Written answers

Tuesday, 1 April 2008

  • Electoral Commission Committee

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission plans to produce standard forms for (a) electoral...

    • Rackspace

      To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by the Electoral Commission in each...

  • Scotland

    • Departmental Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at how many events held by his Department (a) wine and (b) Fairtrade wine were served in the last three years; and what assessment his Department has...

    • Departmental Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contracts were awarded by his Department to (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) McKinsey, (e) Deloitte and (f)...

      Departmental Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his Department plans to publish its sustainable operations policy statement.

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling Skills for the Workplace,...

      Departmental Video Conferencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set a target to increase the use of video-conferencing by his Department to reduce the need to travel to meetings.

      Rackspace

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by his Department in each of the last nine years.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Visitor Reception Building

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission when the Cromwell Green Visitor Entrance will be opened; and what the reasons for the time taken are.

  • Treasury

    • Freedom of Information

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2008, Official Report, column 1489W, on Northern Rock: freedom of information, (1) how many of the 31 freedom of...

    • Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether confidential or personal information has been compromised through the loss of property from his Department since 1997.

      Departmental Plants

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on pot plants in each of the last five years.

      Economic Situation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to contribute to (a) tackling the turbulence in the international financial markets and (b) preventing such crises in future.

      Northern Rock: Consultants

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long Goldman Sachs will be retained in its role as financial adviser to HM Treasury on Northern Rock.

      Northern Rock: Nationalisation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who among his ministerial team has lead responsibility for Northern Rock while in temporary public ownership; if he will take steps to provide for the...

      Norwich Union

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has had discussions with Norwich Union and the Prudential on their inherited estate proposals; and if he will make a statement.

      Private Finance Initiative: Liability

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the timescale is for ensuring that private finance initiative and private public partnership liabilities will henceforth be recorded as Government...

      Tobacco: Belgium

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make representations to the relevant EU Commissioner on the effects on independent tobacco retailers in the United Kingdom of illegal sales of...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has for provision of financial support to farms after 2013.

    • Atlantis Initiative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's initiative of the Atlantis Initiative; which other Government Departments and...

      Birds: Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU ban on wild bird imports on the illegal wildlife trade in birds in the...

      Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency arrangements are in place for higher than expected demand for bluetongue vaccinations.

      Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many serotypes of bluetongue a vaccine is available; and for how many serotypes vaccine research is being conducted.

      Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the (a) wholesale and (b) final on-farm price of bluetongue vaccine in (i) 50 ml and (ii) 20...

      Bluetongue Disease: Vaccinations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the merits of a compulsory national vaccination programme against bluetongue disease.

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of agricultural land comprises farms affected by bovine tuberculosis in the last 12 months.

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms in (a) England, (b) Cumbria and (c) Copeland have recorded cases of bovine tuberculosis over the last five...

      Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department plans to reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis involving badgers.

      Carbon Emissions: Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of (a) the performance of and (b) the methods used by energy companies in achieving...

      Departmental Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of his Department's initiatives have been advertised to the public in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost of...

      Flood Control: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what access to the Environment Agency's national flood and coastal defence database is provided to insurance companies.

      Floods: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with insurance industry representatives on proposals within the Thames Gateway Interim...

      Foot and Mouth Disease: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the financial cost to the farming industry of the foot and mouth outbreaks in 2007.

      Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid to firms involved in the Warm Front scheme.

      Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures are in place to ensure that work carried out by contractors for the Warm Front scheme is done by qualified staff.

      Meteorological Office: Floods

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who co-ordinates work on flooding carried out by (a) the Meteorological Office and (b) Ordnance Survey.

      Nanotechnology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward the timing of the decision on moving to a compulsory reporting scheme on nanotechnologies.

      Ozone Layer: EC Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to implement EC Regulation 2037/2000 on the disposal of ozone depleting substances.

      Thermal Insulation: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ofgem, (b) energy companies and (c) the devolved administrations on the...

      Thermal Insulation: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of feasible methods of insulating hard-to-treat homes; and if he will make a statement.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Departmental Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which of his Department's initiatives have been advertised to the public; and what the cost of each such campaign was in each of the last 10 years.

    • Departmental Domestic Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what visits he made to (a) Harrogate International Centre, (b) International Conference Centre, Birmingham, (c) Manchester Central, (d)...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the hourly rates of pay of all non-permanent staff working for his Department were in each of the last 12 months; and how many staff were...

      Departmental Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of staff in his Department were making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions in each of the last two...

      Departmental Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when his Department plans to publish its sustainable operations policy statement.

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling Skills for the...

      Departmental Video Conferencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set a target to increase the use of video-conferencing by his Department to reduce the need to travel to meetings.

  • International Development

    • Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidance is issued to members of his Department on the authorship and publication on the internet of material relating to their...

    • Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 1273W, on departmental publications, if he will place in the Library...

      Middle East: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution his Department plans to make to the United Nations Development Programme Trust Fund to support the work of the...

      Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 609W, on overseas aid, when he expects to announce the...

      United Nations Development Programme Trust Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008, to question 195258, on the United Nations Development Programme Trust Fund, what the (a)...

  • Transport

    • Aircraft: Air Conditioning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who has advised her Department on air cabin quality and possible contamination in the last five years; to which institutions they are affiliated; which...

    • Airports: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers went through airport security in Great Britain in the last 12 months; how many of them had their hold luggage searched by hand; and...

      Bus Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates since 1 January 2007 (a) Ministers and (b) officials met representatives from (i) Stagecoach, (ii) First Group, (iii) Go-Ahead and (iv)...

      Car Sharing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government have taken to encourage car sharing.

      Dartford Tunnel: Tolls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the net change in annual revenue of ceasing to levy the Dartford Crossing toll.

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of her departmental staff, in each pay band, have been working on high speed rail links from London to Birmingham, Manchester and...

      Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance is issued to members of her Department on the authorship and publication on the internet of material relating to their official duties;...

      Departmental Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when her Department plans to publish its sustainable operations policy statement.

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in her Department and its agencies have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling...

      Departmental Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department and its agencies spent on first class travel in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by staff grade.

      Driver Information Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to publish her conclusions arising from the consultation on in-vehicle information systems.

      Drivers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new light goods vehicle drivers were trained in the last 12 months; and how many foreign light goods vehicle drivers were working in the UK.

      Driving: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to educate the public on the possible effects of driving long distances when tired.

      Environment Agency: Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the Environment Agency's response to the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation; and what steps she plans to...

      Heathrow Airport: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document did not refer to the effects of incoming international flights in...

      Heathrow Airport: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints the Government received over delays and inefficiencies at Heathrow Airport in each of the last five years.

      Lorries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to implement the findings of the recently published study by her Department of trials of longer, heavier vehicles.

      Lorries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles were travelled by heavy goods vehicles in England in each of the last five years.

      Lorries: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have been caused by other vehicles hitting a heavy goods vehicle in each of the last 10 years; how many of these...

      Motor Vehicles: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place to determine whether there are outstanding and unpaid penalties relating to vehicles leaving the UK.

      Motorcycles: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instructors have been trained to oversee tests under the second European driving licence directive for motorcycles; how many will be required...

      Parking Offences: Lorries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers she plans to provide to the police to enable the enforcement of parking penalties imposed on foreign lorry drivers.

      Rackspace

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by (a) her Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies in each of the last nine years.

      Railways: Overcrowding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to minimise overcrowding on trains; and if she will make a statement.

      Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2532W, on biofuels, under which of the articles of the Renewable Transport Fuel...

      Road Safety Act 2006

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what range of offences she plans to specify in the orders bringing sections 11 and 12 of the Road Safety Act 2006 into effect; if she will include...

      Roads

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of road there are in (a) the St Ives constituency, (b) Cornwall and (c) England for which her Department is responsible.

      Shipping: Firearms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on merchant ships carrying firearms to guard against raids by pirates; and if she will make a statement.

  • Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

    • Departmental Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if his Department will (a) follow the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) guidelines and (b) display ICRA's...

    • Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many staff in his Department and its agencies have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional...

      Drinking Water

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2008, Official Report, column 2235W, on mineral waters, how much bottled water was...

      Employment Dispute Resolution Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what further steps he plans to take on the Gibbons proposals on employment dispute resolution; and if he will make a...

      Environment Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the annual budget for (a) Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution and (b) the Environment Agency has been for...

      Papua: Prince Andrew

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether HRH Prince Andrew recently visited West Papua as part of his role as Special Representative for Trade and...

      Post Office: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate Post Office Ltd has made of its liability for empty property rates in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09.

      Post Offices: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his most recent estimate is of the number of post offices which will close under the Network Change Programme;...

      Post Offices: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post offices are planned to be closed in each constituency under the Network Change Programme; and if he will...

      Post Offices: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with Post Office Ltd on the formula to be used to (a) earmark and (b) determine post...

      Post Offices: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) how much subsidy has been paid to those post offices proposed for closure in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland in...

      Postal Services: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what criteria are being applied in Royal Mail's review of its mail distribution services in the North West.

      Regeneration: Kent

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much financial support has been given by (a) the South East Regional Development Agency and (b) English...

      Training: Elderly

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people aged over 50 years took up training schemes offered through his Department in Easington constituency...

  • Home Department

    • 101 Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2008, Official Report, column 803W, on 101 calls, what the annual cost of maintaining the national 101...

    • Armed Forces: Peterborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 786W, if she will ask the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire to provide the...

      Arrests

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on what occasions the police have arrested an individual (a) on an aircraft at a UK airport and (b) at the airport after an...

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attempts to deport asylum seekers were unsuccessful because the receiving country refused to accept them after the flight had left...

      Community Support Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of police community support officers; and if she will make a statement.

      Community Support Officers: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints in each category of complaint (a) in total and (b) against police community support officers were received by the...

      Demonstrations: Parliament Square

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females, broken down by age group, were (i) arrested, (ii) prosecuted and (iii) convicted of unlawful public...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in discretionary bonuses to staff in her Department in each of the last five years.

      Departmental Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of questions tabled for answer on a named day to her Department received a substantive answer on the day due in...

      Departmental Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions her Department did not answer on the grounds of disproportionate cost,...

      Dorset Police Authority: Olympic Games 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is being made available to Dorset Police Authority in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, (d) 2010-11 and (e) 2011-12...

      Dorset Police Authority: Olympic Games 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Chief Constable of Dorset police on the security requirements for the Olympic sailing events in Dorset...

      Emergency Calls: Hoaxes and False Alarms

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of emergency calls to the police were classified as prank calls in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

      EU Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was received by the UK in each year to date from the (a) European Refugee Fund, (b) External Borders Fund, (c) Integration...

      EU Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional illegally residing foreign nationals she expects to be able to return to their home countries as a result of the European...

      Human Trafficking: Arrests

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) arrested and (b) convicted of human trafficking offences as a result of operations by the Serious and...

      Immigration: EC Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what submissions the UK has made on the adoption of EC Decision No 575/2007/EC establishing the European Return Fund; and if she will make a...

      Metropolitan Police: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were recruited to the Metropolitan Police in each year since 1997; and what proportion of them were recruited...

      Metropolitan Police: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers were recruited into the Metropolitan Police from the London Borough of Enfield in each of the last 10 years.

      Personation: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to reduce the number of offences related to identity theft since 1997.

      Police: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents there were involving police vehicles on emergency calls in (a) Castle Point constituency and (b) Essex in each of the...

      Police: Bureaucracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which recommendations of the police bureaucracy taskforce report 2002 (a) were accepted and (b) have been implemented.

      Police: Career Structure

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the review of the OSPRE procedure; and if she will make a statement.

      Police: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers (a) were killed on duty and (b) received bravery awards in each police force area in England and Wales in each...

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in the level of crime on the police funding formula in each of the last 10 years.

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales are receiving funding (a) above the formula funding level, (b) at the formula funding level and...

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how changes in population are taken into account when calculating the total resource allocation formula for police forces.

      Police: Firearms

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were (a) shot at, (b) injured by shootings and (c) killed by shootings in each police force area in England and...

      Police: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces are equipped with the National Strategy for Police Information Systems for managing (a) custody records and (b) case...

      Police: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces are (a) equipped with and (b) piloting niche record management software.

      Police: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much was spent on the police pension scheme in each year since 1980-81; what forecasts she has made of how much will be spent in...

      Police: Political Impartiality

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent guidance has been given to chief constables on the use by political parties of photographs of named police officers in election...

      Police: Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average retirement age for a police officer was in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what the average age...

      Police: Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of retirements from each police force in England and Wales have been on medical grounds in each year since 1997.

      Police: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rates of sick leave were reported in each police force in each year since 1997.

      Safer Neighbourhood Teams

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to resize safer neighbourhood teams.

      Terrorism: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were convicted of terrorist offences in the UK in each year since 1978.

      Terrorism: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2007, Official Report, column 505W, on terrorism: detainees, if she will provide an update on the...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under what circumstances (a) criminal and (b) credit checks of employers claiming access to work funding are undertaken.

    • Access to Work Programme: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures are in place to prevent fraudulent claims for access to work funding.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 17 July 2007, Official Report, columns 205-06W, on children: maintenance, what the reasons were for recent...

      Construction: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the Health and Safety Executive has ended its publication of a running current total of construction fatalities.

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in England entitled to but not claiming council tax benefit at the latest date for which...

      Departmental Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008, Official Report, column 2806W, on the departmental intranet, whether his Department's IT system is...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the hourly rates of pay of all non-permanent staff working for his Department and its agencies were in each of the last 12 months; and how...

      Departmental Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many hours (a) in total and (b) on average per employee were worked by civil servants in his Department in the last year for which...

      Housing Benefit: Antisocial Behaviour

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1122-3W, on housing benefit: antisocial behaviour, what level of proof is...

      ICT: Disabled

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what projects his Department has to assist disabled people to use computers; and how much funding each of these programmes received in the last...

      Income Support: Lone Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents in receipt of income support in the most recent period for which figures are available had (a) one, (b) two, (c)...

      Industrial Health and Safety: Directors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what format the evaluation of the voluntary health and safety guidance addressed to directors of corporate bodies and their equivalents in the...

      Industrial Health and Safety: Directors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of all organisations have agreed, in accordance with guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive, to appoint voluntarily...

      Industrial Health and Safety: Directors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he is considering the introduction of statutory health and safety duties for company directors; and if he will make a statement.

      Industrial Health and Safety: Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful prosecutions of company directors there were for breaching section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in each of...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of (a) jobseekers allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) income support who were...

      Social Security Benefits: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to prisoners in each type of benefit in each of the last five years.

      Winter Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the winter fuel allowance was worth, expressed as a percentage of (a) average fuel bills and (b) average pensioner fuel bills in...

  • Olympics

    • Olympic Games 2012: Construction

      To ask the Minister for the Olympics with reference to the answer of 25 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1630-31W, on the London Olympics, whether the detailed plan being developed by...

    • Olympic Games 2012: Construction

      To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps she has taken to provide to the local workforce training in the specialist skills required to fill the 33,500 additional jobs identified by...

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) quantity of food supplies to (i) British forces and (ii) ISAF forces in Afghanistan; and if he...

    • Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to prevent menu fatigue amongst UK forces in Afghanistan issued with 24-hour operational ration packs; and if he will...

      Armed Forces: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours were spent policing fisheries legislation in the Irish Sea and North Channel by (a) RAF Nimrods, (b) RAF aircraft other than Nimrods and...

      Armed Forces: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum period is that UK forces are expected to subsist on 24-hour operational ration packs alone.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on disposing of homes which have become surplus to the needs of forces personnel; and if he will make a statement.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many homes his Department sold in each local authority area of Scotland in each year since 1997; and what proportion of those homes were sold or...

      Armed Forces: Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 24W, on armed forces: influenza, whether the supplies of (a) influenza vaccine, (b)...

      Armed Forces: Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department holds stocks of (a) vaccines and (b) anti-virals for use by the armed forces for the treatment of seasonal influenza; and if he...

      Armed Forces: Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph 15 of the Defence Medical Services Department's policy letter of 20 January 2006, entitled "The use of influenza vaccines and...

      Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) inflow, (b) outflow and (c) voluntary outflow rate was of officers at (i) OF-1, (ii) OF-2 and (iii) OF-3 levels in each service in each...

      Armed Forces: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average pay for soldiers at each rank was in each year since 1997.

      Armed Forces: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of beneficiaries of pension-sharing orders for armed forces pensions under the age of 65 years whose former...

      Armed Forces: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what caps or restrictions have been placed on the recruitment for the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF in each year since 2005; and what plans there are...

      Armed Forces: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from Yorkshire and the Humber were recruited into each of the armed services in each year since 2001.

      Armed Forces: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to extend the skill force programme in schools.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) orders outstanding for, (b) initial date of announcement for procurement and (c) expected delivery date are for the (i) Pitbull, (ii)...

      Charter Flights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on chartering transport aircraft in 2007.

      Civil Service Appeal Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of appeals by employees of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies were (i) heard and (ii) upheld by the Civil Service...

      Colchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make available empty Ministry of Defence residential dwellings in Colchester constituency for (a) the short-term and (b) long-term use...

      Departmental Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) companies based in the United States and (b) UK subsidiaries of US companies have been contracted by his Department and its agencies to...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the hourly rates of pay of all non-permanent staff working for his Department and its agencies were in each of the last 12 months; and how many...

      Departmental Translation Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2008, Official Report, column 2347W, on departmental translation services, how much was spent on translation services...

      Departmental Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours (a) in total and (b) on average per employee were worked by civil servants in his Department in the last year for which records are...

      Departments: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many press officers are employed by his Department.

      Iraq: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Government paid in compensation to Iraqi nationals injured by British armed forces in Iraq in each year since 2003.

      Military Aircraft: Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flying hours were completed by (a) Apache Attack helicopter, (b) Gazelle, (c) Lynx Mk3, (d) Lynx Mk7, (e) Lynx Mk8, (f) Lynx Mk9, (g)...

      Radar: Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 1311W, on radar: wind power, what guidelines his Department provides on the siting of...

      Rapid Reaction Corps

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Rapid Reaction Corps to move to RAF Innsworth; and if he will make a statement.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Cultural Heritage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2008, Official Report, columns 2121-2W, on cultural heritage, how many people each percentage figure...

    • Cultural Heritage: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his Department's press release of 13 February 2008 entitled young people to get five hours of culture a...

      Departmental Domestic Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what visits he made to (a) Harrogate International Centre, (b) International Conference Centre, Birmingham, (c) Manchester Central,...

      Digital Broadcasting: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on preparations for digital television switchover in the North East region.

      S4C

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of trends in figures for S4C.

      Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visits were organised as part of the Sporting Champions Mentoring programme in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.

      Sports: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on the (a) Sporting and (b) Cultural Champions initiatives since each was established.

      Sports: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2008, Official Report, columns 1157-8W, on sports: per capita costs, if he will provide the figures...

      Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which recommendations of the Allnutt Review of Tourism Statistics have been implemented; which recommendations remain to be implemented;...

  • Wales

    • Brofiscin Quarry: Hazardous Substances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 819W, on Brofiscin Quarry: hazardous substances, what the timetable was of action taken...

    • Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance is issued to members of his Department on the authorship and publication on the internet of material relating to their official duties; and...

      Local Transport Bill (Draft)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library copies of communications and correspondence between the Wales Office and the Welsh Assembly Government relating to the...

      Local Transport Bill (Draft)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what role his Department played in the inclusion of clauses 115 and 116 in the Local Transport Bill.

  • Duchy of Lancaster

    • Carbon Emission

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2544W, on carbon emissions, whether the amount of carbon dioxide offset referred...

    • Departmental Publications

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the February 2008 edition of the White Book of the Central Office of Information will be placed in the Library.

      Ministers: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) which former Ministers have been awarded severance pay since 28 June 2007; (2) how much was paid in severance pay to Ministers leaving the...

      Post Offices: Closures

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment the Social Exclusion Task Force has made of the effects on social inclusion of post office closures.

      Rackspace

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what the value was of each contract awarded to Rackspace by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last nine years; (2)...

      Smith Institute

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the status is of the Charity Commission's investigation into the Smith Institute; and if he will make a statement.

  • Children, Schools and Families

    • Basic Needs Safety Valve Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to announce the result of the recent applications for the basic needs safety valve fund for (a) Milton Keynes and...

    • Building Schools for the Future Programme: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much funding has been allocated to Building Schools for the Future projects in each local authority; (2) how much...

      Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many copies of the Children's Plan Toolkit his Department has had printed; and what the cost of design, printing and...

      Children: Reading

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what measures his Department has introduced to support pupils with dyslexia-type reading difficulties in the last five...

      Departmental Pilot Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what pilot initiatives his Department has launched since 1997; what the cost has been of each initiative; whether each initiative...

      Departmental Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its agencies spent on first class travel in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken...

      Education Maintenance Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2008, Official Report, column 141W, on the education maintenance allowance, if he will...

      Schools: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what post-occupancy evaluation has been conducted on new schools built under Building Schools for the Future and the...

      Schools: Cycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools make provision for Bikeability training.

      Schools: Fire Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the combustibility of plastic foam composite...

      Secondary Education: Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to encourage schools to collaborate in the delivery of the 14 to 19 curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

      Specialised Diplomas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools will be offering a new diploma course in September 2008; what estimate he has made of the number of pupils who will...

      Specialised Diplomas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) academies, (b) grammar schools and (c) independent schools he estimates will offer the full range of diplomas from...

      Truancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008, Official Report, column 1142W, on truancy, how many pupils have had a recorded...

      Vocational Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the returns to the economy of people gaining (a) level 1 and (b) level 2 vocational qualifications;...

      Vocational Guidance: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to provide continuing professional development for school careers advisers.

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to which wind farm proposals his Department lodged objections in each of the last three years; and for what reasons in each case.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Local Government: East Anglia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she next expects to meet representatives of local authorities in East Anglia to discuss unitary local government.

    • Social Housing: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the level of affordable social housing required in new housing developments in Lancashire to...

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change in cash terms has been in band D council tax in (a) Forest of Dean, (b) London and (c) England...

      Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the contribution of...

      Home Information Packs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home information packs and home condition reports have been commissioned.

      Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken following the publication of the consultation paper on the review of sub-national development and...

      Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made in implementing the initiatives on regeneration set out in the Unlocking the Talent of our...

      Social Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her most recent estimate is of the size of the social housing stock.

      Planning: Developer Contributions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to review local authority performance in securing developer contributions under section 106 of the Town and...

      Eco-towns

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what methodology will be used for determining which eco-town bids go forward to consultation; and if she will make a statement.

      Affordable Housing: Wirral, South

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the amount of affordable housing in Wirral, South.

      Flood Damage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made in reopening local authority buildings damaged by the floods in 2007; and if she will make a statement.

      Rough Sleepers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology her Department uses to estimate levels of rough sleeping; and if she will make a statement.

      Greater London Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will consider the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to revise the governance arrangements of the Greater...

      Council Tax: Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what liability members of the armed forces, in a single person household which does not have a Ministry of Defence accommodation...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the last equal pay review was completed, in line with the Equality Opportunities Commission guidance, for (a) her...

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in her Department and its agencies have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional...

      Fire Alarms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in how many dwelling fires where a smoke alarm fitted by the Fire and Rescue Service was present was the alarm raised by such...

      Fire Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire service call outs were (a) for house fires, (b) for non-house fires, (c) the result of hoax or malicious calls...

      Fire Services: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the response times to emergency calls were for each fire service in each year since 2000.

      Fire Services: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average response times to emergency calls were for each fire service in each year since 2000.

      Fires: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many malicious vehicle fires there have been in each year since 1997.

      Fires: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fires there were in schools in England in each month in each of the last five years.

      Government Offices for the Regions: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of her Department's staff are allocated to manage the Government office network.

      Land Use: Thames Gateway

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much previously developed land which could be used for new development lies within the (a) Thames Gateway and (b) Thames...

      Local Government: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints were (a) received, (b) investigated and (c) upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman for England in each...

      Minister for the West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008, Official Report, column 850W, on the Minister for the West Midlands, what the date...

      Navigation: Thames Estuary

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will commission research on the effect of the availability of pilots on shipping movements in the Thames estuary; and if...

      Planning: Retail Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column...

      Regeneration: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to promote regeneration in the North East since 1997.

      Regional Planning and Development: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with regional development agencies on the potential effects of changes to empty property rates on...

      Roads: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire service call outs were for road traffic accidents where alcohol was a contributory factor in the last 12 months.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • China: Tibet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his definition is of the special position of China in relation to Tibet to which he referred on the BBC World At One...

    • Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) who is responsible for making appointments to the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals; (2) when...

      Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what measures are in place to ensure that a member of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals is not...

      Commonwealth: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements he will make to ensure financial support for future high quality doctoral students from Commonwealth countries...

      Commonwealth: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the Prime Minister on the implementation of the announcement at the Commonwealth Heads of...

      EU Countries: Terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the European Council has in assessing the terrorist threats facing the European Union.

      Ferries: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it will be necessary to enter into a further tendering of the ferry services to the Scottish island communities...

      Group of Eight: AIDS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether AIDS-related issues will feature on the agenda for the next G8 meeting; and what progress has been made towards securing...

      International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial support the UK Government have allocated to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in each...

      Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions his Department had with the United States about the decision to disband the Iraqi Army and the Ba'ath...

      Iraq: Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what status annotations made by individuals to the hard copy of the John Williams' draft of the 2002 Iraq dossier had within the...

      Saudi Arabia: Overseas Residence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance his Department gives to non-Muslim UK citizens working in Saudi Arabia who wish to practise their religion in a...

      Simon Mann

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what steps he plans to take in the week beginning 31 March to monitor the (a) treatment and (b) risk of torture of Mr....

      Television

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2008, O fficial R eport, column 2792W, on television, if he will list each individual...

      Thailand: Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the policies of the Government of Thailand in regard to Burma; what discussions he has had with...

      Western Sahara: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed the referendum process in the Western Sahara with representatives of Polisario.

  • Innovation, Universities and Skills

    • Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department and its agencies have spent on Christmas (a) cards, (b) parties and (c) decorations in each of the...

    • Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the hourly rates of pay of all non-permanent staff working for his Department and its agencies were in each of the last...

      Departmental Publicity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department, its predecessors and its agencies spent on managing their corporate identities in the last 12 month...

      Departmental Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when his Department plans to publish its sustainable operations policy statement.

      Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his policy is on measures to avoid grade inflation.

      Hearing Impaired

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what provision is made for deaf people to access services provided by his Department through call centres.

      Higher Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects to implement the matched funding for funds raised by universities mentioned in the former Prime Minister's...

      Higher Education: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has to increase the higher education (a) budget for and (b) qualifications achieved in prisons.

      Higher Education: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many prisoners are participating in (a) distance learning provisions and (b) distance learning provisions provided by...

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many non-EU students attended English universities in each year since 1997.

      Skilled Workers: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the skills need forecast made by ConstructionSkills in 2005 of the number of recruits to the...

      Skilled Workers: Voluntary Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of third sector organisations towards developing the skill set of...

      Spaceflight: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the Government's policy is on (a) participation in and (b) funding of a future European space flight mission.

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of students from Wirral West constituency who are exempt from payment of tuition fees.

      Students: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether the new arrangements for funding students studying for qualifications that are equivalent or lower to qualifications...

      Students: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether the new arrangements for funding students studying for qualifications that are equivalent or lower to qualifications...

      Students: Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether English-domiciled home or EU higher education students will have to be in possession of an identity card in order to...

      Students: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students in West Lancashire constituency entered higher education in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006.

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people with student loans who graduated in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (f) 2006 and (g)...

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many full-time undergraduates qualified for 75 per cent. net income assessed loans of (a) £2,685, (living at...

      Students: Low Incomes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies to encourage people from low income households...

      Television

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many plasma television screens have been purchased by his Department, since its creation; and how many such screens have...

      Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many adult and employer responsive training places will be available in the academic year 2010-11.

      Training: Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average length of apprenticeships was at the latest date for which figures are available.

      Training: British Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2008, Official Report, column 878W, on training: British nationality, how many and...

      Vocational Education: Mature Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what (a) grants and (b) training schemes are available through his Department for people (i) over 55-years-old and (ii) in...

      Vocational Training: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 861W, on vocational training: prisoners, what plans he has...

  • Health

    • Breast Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breast cancer screenings took place in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997.

    • Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of services at Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre has been taken up by patients (a) across the whole contract, (b) from within...

      Care Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2008, Official Report, column 1734W on care homes, if he will break down the statistics provided by (a) region and...

      Care Homes: MRSA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile cases there were in care homes in each of the last five years; (2) how many (a)...

      Care Homes: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes for the elderly were closed (a) temporarily and (b) permanently on grounds of failure (i) to meet national minimum standards and...

      Children: Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance is given by (a) his Department and (b) NHS trusts to clinicians on substantiating clinical opinion and medical diagnosis prior to...

      Chiropody: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the level of provision of free podiatry services by primary care trusts in London.

      Chronically Sick: Cheshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the targets for the national service framework for long-term conditions in Eddisbury.

      Dental Services: Ashford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists accepting NHS patients in Ashford he estimates will have used all their units of dental activity before the end of the financial year.

      Dental Services: South East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number and percentage of the population of (a) children and (b) adults in (i) the South East of England and (ii) Kent...

      Dental Services: Wirral

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on NHS dentistry in Wirral West constituency in each year since 1997.

      Departmental Plants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on pot plants in each of the last five years.

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) resource and (b) capital underspend incurred by his Department in 2007-08 he expects to be carried forward.

      Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust: Staff Assaults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attacks on NHS staff have been reported by (a) Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust, (b) East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust and (c) their...

      Eyesight: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many eye tests funded by the public purse in (a) England and (b) each region in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of those who had eye...

      Family Practitioner Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs, (b) dentists, (c) optometrists and (d) pharmacies there were in (i) England and (ii) each English region in each of the last three...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there are per 100,000 population in (a) England, (b) the South East of England, (c) Kent and (d) Ashford.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what authorisation is required from a primary care trust in setting up a closed-list GP practice by an employer; whether there are any elements of public...

      General Practitioners: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding each GP practice in Cambridgeshire received in the latest period for which figures are available; how many full-time equivalent doctors...

      Health Services: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were dispensed to persons held in each prison for (a) subutex, (b) methadone and (c) other opiate replacements in each of the...

      Health Services: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards achieving the targets for the National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions in the Vale of York.

      Health Services: Yorkshire and Humberside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual number of people who use the Humber Bridge to access medical services provided in (a) Kingston upon Hull and (b)...

      Hereditary Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the incidence of birth defects in consanguineous marriages; how many representations he has received about the number of...

      HIV Infection: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for anti-retroviral drugs were dispensed to persons detained in each prison in each of the last five years.

      Hospitals: Staff Assaults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many assaults upon staff at (a) Sunderland Royal Hospital, (b) Durham University Hospital and (c) Hartlepool General Hospital were recorded in each...

      Hospitals: Staff Assaults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital staff in England were hospitalised as a result of assault while on duty in each of the last three years.

      Hypertension: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to improve patient services for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension; and what assessment he has made of the...

      Ipsos MORI

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments his Department has made to Ipsos MORI in the last 24 months; and for what purposes.

      Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deliveries at each NHS maternity unit there were in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by maternity unit within each...

      Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of pregnant women did not seek maternity care until they were five months or more pregnant in each of the last five financial years for...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of Monday 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 110W, on Members: correspondence, when he expects to substantively respond to...

      Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2007, Official Report, column 724W, on Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust: finance, following the publication of the...

      NHS: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were at (a) Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and (b) Cheltenham General Hospital in each year since 1992.

      NHS: Staff Assaults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) discussions he has had and (b) representations he has received on streamlining the IRI form to ensure all NHS employees are able to document...

      NHS: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the drugs available on the national health service.

      NHS: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 constituencies have the lowest density of NHS registration by UK nationals.

      Occupational Health: Cardiovascular System

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on heart-health testing for employees in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

      Organs: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organ donors were registered in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997.

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescription penalty notices were issued in each financial year since 1997-98 for which figures are available; and how much was collected each...

      Prostate Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prostate screenings took place in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997.

      Psychiatry: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to introduce a regime to regulate psychotherapists and counsellors.

      Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of sexually transmitted infections were recorded in each prison in each of the last five years, broken down by infection.

      Skin: Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being (a) undertaken and (b) funded by his Department on the likely causes of Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

      Waiting Lists: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for (a) in patient treatment and (b) day surgery was for each clinical speciality at York NHS Hospital in each year since 1997.

      Westminster Primary Care Trust: General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are any closed-list GP practices within Westminster Primary Care Trust.

  • Justice

    • Antisocial Behaviour: Essex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) cautions and (b) fines were imposed for (i) vandalism, (ii) graffiti, (iii) litter and (iv) anti-social behaviour in each district and...

    • Departmental Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice at how many events held by his Department (a) wine and (b) Fairtrade wine were served in the last three years; and what assessment his Department has...

      Departmental Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 599W, on the departmental intranet, whether his Department's IT system is able to...

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department and its agencies have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling Skills...

      Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average sentence was for persons sentenced to immediate custody for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 section 4(3) and 5(3), in each...

      Financial Reporting Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2008, Official Report, column 156W, on financial reporting orders, for what reason the Serious Organised Crime Agency...

      HM Courts Service: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) at how many courts the provision of security, guarding and surveillance services have been outsourced to private contractors; (2) how many staff...

      House of Lords: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish the minutes of the cross-party working group on Lords reform.

      Judges: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many judges were educated at (a) private and (b) comprehensive schools.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 11 February 2008 from Mr. C. M. Goodchild of Lymington on a divorce case.

      National Offender Management Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the contribution of the National Offender Management Service to public safety since its inception.

      Offenders: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the addresses are of the residential institutions run by ClearSprings on behalf of the National Offender Management Service for offenders and...

      Offenders: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much was spent on providing behavioural programmes for offenders (a) in custody and (b) serving community sentences in each of the last 10...

      Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the prison population was in each of the last 12 months in (a) all prisons and (b) open prisons.

      Prisoners: Mentally Ill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of the prison population are currently held in (a) NHS and (b) independent sector secure mental health care places; and if...

      Probation: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the delivery of unpaid work requirements in probation areas in Wales against delivery timetables in 2005-06; (2)...

      Public Service: Misconduct

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the last conviction for misconduct in public office took place; and how many such convictions took place in each of the last 10 years.

      Robbery: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of robbery in London in (a) 2000 and (b) 2006, broken down by age group.

      Secure Training Centres: Restraint Techniques

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many injuries sustained by juvenile and young adult offenders held in secure training centres during level (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 physical...

      Secure Training Centres: Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many reports of (a) prisoner on prisoner and (b) prisoner on officer assaults were received from each (i) secure training centre, (ii) young...

      Sentencing: Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of days was between arrest and sentence of persistent young offenders in England and Wales by (a) magistrate courts and (b)...

  • House of Lords

    • Alcohol

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Following the recent Budget, how much excise duty is imposed on (a) a pint of beer and (b) a pint of cider at the following alcoholic strengths: (1) 0.5 per cent,...

    • Benefits: Medical Tests

      asked Her Majesty's Government: When they propose to start medical tests for all of those currently in receipt of incapacity benefit.

      British Overseas Territories

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will uprate United Kingdom state pensions in overseas territories.

      Building Regulations

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the progress report on measures to improve compliance with part L of the building regulations, mentioned on page 21 of the 2007 energy efficiency action...

      China: Human Rights

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether and when they have made representations to China about minorities other than Tibetans who are the victims of discrimination and persecution in China, such...

      China: Tibet

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to secure direct talks between Tibetan exiles and the Government of China.

      Commonwealth

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have responsibility for advising Ministers on the Commonwealth.

      Commonwealth

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there is a Commonwealth co-ordination unit in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and, if so, how many officials work in it.

      Cyprus

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 12 March (WA 229), whether, in the light of President Christofias's comments in Brussels on 14 March that...

      Cyprus

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 12 March (WA 229), whether, given the current status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the...

      Devolution

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there will be a review of devolved government arrangements in Scotland; if so, what its terms of reference will be; and whether there will be a similar...

      Diplomatic Representation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many diplomatic staff are in the British embassies in (a) Kazakhstan; (b) Tajikistan; (c) Uzbekistan; and (d) Turkmenistan; and what is the annual cost of each...

      Diplomatic Representation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What representations they have received from British business for stronger diplomatic representation in central Asia; and what action they propose to improve such...

      Education: Bureaucracy

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any proposals to reduce bureaucracy in education.

      Energy: Generation Capacity

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Statement by Lord Jones of Birmingham on 10 January (Official Report, cols. 988—92) on energy policy, how they will ensure that power...

      Energy: Performance Certificates

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why they are not implementing energy performance certificates until September.

      Energy: Wind Generation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to increase the number of offshore wind farms around the British Isles.

      Eritrea

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the statement by the Government of Eritrea on 1 February regarding the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1798, particularly the...

      Flooding

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What mechanisms are in place to (a) review and (b) overturn planning decisions made by local authorities to build new dwellings in areas of high flood risk.

      Flooding

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What (a) number and (b) percentage of new dwellings were built in areas of high flood risk in each year since 1997 in (1) England and (2) each government region;...

      Fluoridation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 30 January (WA 122—23), what is their assessment of the appropriateness of the British Fluoridation...

      Fluoridation

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 21 November 2007 (WA 78), why the advice note to which the Answer referred members of the public on the...

      Health: London Review

      asked Her Majesty's Government: (a) what was the total number of consultation responses to Lord Darzi of Denham's review Healthcare for London: A Framework for Action; and (b) how many of these...

      Health: London Review

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will publish the cost to date (a) in total, and (b) broken down by major cost area, to the public purse of Lord Darzi of Denham's review Healthcare...

      Health: Next-stage Review

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What their most recent estimate is of (a) the cost to date, and (b) the total expected cost to the public purse, of Lord Darzi of Denham's National Health Service...

      Iraq: Food Security

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, which claims that food security could be adversely affected by...

      Iraq: Prisoners

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 6 January 2004 (WA 31) concerning prisoners captured in Iraq, what inquiries they made before...

      Iraq: Women and Girls

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking in relation to the increasing number of young Iraqi women and girls who have left Iraq and are turning to prostitution in Syria.

      Manchester: Regeneration

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Statement by Lord Davies of Oldham on 26 February (Official Report, cols. 571-73), when the first report of the ad hoc ministerial group appointed...

      Northern Ireland Office

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress is being made on the reduction of the number of employees in the Northern Ireland Office.

      Northern Ireland: Terrorist Threat

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their assessment of the threat from any terrorist group in Northern Ireland.

      Northern Rock

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 March (WA 253) regarding Granite, how much financial benefit Northern Rock has had as an economic...

      Northern Rock

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 March (WA 253) regarding Granite, how much tax the company has paid since it was formed.

      Northern Rock

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 March (WA 253) regarding Granite, whether any net surplus on a winding up would accrue to Northern Rock.

      Northern Rock

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 March (WA 253) regarding Granite, how many other banks and building societies have similar...

      Ordnance Survey

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to make the Ordnance Survey's MasterMap available free of financial or legal restrictions.

      Prisoners: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many prisoners in Northern Ireland absconded and were free for (a) less than a week; and (b) more than a week, in each of the last five years.

      Public Appointments: Northern Ireland

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 March (WA 30) concerning appointments by the Northern Ireland Office to three non-statutory ad hoc advisory...

      Railways: Accidents

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the latest figures showing the delay in minutes from (a) accidents on the railways involving bridges; (b) fatalities on the railways; and (c) unlawful...

      Railways: Carriages

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many of the 1,300 extra railway carriages promised in the high-level output statement published in 2007 have been ordered from manufacturers.

      Railways: East Coast Main Line

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the proposals in Network Rail's strategy for the east coast main line satisfy the aspirations of the successful franchise bid and reflect the likely rise...

      Roads: Trenches

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will make it a requirement that when a utility company cuts a trench in a road the whole width of the carriageway or footway is resurfaced and not...

      Somalia

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the seizure of the town of Jowhar in Somalia by Islamist fighters.

      Sudan: Darfur

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What discussions they have had with the African Union's President on the African Union's difficulties in contributing to the Darfur peacekeeping mission.

      Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the cost of upgrading highways and bridges to accommodate the last increase on maximum lorry weights to 44 tonnes.

      Transport: Insurance

      asked Her Majesty's Government: For the last two years for which figures are available, (a) how many vehicles seized under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 have had to be returned, and...

      Vehicles: Speed Limits

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any plans to require new road vehicles to have a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour for road safety reasons.

      Water Resources Act

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress is being made in implementing recommendation 7 of Lord Donaldson of Lymington's report into the "Sea Empress" (Cm 4193) regarding amending Section...

      Winter Fuel Payment

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many pensioners received winter fuel payments in each of the five parliamentary constituencies in the city of Manchester in 2007-08.

      Young Offenders

      asked Her Majesty's Government: On how many occasions the Youth Justice Board has used the power granted to it by Section 34 of the Offender Management Act 2007 to place sentenced children in a...

      Young Offenders

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people under 18 are serving indeterminate sentences for public protection; and of those how many were aged 15, 16 or 17 when they were sentenced; and How...

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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