Written answers

Wednesday, 30 November 2005

  • Health

    • Ambulance Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact upon the Tees, Yorkshire and Humberside Ambulance Service of the recent reconfiguration.

    • Care Home Regulations 2001

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many care homes (a) exceeded, (b) met, (c) almost met and (d) failed to meet (i) the national minimum standard for complaints procedures and (ii)...

      Childhood Vaccinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with (a) the Joint Committee on vaccinations and immunisations and (b) other interested parties on whether to extend the...

      Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of consultant-led projects in her Department; what sanctions are available to penalise...

      Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Department takes to ensure that consultancies do not claim excessive expenses while working for her Department and its agencies.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the Director of Finance is of her Department; what specialist finance qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to...

      Hepatitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government have set targets for the diagnosis of hepatitis (a) B and (b) C on an annual basis.

      HIV/AIDS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among primary care staff; what guidance she has issued to primary care staff to ensure the care...

      Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list public consultations undertaken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in each of the last 10 years; and what conclusions...

      Infertility Treatment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether all primary care trusts in England are providing at least one cycle of IVF to eligible couples with infertility; and if she will make a...

      Influenza Virus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the statement on page 44 of the UK pandemic influenza contingency plan, published on 19 October, in relation to...

      Influenza Virus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the possibility of (a) co-infection within a single human host of a human-adapted influenza virus and H5N1, with a...

      Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the expenditure was on the Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority in 2004–05; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06 and...

      Pneumococcal Vaccine Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which manufacturers supply pneumococcal vaccines to the NHS; and what evidence she has received on the relative effectiveness of each.

      Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list countries from which people applying for a visa to stay in the UK for longer than six months have to provide a certificate proving that...

      Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the reasons for the rise in the number of cases of tuberculosis in England.

  • Solicitor-General

    • Crime Statistics

      To ask the Solicitor-General how many successful prosecutions for (a) violent crime and (b) gun crime there have been in each of the last five years.

    • Equitable Life

      To ask the Solicitor General when the Serious Fraud Office will report back on its examination of Equitable Life, commissioned by his Department in January 2004.

      Serious Fraud Office

      To ask the Solicitor General how many people have been proceeded against by the Serious Fraud Office in the 2005–06 financial year; and how many were acquitted by (a) jury and (b) order of...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to address the increase in the incidence of European foulbrood in bee colonies.

    • Cattle Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many (a) farmers, (b) cattle owners and (c) cattle keepers have had an application for at least one cattle passport...

      Civil Service Relocation (Scotland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001.

      Common Agricultural Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the meetings of EU Agriculture Ministers in the last 12 months at which reform of the Common Agricultural...

      Countryside Stewardship Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agreements under the Countryside Stewardship scheme are live; how many hectares are covered by such agreements; how...

      Countryside Stewardship Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the access authorities which have taken part in the Access Management Grant Scheme; and what total level of...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the Finance Director is in her Department; what specialist finance qualifications he or she holds; and what the details...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in her Department have been relocated into London and the South East in each of the last five years for which...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to relocate staff in her Department and related agencies into London and the South East.

      Departmental Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department has issued to departmental offices on (a) producing a transport plan for staff and contractors...

      Energy Efficiency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1054W, on energy efficiency (commercial sector), what (a)...

      Farm Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the forecast number of applicants for the 2005 single farm payment in England was; and how many farmers have applied.

      Flood Defences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase investment on flood defences in Robertsbridge, East Sussex.

      Global Monitoring for Environment and Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she had concerning the global monitoring for environment and security programme since September with (a) the...

      Greenhouse Gas Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the United Kingdom is on track to meet the Government's target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent....

      Japanese Knotweed

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has issued to local authorities and other relevant bodies on dealing with Japanese knotweed.

      Public Service Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will introduce more user friendly reporting of progress against 2004 public service agreement target 8; (2)...

      Radioactive Waste Policy Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members are of the Radioactive Waste Policy Group; on what dates the Group has met in the last 12 months; when the...

      Tenant Farmers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made since 2001 in establishing a retirement scheme for tenant farmers in the livestock sector as...

      Trade Effluent

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many significant consents to discharge trade effluent to watercourses were held by industry in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c)...

      Urban Gulls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the number of urban gulls in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each sub-regional area; and if she...

      Warm Front Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in Tamworth constituency have received assistance under the Warm Front scheme in each year since its...

      Wild Birds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she collects on numbers of wild birds in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

  • Treasury

    • Deaths (Statistics)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people under the age of 18 years have been killed in accidents in each of the last five years; (2) how many people under the age of 18 years...

    • Deaths (Statistics)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many deaths in (a) Houghton and Washington, East, (b) Sunderland and (c) Tyne and Wear alcohol was the primary cause in each of the past five years.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Freedom of Information applications his Department has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how many of these gave rise...

      Business Mileage Allowance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to re-evaluate the business mileage allowance tax scheme.

      Biofuels

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what changes (a) have been made and (b) are due to be made in the taxation of biofuels; (2) what changes (a) have been made and (b) are due to be...

      Budget Reports (Chart B6)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the calculations and background statistics used in the compilation of Chart B6 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report of March...

      Child Trust Fund

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Child Trust Fund vouchers had been (a) issued and (b) invested as at 20 November; and if he will make a statement.

      Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the qualitative experiences of those receiving the new tax credits.

      Departmental Relocation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which buildings and sites used by his Department and related agencies (a) have ceased to be used in the last year and (b) will be closed under current plans...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department were (a) civil servants, (b) contractors and (c) other staff in each year since 1997.

      ECOFIN Meetings

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Treasury Minister has attended each ECOFIN meeting since 1 May 1997.

      EU Budget Rebate

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the income tax rate equivalent is of the UK's EU budget rebate.

      Exports

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value was of British exports to (a) the Eurozone area, (b) the pre-enlargement 15 EU member states and (c) the post-enlargement 25 EU member...

      Financial Inclusion Task Force

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Inclusion Task Force to report on lower income groups' access to non-charging cash machines.

      HMRC

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officers from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Department have been (a) permanently and (b) temporarily based outside the United Kingdom in each...

      Home Information Packs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1137W, on home information packs, when the Government expects to take a decision on...

      IT Projects

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current (a) estimated cost and (b) expected completion date is of each information technology project on the list deposited by his Department in...

      Life Expectancy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the life expectancy of (a) men and (b) women in each (i) region, (ii) county, (iii) socio-economic group and (iv) age cohort...

      Lyons Inquiry

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) his Department and (b) the Valuation Office Agency has made a written submission to the Lyons Inquiry on local government finance.

      Maladministration

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many payments for maladministration have been made by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies, (c) its non-departmental public bodies and (d) other bodies...

      National Insurance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised in (a) national insurance contributions and (b) income tax from 16 to 18-year-olds during the 2004–05 financial year.

      Northern Ireland (Fiscal Regime)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that Northern Ireland presents a more attractive fiscal regime.

      Predictive Diallers

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls were made by (a) his Department and (b) Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in 2004–05 using predictive diallers; how many such calls...

      Private Finance Initiative

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of private finance initiative contracts on the Government Balance Sheet was as at July.

      Race Equality Impact Assessments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many race equality impact assessments his Department completed between (a) April 2004 and March 2005 and (b) April 2005 and November 2005; and how many...

      Railways

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt the Government holds on and off balance sheet for London and Continental Railways Ltd.; and whether this debt assumes par value.

      Renewable Fuels

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce duty on renewable fuels to accompany the introduction of the Government's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations.

      Road Fuel Imports

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been stopped by HM Customs and Excise for importing road fuel in excess of the 10 litres allowed free of excise duty in each year from 2001.

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether it is possible for a tax credit award in payment to be fraudulently redirected to a new bank account without detection; and what systems exist...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average time taken to process annual tax credits declarations; what measures have been put in place to speed up current processing times; and...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total estimated cost of dealing with tax credit overpayments made to people in Northern Ireland has been; and what the average cost was of a tax...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many tax credit cases from 2003–04 in Scotland an overpayment was identified where there was no ongoing award.

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of product development he uses in relation to tax credits; and whether this includes design development.

      Tax Revenue

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual yield from taxes with an ecological impact in each year from 1996–97 to 2005–06; and what the amount is as a...

      Unemployment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the registered unemployed in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency were (a) 25 years and under, (b) 26 to 35 years,...

      Valuation Office Agency

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the Valuation Office Agency's computer assisted mass appraisal system will be used for (a) inheritance tax purposes and (b) property-based...

  • Wales

    • Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely impact on pubs along the Shropshire-Wales border of a smoking ban in England.

    • Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on employment levels in (a) Conwy and (b) Wales.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the revaluation of Welsh properties for the purposes of council tax.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many appeals there were in Wales against council tax banding following the 2005 council tax revaluation; and how many appeals have so far been (a)...

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Government intended the council tax revaluation in Wales to be revenue neutral.

      New Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State forWales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Minister for Health on funding forthe provision of new hospitals serving patients in Wales.

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about building new nuclear power stations in Wales.

      Health Service (Commissioning)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on proposals for commissioning in the Health Service in Wales.

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on grants for domestic renewable energy facilities in Wales.

      Licensing Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Waleshow many applications have been granted for 24 hour sale of alcohol licences in (a) Newport and (b) Wales.

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate the Government has made of the cost to local councils in Wales of the implementation of section 77 of the Local Government Act 2003.

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has made a written submission to the Lyons Inquiry on local government finance.

      Maladministration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many payments for maladministration have been made in each of the last five years by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of his Department's employees who are within one year of the official retirement age are on extended sick leave.

      UK Energy Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly and his ministerial colleagues regarding an integrated energy policy for the UK.

  • Minister for Women

    • Equal Pay

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent steps the Government have taken to reduce the pay gap between men and women; and what evaluation she has made of the effectiveness of these...

  • Defence

    • Army Prosecuting Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the outcomes of all cases handled by the Army Prosecuting Authority in the last 12-month period for which figures are available in which...

    • Astute-class Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for submarines to be built at Barrow-in-Furness after the completion of the first three Astute-class boats.

      Astute-class Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of possible economies which may be achieved by ordering future Astute-class submarines more than one at a time.

      Astute-class Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the timetable for building further Astute-class submarines is compatible with that for building future ship submersible ballistic nuclears to...

      Civil Service Relocation (Scotland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001.

      Departmental Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to remove in-service fighting equipment and associated intangible assets from the top-level budget-holder balance sheets to a central...

      Departmental Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much his Department's end of year flexibility was changed under the Treasury's cash management scheme in financial year 2004–05.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department were (a) civil servants, (b) contractors and (c) other staff in each year since 1997.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department have been relocated into London and the South East in each of the last five years for which records are available.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers, (b) other ranks, (c) support personnel and (d) administrative staff were employed by his Department in each year since 1997; and...

      Departmental Websites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure the Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual and other disabilities; and...

      European Airlift Transport Co-ordination Cell

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that the United Kingdom should join the European Airlift Transport Co-ordination Cell.

      Nuclear Deterrent

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish consultation documents relating to the decision on the replacement of Trident.

      Race Equality Impact Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Race Equality Impact Assessments his Department completed between (a) April 2004 and March 2005 and (b) April 2005 and November 2005; and how...

      UK Service Medals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the theatres of service in which UK service medals other than general service medals have ceased to be awarded, broken down by (a) date...

      White Phosphorus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with US authorities regarding the use of white phosphorous in Iraq.

  • Education and Skills

    • Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State forEducation and Skills how much it costs to employ (a) (i) multiple part-time and (ii) jobshare staff to a full-time post and (b) a full time member of staff for...

    • Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) temporary and (b) agency staff she has had working in her Department in the last three years; how long each one has been...

      Education Maintenance Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students aged 16 to 18 years of age are in receipt of education maintenance allowance in each institution in (a) North East...

      Extended Schools Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what estimate she has made of the number of schools in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency that...

      Information Sharing Protocols

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 821W, on information sharing protocols, which local authorities were 'a...

      Marshall Aid/Scholarships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the criteria are for a scholarship under the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953; and if she will make a statement.

      Post-16 Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much (a) capital and (b) revenue spending has been allocated for the education of 16 to 19-year-olds in (i) school sixth forms, (ii)...

      Sure Start

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the national performance targets are for Sure Start centres; and what the performance of Sure Start centres in Torbay has been against...

      Sure Start

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children living in disadvantaged areas of (a) Wakefield district and (b) Normanton constituency are participating in Sure Start...

      Young People (Statistics)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18-year-olds not in full-time education or training,...

      Pre-school Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received about the funding of three-year-old children for 33 weeks of pre-school education; and if she will...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the Academies Special Educational Needs Dispute Resolution Service.

  • Transport

    • Airports (Security Costs)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list airports that (a) pay for and (b) do not contribute towards their security and policing costs; and if he will make a statement.

    • Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) consultants and (b) special advisers were employed by his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of each was in each year; and...

      Arriva Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints about Arriva Buses have been received by the Traffic Commissioners in (a) England, (b) the North East Government Office and (c) the...

      Arriva Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints against Arriva Buses made to the Traffic Commissioners have resulted in that company being forced to amend operating practices in...

      Arriva Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much revenue was obtained by Arriva Buses from local authorities and passenger transport executives in each year in respect of concessionary...

      Concessionary Travel (South Gloucestershire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 284W, on concessionary travel (South Gloucestershire), what he estimates to be the...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport how often on average civil servantsmoved posts within his Department in the last 10 years.

      Driver Licences Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the consumer of gaining an unlimited access motorcycle licence under the proposed Third European...

      Dvla

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) targets the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has for responding to complaints; and (b) how many complaints received by (i)...

      Festivals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department took to celebrate and promote the events of (a) Ramadan, (b) Diwali and (c) Chinese New Year in 2005.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Freedom of Information applications his Department has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how many of these gave...

      Heavy Goods Vehicles (Restrictions)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the restriction on heavy goods vehicles using the outside lane on parts of the M42/A42; and...

      Heavy Goods Vehicles (Restrictions)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a restriction on heavy goods vehicles using the outside lane on the two-lane stretches of the M18 motorway.

      IT Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many IT projects which cost over £1 million and were introduced since 1997 are in use in his Department.

      IT Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the IT projects costing over £1 million in use in his Department and introduced since 1997 have been scrutinised by the Public...

      London Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average number of passengers per mile travelled by London buses in 1999–2000.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the extent to which the construction of Olympic transport projects and Crossrail will affect each other.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what precautions will be taken to ensure that dust and pollution from Crossrail construction will not adversely affect air quality at the time of the...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the measures taken to explain to the public the relationship between the availability of funding for...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the capacity on the Docklands Light Railway will be sufficient to meet planning needs for the 2012 Olympics.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total amount is to be spent on transport schemes connected to the 2012 Olympics.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether adequate planning has been made to ensure that transport for the 2012 Olympics will be fully sustainable.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what park and ride schemes have been planned in connection with the 2012 Olympics.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of whether the transport arrangement for the 2012 Olympic Games will be efficient without the completion of the...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the need for (a) a travelator and (b) another mechanised link between Stratford Regional Station and Stratford...

      Motor Vehicle Accidents (Private Land)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for reducing deaths from motor vehicle accidents on private land.

      National Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees in his Department were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October.

      Northern Rail Services Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Review of Northern Rail Services has been completed.

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply substantively to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside for answer on 8 November, reference (a) 26246 and...

      Pedicabs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Transport for London about the safety of pedicabs.

      Rail Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what extra security measures have been taken along the (a) Hastings to London Victoria, (b) Hastings to Charing Cross and (c) Brighton to London...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on the National Train Passenger Survey in each year from 1997–98 to 2004–05; and what funding is planned for future...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans Network Rail has to increase funding for rail infrastructure along the Bexhill to London Victoria line.

      Road Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) serious road accidents there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many in each year...

      Road Traffic (London)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic lights there were in London in (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2004–05.

      Walking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to develop a strategy to promote walking since publication of the discussion paper 'On the move: by foot'.

      Yellow Bus Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing a yellow bus scheme (a) in England and (b) for each region.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Energy Consumption

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessment he has made of the average energy consumption of the House of Commons between midnight and...

    • Light Bulbs

      To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what percentage of the light bulbs used on the House's estate are energy-efficient light bulbs.

      Parliamentary Communications Directorate

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the Parliamentary Communications Directorate; and...

      Security Barriers

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will place in the Library the risk assessment conducted prior to the erection of permanent security...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Antisocial Behaviour

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures the Department plans to put in place as part of the Government's plans to tackle antisocial behaviour.

    • Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions officials in her Department have had with the Anschutz Entertainment Group regarding plans for a casino at the site of...

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received since the general election on increasing the number of regional casino licences.

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions and regulations govern the size of the non-gambling space in casinos licensed under the Gambling Act 2005; and whether...

      Departmental Estate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which buildings and sites used by her Department and related agencies (a) have ceased to be used in the last year and (b) will be closed...

      Gambling Act

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timetable is for the (a) implementation of the Gambling Act 2005, (b) consultation on and publication of secondary legislation...

      National Lottery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been awarded from the National Lottery to the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

      National Lottery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what eligibility criteria are used to distribute Lottery monies to projects directed towards facilities for young people.

  • Trade and Industry

    • Agency Workers Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Europe on the implementation of the EU Agency Workers Directive.

    • Business Link

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the national performance targets are for Business Link; and what the performance has been against those targets of each Business Link...

      Dairy Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations were received by the Office of Fair Trading on retail price initiatives in the dairy industry prior to its inquiry into...

      Flexible Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in helping people in South Swindon to achieve flexible working hours; and if he will make a statement.

      Gas Shortages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what emergency powers he has to control the export of gas through the interconnector in the event of severe gas shortages this winter.

      Gas Shortages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade andIndustry (1) what research his Department has conducted, prior to the beginning of November, on the economic impact of commercial gas users reducing...

      Hearing Loss Claims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many hearing loss claims have been registered by Vendside Ltd. with his Department since 1997; and how many cases have been (a) partially...

      Hearing Loss Claims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether legal advice was (a) sought and (b) received by his Department before the decision was taken to allow hearing loss claims in the...

      Hearing Loss Claims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by whom the decision to allow claims handlers to represent claimants in common law hearing loss claims was made.

      Householders' Contracts (Good and Services)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what decisions have been made regarding the cooling-off period for contracts between householders and (a) unsolicited visits by those...

      Industrial Injury Claims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many common law industrial injury claims relating to the coal industry have been paid out through (a) all claims handlers and (b) Vendside...

      Low Skilled Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has undertaken on the scale of the shortage of low skilled workers in big cities in the UK.

      Miners' Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many requests were made by (a) National Union of Miners and (b) National Union of Miners (Yorkshire Area) for a separate claims-handling...

      Rogue Dialling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to protect consumers from the telecommunications fraud known as rogue dialling; and if he will make a statement.

      Sectoral Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what sectoral investment opportunities he has identified for United Kingdom businesses in (a) Argentina and (b) Uruguay; and if he will make a...

      Solar Photovoltaics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage private sector investment in the UK solar photovoltaics sector.

      Solar Photovoltaics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) capital grants, (b) feed in tariffs and (c) other support mechanisms in developing the...

      Traffic Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people convicted of traffic offences were subject to an anti-social behaviour order in 2004.

      Internet Arms Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the regulation of distance-selling of less lethal weapons via the internet.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Asset Register

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the asset register for his Office for each year since his Office was established.

    • Council Elections

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities in England have requested a move to whole council elections as outlined in the consultation document vibrant local leadership.

      Departmental Websites

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure the Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual and other disabilities; and if he...

      Fire Authorities

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the fire authorities that have introduced charging for non-statutory services in the last two years.

      Housing

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many right-to-buy sales there were (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of available stock by (i) each council and (ii) each social landlord in Tyne and Wear...

      Local Government

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what would be the length of the period of consultation in regard to changes to the structure of local government in England.

      Local Government

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment the Government have made of the (a) transitional and (b) set-up costs of introducing unitary local government.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to use real data rather than modelling to assess the day visitor indicator element of the formula spending share for local...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the organisations that have seconded staff to the Lyons Inquiry into local government finance.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many written representations the Lyons inquiry into local government finance has received.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely costs to local authorities in England of council tax revaluation.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households in London are in each council tax band.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the (a) Government and (b) Valuation Office Agency conducted research or analysis on the (i) possible distribution and (ii) number of gainers and losers...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list items of expenditure that the valuation tribunal service has incurred on council tax revaluation in (a) England and (b) Wales.

      Local Government Pension Scheme

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will restore the entitlement to the first 12 months pension scheme membership to local government manual workers who began employment before 1991.

      Local Government Pension Scheme

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average percentage contribution by local authority employees to the Local Government Pension Scheme was in each of the last five years; and what the...

      Policies (Financial Report)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 764W, on policies (financial report), if he will place in the Library copies of the costings...

      Public Service Agreements

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what assessment he has made of the attainability of 2004 public service agreement target number 7; (2) what method he will use to measure performance...

      Smoke Alarms

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will issue guidance to fire services on the need for smoke alarms provided to deaf and hard of hearing people to meet the British Standard (BS...

      Valuation Office Agency

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost is of the contract and associated liabilities between the Valuation Office Agency and Cole Layer Trumble.

      Valuation Office Agency

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Valuation Office Agency spent on digital cameras and related electronic equipment in the last five years for which figures are available; and how...

      Valuation Office Agency

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the committees and working groups within the Valuation Office Agency that have been involved in the council tax revaluation in (a) Wales and (b)...

      Valuation Office Agency

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements are in place for compensating a property owner if Valuation Office Agency inspectors accidentally damage property.

      Valuation Office Agency

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what account the Valuation Office Agency takes of the presence of human or animal remains in making a valuation of a domestic property.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Central Office of Information

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what reasons the Central Office of Information holds framework agreements with companies allowing contracts to be awarded without prior...

    • Government Services (Online Access)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of Government services have been accessible online in each year since 1998.

      Race Equality Impact Assessments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Race Equality Impact Assessments his Department completed between (a) April 2004 and March 2005 and (b) April 2005 and November 2005; and...

      Sir Christopher Meyer

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who was responsible for vetting Sir Christopher Meyer's recent book and giving the approval for publication; and if he will make a statement.

  • Home Department

    • Alcohol

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for the sale of alcohol to persons who are intoxicated have been obtained in the force area of North Wales police in...

    • Alcohol-related Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent to ensure that police officers have the powers and resources needed to deal with alcohol-related violence...

      Asylum Seekers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which nationality accounted for the highest number of applications for asylum in the last year for which figures are available.

      Aviation and Maritime Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of offences under sections (A) 9, (B) 10, (C) 11 and (D) 12...

      Child Pornography

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what further steps he intends to take to ensure that credit card companies take action to prevent the cards issued by them being used...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Eastbourne of 28 September 2004, 9 May 2005, 28 June 2005 and 15 August 2005...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration will reply to the letter of 9 August from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, (acknowledged 11 August...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration will reply to the letter of 20 September from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, Home Office...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 20 September from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, on F. Scott, his Department's reference...

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requirements there are for further Criminal Records Bureau checks for individuals providing private tuition to young people where the...

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken to deal with the backlog in Criminal Records Bureau checks.

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of data held by the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will make a statement.

      Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compatibility of his proposed deportation policy with Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

      Fireworks Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department how many illegal fireworks were seized in (a) Norfolk, (b) the East of England, (c) England and (d) England and Wales in each of the last five...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of theimpact of the proposed identity card scheme on (a) money laundering and (b) organised crime; and if he will...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the arrangements for identity cardholders to register a change of address; and if he will make a...

      Illegal Immigrants (HIV)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of individuals with HIV who have stayed illegally in the UK for longer than 12 months.

      Immigration and Nationality Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of letters the Immigration and Nationality Directorate received in 2004–05 from the legal representatives of applicants...

      Immigration and Nationality Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of replies to letters from hon. Members to the immigration and nationality directorate were sent within 20 days of receipt of...

      Immigration and Nationality Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was in the last 12 months for a reply to be sent to an hon. Member by the immigration and nationality...

      Immigration and Nationality Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) (i) letters and (ii)emails were sent and (b) phone calls were made by each hon. Member and their staff to (A) the Immigration...

      International Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether his Department is considering proposals to amend guidelines to the police on international arrest warrants; (2) whether his...

      International Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations his Department has received from the (a) Israeli Government and (b) United States Administration concerning...

      IRIS Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the evaluation of the project IRIS operational pilot.

      IRIS Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for the rollout of IRIS recognition in UK locations.

      Leave to Remain

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff at the Immigration and Nationality Office in Sheffield are assigned to processing applications for leave to remain under the...

      Managed Migration Routes

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which managed migration routes are being reviewed; if he will list countries which are on hold as a result of the review; and when he expects...

      Mobile Telephones (Child Safety)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made with the mobile phone industry towards protecting children from undesirable contact and unwanted contacts online...

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of passport photographs have been rejected as being insufficiently clear by the UK Passport Service since 1 October.

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the costs of the introduction of the high street network of offices for conducting interviews for all...

      Police Reform Act (Schedule 4)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) required not to consume alcohol in a designated public place and (b) forced to surrender any alcohol or...

      Terrorist Suspects

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in negotiations with (a) Algeria, (b) Egypt, (c) Tunisia, (d) Morocco, (e) Libya, (f) Pakistan, (g) Sri Lanka and...

      Uzbekistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures (a) have been and (b) will be taken to ensure Uzbek officials banned from travelling to the European Union do not enter the...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Benefit Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) the administration of each in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent...

    • Benefit Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) incapacity benefit in (i) West Yorkshire and (ii) Normanton constituency since 2001.

      Benefit Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland receive a social security benefit.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on the migration of existing cases with the Child Support Agency to the new maintenance system; and if he will make...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what date all those paying child support will be on the new formula.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many uncleared Child Support Agency cases are awaiting processing in West Lancashire.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of time staff at the Child Support Agency spent assessing levels of maintenance compared to...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the extension of the contract with EDS until 2010.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of (a) harassment, (b) bullying and (c) discrimination have been reported to the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff working for the Child Support Agency in each year since 2001 have been working for the agency for (a) more than five years, (b)...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what factors he took into account when setting the case compliance target for the Child Support Agency new scheme for 2004–05 and...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Gravesend constituency have received the correct level of payments from the Child Support Agency since its...

      Departmental Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions why a baseline year in the future has been used for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target 10.

      Departmental Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data source he will use for the purposes of measuring performance against 2004 public service agreement target 6.

      Departmental Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the data required to measure 2004 public service agreement target 7 are published.

      Departmental Websites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what websites come under his Department's responsibility; and what the (a) cost and (b) number of visitors to those sites was in the last year...

      Disability Discrimination Act

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what publicity and advice his Department is making available to small businesses in the 2005–06 financial year on compliance with their...

      Habitual Residence Test

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will revise the habitual residence test to take into account the length of time claimants paid tax in the UK before moving abroad.

      Health and Safety Executive (Training Providers)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) improvement and (b) prohibition notices the Health and Safety Executive has issued in the last five years to (i) employers and...

      Health and Safety Executive (Training Providers)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspections the Health and Safety Executive has conducted in the last five years of the arrangements made by training providers for...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the standard weekly rate of earnings disregard for housing benefit is; how often this has been uprated since its introduction; and...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to simplify the housing benefit non-dependent deduction regime.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to improve the (a) transparency and (b) consistency of the method used to determine the local reference rent restriction...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the difference between the average amount of housing benefit awarded and the average costs of rent in (a)...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues to local authorities concerning war pensions when assessing eligibility for housing benefit.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming incapacity benefit in each of the Lancashire constituencies.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) incentives and (b) support he is providing to encourage claimants of incapacity benefit back into work.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions how many people have been found guilty of fraudulently claiming incapacity benefit in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) North...

      Income Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of income support recipients were disabled in (a) May 1997 and (b) May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

      IT Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many IT projects which cost over £1 million and were introduced since 1997 are in use in his Department.

      IT Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the IT projects costing over £1 million in use in his Department and introduced since 1997 have been scrutinised by the Public...

      Mental Health (Employment)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle discrimination against people with mental health problems who are seeking work.

      New Deal (Accidents)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many accidents have been recorded as occurring to new deal participants funded by his Department in each year since the new deal began,...

      Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the impact of obesity on the disability pensions budget in the next 10 years.

      Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners were living in poverty in West Lancashire in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available.

      Railways (Health and Safety)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) technical and financial contracts, (b) technical consultants used on a call-off basis and (c) financial consultants...

      Railways (Health and Safety)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the health and safety implications of recent rail incidents.

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has evaluated on the health and safety effects of environmental tobacco smoke on workers; what assessment he has...

  • Prime Minister

    • Crown Jewels

      To ask the Prime Minister which of the (a) crowns and (b) tiaras worn by George V and Queen Mary at the Delhi Durbar in 1911 are in public ownership; and if he will make a statement.

    • Festivals

      To ask the Prime Minister what measures his Office took to celebrate and promote the events of (a) Ramadan, (b) Diwali and (c) Chinese New Year in 2005.

      First World War Veteran (State Funeral)

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will consider recommending the granting of a state funeral to the last person to die who served in the First World War; and if he will make a statement.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Prime Minister how many Freedom of Information applications his Office has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how many of these gave rise to complaints...

      Iraq

      To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to publish the paper he referred to in evidence to the Liaison Committee on 8 February setting out the way forward for the Iraqiisation of security (HC...

      Labour Party Funds

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those consultants which have been in receipt of government funds that have donated funds to the Labour Party; and what the sums involved were in each case.

      Race Equality Impact Assessments

      To ask the Prime Minister how many RaceEquality Impact Assessments his Office completed between (a) April 2004 and March 2005 and (b) April 2005 and November 2005; and how many assessments in...

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Prime Minister how many of his Offices' employees who are within one yearof the official retirement age are on extended sick leave.

      Special Advisers

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it Government policy for special advisers to give evidence to parliamentary committees if asked.

      Terrorism Legislation

      To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1662W, on terrorism legislation, what font size was assumed in making the calculation.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Arson Attacks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many arson attacks there were on schools in each education board in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are...

    • Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of people in Northern Ireland providing unpaid care to people aged 65 years and over.

      CFCs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many tonnes of chlorofluorocarbons have been converted into inert substances in Northern Ireland in each year from 2003.

      Economy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he has done to promote the long-term economy of Northern Ireland.

      Fireworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were injured by fireworks in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement on the running of a safety advertising...

      Freelance Musicians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implications for the Ulster Orchestra of the Inland Revenue's policy that freelance musicians and singers...

      Human Rights Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what allowance is provided to each member of the Human Rights Commission; and what additional expenses each is eligible for.

      Income Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) 16 to 24, (ii) 25 to 30, (iii) 30 to 39 and (iv) 40 years and over were on income support in each...

      Invest Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change has been in (a) salary, (b) expenses and (c) pension contributions of the top five earning employees of Invest Northern Ireland...

      Inward Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of what steps should be taken to attract foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland.

      Parking Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many vehicles in pay and display car parks under the control of the Department for Regional Development in Northern Ireland an additional...

      Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police recruits in Northern Ireland have dropped out of training in each of the last 10 years.

      Primary Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) controlled and (b) maintained primary schools in Northern Ireland have closed in each of the last five years.

      Primary Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) controlled and (b) maintained primary schools in Northern Ireland are scheduled to close in each of the next three years.

      Pupil Expulsions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what criteria decisions are taken to (a) suspend and (b) expel a pupil in a (i) controlled and (ii) maintained school in Northern Ireland.

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many recycling points there are in each local authority in Northern Ireland; and how many there were in each of the last five years for...

      School Crossing Patrols

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the schools in Northern Ireland that have school crossing patrols; and how many school crossing patrol staff each has.

      Secondary Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) controlled and (b) maintained secondary schools in Northern Ireland have closed in each of the last five years.

      Secondary Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) controlled and (b) maintained secondary schools in Northern Ireland are scheduled to close in each of the next three years.

      Speed Limits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce 20 miles per hour speed limits near schools in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

      Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers in Northern Ireland have taken early retirement in each of the last five years.

      Terrorist Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been made available since 2002 to support victims of terrorist violence in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a...

      Truancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the truancy levels were for each education and library board in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.

      Video Conferencing Units

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many video conferencing units are installed in (a) the Department and (b) each agency of the Department; what percentage of offices have...

      Warm Homes Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the average cost was of insulation measures fitted to date in each parliamentary constituency as part of the Warm Homes Scheme in...

      Warm Homes Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes had heating systems fitted as part of the Warm Homes Scheme in each year since 2001 in Northern Ireland, broken down by...

      Warm Homes Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes are waiting for (a) a heating system and (b) insulation measures to be fitted in each parliamentary constituency in Northern...

      Warm Homes Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes in Northern Ireland had insulation measures fitted as part of the Warm Homes Scheme in each year since 2001, broken down by...

  • Constitutional Affairs

    • Data Protection

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance she has given the courts on the size of awards for compensation for breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998.

    • Departmental Websites

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will take steps to ensure the Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual...

      Human Rights Act

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance she has issued on whether privately-run (a) healthcare facilities, (b) prisons, (c) care homes and (d) schools...

      Legal Aid

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) women and (b) men received legal aid in respect of care and custody proceedings in each of the last three years...

      Life Sentences

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people who pleaded guilty to murder and received life sentences are appealing against the sentence.

      Marked Registers

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the constituencies which have (a) all and (b) part of their marked registers from the 2005 general election...

      National Security Appeals Panel

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many public hearings the National Security Appeals Panel has held since inception.

      National Security Appeals Panel

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the National Security Appeals Panel has taken to publicise its functions.

      National Security Appeals Panel

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) staffing level and (b) cost of the National Security Appeals Panel has been in each calendar year since inception.

      National Security Appeals Panel

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases have been decided by the National Security Appeals Panel in each calendar year since its inception under (a)...

      National Security Appeals Panel

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the judgements have been published in each case decided by the National Security Appeals Panel in each calendar year...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Ethiopia

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

    • Ethiopia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Ethiopian Government on the imprisonment of opposition politicians.

      Gaza-Egyptian Border

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in opening the Gaza-Egyptian border following disengagement.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Iran following its threat not to continue with the construction of the...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the detainees held by multinational forces in Iraq are women; and if he will make a statement.

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of economic initiatives in aiding the development of the roadmap for peace in the Middle...

      Nuclear Proliferation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research he has commissioned on the effect of the UK's nuclear weapons status on nuclear proliferation.

      Nuclear Proliferation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking (a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally to ensure that progress is made on international agreement on...

      Shared Representation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries the UK has shared representation; and what assessment he has made of the further potential for sharing...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of compliance by Syria with United Nations Security Council Resolutions (a) 1559 and...

      Torture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the use in England and Wales of intelligence obtained by torture upon (a) the...

      Uganda

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the international community regarding the implications of the issuing of warrants by the...

      Uganda

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the issuing of warrants against leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army by the...

      United States (Prince of Wales's Visit)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will place in the Library the guest list for the cocktail party held as part of the official visit of HRH the Prince...

  • House of Lords

    • Alcohol-related Crime: Wales

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many convictions for alcohol-related crimes there were in each police authority area in Wales in 1950; 1960; 1970; 1980; 1990; 1995; 2000; and 2003.

    • Antarctic Glacier Melt

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the prospect that the Larsen B ice shelf and the west Antarctic ice sheet will disintegrate over the next half century; and of...

      Arms Trade Treaty

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress they have made towards negotiations opening in 2006 on the development of an international arms trade treaty.

      Business Case Scrutiny

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (WA 90), what measures they propose to take to ensure that Members of Parliament are able to...

      Chancellor of the Exchequer: Entertainment Budget

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the cost of official entertainment given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in each of the last eight years at (a) HM Treasury; (b) No. 11 Downing Street;...

      Civil Partnerships

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 21 November (WA 187), whether they will amend the last line of page 2 of the Civil Partnership...

      Civil Partnerships:Overseas Relationships

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will amend article 2(f) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Overseas Relationships) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/3135) to include in relation to Massachusetts...

      Council of Europe: Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings; and, if so, when.

      Defra: Framework for Sustainable Development

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will meet its commitment to expand the list of "Quick Wins" in the 2002 Framework for Sustainable...

      Energy Administration Rules

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to ensure that personal representatives of an energy administrator are aware of the duties imposed on them by paragraph 86(1) of the...

      EU: Live Bird Imports

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the reply by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mr Ben Bradshaw, on 17 November (HC Deb, col. 1086),...

      Fishing Licences

      asked Her Majesty's Government: For each of the past five years, how many fishing licences have been sold; in what categories; how much was realised for these sales; and who benefited from them.

      Gaelic Athletic Association

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What funding has been provided to Gaelic Athletic Association activities in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years; and what were the cross-community...

      HM Prison Styal: Prison and Probation Ombudsman's Report

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why there was a delay of two years between the submission and publication of the Prisons Ombudsman's report into the suicide of six female inmates at H M Prison Styal.

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What estimates they have made of the initial capital costs of the implementation of the Identity Cards Bill; whether these costs will be amortised; if so, over how...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How the initial capital costs of the implementation of the Identity Cards Bill will be treated in the published accounts.

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the fee paid to KPMG for its review of the costs of the Home Office's identity cards programme.

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What review they have made of the 40 per cent of total operating costs not included in paragraph 2.1 of the KPMG review of the costs of the Home Office's identity...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they agree with the implementation timetable in paragraph 2.3 of the KPMG review of the costs of the Home Office's identity cards programme.

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any plans to increase the margin of contingency costs of the Home Office identity cards programme, given that the KPMG review of the costs of the...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they accept the recommendation in the KPMG review of the costs of the Home Office identity cards programme that a more detailed risk-based approach, such...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: In the light of paragraph 4.1.7.1 of the KPMG review of the costs of the Home Office's identity cards programme, which states that the outline business case review...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the recommendation in paragraph 4.3.2 of the KPMG review of the costs of the Home Office's identity cards programme that, given the inconclusive evidence...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have implemented the recommendation in paragraph 4.4.2 of the KPMG review of the costs of the Home Office's identity cards programme that the...

      Immigration Acts: Persons in Detention

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Essex Constabulary charge £1,200 per night for an immigration detainee to be held overnight in a police cell.

      Irish Language Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What groups and individuals have been consulted to date by the sponsoring departments about the proposed relocation of the headquarters of the Irish Language...

      Israel-Palestine: EU Intervention

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, following the decision on European Union official involvement in the Rafah crossing monitoring procedures in the Gaza strip, they will press for further...

      Middle East: UK Special Envoy

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will set out the dates and details of the main initiatives taken by the Prime Minister's special representative on the Middle East in respect of moves...

      Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will identify those individuals who may benefit from any special amnesty-type arrangement in Northern Ireland and the offences for which they are...

      Northern Ireland Civil Service

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service are seconded to trade unions; what is the annual expenditure in salaries and employer add-on costs on such...

      Northern Ireland Events Company

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What proposals they have to increase funding available to, and extend the remit of, the Northern Ireland Events Company.

      Northern Ireland: Cross-Border Bodies

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether appointments to sections of cross-border implementation bodies which are based in Northern Ireland are made according to the Civil Service Commissioners...

      Northern Ireland: Disadvantages in Protestant Areas

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What internal inquiries into disadvantages in Protestant areas of Northern Ireland have been conducted by the Civil Service; who chaired each inquiry; when such...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 2 November (WA 29), why the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is consulting on the funding of cultural...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (WA 102), what are the details, including dates, of the funding of festivals in Northern Ireland...

      Northern Ireland: Health and Social Care Councils

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the most recent total annual cost of the four health and social care councils; and what is the estimated annual cost of the proposed single patient and...

      Northern Ireland: Local Community Fund

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the purpose of the Local Community Fund; when it was created; and on what conditions its funding is provided.

      Northern Ireland: Local Community Fund

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Who has received funding from the Local Community Fund; for what purposes; and how much has been provided.

      Northern Ireland: Post-Primary Education

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 5 July 2004 (WA 59) and the Lord Rooker on 30 June (WA 44), whether they will reconsider their decision not...

      Northern Ireland: School Closures

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What condition has been applied to primary schools in Northern Ireland which has endangered the future of schools with an enrolment of 40 or fewer pupils; and...

      Northern Ireland: School Closures

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the reply by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (Official Report, cols. 722–25), how many (a) controlled primary schools, and (b) Catholic maintained...

      Northern Ireland: School Closures

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the reply by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (Official Report, cols. 722–25), which are the nine schools with an average pupil number of 13.7; and...

      Northern Ireland: School Closures

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the reply by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (Official Report, cols. 722–25), whether closures of small primary schools are dictated primarily by...

      Northern Ireland: Social Security Benefits

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What investigations have been carried out into allegations that staff in the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety have linked the payment of...

      Northern Ireland: St Louis Order

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 10 October (WA 63), whether they will place a copy of the departmental economic appraisal, carried out before...

      Northern Ireland: St Mary's Teacher Training College

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (WA 105), on what date St Mary's Teacher Training College, Belfast, was first established; whether...

      Northern Ireland: Stranmillis Teacher Training College

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (WA 105–6), on what date Stranmillis Teacher Training (University) College, Belfast, was...

      Northern Ireland: Strategic Health and Social Services Authority

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What will be the basis of membership of the proposed Strategic Health and Social Services Authority in Northern Ireland.

      Obesity

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Which organisations they have invited to comment upon the draft Obesity Care Pathway; by when those comments have been invited; whether they intend that this...

      Pesticides

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What action they have taken on testing pesticides on humans in healthy volunteer studies since the Pesticides Safety Directorate's draft submission of 3 September...

      Pesticides

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Pesticides Safety Directorate has treated as exempt from public disclosure any studies by pesticide companies of human pesticide ingestion testing...

      Press Complaints Commission: Chairmanship

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have expressed a view on the future chairmanship of the Press Complaints Commission.

      Prison Sentences

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Statement by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 17 November (WS 100), to what extent the Government's stated belief that "prison should be...

      Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What proposals they have to bring the funding of the Ulster-Scots Agency up to the same level as that of the Irish Language Agency.

      Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How the Ulster-Scots Agency indicated its agreement with the proposed budget for 2005; when it indicated such agreement; whether the proposed budget was the same...

      Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: By what criteria they judged that the budget for the Ulster-Scots Agency in 2005 was sufficient; whether it complied with the parity of esteem offered in the...

      Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the new policies which the Ulster-Scots Agency was proposing to implement in 2004 and 2005 which cannot be pursued following the refusal of the...

      Ulster-Scots Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 17 November (WA 173) that funding for the Ulster-Scots Agency is based on approved actions in the agency's...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will hold an investigation into why the number of former Northern Ireland civil servants now employed by Waterways Ireland is 90 per cent less than...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the investigation of allegations of bullying and other unethical behaviour by the chief executive of Waterways Ireland is being conducted internally; what are...

      Wild Birds

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have conducted any research into predation on songbirds in recent years; and, if so, what were the results.

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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