Written answers

Friday, 27 April 2007

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Departments: Tribal Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts her Department awarded to (a) Geronimo Communications Ltd. and (b) its parent company Tribal Group plc. in each...

    • Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on red ash testing; and what guidance she has issued on red ash testing and floor replacement.

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) events, (b) engagements and (c) meetings (i) she, (ii) other Ministers in her Department and (iii) staff in her...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to the letter of 21 March 2007 from the hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Minister of State expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 23 February 2007, on...

      Regional Planning and Development: Gloucestershire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amendments affecting Gloucestershire were made to the South West Regional Spatial Strategy following the consultation in...

      Unitary Councils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department met representatives from (i) any council that has bid for unitary...

      Unitary Councils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish an assessment of the 26 proposals for future unitary structures which have been submitted to her Department...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Cultural Heritage: Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds have been allocated by her Department to protect sites of cultural heritage in Iraq since 2003; and if she will make a statement.

    • Gambling Act 2005

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the measures her Department has put in place to address in the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 the project...

      Gambling Act 2005

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has used a cross-sector pilot group to test the application requirements and forms for the licences required by...

      Licensing Act 2003

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Better Regulation Commission's report on the Implementation...

      Olympic Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's latest estimate is of expenditure on the Olympic Games in each year from 2006-07 to 2012-13; and how much money...

  • Defence

    • Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the total number of soldiers who have served in Iraq since the commencement of the war in Iraq have been from the ranks of the...

  • Duchy of Lancaster

    • Departments: Energy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what instructions are issued to staff in her Department on shutting down computers at night; and what other procedures are in place to ensure...

    • Departments: Paper

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of paper used (a) for photocopying and (b) in printed publications by her Department was from recycled sources in each of the...

      Orders and Regulations

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many regulations were repealed in each year since 1997.

      Sports: Young People

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2007, Official Report, column 1753W, on the Youth Sport Trust, what part the Chairman of v played in the...

  • Education and Skills

    • City Academies: Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) temporary and (b) permanent exclusions there were from academies in the last two years for which data is available; and for...

    • Extracurricular Activities: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places were available in out-of-school clubs for (a) primary and (b) secondary school age children in each London local authority...

      General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students achieved five GCSEs at grade C or above including English, mathematics and science in each year since 1997; (2) how...

      Grandparents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to answer question 133014, on grandparents, tabled by the hon. Member for Birkenhead on 17 April.

      Local Education Authorities: Private Finance Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities have undertaken a review of their school private finance initiative contracts in the last three years; and...

      Primary Education: Sussex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money he expects to make available to East Sussex county council between now and 2010 to spend on capital projects relating to...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of pupils in (a) Hartlepool, (b) Tees Valley sub-region, (c) the North East region and (d) England and...

      Pupil Exclusions: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary pupils were excluded from school because of drugs misuse in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

      Pupil Exclusions: Offensive Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were excluded (a) temporarily and (b) permanently for bringing an offensive weapon to school in each year between 1997 and...

      Schools: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many assaults on (a) teacher staff and (b) non-teaching staff were perpetrated by pupils in the (i) primary sector and (ii) secondary...

      Schools: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many assaults on (a) teaching and (b) non-teaching staff were perpetrated by pupils in the (i) primary and (ii) secondary sector in...

      Schools: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in England were accorded special measures status in each year between 1997 and 2006; and how many pupils attended such...

      Schools: Wycombe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Wycombe constituency have received Excellence in Cities money since 2001; and how much funding each school received.

      Schools: Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of (a) pupil on pupil and (b) pupil on teacher violence occurred in each of the state secondary schools in Yorkshire in...

      Teachers: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Chorley constituency have a teacher with a formal music qualification.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Air Pollution: Population

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the principal population projections of the Government Actuary's Department for 2031, what estimate he has made...

    • Biofuels: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the subsidies which are paid to encourage the growing of biofuels.

      Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what consultations he has had with public health experts on the possible health impact associated with the reduction of...

      Electronic Equipment: Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates his Department has made of the likely effect of implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic...

      Flood Control: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much he estimates his Department will need to spend on flood defences in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire...

      Flood Control: Sea Defences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Environment Agency expects to publish guidance to landowners on the maintenance of sea defences.

      Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how individuals may obtain a home energy check; how much such a check costs; and if he will make a statement.

      Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the Warm Front scheme targets hard-to-reach and hard-to-treat households.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Minister of State expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 15 March 2007, on...

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities are in compliance with the requirement of the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 to collect at...

      Water: Storage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage water companies to provide more storage capacity.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the occasions in the last 30 years on which members of the indigenous population of a UK Overseas Territory...

    • Cuba: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government has made to the United Nations Human Rights Council on human rights in Cuba.

      Global Opportunities Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) funding and (b) other resources have been (i) committed in each of the last three financial years and (ii) pledged...

      Latin America: Global Opportunities Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Global Opportunities Fund in Latin America; and if she will make a...

      North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the status of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear disarmament.

  • Health

    • Ambulance Services: North East Region

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time was for ambulances to reach patients in (a) North Yorkshire, (b) County Durham and (c) Cumbria in the latest period for...

    • Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with the Screening Advisory Committee on the effectiveness of extending the NHS Breast Screening Programme's upper...

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer received an HER2 test in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what steps her...

      Care Homes: Northamptonshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes in Northamptonshire received Dignity in Care grants in 2006.

      Colorectal Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2007, Official Report, column 330W, on colorectal cancer: screening, how many testing kits were sent out each month...

      Colorectal Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2007, Official Report, column 330W, on colorectal cancer: screening, whether responsibility for the screening...

      Dental Services: Leeds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to increase the numbers of (a) NHS dentists and (b) places available to register with an NHS dentist in Leeds.

      Maternity Services: Leeds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she expects a children's and maternity hospital to be built in Leeds; (2) if she will take steps to provide additional (a) services for...

      NHS: Public Participation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish (a) evidence from and (b) an evaluation of her Department's local involvement network early adopter sites.

      South London and Maudsley NHS Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports requested by the courts could not be supplied by South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust in 2006.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many litres of alcoholic drinks were purchased for sale (a) in bars and restaurants of the House and (b)...

    • House of Commons: Drinking Water

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost was of bottled water provided to the House in each of the last five financial years; and what...

  • International Development

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's current projects in Afghanistan.

    • Civil Society Challenge Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) funding and (b) other resources have been (i) committed in each of the last three financial years and (ii) pledged for each...

      Developing Countries: AIDS

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will propose discussion of a comprehensive funding plan for universal access to treatment for AIDS sufferers by 2010 at the G8...

      Latin America: Civil Society Challenge Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Civil Society Challenge Fund in Latin America; and if he will make a statement.

      Philippines: Food Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department is making available to the World Food Programme initiative to provide emergency relief in Jolo, Southern...

      World Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his international counterparts concerning the World Bank president; and if he will make a statement.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Fly Tipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what work has been undertaken by the two cross-border working groups set up by him and the Government of the Republic of Ireland dealing with...

    • Sewage: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many households in each (a) council district and (b) parliamentary constituency had septic tank emptying agreements with Northern Ireland...

  • Scotland

    • Second Homes: Voting Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what the residential requirements are for second home owners to have their names entered on the electoral roll in Scotland; (2) what basis...

  • Solicitor-General

    • Sentencing: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Solicitor-General whether he plans to review decisions by local Crown Prosecution Service offices not to appeal sentences for being too lenient in the case of offences involving...

  • Trade and Industry

    • Balance of Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the trade balance was with the EU in each year since 1977.

    • Clothing: Fire Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the regulations are regarding flammability and safety of children's nightwear.

      Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions there have been with industry representatives on updating the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988; and if...

      Departments: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on hospitality by his Department in the financial year 2006-07.

      Departments: Paper

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of paper used (a) for photocopying and (b) in printed publications by his Department was from recycled sources in each of...

      OM Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the status is of the OM Energy projects; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government support for OM Energy.

      OM Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by his Department on assistance to OM Energy Ltd.

      Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the decision to relocate 70 post office branches to WH Smith stores.

      Radio: Illegal Broadcasting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to combat pirate radio stations.

      Telecommunications: Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with British Telecom on its additional charges for payment of bills by cheque or cash.

      Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what (a) progress was made on the reduction of agricultural subsidies and (b) deadline was set to complete the Doha round of talks at...

      Wood: Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the compatibility of recent increases in timber export tariffs from Russia with the standstill agreement Russia...

  • Transport

    • Eurotunnel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2007, Official Report, column 775W, on Eurotunnel, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the...

    • Galileo Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for completion of the Galileo global navigation system.

      Motor Vehicles: Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the full life cycle analysis of the pollution caused by (a) hybrid, (b) fuel-cell and (c) conventional petrol powered...

      Railway Stations: Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will develop a joint strategy with the Secretary of State for Health to inform rail passengers about the imminent introduction of the ban...

      Railways: South East Region

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1384-5W, on railways: South East region, what definition he uses of overcrowding as...

      Roads: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on road building in each year since 1997, including funding through private finance initiative projects.

      Smith Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Smith Institute events he has (a) attended and (b) spoken at in an official capacity in the last two years.

      Tolls: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on the (a) gross and (b) net income from congestion charging in London.

      West Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the status of seven day per week train services on the West Coast Main Line following the completion of track upgrade in...

  • Treasury

    • Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to promote and advertise the basic bank account to (a) the unemployed, (b) people with disabilities and (c) the elderly.

    • Departments: Tribal Group

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts his Department awarded to (a) Geronimo Communications Ltd. and (b) its parent company Tribal Group plc. in each of the last three years;...

      Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he received from the Bank of England before his decision to sell the Treasury's bullion reserves between 1999 and 2002.

      HM Revenue and Customs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the approach taken to local economic impact surveys will be in relation to offices classified by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as being individual...

      Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2007, Official Report, column 280W, on ministerial policy advisers, whether the Council of Economic Advisers is involved...

      National Income

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average income of each decile was in financial year 2006-07.

      National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much would be raised if the upper income limit on national insurance contributions were to be abolished.

      Olympic Games: Greater London

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which Government Departments' budgets the additional £5 billion to be provided by central Government towards the cost of the Olympics will be provided.

      Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of interest rates on pension funds over the last 30 years; (2) what assessment he has made of the impact of...

      Pensions Dividend Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes there were to the pensions dividend tax credit between 1979 and 1997.

      Repossession Orders

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mortgage housing repossessions were recorded in each of the last 30 financial years.

      Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total cost of the ending of means testing of personal allowances for people aged between 65 and 74 years.

      Taxation: Overpayments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are taken to ensure that people who have made a tax overpayment are aware that they are entitled to reclaim it.

      Taxation: Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net effect on contributions to the Exchequer would be if the pensions contributions by all individuals qualified for tax relief as basic income tax...

      Tobin Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much would be raised if a Tobin tax of (a) 0.05 per cent. and (b) 0.1 per cent. was levied on all transactions on the UK stock market.

      Unemployment: Greater London

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals were classed as economically inactive in each London borough for each of the last 10 years.

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with UK retailers concerning Low Value Consignment relief.

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform Low Value Consignment relief.

  • Wales

    • Departments: Intimidation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complaints of bullying have been investigated in his Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld.

    • Farms: Contamination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many farms, representing what total surface area, still have restrictions on (a) grazing and (b) other agricultural uses arising from the radioactive...

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.

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