Written answers

Wednesday, 10 November 2010

  • Wales

    • Institute of Fiscal Studies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in each of the last 10 years.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Sexual Harassment

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent research the Government Equalities Office has evaluated on the incidence of sexual harassment of 16 to 18-year-olds; and if she will make...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to simplify the processes for making single farm payments as part of Common Agricultural Policy...

    • Arpley Landfill Site

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) air quality and (b) water quality tests the Environment Agency has carried out within a one mile radius of the...

      Arpley Landfill Site

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints in respect of the handling of (a) hazardous waste and (b) radioactive waste at the Arpley landfill site...

      Bottles: Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister of 15 September 2010, Official Report, column 878, on bottle deposit and...

      Cotton: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on EU cotton subsidies; and if she will seek their abolition as part of post-2013 Common Agricultural...

      Dairy Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that future proposals for intensive dairy farming are examined by her Department; and if she...

      English Forestry Forum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the next meeting of the English Forestry Forum to take place.

      Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has for future (a) co-ordination of and (b) funding for the (i) Overseas Territories Environment...

      Forestry Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) which (a) duties and (b) functions of the Forestry Commissioners she plans to delegate to other bodies; (2) to whom...

      Forestry Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role of Forestry Commission Great Britain is in respect of setting minimum standards for sustainable forest...

      Forestry Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role of Forestry Commission Great Britain is in respect of research and knowledge transfer for sustainable forest...

      Forestry Commission: Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the use of funds arising from the sale of Forestry...

      Forestry Commission: Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the Forestry Commission's portfolio analysis of the public forest estate to be published.

      Forestry Commission: Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial provisions she plans to make for additional woodland areas that become eligible for land management grants as...

      Forestry Commission: Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely change in the area of woodland certified against the UK Woodland Assurance Standard...

      Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Electronic Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the quantity of (a) chlorofluorocarbon, (b) hydrofluorocarbon and (c)...

      Landfill: Refrigerators

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what information her Department holds on the average annual number of retail refrigerated display cabinets disposed of...

      National Parks: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has issued to Ofgem on its duty to have regard to the purposes of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding...

      Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce the outcomes of her Department's review of options in respect of measures to help achieve nitrogen...

      Pollution: Liquefied Petroleum Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the contribution of the use of liquid petroleum gas as a (a) road and (b) domestic fuel to...

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to increase the proportion of commercial waste which is recycled; and if she will make a statement.

      Rodents: Henderson Island

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will respond to the recent judgment by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the need for Government support...

      Water Supply: Leaks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take in respect of water companies identified by Ofwat as failing to reduce excessive water leakage.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Dealing with the Past

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors he plans to take into account in taking further steps to secure progress in dealing with the past in Northern Ireland.

    • Community Policing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on the capacity of community policing in...

      Public Sector Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the likely effects of the recommendations of his paper on rebalancing...

      Police Service of Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister on the resources required by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • BBC: Commonwealth Games 2014

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) on 25 October 2010, Official Report,...

    • Departmental Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of its expenditure on travel undertaken by (a) him and (b) each other Minister in his...

      Horse Racing: Betting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations on the horserace betting levy he has received from the Racing United campaign; and if he will take steps...

      Horse Racing: Betting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will include in the scope of any future review of remote gambling the potential contribution of all gambling operators...

      Local Broadcasting: Television

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent progress his Department has made on encouraging commercially-sustainable local television.

      National Lottery: Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010, Official Report, column 555W, on the National Lottery: armed forces, which...

  • International Development

    • Developing Countries: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking in conflict-affected countries to (a) reduce the drop-out rate from and (b) increase access to...

    • Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to international tuberculosis control in each of the last five years.

      Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding he plans to allocate to international tuberculosis control in each year from 2011 to 2015.

      Institute for Fiscal Studies

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in each year from 2000-01 to 2007-08.

  • Education

    • Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children (a) were taken into care (excluding respite care), (b) left care and (c) were adopted in each of the last five years; how many...

    • Children In Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked-after children (a) were taken into care in each of the last five years, (b) were in care on the latest period for which figures are...

      Departmental Reviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review (a) was announced and (b) is expected...

      Education: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the staffing levels necessary to deliver their statutory responsibilities for (a) safeguarding, (b)...

      Foster Care: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the annual average cost to social services of placing a child in foster care was in the last five years.

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many and what proportion of maintained mainstream schools did not enter a single pupil for a chemistry GCSE examination in the latest period...

      Home Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) A level and (b) GCSE grades were awarded to home schooled children in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make...

      Private Education: Tax Relief

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on tax relief for private schools.

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many mainstream maintained schools more than 25 per cent. of pupils have received a fixed-period exclusion in the latest period for which...

      Schools: Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) pupils and (b) teachers have been admitted to hospital as a result of violent attacks within schools in each year for which figures are...

      Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to question 18226, on children taken into care or adopted, tabled on 14 October 2010.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Chinese: Falun Gong

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the policy of the Chinese Government towards practitioners of Falun Gong.

    • Diplomatic Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of (a) ambassadors and high commissioners and (b) members of the Diplomatic Service were educated at (i)...

      European Parliament

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of holding 12 plenary sessions of the European Parliament in...

      Gibraltar: Spain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart on (a) the actions of the Spanish authorities at the La Linea...

      Iran: Baha'i Faith

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iran on the detention of members of the Baha'i community in that...

      Middle East: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Israeli and (b) Palestinian counterparts on the Israeli Government's proposal...

      Mordechai Vanunu

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the Government of Israel to release Mordechai Vanunu.

      Taiwan: International Civil Aviation Organisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on Taiwan joining the International Civil Aviation Authority.

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the electricity production technologies which would (a) enable affordable domestic and industrial...

    • Housing: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses in (i) England, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) East Hampshire...

      Wind Power: Cost-effectiveness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the cost-efficiency of producing carbon-free electricity from onshore wind farms compared with (a)...

  • Transport

    • Airports: Thames Estuary

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the development of an international airport on the Hoo Peninsula, Medway.

    • Blue Badge Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the operation of the Blue Badge scheme for parking concessions.

      Crossrail: Abbey Wood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which year he expects the Crossrail station at Abbey Wood to be operational.

      Crossrail: Abbey Wood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with Southeastern Railway on interchange facilities with Crossrail services at Abbey Wood station; and what...

      Crossrail: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much funding he plans to allocate to Crossrail in each year of the spending review period; (2) what proportion of his Department's budget he...

      Ferries: Highlands and Islands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to ensure adequate marine emergency coverage for the Highlands and Islands following the removal of the Anglian Prince tug...

      Highways Agency: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of schemes in the supported (a) development and (b) pre-qualification pool for major...

      Railways: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been set for the electrification of the (a) Manchester to Liverpool and (b) Manchester-Preston-Blackpool line.

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made a recent estimate of the likely effect on his Department's progress on carbon dioxide emission targets of proposed increases in...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he has made an estimate of the likely effect on the number of car journeys of proposed increases in rail fares; (2) whether he has made...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the likely effect on rail passenger numbers of the proposed increase in the cap on regulated rail fares to 3%...

      Railways: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of rail congestion in principal cities in the Northern Hub.

      Railways: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic effect on (a) the North West and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber region of the Northern Hub.

      Railways: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what capital allocations his Department has made for the implementation of the Northern Hub for each year of the spending review.

      Railways: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for the implementation of the Northern Hub initiative.

      Road Traffic: Morecambe

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effects on traffic levels on trunk roads in Lancaster and Morecambe constituency of Lancashire County Council's Faber...

      Roads: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department were in posts with responsibility for road safety issues in October 2010; and how many such posts he expects there to...

      Transport for London: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department allocated in grant to Transport for London (TfL) for 2010-11 (a) prior to and (b) after his Department's in-year spending...

      Transport: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 26 October 2010, Official Report, columns 177-79, on transport (investment), what guidance he has issued to local...

      Transport: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 26 October 2010, Official Report, columns 177-79, on transport (investment), what estimate he has made of the cost...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Civil Servants: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) applicants and (b) acceptances of each (i) gender, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) socio-economic group there were to the Civil Service Fast...

    • Civil Servants: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of successful applicants to the Civil Service Fast Stream in each year since 2001 were educated at (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge University.

      Departmental Redundancy

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of...

      Government Departments: Photography

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many photographers are employed by Government Departments.

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the 25 per cent. aspiration set for Government contracts to be awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises is to be measured as a proportion...

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the 25% aspiration for the award of Government contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises applies to each Government Department or to the...

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average cost to a supplier of completing a pre-qualification questionnaire for contracts with Government Departments.

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what timetable he has set for Government departments to agree plans of action to increase the number of contracts awarded to small and medium-sized...

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of potential suppliers of Government Departments who completed pre-qualification questionnaires in the last five years received no...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects the Cabinet Secretary to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Cardiff West of 20 September 2010 in relation to a Civil Service...

      Public Bodies Bill 2010-2011: Wales

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government (a) Ministers and (b) officials on the likely effects on public bodies in...

      Public Bodies Bill

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consideration he gave to making provision in the Public Bodies Bill [Lords] for changes to the Skills Funding Agency.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

      Voluntary Organisations: Local Government

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to review the guidelines on commissioning between local government and the voluntary sector.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the Access to Work programme to cover the costs associated with (a) attendance at interviews and (b) participation in work...

    • Bereavement Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of bereavement benefits; and if he will make a statement.

      Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration the Child Support Agency has given to using double-sided printing for its correspondence.

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation he undertook with (a) charities, (b) third sector organisations and (c) other disability organisations prior to his...

      Employment: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment his Department has undertaken of the (a) duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, (b)...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of housing benefit claimants in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK received housing benefit payments of over...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of local housing allowance claimants in (a) single rooms, (b) one bedroom properties, (c)...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of the discretionary housing payments budget; and if he will make a statement.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of rent controls as a method of reducing expenditure on housing benefit.

      Housing Benefit: Brighton and Lewes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the likely change in the discretionary housing payment for (a) Brighton and Hove City Council and (b) Lewes District...

      Housing Benefit: Down's Syndrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to make discretionary housing payments to (a) people with Down's syndrome and (b) their families to meet housing rental costs.

      Housing Benefit: Shared Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether benefit recipients sharing accommodation with unrelated non-benefit recipients will be able to access local housing allowance under his...

      Housing Benefit: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many rooms in houses defined as shared for the purposes of the shared room rate of local housing allowance were available to rent in each...

      Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of trade union safety representatives to the maintenance of health and safety standards...

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate the number of people in receipt of support for mortgage interest who have mortgages with interest rates higher than...

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what cost-benefit analysis his Department has undertaken of the likely effects of the implementation of his proposals to lower the rate of...

      Pensioners: Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons in receipt of housing benefit in each (a) region and (b) constituency are above retirement age.

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of (a) disability living allowance and (b) incapacity benefit in Redcar constituency on the latest date for...

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Livingston constituency receive (a) disability living allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) employment and support...

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has assessed the merits of drafting a single form for the application of all medical condition-related benefits.

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency receive (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance.

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2010, Official Report, column 766W, on social security benefits: fraud, how many people were involved in...

      Statutory Sick Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to extend entitlement to statutory sick pay to employees who are on a phased return to work.

      Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what occasions since his appointment his Department has released to the media figures from each source on the number of people who have...

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that prisoners and ex-offenders are supported into employment through the Work Programme; and whether this...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) research and (b) programmes he plans to commission for the purposes of tackling anti-Semitism; and if he will make a...

    • Departmental Early Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the...

      European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral evidence taken by the Communities and Local Government Committee on 13 September 2010, HC 453-i, Q109, what...

      Fire Services: Emergency Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to improve fire service emergency response times; and whether he plans to bring forward...

      Fire Services: Emergency Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average fire service emergency response times were for each fire service in the latest period for which figures are...

      Fire Services: Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of the number of fire service jobs that would be lost as a result of the implementation of the...

      Local Development Frameworks: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to enable London councils to revise their local development frameworks.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

      Regeneration: Newcastle upon Tyne

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with Newcastle city council on the refurbishment of the Byker estate; and what...

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of new social housing tenants are in employment.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average income of households in social housing in each region in the latest period for which...

      Social Rented Housing: Eltham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in Eltham constituency identified as eligible for improvements under the Decent Homes programme have not yet had...

      UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to implement obligations under Articles 9, 11 and 19 of the United Nations Convention on the...

  • Treasury

    • Child Benefit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) Liverpool, West Derby constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) the UK to be affected by his...

    • Child Benefit: Durham

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of households in North West Durham constituency which will be affected by the proposed withdrawal of child benefit from...

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

      Directors: Fraud

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism he has put in place to prevent individuals setting up new businesses when their previous business has collapsed because of fraudulent activity.

      National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on extending National Insurance exemptions on new jobs to areas of the South East which have low levels of employment and high levels of...

      Official Cars: Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the scale is on the vertical axis on the graph on page 13 of the spending review 2010 document.

      Public Expenditure: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Executive on the future of end-year flexibility.

      Public Expenditure: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Scottish Executive will retain access to end-year flexibility throughout the comprehensive spending review period.

      Public Sector: Females

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake an assessment of the likely effects on women of anticipated reductions in the number of jobs in the public sector in the next four...

      Tax Allowances: Breweries

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for future duty relief arrangements for small breweries.

  • Home Department

    • Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Northumberland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been (a) made and (b) breached in (i) Wansbeck constituency and (ii) Northumberland in the latest...

    • Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Peterborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were (a) made and (b) breached in the Criminal Justice System area covering the Peterborough city...

      Antisocial Behaviour: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Mosquito devices in reducing antisocial behaviour.

      Crime: Summertime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the incidence of crime of adopting daylight saving time.

      Entry Clearances: Taiwan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals for a Working Holiday Scheme with Taiwan to increase cultural understanding between the UK and Taiwan;...

      Illegal Immigrants: East Ayrshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants to the UK have (a) been identified in and (b) deported from Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in the latest...

      Immigration Controls: English Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when her Department notified accreditation boards of proposals to change English for Speakers of Other Languages requirements for (a)...

      Intercept Modernisation Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements she plans to make to safeguard the privacy of individuals under the continued intercept modernisation programme.

      Intercept Modernisation Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to provide that data stored by service providers under the intercept modernisation...

      Khat

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether her Department is considering the classification of khat under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; and if she will make a statement;...

      Proceeds of Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to increase the proportion of criminal assets which are recovered.

      Proceeds of Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for meeting expenses incurred through operations to recover money under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

      Proceeds of Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on average what proportion of the money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which was allocated to the police force that carried...

      Strategic Defence and Security Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation she undertook prior to the announcement on the continued use of the intercept modernisation programme as part of the...

      UK Border Agency: Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports the UK Borders Agency declared lost through its own actions in 2009; and what the cost to the public purse was of...

      Vetting: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions a dispute against the outcome of (a) a standard and (b) an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check was upheld in...

      Vetting: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) standard and (b) enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks took longer than the respective guideline times in the latest period...

  • Health

    • Blood: Contamination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010, Official Report, column 630W, on blood: contamination, (1) for what reasons his Department answered the 13...

    • CJD: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to health authorities on the use of pentosan polysulfate for the treatment of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; and if he...

      CJD: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) number of doses prescribed and (b) cost to the public purse of provision of pentosan polysulfate in each of the...

      Departmental Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review in respect of...

      Departmental Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of staff redundancy in each of the next four years.

      Doctors: Career Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to (a) attract and (b) retain good quality junior doctors in the NHS during the spending review period.

      Doctors: Career Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure effective continuing training for doctors following the termination of primary care trusts.

      Drugs: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to allow naltrexone to be administered to prisoners for the purposes of treating substance abuse.

      Health Services: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of NHS (a) front-line staff and (b) junior doctors working in Bolton, Bolton West and...

      Khat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the health effects of the use of khat.

      Kidney Dialysis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts provide kidney dialysis; and how many NHS patients have received dialysis treatment in the last 12 months.

      Mental Health Services: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are available in prisons for the purposes of offering employment support to prisoners with mental health disorders; and what steps he plans...

      Neuromuscular Diseases: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has for the delivery of specialist neuromuscular services under the proposed national commissioning board; (2) what steps he plans to...

      NHS: Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an estimate of the likely cost to the NHS of staff redundancy as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive...

      NHS: Voluntary Organisations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he expects voluntary sector organisations to play in the future of the NHS.

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on the phasing out of prescription charges for patients with long-term conditions following the outcome of the comprehensive...

      Social Services: West Sussex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet West Sussex county council's cabinet members for adults' services and future finance and resources to discuss the likely effects of...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2010, Official Report, columns 595-6W, on apprentices, if he will publish the feedback...

    • CJD: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what research projects into Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the Medical Research Council has provided funding in each of the last...

      EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on future arrangements for the administration of payments out of EU...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) applicants and (b) successful applicants from each socio-economic group there were for places on undergraduate...

      Higher Education: Student Numbers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of students who had been educated in (a) Wansbeck constituency, (b) Northumberland and...

      Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what powers and responsibilities the Technology Strategy Board will have in relation to his proposed innovation centres.

      National Apprenticeship Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Chairman of the National Apprenticeship Service is; how long each has been in post; how...

      National Scholarship Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how he expects the National Scholarship Fund to operate; and who he expects to be eligible for awards from the Fund.

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Local Growth White Paper, Cm 7961, what timescale he has set for the establishment of growth hubs.

      Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the sum in private sector funding likely to be attracted by each £1 in science funding from the...

      Skills Funding Agency: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are employed by the Skills Funding Agency specifically to work on communications and campaigns; and what recent...

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who he plans to consult on options for mechanisms to enable early repayment of tuition fee loans; and if he will make a statement.

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel are deployed in Afghanistan in support of combat aircraft flying operations.

    • Afghanistan: Security Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2010, Official Report, column 881W, on Afghanistan: security forces, if he will discuss with his Afghan counterpart...

      Air Force: Military Bases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) live fire and (b) practice weapons are permitted for use at (i) RAF Wainfleet, (ii) RAF Donna Nook, (iii) RAF Holbeach, (iv) RAF West Freugh,...

      Aircraft Carriers: Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects on the aeronautical industry of not proceeding with his Department's proposals for the short take-off and...

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether service family accommodation in North Kingston is included in his Department's upgrade programme.

      Armed Forces: Private Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children of service personnel receive funding from his Department to attend independent schools.

      Falkland Islands: Deployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what naval capability he expects to be available for operations relating to the Falkland Islands in the next 10 years.

      France: Military Alliances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the compliance of the defence sharing agreement with France with the UK's obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation...

      HMS Astute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians were aboard HMS Astute when it ran aground on 22 October 2010; and what the role of each was.

      Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Fighters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Joint Strike Fighter F-35 fighters he plans to order; and what timescale he has set for their entry into service.

      Military Aircraft: Helicopters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the short study on the helicopter platform capabilities for HMS Ocean and HMS Illustrious to report; and when he expects to make a...

      Nimrod MR4A

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Nimrod MR4A aircraft designated PA04 is stationed.

      Peacekeeping Operations: Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan consequent on actions by (a) Coalition forces and (b) insurgents since...

      Shipbuilding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of shipyards in the UK which are surplus to requirements.

      Strategic Defence and Security Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse from his planned reduction in the number of (a) operational and (b) stockpiled...

      Strategic Defence and Security Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings each Minister in his Department had with representatives of the defence industry to discuss the strategic defence and security review prior...

  • Justice

    • Alternatives to Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to increase the use of community sentences for prisoners on short prison sentences.

    • Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any internal reviews of criminal injuries compensation have recommended changes to the categories of person eligible for compensation through the...

      Data Protection: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Office of the Information Commissioner on the adequacy of the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 to...

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

      Fines: Surcharges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was raised through the victims' surcharge in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

      Google

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has discussed Google's Street View project with the Information Commissioner.

      John Hirst

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if the Probation Service will (a) consider the compliance of John Hirst with the terms of his licence for release from custody and (b) recall him from...

      Prison Sentences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people who were given custodial sentences of up to two years were convicted of each offence in the latest year for which figures are...

      Prisoners on Remand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many remand prisoners (a) were in prison on 6 May 2010 and (b) voted in elections on that day.

      Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were given a supervision order with a condition of participation in a sex offender programme in 2009.

      Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people were given a supervision order with a curfew requirement in each year from 2004 to 2009; (2) how many people were given a...

      Prisons: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve the delivery of drug treatment services in prisons.

      Prisons: Meat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review levels of meat consumption in prisons for the purpose of improving the health of prisoners.

      Prisons: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on proposals for the construction of a prison in North Wales.

      Probation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department issues to the Probation Service on the recall of prisoners.

      Youth Custody: Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Youth Justice Boards on matters arising from the recent violent incidents at HM Prison and Youth Offender Institute,...

  • House of Lords

    • Agriculture: Dairy

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 21 October (WA 187), whether the Scottish Agricultural College study will consider cows' behaviour; and, if not,...

    • Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Henley on 25 October (WA 219) and 3 November 2010 (WA 406), whether any assessments have been made in the United Kingdom or...

      Anti-social Behaviour

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 1 November (WA 339), what evidence they have that "the police and other agencies" treat anti-social behaviour "as...

      Armed Forces: A400M

      To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 26 October (WA 246), whose commercial interests would be prejudiced if they were to disclose the...

      Armed Forces: A400M

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are required to obtain the permission of any other members of the consortium building the A400M aircraft before they disclose its acquisition costs.

      Armed Forces: A400M

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have received from other members of the manufacturing consortium about the disclosure of the acquisition costs of the A400M aircraft.

      Armed Forces: A400M

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many orders have so far been placed for the A400M aircraft by countries that are not members of the manufacturing consortium.

      Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the RAPTOR pod can be carried by United States unmanned aerial vehicles.

      Armed Forces: Medals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals who advised the Queen in 2005 that British ex-servicemen should accept but not wear the Pingat...

      Bosnia and Herzegovina

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made in meeting the conditions to allow the closure of the office of the High Representative in Sarajevo.

      Council Tax

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they expect policing precepts on council tax bills to rise as a result of central government reductions to police budgets.

      Crime: Hate

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the revised version of the document Hate Crime: Delivering a Quality Service-Good Practice and Tactical Guidance (March 2005) will emphasise the importance...

      Crime: Race and Criminal Justice Statistics

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 22 October (WA 205), what the obstacle is to police forces identifying racially and religiously aggravated...

      Cuba

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 27 September (WA 525), when they expect that the remaining political prisoners detained in Cuba since...

      Culture and Arts: Funding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they allocated to support culture and the arts, in terms of both revenue and capital expenditure, during each of the financial years from 1997-98 to...

      Cybercrime

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of cyber attacks on national security.

      Disabled People: Poverty

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what new measures they intend to take to reduce the number of disabled people who are living below the poverty line.

      Elections: Gibraltar

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any circumstances in which the voters of Gibraltar would participate in a United Kingdom referendum.

      EU: UK Membership

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 18 October (WA 110), indicating that "there should be no further transfer of sovereignty or powers...

      Flooding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether collaborative agreements between the Environment Agency (EA) and non-commercial researchers on the use of flood plain data relating to flooding in Cumbria...

      Flooding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place with the insurance industry to ensure that affordable insurance will be provided to homes and businesses in flood risk areas...

      Government Departments: Recruitment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their current policy regarding Departmental advertising for recruitment; and how the recent Department for Culture, Media and Sport advertisement for a new...

      Government Departments: Salaries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated net saving in the pay bill of the Department for International Development for each of the next four years if no bonuses are paid and all...

      Government Departments: Salaries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated net saving in the pay bill of the Department for Transport for each of the next four years if no bonuses are paid and all salaries and...

      Government: Despatch Box

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Strathclyde on 11 October (WA 54), whether they will list the precedents for the practice of Ministers giving personal views...

      Holy See

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Holy See concerning the application of human rights to its citizens.

      House of Lords: Intranet

      To ask the Chairman of Committees why the intranet has been changed from the former layout whereby the House of Lords business appeared on the opening page; whether the number of queries to the...

      House of Lords: Reform

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed draft Bill for reform of the House of Lords will contain a provision similar to that in the House of Commons Disqualification Act preventing...

      Housing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by the Minister for Housing, Grant Shapps, on 21 October (Official Report, Commons, col. 113), whether the figure of 18,000 new social...

      Housing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many residents in Brighton and Hove will be affected by the increase in non-dependant adult housing allowance deductions; and how much (a) in total, and (b) on...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the effect by (a) 2015, and (b) 2020, on net rents payable by housing benefit recipients as a result of the change in the method of uprating benefit...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the housing benefit cap on residents of London.

      Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to attract more highly skilled migrants to the United Kingdom.

      Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether intra-company transfers will be affected by the new immigration cap.

      Iraq

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the internal security situation in Iraq in relation to the deportation of persons to Iraq.

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the Israeli organisation Peace Now's statement that "intensive building is proceeding in 36 settlements in the West Bank and East...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Mr Hathem Qufishe, a Palestinian MP, has been released by Israel, following his arrest in Hebron on 18 October; and, if not, whether they will make...

      Legal Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pre-action letters have been received in relation to the proposed new legal aid contracts for civil (non-family) law.

      Government: External Meetings

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many district councillors and county councillors the Deputy Prime Minister has met since 11 May. To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions the...

      Migration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the immigration cap on cancer research.

      NHS: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the devolvement of NHS procurement to general practitioners is compatible with the recommendations of Sir Philip Green.

      NHS: Service Providers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that their ambitions for plurality and diversity of service providers within the National Health Service are consistent with...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in relation to the Commission exceeding its remit; and, if so, when and...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what understanding and knowledge of human rights they expect from a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that overseas aid provided by the European Union and the United Nations is subject to strict financial oversight and reaches those for whom it is...

      Pakistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Pakistan in respect of allegations that its security forces may have killed 40 people in Baluchistan.

      Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill [HL]

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many amendments they have tabled to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill.

      Parliaments: Cost

      To ask Her Majesty's Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 7 October (WA 9-10), whether they will provide the requested figures relating to the European...

      People Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to help those states that have not yet ratified the Palermo Convention against human trafficking to ratify and implement it.

      People Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government where the offices of the National Referral Mechanism and the UK Human Trafficking Centre are located; and whether they will insist on close co-operation between...

      People Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report of the report by the Anti Trafficking Monitoring Group Wrong kind of victim; and whether they will ensure that victims of...

      People Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that children trafficked into Britain for exploitation in cannabis growing are not prosecuted, and do not escape from local authority care...

      Police

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the main finding of the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's Police Governance in Austerity report, published on 26...

      Police: Budget

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to cut the police budget during 2012; and, if so, what assessment they have made of the impact this will have on the London Olympics.

      Police: Community Support Officers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the implications of the Spending Review 2010 for the funding of police community support officers in (a) England, and (b) Lancashire. To ask Her Majesty's...

      Police: Expenditure Cuts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact which the planned 20 per cent cuts to the police force will have on public safety.

      Schools: Leaving Age

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the school leaving age will rise to 18; and, if so, when.

      Schools: Sport

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they will set aside for school sport, aside from the School Olympics.

      Spending Review 2010

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the duties and responsibilities of the police and crime commissioners referred to in Spending Review 2010.

      Spending Review 2010

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the provision of specialist police services of the reduction in police budgets over the period of Spending Review 2010.

      Spending Review 2010

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in light of the Spending Review 2010, what proposals they have for devolution to local councils in order to empower them to deliver more for less.

      Sport: Funding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to minimise the damage to community sport following the cuts announced to the budgets of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and...

      Sport: Gambling

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a formal sports betting right equivalent to that which exists in France.

      Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for a tax on financial transactions which could be transferred to funds for international development.

      Treasure Act 1996

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, in the light of the sale of the Crosby Garrett Helmet, to review the Treasure Act 1996.

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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