Written answers

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Afghanistan: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Government's response to paragraph 121 of the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee on the...

    • Afghanistan: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1242W, on Guantanamo Bay: detainees, if he will place in the...

      Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 362W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what the...

      Balkans: EC Enlargement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on implementation of the EU enlargement strategy in respect of (a) Albania, (b) Macedonia,...

      Bosnia and Herzegovina: Office of the High Representative

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 27 February 2009, Official Report, columns 34-36WS, on the General Affairs...

      Colombia: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent violence in north east Colombia.

      Colombia: Land Mines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Colombia on the use of landmines; and if he will make a statement.

      Colombia: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he collects on the effectiveness of the human rights training delivered to the Colombian military by the UK.

      Colombia: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on military aid to Colombia in each year since 1999.

      Colombia: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirements are placed on Colombian military personnel to adhere to human rights standards before they receive UK training.

      Cyprus: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on Cyprus.

      Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to hold the local and provincial...

      Departmental Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what scheme of compensation exists for his Department's officials injured in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; and if he will make...

      Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1409W, on departmental ministerial policy advisers. where...

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009, Official Report, column 1240W, on departmental public expenditure, what efficiency...

      Embassies: Foreign Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many locally-engaged staff his Department employs at each of its overseas posts; and if he will detail how many such staff...

      Overseas Price Mechanism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) commercial banks and (b) independent financial experts his Department consulted on managing its exposure to foreign...

      United Nations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how he plans to report to hon. Members the outcomes of (a) the 53rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and...

      USA: Foreign Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the objectives were of the recent visit to Washington by his Department's Senior Legal Adviser; and what meetings were held...

  • Treasury

    • Business: Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department (a) has taken since June 2007 and (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to improve the flow of credit to (i) small and (ii)...

    • Child Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to improve the speed and efficiency of processing claims for new mothers applying for child tax credits.

      Departmental Rail Travel

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues on whether its members of staff may claim for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in...

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on holding departmental away days outside the Department's buildings; and what the policy of HM Revenue and Customs is on...

      Equitable Life

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of 15 January 2009, Official Report, columns 377-80, on Equitable Life, what his estimate is of the length of time it would...

      Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will defer the changes to vehicle excise duty planned to be introduced in 2010 in order to assist the automotive sector.

      Overseas Price Mechanism

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons were for his Department's decision to withdraw support for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas pricing mechanism; and when the...

      Public Works Loan Board

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the weighted average for the (a) maturity and (b) duration of advances to local authorities from the Public Works Loans Board was in each month...

      Public Works Loan Board

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average (a) fixed and (b) initial variable interest rate applied to advances to local authorities from the Public Works Loan Board was in each...

      Public Works Loan Board

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much local authorities borrowed from the Public Works Loan Board at (a) a fixed and (b) a variable rate of interest in each month between 2000 and 2008.

      Public Works Loan Board

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt owed to the Public Works Loan Board was redeemed early by local authorities in each month between 2000 and 2008.

  • Defence

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the package of delivery designed by Metrix for the Defence Training Review project will offer apprenticeships to the (a) standards and (b)...

    • Armed Forces: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current (a) outflow and (b) voluntary outflow (i) numbers and (ii) rates for each pinch point trade in the Armed Forces are.

      Armed Forces: Parades

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to increase the number of military tattoos held each year; and if he will make a statement.

      Armed Forces: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Defence Training Review package he expects to be delivered outside the future Defence Academy at RAF St Athan.

      Departmental Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on (a) 2 February 2009 and (b) 3 February 2009; what estimate he has...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have which allow contractors to store personal data of UK citizens overseas; for which...

      Met Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with Treasury officials on the future of the Met Office as part of the Government's Trading Fund Review; and if...

      Naval Bases [Official Report, 20 April 2009, Vol. 491, c. 1-2MC.]

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the monetary value of the surface ship refitting contracts was at HM Naval Base Portsmouth in each year since 1997; (2) what the monetary...

      Naval Bases [Official Report, 20 April 2009, Vol. 491, c. 1-2MC.]

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent assessment he has made of the (a) capacity and (b) capabilities of (i) HM Naval Base Plymouth Devonport and (ii) HM Naval Base...

      Navy: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the monetary value of surface ship refitting contracts which will be awarded to UK naval bases in the next three years.

      Programme Belvedere

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what standard of accommodation is being planned for Joint Helicopter Command under Project Belvedere; what criteria are being used to make the...

      Royal Regiment of Scotland: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) trained, (b) actual strength and (c) numbers fit for duty requirement is for each (i) regular and (ii) territorial infantry battalion of...

      Shareholder Executive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Shareholder Executive as part of the Government's Trading Fund Review; and if he will make a statement.

      Trading Funds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation his Department has conducted with external organisations as part of the review of Government Trading Funds.

      Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to answer Question 245342, tabled on 15 December 2008, on personal data stored overseas.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for export refunds within the Common Agricultural Policy there have been for (a) pigmeat, (b) milk...

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government has taken to ensure the welfare of farm animals in the last 12 months.

      Beekeeping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects of recreational bee keepers and their practices on the bee population.

      Bees: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on bee health.

      Bees: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the details of the new bee health research programme to consider the wider problems facing pollinators to be...

      Bees: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the international trade in honeybees on the spread of pests and...

      Bees: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff of the National Bee Unit were responsible for research into bee health in each of the last 10 years.

      Bees: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many seasonal bee inspectors were employed by the National Bee Unit in each of the last 10 years.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended and (c) dismissed for losing (i)...

      Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department were disciplined for (a) bullying and (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last...

      Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal...

      Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a local authority which has adopted an alternate weekly collection of household waste will be deemed to have...

      Food Supply: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding his Department has allocated for each category of research into improving the UK's food security in each of the...

      Incinerators: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the registers held by the Environment Agency of reports on incinerator bottom ash for the...

      Incinerators: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consult (a) stakeholders, (b) experts and (c) other bodies on procedures for H14 ecotoxicity testing of...

      Insulation: Hazardous Substances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much plastic foam insulation containing ozone depleting substances has been treated with approved methods of gas recovery...

      Insulation: Hazardous Substances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) enforcement notices have been issued and (b) prosecutions have been brought in respect of improper disposal of...

      Landfill Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion and amount of revenue raised from landfill tax has been returned to local authorities in each of the...

      Milk: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much liquid milk was imported into the UK in (a) 1997, (b) 2000 and (c) 2008.

      National Parks: South Downs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many postcards supporting the designation of the South Downs as a National Park have been received by his Department...

      Pollution: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many successful prosecutions have been undertaken by the Environment Agency concerning pollution in (a) Hertfordshire...

      Pollution: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints have been received by the Environment Agency concerning pollution in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) Dacorum...

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on the development of a voluntary code to encourage the positioning of accessible...

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities carry out on-street recycling.

      Recycling: Hampshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports his Department has received of allegations that Hampshire County Council is sending electronic waste for...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which trade unions are recognised in his Department.

      Water: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water meters were installed in houses (a) in England and (b) in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each year since 1997.

      Western Sahara: Fisheries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice his Department issues to the fishing fleet on fishing in waters off (a) Western Sahara and (b) Morocco.

  • Olympics

    • Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many and what percentage of letters sent by her Office were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the...

  • Scotland

  • Wales

    • Devolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the constitutional settlement on devolution for the interests of Wales.

    • Welsh Economy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and the Welsh Assembly Government on the state of the Welsh economy.

      Welsh Economy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had on the situation of businesses in Wales in the current economic climate.

      Prisons: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to discuss the matter of drugs in prisons in Wales with ministerial colleagues and the Welsh Assembly Government.

      Digital Inclusion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made on the Government's plans for digital inclusion.

      Flooding: Severn Plain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister on cross-border flooding on the Severn plain between Caersws and Shrewsbury.

      Welsh Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next plans to meet members of the Welsh Assembly to discuss the promotion of the Welsh language in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

      Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether it is his Department's policy to offer staff (a) additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping and (b) Christmas bonus payments.

      Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his office in 2008-09 to date.

  • Transport

    • A15

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any proposals to dual the A15 in the last 12 months.

    • Baa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 532W, on Heathrow Airport, on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) departmental...

      Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery...

      Departmental Press

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each year since 1997.

      Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure any disruption to travellers at Heathrow resulting from the visit to London by those attending the G20 summit is...

      Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold discussions with (a) the National Air Traffic Service, (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and (c) BAA plc on minimising disruption to...

      Heathrow Airport: Road Traffic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009, Official Report, column 2131W, on Heathrow airport: road traffic, what the daily traffic composition was...

      Humber Bridge Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent occasion was on which he or his predecessor met or spoke to a representative of the Humber Bridge Board; and if he will make a...

      Humber Bridge: Tolls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider the merits of introducing a local residents' scheme for the Humber Bridge Toll; and if he will make a statement.

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of the cost to the public purse of bringing UK rail commuter fares into line with those in other European countries; on...

      Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many highways authorities have introduced a street works licence scheme under the new Roads and Street Works Act 1991, as amended by the Traffic...

      Rolling Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the energy consumption, exclusive of passenger capacity, of (a) an Intercity 225 train and (b) the proposed Intercity...

      Transport: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many victims of violence were recorded by British Transport police in each force area in each year since 1997.

  • Justice

    • Graveyards: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the implementation by (a) churches and (b) local authorities of his Department's guidelines on health and safety in...

    • Graveyards: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the accuracy of summaries produced of his Department's guidelines on graveyard health and safety over the last three months.

      Legal Aid: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice at which courts in England and Wales free legal representation funded by the Government at repossession hearings is available; and how many legal...

      Legal Aid: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds, West (John Battle) of 26 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1500-01W, on...

      Legal Aid: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009, Official Report, column 1507W, on legal aid: housing (1) how many applications for acts of assistance...

      Legal Aid: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legally-aided clinical negligence cases were closed in the last year for which figures are available; and how many resulted in (a) an award of...

      Reoffenders: Essex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders re-offended while on probation in (a) West Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in the last five years.

      Wetherby Young Offender Institution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether boys held on red level in Wetherby Young Offenders Institution are permitted to telephone their solicitors during office hours; (2) how...

      Wymott Prison: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison staff were employed at HM Prison Wymott (a) before and (b) after the opening of the new residential unit.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Anniversaries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria are used by his Department in its decision to mark the anniversary of an occasion; and which anniversaries his Department...

    • British Library

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to minimise the possibility of a fire sprinkler malfunction at (a) the British Library and (b) other places...

      Broadcasting: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost to business in the UK of implementation of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive; and what...

      Departmental Detergents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to ensure that no cleaning products or ingredients of cleaning products used by his Department have been...

      Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date.

      Departmental NDPBs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what risk rating was applied to each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies as part of their recent risk reviews; and what...

      Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services...

      Departmental Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has...

      Departmental Public Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments for (a) polling and (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research...

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months.

      Hotels: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of visitor accommodation facilities in London are accredited under the National Quality Accreditation Scheme.

      Hotels: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the London Development Agency's funding for increased accreditation of London accommodation under the National Quality...

      ITV Wales: Hearing Impaired

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effects of the decision taken by ITV Wales to discontinue the provision of British Sign Language...

      Legal Deposit: Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he received the independent report on extension of legal deposit to digital and online media; and if he will publish it.

      National Library of Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any items from the national collection were damaged as a result of the recent failure of the sprinkler system at the National...

      Public Libraries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the likely effect on public library authority budgets for 2009-10 of the time taken to publish the...

      Royal Parks Agency: Parking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the annual revenues which would be generated from the Royal Parks Agency's proposed car park...

      Sex Establishments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to exclude lap dancing from the provisions of temporary event notices.

      Television: Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was collected from television licence fees in the UK in each of the last five years.

      Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the prospects for the tourism sector in 2009.

      Tourism: South West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to support the tourist industry in the South West.

  • Home Department

    • Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account her Department takes of published anti-Semitic views of individuals seeking to enter the United Kingdom in deciding whether to...

    • Asylum: Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Zimbabwean asylum seekers have been refused asylum in the UK in each year since 2005.

      Begging and Vagrancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of alternatives to use of the criminal justice system in reducing the incidence of begging and vagrancy.

      Binyam Mohamed

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the threat of persecution to Mr Binyam Mohamed in his country of origin.

      Contracts: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) first estimate, (b) last estimate and (c) outturn cost was of each of the 30 largest IT contracts her Department has entered...

      Crime: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of victims of on-line crime in the last 12 months.

      Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of letters sent by her Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider...

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded cases of domestic violence there were in each police force area in which (a) no action was taken, (b) a warning was...

      Firearms

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal hand guns are estimated to be in circulation in the UK.

      Firearms: Chelmsford

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were found to be carrying illegal (a) weapons and (b) drugs during stop and search procedures by the police in West...

      Forensic Science: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female forensic nurses have been trained in each of the last five years.

      Genetics: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times information has been accessed from the Police National Computer as evidence of bad character under section 101 of the Criminal...

      Illegal Immigrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been detected stowing away in lorries at each of her Department's check-points within the UK in each month...

      National Police Improvement Agency: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on consultants by the National Policing Improvement Agency in the last year for which figures are available, broken...

      Offensive Weapons: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2009, Official Report, column 2056W, on the Tackling Knives Action Programme, how many convictions...

      Police: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals with records on the Police National Computer have been (a) arrested and (b) cautioned more than once.

      Prostitution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when her Department plans to publish the responses received to the consultation letter of 26 September 2008 on proposals for...

      Public Order Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Table 2.04, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 07/08 Crime in England and Wales, if she will break down by offence the figure...

      Serious Organised Crime Agency: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Serious Organised Crime Agency spent on external consultants in the financial years (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09.

      Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of (a) shoplifting, (b) robbery of business property and (c) theft by an employee were recorded by police in the quarter...

      Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks took longer than (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40, (e) 50, (f)...

      Victim Support Schemes: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been provided to local authorities for provision of (a) rape crisis centres and (b) domestic violence support services in...

      Work Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1834-5W, on work permits, if she will give a breakdown of the...

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Security

      To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many (a) police officers of each rank and (b) civilian security staff (i) are and (ii) were employed on...

  • International Development

    • Burma: Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes his Department (a) has established and (b) funds to assist Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

    • Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1003-4W, on departmental manpower, whether the Department...

      Overseas Aid: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the recession on his Department's budgets for (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Agriculture: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications have been granted on farmland in England classified as (a) grade 1 (excellent), (b) grade 2...

    • Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is her Department's policy to offer staff (a) additional leave entitlement for Christmas shopping and (b) Christmas...

      Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2008, Official Report, columns 582-83W, on community relations, (1) what steps her...

      Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2008, Official Report, columns 583-84W, on community relations, how many area-based...

      Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department's report Preventing violent extremism: next steps for communities, how much of the £80...

      Community Relations: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how the 79 priority local authorities provided with £12 million under the Prevent strand of Project Contest in...

      Community Relations: Islam

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 5 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1425-6W, on community relations: Islam, whether the...

      Council Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities which have transferred their housing stock to a housing association are permitted to build new council...

      Council Housing: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) methodology and (b) formula is used to calculate changes in (i) council house rent and (ii) housing subsidy to each...

      Council Housing: Tenants' Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect on a local authority tenants' risk of eviction of the practice of including utility...

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to implement a council tax freeze in England.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued to local authorities on the procedure to be followed in setting (a) a budget and (b) a council...

      Departmental Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford North (Mr. Scott) of 26 January 2009, Official Report, column...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what IT security strategy her Department has in place; what steps are being taken to ensure the strategy is being followed; what...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what auditing her Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions (a)...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's IT security hierarchy; (2) what scanning for vulnerabilities...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 11 February 2009, Official...

      Departmental Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which her...

      Departmental Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which company was contracted to conduct each...

      Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) private and (b) public sector domestic dwellings were empty in the most recent period for which figures are available.

      Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what figures her Department collects on the number of vacant (a) private and (b) public sector homes in each local authority area.

      Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information the National Register of Social Housing holds on the property characteristics of empty public sector dwellings.

      Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations have received funding under the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund to date; and what the (a) purpose...

      Fire Services: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Hurd) of 26 January 2009, Official Report,...

      Fire Services: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the provisions of the EU Working Time Directive rules would apply to retained fire-fighters in the event of a fire...

      Homebuy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which organisations participating in the Government's Homebuy programme offer 100 per cent. mortgages to purchasers; and...

      Homelessness: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North-West (Greg Mullholland) of 24 February 2009, Official...

      Housing North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to Lord Greaves of 23 February 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column 17WA, on Housing North...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the proposed targets are for the number of new dwellings to be built in the most recent draft of each regional spatial...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements there are on local authorities to complete strategic housing land availability assessments; and what the...

      Affordable Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has allocated for affordable housing in West Lancashire constituency in the next three years.

      Land: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which public bodies will have access to (a) Ordnance Survey, (b) Landmark and (c) Dotted Eyes geographic data under the...

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 29 January 2009, Official Report,...

      Licensed Premises: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the recent Planning Inspectorate ruling in relation to Brighton and Hove Council and...

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts provided for the Strategy Unit seminar of 26 January...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to publish the consultation document on local spending reports under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued on the interest rate to be used when local authorities repay overpaid (a) fees, (b)...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have met the Government's target to pay invoices within 10 days.

      Local Government: Bank Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will seek information from local authorities on advice they received from Butlers in relation to the depositing of funds...

      Local Government: Bank Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood (Mr. Pickles) and Ongar of 17 October 2008, Official...

      Local Government: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities are required to report the pay scales of senior council officers in their Statement of Accounts.

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of all governance compliance statements and general governance statements requested from...

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the name and address is of each administrator of each individual fund within the Local Government Pension Scheme; and which...

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which councillors are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme in their capacities as councillors; (2) whether...

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on amendments to the Local...

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Local Government Association on the retirement age for the Local Government...

      Mortgages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Oldham West and Royton (Mr. Meacher), of 12 February 2009, Official...

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme in each of the next two years.

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the implementation of the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

      Multiple Occupation: Fire Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of enforcement of fire regulations in former guest houses and hotels in...

      National Community Forum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting of the National Community Forum's board in the last 12 months.

      Non-Domestic Rates: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 20 January 2009, Official...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional levy there is on top of the standard business rates bill in each business improvement district which has been...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much she estimates will be raised from business rates in (a) England and (b) Wales in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii)...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 November 2008, Official...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 14 January 2009, Official...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of changes to business rates in ports on (a) yacht clubs and (b) fishing companies...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what each of the classifications is of the codes used by the Valuation Office Agency to group properties for sub-locations.

      Owner Occupation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many householders were owner occupiers owning their home (a) outright and (b) with a mortgage in each of the last 30 years.

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on (a) predetermination and (b) predisposition in respect of...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to the period before expiry of planning permissions since 1997; and what representations her...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use her Department and its predecessors have made of special development orders since May 1997.

      Planning Permission: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the construction of fishing lakes is classified as mineral extraction for the purposes of planning fees and charges.

      Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration she has given to the sale to the private sector of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre; and if she will...

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether recyclable materials collected from street recycling bins are counted towards local authorities' national indicator set...

      Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to enact the provisions included in the Law Commission's Rented...

      Rented Housing: Rent Deposit Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local housing authorities run rent deposit schemes; and if she will make a statement.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all social home lettings were made to people other than homeless applicants in (a) each region and (b) each...

      Social Rented Housing: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what space standards (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations are required to follow when (i) building and (ii)...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department's consultation paper on the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 whether she plans to extend local...

      Travelling People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of Preparing Regional Spatial Strategy Reviews on Gypsies and Travellers.

      Travelling People: Plymouth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what date her Department has required Plymouth City Council to provide permanent sites for Travellers; and if she will make a...

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what timetable she has set for the revision of Planning Policy Statement 6 on town centre planning; (2) what the status...

      Valuation Office: Rightmove

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 2 February 2009, Official...

  • Health

    • Autism: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) schoolchildren and (b) adults have autism in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement.

    • Broomfield Hospital: Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for cancer at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford in 2007.

      Broomfield Hospital: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources will be allocated to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford following the Government's recent announcement of extra staff to tackle hospital...

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) children aged five and under, (b) children aged 18 and under and (c) persons aged 18 years and over, in each primary care trust area, had...

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he expects the conclusions of his Department's independent review of NHS dentistry to be published.

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of NHS dentists who routinely refer patients to an hygienist at additional cost following a dental check-up;...

      Dental Services: Peterborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net funding allocation to the Peterborough Primary Care Trust for primary dental services was in each year since 1 April 2006; and if he will...

      Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which primary care trusts have established policies on accepting clinical waste arising from the management of diabetes at GP surgeries; [R] (2)...

      Drugs: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many residential drug treatment places his Department funds; and what the average waiting time for a place in such a setting is; (2) how many...

      Gynaecology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase (a) medical practitioners' and (b) public awareness of premature ovarian failure; and if he will make a statement.

      Heart Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many men under the age of 35 years resident in (a) West Chelmsford constituency and (b) England had heart attacks in each of the last five years.

      Hospital Wards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2009, Official Report, columns 874-5W, on hospital wards: gender, what milestones he has set between now and June...

      Malnutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009, Official Report, column 1028W, on malnutrition, what the statistical margin of error would be if the...

      Maternity Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the tariff uplift breakdown for 2009-10, published by his Department on 5 February 2009, under which headings the additional funding his...

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what effect he expects the NHS Constitution will have on levels of access to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved psychological...

      NHS: Lost Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total cost of equipment (a) lost by and (b) stolen from the NHS in 2007-08.

      NHS: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) to the 11 firms on the NHSLA panel for clinical cases for their services (a) on behalf of the...

      NHS: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence cases were open on the NHS Litigation Authority database at the most recent date for which figures are available; and how...

      NHS: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence cases were brought in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of them were funded by (a) legal aid, (b)...

      NHS: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence cases were closed by the NHS Litigation Authority in the last year for which figures are available; how many of them were...

      NHS: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discretion is available to (a) Ministers and (b) pension scheme trustees in respect of the annual indexation for retired members of the (i) NHS...

      NHS: Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS trust chief executive officers appointed within the last three years (a) previously held other positions within the NHS, (b)...

      NHS: Redundancy Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely redundancy costs for each primary care trust (PCT) arising from the latest reorganisation of PCTs; and if he will...

      NHS: Temporary Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the potential additional cost to the NHS of changes to the value added tax treatment of agency staff; what...

      Nurses: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of nurses to patients was at (a) Darlington Memorial Hospital, (b) York District Hospital, (c) Harrogate District Hospital, (d) Guy's...

      Pharmacy: Chelmsford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many licensed pharmacies there were in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

      Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of working age in each local authority who were assessed as having a level of social care need (a) received and (b) did not receive...

      Social Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to monitor consistency in the allocation of individual budgets among local authorities.

      Strokes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which acute hospitals are equipped to provide (a) thrombolysis and (b) CT scanning for patients who have undergone suspected strokes; and which of those...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Air Pollution: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to bring forward legislation to amend the Clean Air Act 1993 to take account of recent changes in solid fuel...

    • British Plastics Federation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the letter sent to him by the British Plastics Federation on 4 November 2008 on the climate change levy.

      Carbon Challenge Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been allocated to the Carbon Challenge Programme in each year since its inception.

      Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications of the European Court of Justice's ruling in the Citiworks case for achievement of the...

      Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on (a) Christmas cards, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) Christmas parties since its inception.

      Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his response to the Eliasch Review.

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what further reports he expects to be published by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group.

      Energy Saving Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to his Department and its predecessor of (a) the Energy Saving Trust and (b) its contractors has been since the Trust's...

      Fossil Fuels: North Sea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 5 March 2009, Official Report, columns 980-81, what discussions he has had with industry...

      Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking together with local authorities and devolved Administrations to reduce levels of fuel poverty.

      Kingsnorth Power Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to announce his decision on the construction of the proposed Kingsnorth power station.

      Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the reduction in domestic production of natural gas on security of energy supply;...

      Wind Power: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department makes available to local communities whose areas are the subject of onshore wind farm applications;...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Carers' Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with representatives of carers' interest groups on proposals for payments of carer's allowance to people who...

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants in (a) Great Britain, (b) each region and (c) each London borough did not receive the full child support payment...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new applications have been made to the Child Support Agency by (a) parents with care claiming income support and (b) other parents...

      Cold Weather Payments: Leyton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in cold weather payments to people in Leyton and Wanstead constituency in 2008-09.

      Community Care Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what budget his Department allocated for community care grants in 2007-08; (2) what the maximum sum awarded to (a) an individual and...

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit recipients were (i) pensioners and (ii) of working age in...

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children living in poverty live in households which are not eligible for (a) full and (b) partial council tax benefit.

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) people of working age are (i) in receipt of council tax benefit and (ii) eligible for council tax benefit and...

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) people of working age at each household income level are (i) in receipt of and (ii) eligible for council tax...

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the 2009-10 personal allowance for council tax benefit is for (a) single people aged under 25 and lone parents aged under 18, (b) single...

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the minimum level of (a) weekly and (b) annual household income is at which a household is no longer eligible for (i) full and (ii)...

      Departmental Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many journeys (a) he and his predecessors and (b) his officials made by aeroplane in the course of their duties in each of the last five...

      Departmental Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which companies were contracted to carry out the surveys.

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months.

      Incapacity Benefit: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Blyth Valley constituency and (b) the North East over the age of 60 years are in receipt of incapacity benefit.

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many local drug jobcentre co-ordinators his Department plans to employ; and what percentage of Jobcentre Plus offices will have a...

      Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) staff and (b) full-time equivalent staff are employed to answer calls to Jobcentre Plus helplines; and if he will make a statement.

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households his Department estimates will obtain Government support for unemployed homeowners to pay interest charges on their mortgages.

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to the support for mortgage interest element of benefits; and how many households...

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what factors underlie the length of time scheduled for generic design assessment work on the three nuclear reactor designs identified as...

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on generic design assessment work proceeding on the (a) AP100, (b) economic simplified boiling water and (c) UK...

      Pension Protection Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future funding of the Pension Protection Fund; and if he will make a statement.

      Pension Protection Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights of the Pension Protection Fund cap and its...

      Pensioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of increases in living costs on pensioners; and what steps his Department is...

      Pensions: Forecasts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests for pension forecasts the Pension Service has received in each of the last 12 months; how many and what proportion of those...

      Pensions: Forecasts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department resumed sending out pension forecasts in response to requests from people who reach pension age after 6 April 2010; how...

      Repossession Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to amend the rules governing eligibility for assistance with mortgage interest payment to include circumstances...

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget of the Social Fund for crisis loans was in each of the last 12 years.

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of crisis loan applications resulted in an award being made in each of the last 12 years.

      Social Fund: Bexley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund applications by residents in the London Borough of Bexley were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in each of the last...

      Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what his Department's target is for the number of visits to be made by compliance officers to lone parents who have been sanctioned for...

      Widowed Parents Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have made a late claim for (a) widowed parents allowance and (b) bereavement allowance in each of the last five years; how...

  • Innovation, Universities and Skills

    • Departmental Art Works

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which works of art from the Government Art Collection each Minister in his Department has selected for display in a private...

    • Departmental Visits Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much expenditure was incurred in respect of overseas visits which (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and...

      Foreign Students: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what support his Department (a) offers and (b) plans to offer to help cover the travel costs of British students who take a...

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has to re-introduce polytechnic colleges into the higher education system.

      Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of anti-Semitism in universities; and if he will make a statement.

      Higher Education: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support universities whose research has been judged as excellent and of national...

      Research: Small Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2009, Official Report, column 775W, on research: small businesses, which other...

  • Children, Schools and Families

    • Building Schools for the Future Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has for the funding of (a) Wave 5 and (b) subsequent waves of the Building Schools for the Future programme; and...

    • Building Schools for the Future Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many apprenticeship places have been created by the Building Schools for the Future Programme.

      Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to review for benchmarking purposes the methods used by Ofsted in conducting inspections of the...

      Children In Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils with special educational needs have been placed in residential care (a) inside and (b) outside their local...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of (a) two, (b) three and (c) four year olds whose parents use the free entitlement to child care...

      Children: Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the statement of 20 November 2008, Official Report, column 376, on safeguarding children, who supplied him...

      Departmental Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on (a) 2 February 2009 and (b) 3 February 2009;...

      Departmental Art Works

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which works of art from the Government Art Collection each Minister in his Department has selected for display in a private office.

      Departmental Scientists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's budget for scientific advice and research is in 2008-09; for what purposes the equivalent budget for 2007-08...

      Departmental Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which company was...

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his Department's policy is on holding departmental away days outside his Department's buildings.

      Education Maintenance Allowance: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people (a) are eligible for and (b) are claiming education maintenance allowance in West Lancashire constituency.

      Education: Young Offender Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment Ofsted has made of standards of education in the juvenile secure estate in the last five years.

      GCE A-Level: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what A level subjects were taken by each pupil eligible for free schools meals who achieved three A grades at A level in the last...

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils gained five A* to B grades at GCSE in 2008.

      GCSE: North Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of eligible pupils passed GCSEs in (a) English and (b) mathematics, at grades (i) A* and (ii) A to C in Vale of...

      GCSEs: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of GCSE students in schools in West Lancashire constituency achieved five or more A* to C grades including English...

      General Certificate of Secondary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the causes of the disparity in GCSE attainment between boys and girls.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 21 January 2009 on funding for a new school building at...

      Orders and Regulations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many statutory instruments have been laid before the House by his Department in each year since 1997; and if he will make a...

      Primary Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in each local authority have not been allocated a place at a primary school for September 2009; and if he will...

      Primary Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what account (a) his Department and (b) local education authorities in Greater London took of the effect of (i) the birth rate...

      Pupil Referral Units

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) dually registered and (b) other pupils attended pupil referral units in each local authority area in each year...

      Pupils: Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children in each decile of area deprivation by (a) pupil residence and (b) school location were...

      Religion: Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what provision is made within the national curriculum for the discussion of non-religious beliefs.

      Schools: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained schools other than grammar schools select a proportion of their pupils on the basis of aptitude in a...

      Schools: Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what requests he has received from the Jewish community for additional school security measures in the last three months.

      Schools: Warnings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many warning notices have been issued to schools by each local authority in each year from 1997 to 2008; and if he will make a...

      Science: GCSE

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in (a) England, (b) Kent and (c) Ashford constituency took one or more science GCSE in the last five year...

      Science: GCSE

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools entered one or more pupils for separate sciences at GCSE in the most recent year for which figures are available.

      Secondary Education: Chelmsford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were not offered a place at their first preference secondary school in West Chelmsford constituency in each of...

      Social Services: Co-operation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of procedures for co-operation between education and social services at...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on issuing statements of special educational needs in each local authority area in the most recent year for...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which maintained special schools have been assessed as inadequate by Ofsted in each of the last 10 years.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children in each decile of area deprivation by (a) pupil residence and (b) school location have been recorded...

      Special Educational Needs: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2009, Official Report, columns 816-7W, on special educational needs: disadvantaged, what...

      Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2009, Official Report, column 1071W, on special educational needs: pupil exclusions, when...

      Teachers: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average number of days sickness taken per teacher in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools was (i) in total and (ii) in...

  • Duchy of Lancaster

    • Central Office of Information: Manpower

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the information held on the (a) Knowledge Archive and (b) Retain databases on the Central Office of Information (i) employee...

    • Disclosure of Information: Home Office

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions his special adviser has had with (a) Ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) others on the police investigation into the...

      Eco-towns

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Duchy of Lancaster has been involved in bids for, or considered any involvement in eco-town developments.

      Government Departments: Manpower

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people have been employed by Government departments or agencies on (a) a permanent basis and (b) a temporary basis in each year since...

      Government Departments: Publicity

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by the Government on public relations, advertising and marketing in each year from 1995 to 2005 according to figures held by the...

      Iraq: Weapons

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the 2008 ruling by the Information Tribunal on publication of the John Williams draft of the 2002 Iraq dossier, (1) whether on 9...

      Media Monitoring Unit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what individual annual subscription fees were paid to the Media Monitoring Unit by each subscribing Government department, agency and...

      Ministerial Responsibility

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to his evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications on 5 November 2008, question 568, what his definition of a...

      Public Sector: Internet

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many public sector websites with unique universal resource locators are in operation in England.

  • Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

    • Bankruptcy: Cleveland

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency were declared bankrupt in each...

    • Business

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of levels of entrepreneurship culture in the UK fashion industry; what...

      Business: Wales

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many companies in Wales have (a) applied for and (b) received loans from the European Investment Bank...

      Departmental Art Works

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which works of art from the Government Art Collection each Minister in his Department has selected for...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether any data losses from his Department have occurred in the last six months; and if he will make a...

      Departmental ICT

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which ICT projects are being funded by his Department; and how much the (a) original estimate and (b)...

      Departmental Official Hospitality

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food since its inception.

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much capital spending is planned to be brought forward by his Department to (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.

      Fire Services: Working Hours

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions the Government have had within the Council of Ministers on the effect on retained...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for North East Hampshire of 10 June 2008...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 24...

      Redundancy

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the (a) number of people made redundant, (b) number of statutory redundancy...

      Regional Development Agencies: Consultants

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2009 to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, Official Report,...

      Regional Development Agencies: Finance

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the (a) budget and (b) administrative cost of each regional development agency (RDA) has been in...

      Regional Development Agencies: Finance

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much each regional development agency spent on administration in the most recent year for which figures...

      Union Modernisation Fund

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009, Official Report, column 1319W, on the union modernisation...

  • House of Lords

    • Banking: Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the effect so far of the inclusion of an insurance guarantee cover for the banks to provide resumed lending activity.

    • Belfast Agreement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the concept of equality as a human right applies to the island of Ireland as a result of the Belfast agreement of 1998.

      Benefits: Employment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the remarks by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in his foreword to the White Paper Raising expectations and increasing support:...

      British Citizenship

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue a circular to all public authorities saying they must recognise English as a nationality.

      British Citizenship

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will always use the discretion conferred by paragraph 2(e) of Schedule 1 to the British Nationality Act 1981 to waive the English language requirement...

      British Citizenship

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether persons with refugee status or enjoying long-term humanitarian protection will be able to start their qualifying periods for naturalisation from the date...

      Children: Nutrition

      To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill take account of studies of the possibility that low benefits causing poor maternal and foetal nutrition...

      Driving: Car Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many motor car drivers are estimated to be driving without insurance.

      Driving: Car Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with British insurance companies in order to secure affordable premium payments for young drivers.

      Driving: Car Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to remove unlicensed motor vehicles from public highways and to deter car drivers from driving without adequate insurance.

      Driving: Licences

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the renewal rate of the first round of 10-year driving licences; what action they have taken to increase that rate; and what further steps they plan...

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Government funding was spent, including via the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the relevant research councils, to make work with admixed...

      Employment: Migrant Workers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are investigating the hours of work, payment of minimum wages, rates for overtime and unsocial hours, entitlements to holiday pay and sickness benefit...

      Financial Services Authority

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding has been given in each year since its creation to the Financial Services Authority for administration and running costs.

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the reduction to three miles of Gaza's fishing waters.

      Government Borrowing: Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost of insuring against the United Kingdom defaulting on its government debt compared with the cost in France or Germany.

      Health: Irish Community Groups

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 24 February (WA 48), what form the discrimination has taken that has brought health inequalities to the...

      Health: Tuberculosis

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the past year in relation to tuberculosis in humans in the United Kingdom.

      Health: Tuberculosis

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of tuberculosis there were in the most recent year for which figures are available in (a) Bradford, (b) Birmingham, (c) Leicester and (d) Liverpool.

      Health: Tuberculosis

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what structures are in place to monitor and evaluate tuberculosis sources in England; and what action they take against primary care trusts that do not provide...

      Houses of Parliament: Copyright

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the public interest justification for parliamentary copyright. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the provisions on parliamentary...

      Housing: Regional Housing Strategies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the role, purpose and format of regional housing strategies following the creation of regional strategies under the Local Democracy, Economic...

      Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what part the International Convention on Human Rights of 1948 plays in the development of their foreign policy.

      Justice: European Courts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times, and in which cases, they have made a third party submission to (a) the European Court of Human Rights, and (b) the European Court of Justice, in...

      Marks and Spencer

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when Revenue and Customs Brief 05/09 on Marks and Spencer plc, issued on 18 February, will be published on the index of Revenue and Customs Briefs at www.hmrc....

      Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 9 February (WA 165) concerning bonus payments to staff in the Northern Ireland Office, what was the...

      Northern Ireland Office: Overtime

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been paid to staff of the Northern Ireland Office in overtime payments in each of the past 10 years.

      Northern Ireland Office: Telecommunications

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on telecommunications by the Northern Ireland Office in each of the past five years.

      Northern Rock

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 5 February (WA 139), whether the continuation of the previous consent of the European Commission to the rescue of...

      Northern Rock

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much in salaries and bonuses was paid to each member of the senior management of Northern Rock in 2008.

      Planning

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which applications for planning permission in England in 2008 (a) on land, and (b) in the inshore and offshore marine areas, would have required an application to...

      Post Office: Card Account

      To ask Her Majesty's Government in the event of a partial or total default by the Irish Deposit Protection Scheme, what recourse United Kingdom Post Office depositors have to the Government.

      Post Offices

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Post Office to ensure cash withdrawal machines on their property do not charge for cash withdrawals.

      Public Bodies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the House of Lords are appointees to the non-departmental public bodies listed under "Cabinet Office" in annex A to the report of the Cabinet...

      Public Bodies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the House of Lords are appointees to the non-departmental public bodies listed under "Department of Transport" in annex A to the report of the...

      Public Companies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many company failures were recorded in 2007 and 2008 in the United Kingdom.

      Republic of Ireland: Treaties

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 24 February (WA 68) concerning treaties signed with the Republic of Ireland, in what way compliance with...

      Taxation: VAT

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take regarding VAT claims made on or before 31 March 2009, in the light of the judgment of the House of Lords in Marks and Spencer plc v Her...

      Transport: Workplace Parking Levy

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce a workplace parking levy in Nottingham; and, if so, for what reason.

      West Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many people work in Israeli-controlled businesses in the West Bank.

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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