Written answers

Wednesday, 8 February 2006

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Cleaning Staff

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the progress being made in settling the dispute between the House's cleaning...

    • Computer Systems (Hackers)

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the nature was of the attack by hackers reported to have taken place before Christmas on the House's...

  • Prime Minister

    • Beef

      To ask the Prime Minister how much Brazilian beef was procured for use at 10 Downing Street in the last year for which figures are available.

    • Freedom of Information Act

      To ask the Prime Minister what total sum has been received by his Office for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of operation.

      Wilson Doctrine

      To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether the Wilson doctrine applies to (a) Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) (i) UK and (ii) non-UK members of the European Parliament; (2) whether...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Administrative Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the administration costs of (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies in (i) cash terms and (ii) real...

    • Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will (a) remove the provisions relating to textured coatings from the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and (b) conduct a separate...

      Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that no further changes will be made to (a) the licensing of other asbestos materials and (b) removal techniques without...

      Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Health and Safety Executive's proposals for asbestos removal are more applicable to the...

      Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will apply the Health and Safety Executive's proposals relating to the removal of textured coatings containing asbestos only to...

      Building Site Employees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the implications for health and safety on building sites of the recruitment of employees from Eastern Europe.

      Building Site Employees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to monitor the safety of building sites where a high proportion of workers from EU accession states are employed.

      Buncefield Oil Depot

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there have been changes to the guidance from the Health and Safety Executive to local authority planning departments since the...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many external consultants were used by the Child Support Agency in 2005; and at what cost.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many outstanding Child Support Agency applications from people in (a) Tamworth and (b) Staffordshire were received more than (i) six months...

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) St. Albans were in arrears in each year between 1997 and 2005.

      Civil Servants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of each civil service grade in his Department is located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the...

      Departmental Research Reports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on (a) internally and (b) externally commissioned research reports in each year since 1997.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are employed by his Department in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the overall expenditure on incapacity benefits was, including severe disablement allowance and income support on the grounds of incapacity...

      Internal Audit Recommendations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2018W, on internal audit recommendations, when he plans to place these in the...

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the Jobcentre Plus offices which (a) closed and (b) have had reductions in opening times of over one day per week since 1...

      Customer Satisfaction Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) customer satisfaction surveys and (b) results of mystery shopper exercises conducted since...

  • Transport

    • A21 Upgrade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role (a) the South East England Development Agency, (b) the South East England regional assembly, (c) the Highways Agency, (d) the Environment...

    • British Transport Companies (Overseas Competition)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to help British transport companies to compete with foreign counterparts.

      Citizens Juries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions his Department consulted citizens' juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the...

      Congestion (EU Support)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which regions he expects will receive support from the EU's Sixth Environmental Action Programme to deal with congestion; and what the nature of the...

      Departmental Entertaining

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on entertaining in each month since June.

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on bottled water in 2004–05.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disciplinary actions against civil servants employed in his Department (a) were commenced and (b) resulted in a sanction being applied in each...

      Digital Tachographs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the timescale for the introduction of EU regulations relating to digital tachographs; and within what time period (a)...

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total sum has been received by his Department for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of...

      Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the public consultation on mixed-mode at Heathrow airport will (a) start and (b) finish.

      Jewish Festivals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

      London Mainline Terminals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital sums have been spent on each mainline terminal railway station in London in each year since 1997, broken down by source of capital; and...

      M1 (Accidents)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving the closure of the M1 motorway in (a) either and (b) both directions between junctions 1 and 32 have occurred in (i) 2001,...

      M180

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons over six miles of the M180 motorway has the outside lane closed in both directions; why the maintenance work being carried out was not...

      National Trust (Road Scheme Objections)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list road schemes objected to by the National Trust in cases where the Trust has invoked special parliamentary procedures; and what the...

      Peterborough City Council (Road Budget)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding from his Department Peterborough city council unitary authority has received for its road budget in each year since 1997.

      Press Coverage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train operating companies applied for revenue support following the bombings in London in July 2005; what the value of those claims was; and...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times during the last two years passengers on the Swindon to Cheltenham line have (a) been diverted to coaches and (b) have been required to...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the procedures are for Network Rail to give notice of maintenance works, with particular reference to the Great Western line; and how much notice...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much capital expenditure in the railways has been made by (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector since 2000; and on what projects the...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations (a) have obtained secure station status, (b) had secure status withdrawn and (c) not sought secure station reaccreditation in...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department has taken to reduce the risk of road vehicles obstructing railway tracks.

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the size of the Network Rail discretionary fund for (a) 2006–07 and (b) 2007–08.

      Regulatory Reform Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulatory reform orders his Department has laid before Parliament in each of the last five calendar years.

      Road Building Projects (South-east)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the South East England Regional Assembly Regional Transport Board's advice on priorities for road...

      Road Pricing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has conducted into the merits of the introduction of a road pricing system through (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local schemes;...

      Road Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list road improvement projects which are behind schedule; and what the reasons are in each case.

      St. Pancras Thameslink

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the meeting of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with the hon. Members for North Bedfordshire, North-East and St Albans (Anne...

      Transport Demand Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) conducted and (b) evaluated on the relationship between economic growth and (i) rail passenger demand, (ii) demand for air...

      Transport Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on (a) road works and (b) (i) road resurfacing and (ii) resurfacing noisy concrete road surfaces in each region since...

      Transport Innovation Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Transport Innovation Fund.

      Transport Staff (Alcohol/Drug Tests)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) aircraft crew, (b) air traffic controllers and (c) aircraft maintenance engineers have been tested for (i) drugs and (ii) alcohol since...

      Violent Offences (Public Transport)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many victims of violent offences on public transport have been recorded by the British Transport police in each police force area in England and...

  • Solicitor-General

    • Active Service Prosecutions

      To ask the Solicitor-General what criteria are applied when deciding to remove from military to civil jurisdiction decisions to prosecute service personnel for actions carried out on active service.

    • Prosecutions (Hertfordshire)

      To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what percentage of prosecutions in Hertfordshire were not completed in 2004–05.

  • Education and Skills

    • Adult Guidance Provision

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the change in the burden of administration on adult guidance providers since the Learning and Skills Council...

    • Child Care Places

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places were available in each of the last 10 years in (a) England, (b) London and (c) each London borough.

      Children's Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the capital cost of establishing a full offer children's centre.

      Departmental Salaries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the 10 highest-paid employees in her Department, broken down by (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses; and whether...

      Drop-out Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average drop out rate at universities was in the last period for which figures are available; what the total cost of courses taken...

      Neighbourhood Nurseries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1918W, on neighbourhood nurseries, how many nursery places were taken up...

      Neighbourhood Nurseries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued to local education authorities on the replacement of nursery schools with nursery classes.

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of British-Indians have applied to study in further education institutes in each year since 1997.

      School Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the secondary schools which admit pupils on the basis of partial selection by ability criterion, broken down by local...

      Schools (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the percentage of each cohort who failed to achieve level four at key stage two in each school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in...

      Sex Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what records she keeps of the number of social workers employed by local authorities who have convictions or cautions for sex offences; and...

      Speech Therapy (Westmorland and Lonsdale)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on speech therapy services for children in Westmorland and Lonsdale in each of the last three years.

  • International Development

    • Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has allocated to tackling eclampsia in Africa in 2005–06.

    • Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to strengthen property rights in Africa.

      Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what presentations were undertaken by the Commission for Africa in the run-up to the G8 summit; in which country each presentation took...

      Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial remuneration was paid by his Department to each Commissioner of the Commission for Africa; and what the (a) amount and...

      Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the contracts let by his Department to external consultants that were subsequently sub-let in each of the past five...

      Global Fund (Myanmar)

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been pledged by the UK to the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; how much of that funding...

      Millennium Development Goals

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation in paragraph 3 of the UN General Assembly resolution A/60/L.2 on...

      Rwanda

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much bilateral aid the UK spent in Rwanda in each of the past eight years for which records are available; and what the planned...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on a renewed and strengthened UN mandate on Darfur.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding he has supplied to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur; and whether he plans to allocate further funds.

  • Wales

    • Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual expenditure on (a) fixture and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of his Department in (i) Wales and (ii)...

    • Dispensing Appliance Contractors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely effect on services and support for patients in Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr of the review of the system by which...

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 532W, on local government, how much funding the Valuation Agency received from the...

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 532W, on Local Government Act, whether local authorities, with particular reference to...

      Manufacturing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the (a) First Minister and (b) Welsh Assembly Government on support for the manufacturing industry in Wales.

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by him on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer...

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by him in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and...

  • Trade and Industry

    • Accountancy Profession

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to break up the big four accountancy firms.

    • Aerospace Trade Missions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which British companies (a) took part in the October 2005 aerospace trade mission to Japan and (b) will be taking part in the February 2006...

      Anti-corruption Guidelines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to publish the Export Credits Guarantee Department's revised anti-corruption guidelines.

      Automotive Academy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he plans to extend Automotive Academy re-employment training to areas other than the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

      Bifrangi UK Ltd

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the dates of the meetings officials of his Department have held with representatives of Bifrangi UK Ltd in Sheffield in the...

      Business Insolvencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list each (a) corporate administration, (b) receivership and (c) liquidation that started over 20 years ago but has not yet been...

      Business Insolvencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the trend in the number of business insolvencies.

      Company Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation requiring companies to file a copy of their audit contract with the Registrar of Companies.

      Credit Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to ban credit card companies from issuing credit cards to anyone below the age of 18 years.

      Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2006, Official Report, column 1245 on departmental conferences, what is his Department's definition of...

      Dyfed Postal Area

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received since 1999 about changing the name of the Dyfed postal area to take account of new local authority areas...

      Energy Consumption (Wales)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average annual energy consumption per household in Wales was in 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

      Energy Pricing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he (a) last discussed and (b) next plans to discuss energy prices for industry with Ofgem.

      Equitable Life

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department has made to the EU in response to its proposed investigation into Equitable Life.

      EU Accounts Modernisation Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated cost to businesses is of the Business Review under the EU Accounts Modernisation Directive.

      Fireworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the restrictions on the supply of fireworks since the coming into force of the Fireworks...

      Gas Supplies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking with the European Commission to secure fair access to supplies of gas at competitive prices.

      Indian Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the five Indian companies in the UK with a presence in the financial services sector which have the highest turnover; and what...

      Military Equipment (Exports)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export credit arrangements have been put in place to provide cover for military equipment exported to Saudi Arabia under the Memorandum...

      New Delhi Declaration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the 2002 New Delhi Declaration, what assessment his Department has made of the operation of the (a) Joint Economic and Trade...

      Nuclear Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the energy requirements of producing nuclear fuels.

      Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with representatives of Amicus on the new nuclear build.

      Operating and Financial Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what estimate his Department has made of the financial costs incurred by business prior to November 2005 in respect of implementing the...

      Operating and Financial Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what methods he used to calculate the estimated financial consequences for business of the Operating and Financial Review prior to his...

      Post Office Card Account

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which organisations contribute to the cost of running the Post Office Card Account scheme; and how much was contributed by each organisation...

      Post Office Card Account

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's financial contribution has been to the Post Office Card Account system.

      Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of first class letters posted in Leicester met Royal Mail's online delivery target in the last year for which figures are...

      Power Loss (Compensation)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much compensation for loss of power was paid to customers by each power company in each of the last five years.

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department holds information on (a) the number and (b) the locations of micro-wind turbines in England.

      Special Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the special advisers in post in his Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to his Department of...

      VAT Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses (a) registered and (b) deregistered for VAT in each year in Ribble Valley since 1997.

      World Trade Organisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will publish the compendium due on the Hong Kong World Trade Organisation meeting.

      World Trade Organisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is the Government's policy that the Russian Federation's accession to the World Trade Organisation should be conditional on its...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Road Traffic Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of serious road traffic accidents in Northern Ireland in 2005; and if he will make additional funding...

    • Paramilitary Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors he will take into account when assessing the future intentions of paramilitary organisations on ceasefire.

      Paramilitary Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in reducing the involvement of paramilitary organisations in criminality in Northern Ireland.

      Child Sex Abuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will instruct the Police Service of Northern Ireland to create a separate database of child sex abuse allegations and cases in Northern...

      Smoking Ban

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the response from the people in Northern Ireland has been to the proposed smoking ban in public places.

      Fuel Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to combat illegal fuel smuggling into Northern Ireland.

      Security

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

      Breast Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to restore public confidence in reporting on breast screening in Northern Ireland following the Wilson review.

      Coastal Erosion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the measures he has taken to reduce the impact of coastal erosion around Northern Ireland.

      Drugs Seizures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many seizures have been made in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland of (a) ecstasy tablets, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and...

      Dungiven Castle

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) environmental and (b) historical protection there is against inappropriate developments adjacent to Dungiven castle, County Londonderry.

      Floral Displays

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money was spent by each district council in the Province on floral displays in the last 12 months.

      GCSEs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of students in (a) grammar schools and (b) non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland achieved passes at grades A* to C at GCSE...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the trend in the number of general practitioners in Northern Ireland continuing to practise beyond the age of 65...

      Health Commissioning Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the likely costs of developing and sustaining seven new health commissioning bodies in the Province.

      Hospitality Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer by his colleague of 12 January 2006, Official Report, column 791W, on hospitality costs, how hospitality was paid for by...

      Martin Kelly

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what role the Police Service Northern Ireland's underwater search unit has played in relation to the investigation into the case of Martin Kelly.

      Ministerial Car Fleet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 303W, on ministerial car fleet, how police drivers are paid for; and which...

      Northern Ireland Development Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the location is of each Northern Ireland Development Agency office; what the annual running cost was of each in the last period for which...

      Saville Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the total sums of public money paid to each relevant firm of lawyers for work done for or in connection with the Saville Inquiry.

      Saville Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many days retainers of (a) £750 and (b) £1,500 were claimed by each of the legal representatives at the Saville inquiry since...

      Shorts/Bombardier

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by what means the Government have been monitoring how grant aid allocated from public expenditure to Shorts/Bombardier in the last five years...

      Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of making the influenza vaccine available to encephalomyelitis ME sufferers in the Province.

  • Defence

    • Accommodation (Armed Forces Personnel)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many homes are provided by his Department to (a) former and (b) current members of the armed forces and their families; and if he will make a...

    • Aircraft Carriers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to identify target in-service dates for each of the future aircraft carriers.

      Defence Activity (West Midlands)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support he will provide for defence activity in the West Midlands in each of the next five years.

      Defence Vetting Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time was for an application to be processed by the Defence Vetting Agency for (a) a security check and (b) developed vetting on...

      Joint Casualty Treatment Ship

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 2127W to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), on the Joint Casualty Treatment...

      Military Decorations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the medals and decorations that were awarded by the United States administration to British military personnel of the rank of (a)...

      Operation Enduring Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for increased NATO/international security assistance force command integration with the US-led Operation Enduring...

      QinetiQ

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the study commissioned from Accenture, referred to on page 24 of the QinetiQ prospectus.

      QinetiQ

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much profit has been recorded since the formation of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, including that recorded by QinetiQ; and where these...

      Service Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's service accommodation properties were (a) grade 1 standard, (b) grade 2 standard, (c) grade 3 standard and (d) grade 4...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts on the possibility of supplying armed forces for peacekeeping in Sudan.

  • Scotland

    • Citizens Juries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions his Department consulted citizens' juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the...

    • Press Coverage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Burdens Doctrine

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's New Burdens Doctrine applies to new obligations imposed on local authorities by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;...

    • Casino Operators

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many meetings he has had with casino operators since May 1997; and (a) where and (b) when each such meeting took place.

      Community Contact Centres

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria are used in assessing the eligibility for funding of community contact centres through the investing in communities programme in the eastern region;...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Minister for Communities and local government will reply to the letter of 9 December 2005 from the right hon. Member for Sunderland, South regarding...

      Departmental Groups

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the administration costs associated with his Department's (a) Ministerial Group, (b) Legal Directorate and (c) Tackling Disadvantage...

      Departmental Groups

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff work in his Department's Sustainable Communities Group; how many are based in (a) London and (b) each region; and what the total salary costs were...

      Departmental Groups

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the administration costs of his Department's Regional Development Group in the last year for which figures are available.

      Departmental Groups

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the administration costs associated with his Department's Sustainable Communities Group in the last year for which figures are available.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff have been employed in his private office in each year since he became Deputy Prime Minister.

      Development (Castle Point)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department has held meetings on development in Castle Point with Hickfort Ltd of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

      Directly-elected Mayors

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of the referendum for a directly elected mayor in each area where such a process has been conducted.

      Directly-elected Mayors

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many councils have conducted a referendum in which the local electorate (a) accepted and (b) rejected directly elected mayors.

      Early Retirement

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many departmental employees have taken early retirement due to ill-health in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

      Financial Irregularity

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he has in place to prevent fraud and financial irregularity in his Department.

      Housing (Rochdale)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on future funding for the Rochdale and Oldham housing market renewal area.

      Local Exchange Trading Systems

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what support his Department provides for local exchange trading systems.

      Lyons Inquiry

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely total cost of the Lyons inquiry.

      Lyons Inquiry

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will place in the Library copies of the written submissions made by his Department to the Lyons inquiry into local government; (2) whether (a) a...

      Post Office/Shop Closures

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information his Department collects on the closure of (a) post offices, (b) bank branches and (c) independent retail shops.

      Press Coverage

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and...

      Rates

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average (a) council tax and (b) business rates bill, paid by a composite hereditament, was in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

      Regional Spatial Strategy

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will review the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England with reference to the merits of establishing a Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough growth corridor.

  • Treasury

    • Caparo Judgment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission research into the impact of the Caparo judgment on audit quality.

    • Climate Change Levy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the studies of the impact of the climate change levy produced by the Government Economic Service.

      Climate Change Levy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's assessment is of the impact of the climate change levy on carbon emissions; and how much of this impact it estimates is attributable...

      Climate Change Levy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the impact of a 10 per cent. change in the climate change levy on carbon emissions after (a) six months and (b) three years.

      Consolidated Budget Guidance

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to paragraph 333 of Consolidated Budget Guidance 2006–07, what arrangements his Department has agreed with the Ministry of Defence for the...

      Franked Investment Income

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the (a) net borrowing and (b) net taxes and national insurance contributions projections contained in the pre-Budget report make allowance for the...

      Mesothelioma

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the 20 local authority areas with the highest male mesothelioma mortality levels in the last year for which figures are available; (2)...

      Property Valuation (Scotland)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public sector organisation is responsible for the valuation of domestic properties in Scotland for (a) inheritance tax and (b) capital gains tax purposes.

      Tax Harmonisation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts on plans for tax harmonisation.

      Vegetable Oils

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the criteria are for classifying vegetable oils as (a) fuel substitutes and (b) bio-diesel.

      Vegetable Oils

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on the taxation of vegetable oil when used in (a) modified and (b) unmodified form as a vehicle fuel.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution his Department will make to training of the Afghan National and Border police; and if he will make a statement.

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the composition will be of the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board recommended in the Afghanistan Compact of 31st...

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to the Afghan Government to ensure establishment of (a) civil administration, (b)...

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to ensure the co-ordination of (a) military assistance, (b) non-military Government aid and (c)...

      China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of China on internet viruses and attempts through internet fraud that emanate...

      Departmental Assets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the items of departmental property worth over £100 that have been reported as (a) lost and (b) broken in...

      Ex-Prisoners of War

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had since 2001 with the ex-Prisoners of War Association regarding compensation for British...

      Freedom of Information Act

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what total sum has been received by his Department for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Government White Paper, Prospects for the European Union in 2006, what assessment he has made of the steps...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights spending on the promotion of human rights...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the capability of Iran to deliver nuclear weapons in the event of their being developed.

      Mr. Ahmed Saardat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the basis is for UK/US monitoring of the detention of Ahmed Saardat of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine;...

      New Delhi Declaration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made since the 2002 New Delhi Declaration in strengthening ties between the UK and India.

      Palestinian Election

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the outcome of the recent Palestinian legislative elections for the European...

      Pingat Jasa Medal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have held with Malaysian Government officials since...

      Pingat Jasa Medal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Royal British Legion on the wearing of the Pingat Jasa medal...

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the African Union on it launching a mission to Somalia.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to make its financial support to the Government of Sudan conditional on a substantial and...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in imposing targeted sanctions in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what direct support his Department has provided to the government of Sudan to improve policing in the Darfur region; and if he...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with colleagues in (a) NATO and (b) the UN on supplementing the African Union Mission in Sudan.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the effectiveness of the African Union force in Darfur; and if he...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with counterparts in (a) NATO and (b) African Union member countries regarding the expiry of...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical assistance his Department has given to the African Union mission in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

  • Home Department

    • Antisocial Behaviour

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give local communities a formal means of (a) requesting and (b) monitoring whether action is taken against antisocial behaviour.

    • Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 January (PQ31458), how many of the 5,385 principal asylum applicants considered on another Family ILR...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the latest Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics, how many dependants there are in respect of (a) the 9,390 main applicants awaiting...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the latest Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics, how many of the 4,430 applicants found to be ineligible under the family indefinite...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the applicants under the Government's family indefinite leave to remain exercise of 24 October 2003 have been identified as being...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the latest Quarterly Bulletin of Statistics, what the main reasons were for refusal of the 7,405 refused applicants under the...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications of the political instability in the Ivory Coast for his policy of repatriation of Ivorian...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers whose applications were refused since 1992 were originally from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Kosovo, (c) Iraq, (d) European...

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) asylum and (b) immigration applications were outstanding on 2 May 1997.

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what percentage asylum applications have changed in each year since 1992.

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were refused in each year since 1992.

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK for each year since 1992, broken down by country of origin.

      British Citizenship Test

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) Ministers and (b) section of his Department are responsible for making the arrangements for the provision of British citizenship tests.

      British Citizenship Test

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time was for a British citizenship test in the most recent period for which figures are available.

      British Citizenship Test

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the extent to which the capacity for British citizenship tests is sufficient to meet the demand.

      Charles Munyaneza

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reasons Charles Munyaneza was granted refugee status and unlimited leave to remain in the UK; (2) if he will reconsider the...

      Child Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) children and (b) adults have been charged with the offence of making and possessing indecent images of a child under the...

      Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 5 September 2005, from the hon. Member for Aylesbury to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and...

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors determine the amount of time taken by the Criminal Records Bureau to process (a) an enhanced and (b) a standard check.

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how long on average it took to complete an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check in the last period for which figures are available;...

      Criminal Records Bureau

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of (a) standard and (b) enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks were failed during 2005.

      Detention Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people held in detention centres have died from (a) AIDS, (b) tuberculosis and (c) hepatitis since 2000.

      DNA Profiles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006, Official Report, columns 1111–12W, on DNA profiles, how many people over the age of 18 are...

      DNA Profiles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006, Official Report, columns 1111–12W, on DNA profiles, if he will break down the 24,000 cases...

      DNA Profiles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why DNA profiles collected from those arrested but not charged of any offence are retained.

      Identity Cards/Verification

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposed powers in the Identity Cards Bill he plans to use to facilitate data sharing between the identity card database and other...

      Identity Cards/Verification

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1610W, on identity cards, what level of risk has been identified through his...

      Identity Cards/Verification

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on the development of biometric passports and identity cards; and what representations have...

      Illegal Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking in (a) Romford and (b) Havering to combat illegal immigration; and if he will make a statement.

      Immigration and Nationality Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to allocate a caseworker to the immigration application of Mr. M. P. B. of Aylesbury (reference B1082715).

      Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill on the availability of...

      IMPACT System

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Impact police intelligence system is due to come into service.

      IMPACT System

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on the national police intelligence system, Impact.

      Methylamphetamine

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to control access to the precursors of methamphetamine.

      Methylamphetamine

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the street names by which methamphetamine is known.

      Methylamphetamine

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has received from the police on the classification of methylamphetamine.

      National Asylum Support Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to review the work of the National Asylum Support Service.

      Police Finance (Hertfordshire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was at current prices of policing per head of population in Hertfordshire in (a) 1997–98, (b) 2004–05 and (c)...

      Police Force Reconfiguration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) his Department and (b) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for examining the impact of police force mergers in...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average daily sum spent by the Prison Service was on feeding adult (a) male and (b) female prisoners and (i) male and (ii) female...

      Respect Agenda

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the implementation of the Government's Respect Agenda will affect the number of police working in Romford.

      Security Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has made of the cost of the security industry regulation to be delivered by the...

      Special Branch

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what review of the size and structure of Special Branch he (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake.

      Work Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were granted through the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme in each of the last 10 years.

      Work Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual work permits were issued in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005; how many of these were (i) long-term permits of a year or...

      Worker Registration Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of workers from EU accession countries who are working within the United Kingdom but are not...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • British Beef Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the EU to vote to lift the ban on the export of British beef; and for what reasons the ban has not been...

    • Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the displacement of carbon emissions has been achieved through the introduction of energy efficiency...

      Cattle Movements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many animals have been involved in incidents of non-compliance with cattle movement orders since 2001; where these...

      Civil Servants (Overseas Visits)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what costs were incurred by her Department as a result of sending civil servants on overseas visits in each of the last 10 years.

      Conservation Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when she expects to conclude bilateral biogeographic discussions with the European Commission on the designation of...

      Cormorants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences for the culling of cormorants were issued in England in 2005–06; how many cormorants were killed...

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual expenditure on vehicles of (a) her Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive...

      Departmental Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2376W, on departmental transport, if she will place in...

      Departmental Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2376W, on departmental transport, what further steps she...

      EU Habitats Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government plans to take to meet its obligations under the EU Habitats Directive.

      Forestry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been allocated by the Forestry Commission for woodland creation schemes in each of the last three years; and...

      Forestry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the woodland grant scheme is allocated to (a) woodland creation and (b) woodland management in 2005–06.

      Forestry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of woodland in England is managed in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard.

      Forestry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance is being prepared in relation to the Habitats Regulations following the recent European Court decision.

      Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce the amount of packaging being used for commercial products by companies in England.

      Poultry Slaughterhouses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many poultry inspection assistants are employed by poultry slaughterhouses; and which slaughterhouses employ such assistants.

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set national standards for recycling which apply to all local authorities.

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of corporate waste was recycled in each year between 2000 and 2005.

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has for increasing (a) recycling and (b) composting.

      Regulatory Reform Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Regulatory Reform Orders her Department has laid before Parliament in each of the last five calendar years.

      Snares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the National Farmers' Union on the use of snares.

      Snares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has commissioned into the use of snares over the last three years.

      Special Protection Area Status

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under which EU directive or regulations special protection area status was introduced; and whether the Government published a...

      Stewardship Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have applied, and been accepted, for (a) Entry Level Stewardship and (b) Higher Level Stewardship.

      Tyres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the number of tyres which became redundant in the last year for which an estimate is...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Aircraft Fuel (Taxation)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with HM Treasury on the impact of a green tax on aircraft fuel on tourism.

    • Airport Expansion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations her Department has made to (a) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and (b) planning inquiries on the expansion...

      BBC

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment will be made of market impact in the approval process for new BBC public services; and what role will be played by Ofcom...

      British Grand Prix (Policing)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received requesting financial support for policing at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what date she has set for the panel's report on the locations for regional, large and small casinos under the Gambling Act 2005 to be...

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from local authorities on the number and location of regional casinos under the pilot scheme.

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the value of the (a) casino and (b) gambling industry to the economy in each year since 1997 in (i)...

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the procedures are for increasing the number of regional casinos in the pilot scheme under the Gambling Act 2005.

      Casinos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under what provisions a casino licence issued under the Gaming Act 1968 may be reinstated after a temporary cessation of trading for...

      Category C Gaming Machines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the extent to which operators and providers of category C gaming machines (a) are crime free and (b) can...

      Christmas Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the cost to her Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

      Circus Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions her Department has had with the circus industry relating to licensing proposals; and if she will make a statement.

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the expenditure on (a) buildings and (b) insurance of buildings and staff was of (i) her Department and (ii) each (A)...

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual expenditure on (a) fixtures and fittings, (b) general office expenses and (c) office equipment was of (i) her...

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the expenditure on (a) buildings and (b) insurance of buildings and staff was of (i) her Department and (ii) each (A)...

      English Heritage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the level of resources English Heritage allocates to the scheduling of newly discovered monuments.

      English Heritage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people English Heritage employs in the designation of ancient monuments.

      External Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has paid since 2004 to external consultants who had previously been employed by the Department in any capacity...

      Film Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the ratio was between the administration costs of the UK Film Council and the funds which it provided for film production in the...

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what total sum has been received by her Department for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its...

      Institutions (Assets)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of requirements on institutions for which she is responsible to maximise income on (a)...

      Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what data sets are being collected in the 10 scrutiny councils to monitor how the new licensing regime is being delivered.

      Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on changes to the limits on temporary events notices under the Licensing Act 2003; and from whom.

      Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from Action with Communities in Rural England regarding the implementation of the Licensing Act...

      Marine Historic Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will nominate a member of the British Sub-Aqua Club to sit on the Marine Historic Review Working Group; if she will meet...

      Media Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on external media relations in each year since 2001.

      Schedule of Ancient Monuments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many new sites were added to the Schedule of Ancient Monuments in each of the last five years.

      Schedule of Ancient Monuments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the role of the scheduling of ancient monuments in protecting the UK's archaeological resource.

      Schedule of Ancient Monuments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many scheduled sites without up-to-date descriptions and for which there is no publicly available information remain to be...

      Secondments

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

      Television Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what process her Department is following to set the future level of the BBC licence fee; and when a decision is expected to be reached.

      Television Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what external advice and analysis has been sought by her Department during the process to set the future level of the licence; and...

      Television Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps will be taken to ensure that the future level of BBC licence fee funding will take account of the BBC's wider impact on (a)...

      VisitBritain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to name a new Chairman for VisitBritain.

  • Health

    • Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed on inmates in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

    • Accident and Emergency Departments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her opinion piece in The Independent on 19 January, on what data her statement that there were 0.75 million more attendances at accident and...

      Agenda for Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what she expects the cost of implementing agenda for change to be.

      Ambulance Service Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 387W, on ambulance services trusts (West Midland), why her Department does not maintain...

      Benzodiazepine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the provision of dedicated NHS benzodiazepine withdrawal clinics.

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets she has to reduce rates of breast cancer over the next (a) five and (b) 10 years.

      Cigarette Packet Warnings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what date has been set for the commencement of the planned public consultation regarding the possible inclusion of graphic or pictorial warnings on...

      Crack Cocaine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many crack cocaine users are in community-based treatment.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to increase the number of dental access centres in England.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 9 November 2005, Official Report, columns 17–18WS, on national health service dentistry, how many...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of a national health service dental check-up in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Uxbridge constituency in each of the last 10...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population was registered with an NHS dentist in (a) England, (b) London, (c) the London borough of Hillingdon and (d) Uxbridge...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS (a) dentists and (b) patients were registered in Welwyn, Hatfield in each year since 1997.

      Departmental Performance Support Team

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the functions of her Department's performance support team; how many staff it has; and what the differences are between the roles of the performance...

      Drug Prescribing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual level of prescribing of (a) carmustie implants and (b) temozolomide outside the context of clinical trials was in the last three years for...

      Drug Treatment Programmes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people involved in providing drug treatment programmes have (a) resigned and (b) taken leave for medical reasons in each of the last five years.

      Financial Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have been investigated by her Department over the last 12 months due to failure to meet financial targets; and if she will make a...

      Genetic Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which staff groups specialise in genetic testing; how many staff in these groups there were in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest date for which figures are...

      Health Service Initiatives (Costs)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was budgeted for the (a) general practitioner contract, (b) consultant contract and (c) Agenda for Change; and how much each has cost to implement.

      Health Worker Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of differences between the value of NHS pension provision and that of workers in comparable jobs in the private sector in setting...

      Heart Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) England and (b) Forest of Dean constituency suffered from heart disease in each of the last five years; and what the mortality rate...

      Hospital Bed Occupancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the optimal level of bed occupancy in NHS hospitals.

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of recent evidence on the effectiveness of Tamiflu; and what effect this has had on her Department's planning for an...

      International Recruitment of Health Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recruitment agencies have signed the Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers in each of the past five years for which...

      Lyme Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist consultants in England are involved in the treatment of extreme cases of Lyme disease.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the level of funding for mental health services in (a) Cambridgeshire and (b) Peterborough.

      Midwives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many supervisors of midwives there have been in England in each year since 1997.

      Midwives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued on financial payments by NHS trusts to supervisors of midwives.

      Ministerial Meetings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) maternity, (b) children's and (c) young people's organisations the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care Services has met since his...

      Mobile Phone Masts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been evaluated by her Department into the health effects of non-thermal pulsed microwave radiation associated with mobile telephone masts.

      Mobile Phone Masts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans the Government have to undertake research into the health effects of non-thermal pulsed radiation associated with mobile telephone masts;...

      National Carers Grant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to maintain the National Carers Grant after 2008.

      NHS Chemotherapy Budget

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total NHS chemotherapy budget was in each of the last five years.

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected financial out-turn for 2005–06 is for each of the NHS trusts in the West Midlands Government Office area.

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether slipping payment on pay-as-you-earn and national insurance contributions, as mentioned in her interview with the Health Service Journal on 19...

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1575W, on NHS finance, what the end-of-year financial position of the NHS in total was...

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her written statement of 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS, on NHS finance data, if she will place in the Library a copy of the...

      NHS Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the current overall national financial deficit of the NHS is; what the deficit is of each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care...

      NHS Financial Deficits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the year-end financial deficits of (a) Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (b) East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, (c) Medway NHS Trust, (d) Royal...

      NHS Financial Deficits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact of financial deficits in primary care trusts on the achievement of Government targets.

      NHS Staff (Attacks)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attacks on NHS staff have been recorded in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, in each...

      NHS Tariff Uplift

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2006, Official Report, column 1304W, on NHS tariff uplift, what the NHS tariff uplift (a) will be between...

      NHS Trusts (Invoices)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts (a) paid and (b) did not pay 95 per cent. of undisputed invoices within contract terms or 30 days where no terms have been agreed in the...

      Parkinson's Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure that general practitioners are adequately trained in the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of Parkinson's...

      Parliamentary Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to answer questions (a) 28223 tabled on 14 November 2005 and (b) 29705 tabled on 11 November 2005 by the hon. Member for Yeovil.

      Pension Liability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of pension liability is for health sector workers.

      Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS in-patient beds are available for the specialist treatment of those with post-traumatic stress disorder or related conditions. (2) how...

      Primary Care Trusts (Financial Deficits)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts incurred financial deficits in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and how many she expects will be in deficit at the...

      Private Finance Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total capital sum is of each of the private finance initiative schemes over £10 million (a) in operation and (b) where the outline business...

      Sleep Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake into possible links between induced abortion and (i) sleep disorders and (ii)...

      Ward Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital wards in England have been closed (a) permanently or (b) temporarily since 30 June 2005 due to financial constraints; and if she will...

      Research Funding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the amount of NHS research funding, broken down by disease area or type for each of the last five years.

      Retinal Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will make support available for the use of fundus cameras in opticians practices to provide convenient diabetes retinopathy screening for...

      School Nurses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses there are in each strategic health authority area.

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average age at which people start smoking in England.

      Strategic Health Authorities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of running strategic health authorities was in 2004–05, broken down by authority.

      Suffolk Coastal Primary Care Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the financial and management specialist team sent to Suffolk Coastal primary care trust is due to report its findings to her Department; and...

  • House of Lords

    • Alcohol: Repeat Offenders

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What role alcohol plays in high-volume repeat offending; and whether the priority given to alcohol problems in the Prison Service is satisfactory.

    • Allotments: South Yorkshire

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How much land was available for allotments in south Yorkshire, particularly in Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley, in each of the past five years; and...

      Autism: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Rooker on 8 June 2005 (WA 90), 14 June 2005 (WA 119) and 30 June 2005 (WA 43), whether education and library boards in...

      Autism: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they plan to introduce specific autism awareness training for classroom assistants in Northern Ireland.

      British Citizenship: Hong Kong and India

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 31 January (WA 24) on British Citizenship: Hong Kong and India, whether they will place in the...

      Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the anticipated cost savings from the proposed closure of four of the research establishments at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

      Civil Service: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any of the Northern Ireland departments have proposals to relocate civil service jobs from the west of Northern Ireland to Belfast in the next few years.

      Company Law: Operating and Financial Review

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why they abolished the operating and financial review reporting requirements for United Kingdom quoted companies.

      Energy: Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Ministers represented the United Kingdom at ministerial-level meetings of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum; and when the next such ministerial-level...

      Energy: Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Who, if any, are the United Kingdom members of (a) the policy group, and (b) the technical group of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum; and which, if any,...

      Energy: Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What support, financial or otherwise, they give the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum.

      EU: Budget

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How much the United Kingdom will contribute to the European Union budget for each financial year from 2007 to 2013; and by what amount each annual contribution...

      EU: Budget

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How much each member state will receive from the European Union budget for each financial year from 2007 to 2013; and by what amount the funding received by each...

      EU: Budget

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 25 January (WA 169), why they declined to provide information regarding the financial contributions...

      Flags: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking in Northern Ireland to implement the Chancellor of the Exchequer's comments about flying the Union flag in every garden; and Whether...

      Functional Foods

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their working definition of functional food; and Whether current definitions of functional foods used by national and international food organisations...

      Identity Cards

      asked Her Majesty's Government: For which countries an identity card suffices to permit entry into the United Kingdom without the requirement for a valid passport; which card permits such entry...

      Immigration: IND Website

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to ensure that users are able to access the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website at all times, in particular during working hours.

      InterTradeIreland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the community breakdown of employees of InterTradeIreland working in Northern Ireland.

      InterTradeIreland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What policy initiatives InterTradeIreland has taken since October 2002; and whether each was agreed through the North/South Ministerial Council.

      Ira

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they consider that the Irish Republican Army is still in existence.

      Irish Language Agency

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether proposals have been agreed to relocate the headquarters of the Irish Language Agency to Donegal; if so, when the move will take place; how many staff are...

      National School of Government

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What training courses for Ministers are provided by the National School of Government; and which Ministers have received such training since the inception of the...

      NHS: Primary Care Trusts

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it remains their policy to direct primary care trusts to invest in primary care services.

      North/South Implementation Bodies

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to allow cross-border implementation bodies to commit funds from one financial year to the next.

      Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any plans to reintroduce an alternative to the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill to facilitate on-the-run terrorists.

      Northern Ireland: Education Minister

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many days the Northern Ireland Education Minister spent in Northern Ireland from 1 January to 31 December 2005.

      Northern Ireland: Activist Security

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have issued (a) personal protection weapons, or (b) home security equipment over the past eight years to (i) republican activists; and (ii) loyalist...

      Northern Ireland: Chinese Mandarin

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people in Northern Ireland are estimated to speak Chinese Mandarin.

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 11 January (WA 67) concerning the funding of festivals in 2004 and 2005, on what dates the organisations...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 11 January (WA 67) concerning the funding of festivals, how much funding has been paid to Féile an...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they can pay funding to the West Belfast Irish Festival for 2005 if a letter of offer had not been forwarded to the organisation before the event took place.

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 115) concerning funding for the West Belfast Nationalist Festival, what was the decision which...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 116), why the Department for Social Development has not paid the grant of £34,150 to the...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 116), who were the recipients of the grant of £58,905 paid to the Ardoyne Nationalist...

      Northern Ireland: Festivals

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 116), who were the recipients of the grants of £102,720.95, £60,080 and £29,160...

      Northern Ireland: Grants and Resources

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any proposals for building capacity in the Protestant community in Northern Ireland to allow that community the same access to grants and...

      Northern Ireland National Stadium

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether their plans for a national stadium for Northern Ireland to be situated at the former Maze prison include any memorial to Irish Republican Army activity.

      Northern Ireland: On-the-Runs

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 25 January (WA 181), to what extent their document entitled Proposals in Relation to On the Runs, published in...

      Northern Ireland: On-the-Runs

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 113) and 25 January (WA 181), whether they will state (a) what they understood to be Sinn...

      Police: Reorganisation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What will be the governance structure of the proposed new amalgamated police forces.

      Police: Reorganisation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the European Union institutions have had any input into the Government's proposals for regional police forces.

      Prisons: Drug Treatment

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What interventions are available for complex users of several drugs within the prison system; and where they are located.

      Questions for Written Answer

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will reply to the Question for Written Answer (HL1837) tabled by the Lord Tyler on 19 October 2005.

      Tallow

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have designated tallow as waste rather than a by-product; if so, why; and what effect the banning of this carbon-neutral fuel and its replacement by...

      Tax Contributions: Wales

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the current tax contribution from the region of West Wales and the Valleys.

      Tax Credits

      asked Her Majesty's Government: For the latest year for which figures are available, what assessment they have made of the number of positive awards for the different elements of (a) child tax...

      Tax Credits

      asked Her Majesty's Government: For the latest year for which figures are available, what assessment they have made of the cost to Government of positive awards for the different elements of (a)...

      Tax Credits

      asked Her Majesty's Government: For the latest year for which figures are available, what assessment they have made of the number of people paying income tax who also receive positive child tax...

      Urban Regeneration: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What funding was provided from the Londonderry Regeneration Initiative in 2005; to which groups and organisations this money was provided; and for what purpose.

      Vehicles: Insurance Certificates

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether a vehicle that has been impounded for lack of insurance may be released where there is a certificate of motor insurance that is valid only for the day in...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 124) concerning Waterways Ireland work at Portrunny, how the work was advertised for tender; how...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 123) concerning the bulk purchase of chocolate for the staff of Waterways Ireland, whether...

      Waterways Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 January (WA 123) concerning property owned by Waterways Ireland, what plans they have for the property at 53...

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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