried human...

      EU Anti-trafficking Measures

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What studies they have made of the action taken by the European Union or any of its constituent bodies in the fight against trafficking in drugs, illegal weapons...

      Mr Joe Scholes: Death in Custody

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will arrange for a public inquiry into the death by suicide of Joseph Scholes, aged 16, on 24 March 2002 in Stoke Heath young offender institution,...

      Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Detainees

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people have been detained under emergency legislation without charges being made against them; and whether this is compatible with the principles of human...

      Asylum Seekers' Children

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will collect and publish information concerning the condition of the children of refugees and asylum seekers within the United Kingdom and their...

      EU Internal Boundaries

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What studies they have made of the action taken by the European Union or any of its constituent bodies in respect of its objective to remove internal boundaries;...

      Police Funding 2004–05

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When they plan to announce the provisional police funding allocations for 2004–05.

      Iraq: Radiometric Survey of South

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will, if necessary in conjunction with the World Health Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Authority, commission a full radiometric...

      Small Arms

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any figures of (a) expenditure on promoting exports of small arms and light weapons from the United Kingdom; and (b) expenditure on controlling...

      MoD Police: Operational Report 2002–03

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will place a copy of the Ministry of Defence Police Operational Report 2002–03 in the Library of the House.

      Medical Supply Agency: Key Targets 2003–04

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What key targets have been set for the Medical Supply Agency for financial year 2003–04.

      Armed Forces Pension Scheme

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What action the Government intend to take in light of today's judgment in the Court of Appeal regarding the interpretation of the Armed Forces Revision Scheme...

      Employment Service Estate

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many square metres of the former Employment Service Estate, to be outsourced by the Department for Work and Pensions to Land Securities Trillium, can be...

      Disabled People: Unemployment

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the cost of supporting unemployed disabled people.

      Disabled People: Unemployment

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many of those registered as disabled people who are unemployed suffer from a mental illness.

      Disabled People: Unemployment

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have conducted any research into the number of unemployed disabled people who could benefit from a training course.

      Mobile Telephone Numbers: Comprehensive Directory

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 29 October (WA 41), why the letter from the Director General of Telecommunications at Oftel was...

      Credit Cards: Annual Percentage Rates of Interest

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why no voluntary agreement has been reached between the credit card industry, the Office of Fair Trading and the Department of Trade and Industry on a single...

      Commission for Equality and Human Rights

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights will have investigative and enforcement powers beyond the equality field.

      London Stock Exchange: OFT Investigation on Increase in Issuer Fees

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Office of Fair Trading will announce the results of its investigation into the price rise imposed by the London Stock Exchange on its member companies.

      Broadband

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How growth in the number of Internet-enabled households subscribing to Internet services offering speeds of 512 kbps and above in the United Kingdom currently...

      Market Sensitive Statistical Information

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Following the premature publication of the September retail sales figures: (a) whether they will name the individuals within the Treasury, with their job titles,...

      Licensing Decisions: Representations by Interested Parties

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What opportunities are provided in the Licensing Act 2003 for individual residents to make representations about licensing decisions.

      Gambling

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have plans to bring forward further draft proposals for a modernisation of the law on gambling.

      Hazardous Waste

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Given their plan to reduce the number of sites which can receive hazardous waste next year, what volume of hazardous waste the United Kingdom has provision for...

      Hazardous Waste

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How much hazardous waste they expect will be imported from other countries in the next six years.

      Shipbreaking

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether waste from ships imported for breaking will subsequently be exported to the country from which it came.

      Shipbreaking

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there was any official or unofficial written or verbal discussion between the United Kingdom and United States Governments prior to November 2003 on the...

      Watercourse Dredgings

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their policy on the use and classification of material that is dredged from watercourses to maintain channel capacity; and What is the status of material...

      Wetlands

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether Article 2 of the draft Water Framework Directive does not include a definition of wetlands because the wetlands associated with a river are included within...

      Waste: Pulverised Fuel Ash and Blast Furnace Slag

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the reclassification of pulverised fuel ash as waste requiring a licence by the Environment Agency will reduce the total of recycled products in the waste...

      Waste: Pulverised Fuel Ash and Blast Furnace Slag

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why it is necessary to replace pulverised fuel ash with a new aggregate for purposes such as stabilising old mine workings.

      Hazardous Waste Criteria and Regulations

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will issue the hazardous waste criteria and regulations.

      Northern Ireland Civil Service: Holidays

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 30 October (WA 64), why St Patrick's Day and 12 July are not listed for Northern Ireland.

      Civil Service: Staffing

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many additional civil servant posts have been created in the years (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04 (first six months).

      Civil Service: Staffing

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What percentage of new Civil Service posts created since the year 2001–02 are designated as front-line service delivery jobs.

      B6403: Colsterworth Junction Improvement

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 5 November (WA 120–21), whether there are plans to improve the junction where the B6403 crosses...

      Northern Ireland: Listed Buildings

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Which listed buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and in which cases successful prosecutions have followed.

      Northern Ireland: Advice to Ministers

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 13 October (WA 89), why the advice offered to two senior officials of the Department of Culture, Arts and...

      North/South Implementation Bodies

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer from the Lord President on 16 October (WA 127), concerning North/South Implementation Bodies, whether they will give these figures as...

      Police Service of Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Regarding the recruitment of civilian staff to the police in Northern Ireland, how many recruits were sought; when they were sought; and how many were recruited.

      North/South Language Body

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 9 September (WA 105), in what form and by whom the Ulster-Scots Agency was informed about its budget being...

      North/South Language Body

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 12 May (WA 1), whether the budget for 2003 for the Language Implementation Body was set by a department of...

      North/South Language Body

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 15 July (WA 91), whether they will place in the Library of the House all documentation, including e-mails,...

      North/South Language Body

      asked her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 15 July (WA 96) concerning the budget of the Ulster-Scots Agency, why the agency was not allowed to transfer...

      North/South Language Body

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure agreed to reduce the 2003 budget of the Ulster-Scots Agency by 16 per cent.

      North/South Language Body

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 11 June (WA 45), on what date and in what form the Special Advisers in the Office of the First and Deputy...

      Independent Monitoring Commission

      asked Her Majesty's Government: (a) How often the four members of the Independent Monitoring Commission have met; (b) how often the two United Kingdom members of the Independent Monitoring...

      Strangford Lough: Prawn Fishing

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What new proposals there are to restrict the fishing of prawns in Strangford Lough; whether a consultation document will be issued; if so, to whom it will be made...

      Northern Ireland Civil Service: Smoking Policy

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is proper use of public funds to facilitate smoking in the Northern Ireland Civil Service through the funding of 144 smoking chambers.

      Northern Ireland Bureau, Washington

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How the head of the Northern Ireland Office in Washington was appointed; by whom; and using what criteria.

      Ulster Scots Culture

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to develop or support Ulster Scots cultural tourism in the local council areas of Larne and North Down.

      Ulster Scots Culture

      asked Her Majesty's Government: From what sources the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure receives advice on Ulster-Scots culture, history, language and identity.

      Northern Ireland: Religious Discrimination

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Northern Ireland Equality Commission is opposed to religious discrimination in all sectors of employment; and, if not, why not.

      Northern Ireland: Religious Discrimination

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is opposed to religious discrimination in all sectors of employment; and, if not, why not.

      Cross-Border Implementation Bodies: Provision of Cars for Chief Executives

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 13 October (WA 93), whether the car provided to the first chief executive of the Special Programmes Body was...

      Northern Ireland: Prisoners

      asked Her Majesty's Government: In terms of the handling of prisoners in Northern Ireland, what is the difference between separation and segregation.

      Law Officers' Advice: Disclosure

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Attorney-General on 6 November (WA 128–129), what is the justification in terms of the public interest in publishing a...

      HIV and AIDS: Developing Countries and Generic Drugs

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Which developing countries are expected to be able to manufacture their own generic drugs to treat HIV and AIDS; and whether they anticipate that this will have...

      Russia: DfID Support for Harm Reduction Programmes

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they support the general aims of the report by International Family Health, HIV/AIDS and drug misuse in Russia: harm reduction programmes and the Russian...

      Central and South America: Street Children

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What estimate they have made, in consultation with international agencies, of the number of street children in Central and South America; and what is the figure...

      Central and South America: Street Children

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What support they have given to projects involving street children in Central and South America in each of the past five years; and what support they plan to give...

      Central and South America: Street Children

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What effect the new Department for International Development policy on withdrawing aid to middle-income countries is likely to have on the programme of aid to...

      "Middle Income" Countries

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their definition of "middle-income countries"; and which countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean fall within that definition.

      House of Lords: Representation of Political Parties

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will ensure that the political appointments to membership of the House of Lords reflect the proportion of votes cast for the main political parties at...

      Commission for Equality and Human Rights

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be empowered to promote and secure human rights beyond those which are directly related to equality.

      Commission for Equality and Human Rights

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be empowered to promote and secure the rights and freedoms protected not only by the European...

      Supreme Court

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of (a) the cost of establishing the proposed Supreme Court; and (b) the court's annual running costs.

      Supreme Court

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of the number and cost of staff required to run the proposed Supreme Court efficiently.

      Supreme Court

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many square feet of accommodation are envisaged for the proposed Supreme Court.

      Rent Rebates

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the total cost of rent rebates payable by local authorities to tenants in each local authority in the year 2002–03.

      Nutrition

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they plan to review policy on nutrition to establish the level of nutrient intake which achieves optimum health rather than simply avoiding diseases of...

      Nutrition

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What action is being taken by the Food Standards Agency to review its assessment of the role of high carbohydrate intakes in relation to obesity; and whether that...

      Nutrition

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What recent representations they and the Food Standards Agency have received from trade bodies representing the flour, potato and sugar industries in relation to...

      Patient and Public Involvement Forums

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement decided to change the name of patients' forums.

      Patient and Public Involvement Forums

      asked Her Majesty's Government: By what statutory authority the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement changed the name of patients' forums.

      Patient and Public Involvement Forums

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How they will ensure the independence of individual patients' forums.

      NHS Prescriptions

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What proportion of all prescriptions in the National Health Service are subject to charges to patients.

      General Practitioner Incomes: Rate for Young Patients

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Carr Hill formula, on which general practitioners' earnings will be based, rates young people at 0.5, so that general practitioners accepting young...

      National Poisons Information Service: Clinical Advice

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the information on which the clinical advice on lindane poisoning provided by the National Poisons Information Service was based in August 2000; and what...

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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