Written answers

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Catering

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of the (a) tea and (b) coffee provided through House of Commons...

    • Catering: Private Sector

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the House of Commons Commission has made of allowing private...

  • Electoral Commission Committee

    • Electoral Register: Literacy

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the effects of standards of...

    • General Election 2010

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the reason is for the time taken for the Electoral Commission to publish...

  • Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee

    • Personnel

      To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2010, what the appropriate...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's annual budget for conferences was at (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Departmental Official Visits

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many events in the UK the Government Equalities Office has (a) organised and (b) sent officials to attend in each year since its inception; what...

    • Departmental Sponsorship

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what expenditure the Government Equalities Office incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

      Departmental Travel

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office spent on grey fleet in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.

      Equality: Regulation

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 of the Government's one-in one-out policy on regulations.

      EU Law

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by the Government Equalities Office; and what estimate she has made of the...

      Grants

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what grants have been awarded by the Government Equalities Office in 2010-11 to date; what grants she plans to award in each of the next two years;...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Korean Peninsula

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the North Korean Government in respect of its recent military action against South Korea.

    • Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EU sanctions on Iran; and if he will make a statement.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the human rights situation in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts on sanctions on Iran; and if he will make a statement.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made towards a political settlement in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the political and security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

      Russian Federation: Fossil Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress he has made on discussions with the Government of the Russian Federation on fossil fuel subsidy reform; and...

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of relations between the UK and the countries of the middle east.

      Gaza Aid Flotilla

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the progress of Israel's investigations into the deaths...

      Yemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Yemen.

      Departmental Air Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's staff based abroad used (a) economy class tickets and (b) low-cost airlines to travel to and from...

      Departmental Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether each foreign national who has worked in his Department in the last five years obtained security clearance; (2)...

      Diplomatic Service: Email

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have access to electronic information sent to his Department's London offices by British embassies and High...

      Diplomatic Service: Email

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security of electronic information sent by diplomats.

      International Cooperation: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's role is in international efforts to address climate change; and if he will make a statement.

      Judaism: Festivals and Special Occasions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to publish in the Official Report the text of his Chanukah message to the Jewish community; and if he will make...

      Lockerbie: Bombings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department received from the British Embassy in Libya in relation to political, commercial and operational...

      Pakistan: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the government of Pakistan on the death sentence passed on Asia Bibi by a court...

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on his recent meeting with the Sri Lankan President.

      Sri Lanka: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

  • Transport

    • Departmental Air Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many senior civil servants in his Department have taken internal UK flights in an official capacity since 6 May 2010; and how many such flights...

    • Departmental Press: Subscriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on press cuttings services in each year since its creation.

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to (a) London and (b) the north-west in each of the last five...

      Departmental Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many senior civil servants in his Department have travelled by first class rail in an official capacity since 6 May 2010.

      Driving Tests: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with industry representative groups on the introduction of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence; and what...

      Electric Vehicles: Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of electric vehicles used by local authorities in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and...

      Network Rail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Network Rail has paid to companies in the private sector since 2002.

      Railway Stations: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to include Clapham high street and Wandsworth road station in his planned platform lengthening programme.

      Railway Stations: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2010, Official Report, columns 52-54WS, on rail investment, what rail infrastructure...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he plans to allocate the revenue which will accrue to his Department from train fares in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

      Railways: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely economic effect of train ticket price increases on (a) London, (b) non-metropolitan areas and (c)...

      Road Signs and Markings: Tourism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on renewing the guidelines for the siting of brown tourist information signage on routes managed by the Highways Agency.

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on rolling stock procurement; and if he will make a statement.

      Waterloo Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to continue to hold a freehold interest in the Waterloo International terminal following any sale.

  • Justice

    • Cemeteries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will assess the level of compliance of Birmingham city council with his Department's guidance on managing the safety of burial ground...

    • Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper on the prospects of success of personal injury...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to provide funding for meritorious and difficult cases in the event that conditional fee agreement success fees and after the event...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will estimate the likely annual reduction in income of membership organisations attributable to the implementation of proposals in the Civil...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will estimate the cost to (a) local authorities and (b) the NHS of care for those involved in accidents who will not pursue claims to pay...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average likely shortfall in costs to be met by a fast track claimant as the consequence of the proposals in the Civil...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department placed restrictions on whom organisations invited to consultation meetings on the Legal Aid and the Civil Litigation Funding Green...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the consequences for small businesses of increases to the cost of litigation for commercial disputes.

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evidence of (a) a compensation culture and (b) perceptions of a compensation culture he evaluated in drawing up his proposals for reform of (i)...

      Magistrates Courts: Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2010, Official Report, column 861W, on magistrates courts: sentencing, if he will place in the Library information...

      Prisoners' Transfers: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders were transferred from prisons in England and Wales to prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years.

      Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals were serving prison sentences of (a) four years or less and (b) more than four years on the most recent date for which...

      Prisons: Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unauthorised (a) mobile telephones and (b) SIM cards have been found in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 12 months; and if he...

      Prisons: Mother and Baby Units

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mothers and babies were held in prison in each of the last five years.

      Probation: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many working days were lost (a) on average per staff member and (b) in total in each probation area in the latest period for which figures are...

      Self-locking Snares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there were for offences related to the use of self-locking snares in Sussex in each year since 2005.

  • International Development

    • Afghanistan: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of agricultural development in conflict resolution in Afghanistan.

    • Afghanistan: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Government has provided for (a) agricultural development and (b) emergency food aid in Afghanistan in each of...

      Afghanistan: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to assist agricultural development in Afghanistan.

      Afghanistan: Farmers

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding the Government has provided for climate change adaptation by smallholder farmers in Afghanistan; and what proportion...

      Afghanistan: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the level of threat to food security in Afghanistan.

      Burundi: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much his Department spent on agricultural development in Burundi in each of the last five years; (2) what plans his...

      Burundi: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much the Government has spent on climate change adaptation for smallholder farmers in Burundi in each of the last five years;...

      Burundi: Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to provide assistance to Burundi for the purposes of meeting its Comprehensive Africa Agriculture...

      Burundi: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent assessment he has made of food security in Burundi; (2) what assessment his Department has made of the likely...

      Burundi: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on emergency food aid to Burundi in each of the last five years.

      Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's annual budget for conferences was at (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010.

      Developing Countries: Civil Society

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage the strengthening of civil society and local media in developing countries in order to...

      Developing Countries: Micro-level Insurance Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support the provision of affordable micro-level insurance services in developing countries.

      Developing Countries: Money Laundering

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking in co-operation with the International Monetary Fund to tackle money laundering in developing countries.

      Great Lakes: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the potential role for agricultural development in providing (a) an incentive to desist...

      India: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects of climate change on (a) agriculture and (b) food security in India.

      India: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps his Department is taking to seek to ensure that the (a) poorest and (b) most marginal farmers in India can adapt to...

      India: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Government has spent on (a) agricultural development and (b) emergency food aid for India in each of the last five years.

      India: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on climate change adaptation for smallholder farmers in India in each of the last five years; and...

      India: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the food security situation in India.

      Namibia: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the food security situation in Namibia.

      Swaziland: Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the government of Swaziland on the provision of clean and sanitary conditions in maternity...

  • Home Department

    • Animal Experiments: Primates

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of wild-caught primates to be used in scientific research in the UK in (a) 2015 and (b) 2020.

    • Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on no-notice removals for families unsuccessful in seeking asylum.

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that asylum-seeking families have access to good quality legal advice in the early stages...

      Asylum: Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers identified for deportation were removed from their accommodation prior to deportation at an hour before 8 am since...

      Asylum: Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department takes to inform the schools of children of asylum seekers who have been deported with these children of the action...

      Asylum: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to link the level of support payments to asylum seekers to changes to the level of benefit payments.

      Asylum: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people presented themselves for asylum to the immigration authorities in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what...

      Asylum: Work Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has assessed the merits of allowing asylum seekers to apply for a work permit after six months; and if she will make a statement.

      Criminal Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on the proportion of disclosures processed within existing target times of the planned budget...

      Criminal Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) expenditure and (b) income of the Criminal Records Bureau was in each year since 2005.

      Criminal Records: Reading West

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those resident in Reading West constituency were subject to more than one Criminal Records Bureau check in the most recent 12...

      Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many removal directions for illegal migrants have been cancelled by the UK Border Agency in the latest period for which figures are...

      Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many removal directions for foreign national prisoners have been cancelled by the UK Border Agency in the latest period for which figures...

      Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many removal directions for failed asylum seekers have been cancelled by the UK Border Agency in the latest period for which figures are...

      Deportation: Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much was spent on the facilitated return scheme in each year since 2007-08; (2) how many foreign national prisoners received...

      Detention Centres: Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made for residential and operational staffing of immigration removal centres over Christmas 2010 and the new year...

      Detention Centres: Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether Ministers in her Department have signed any authorisations for the continued detention of children at immigration removal...

      Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take into account the conclusions of the British Council's report on Global value training - the value of UK education and...

      Global Peace and Unity Conference

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department monitored the presence of banned (a) organisations and (b) materials at the Global Peace and Unity conference of...

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had on international collaboration to combat human trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

      Immigration Controls: Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas to work in the UK have been granted to scientists wishing to take up employment at a UK university in each of the last three years.

      Immigration: South East

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2010, Official Report, column 456W, on immigration: South East, how many records remain open on the...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to respond to the letters of 10 August and 30 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on...

      National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department provided to the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit in the last 12 months.

      Offences against Children: International Cooperation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make representations to her international counterparts on international agreements on legislation against child pornography.

      Police: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) other staff are primarily assigned to work on (i) the Police...

      Reoffenders: Dartford

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those normally resident in Dartford constituency arrested had a previous conviction in each of the last five years.

      UK Border Agency: Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of reductions in UK Border Agency staff in Liverpool on the Agency's ability to tackle people...

      Visas: Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of the student visa system.

      Visas: Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visa applications from each country were (a) accepted and (b) rejected for study for (i) English language courses, (ii)...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's annual budget for conferences was at (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010.

    • Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on printing (a) Command Papers, (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act,...

      Downstream Oil Industry Forum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) when he expects the report commissioned from the Downstream Oil Industry Forum to be completed; and if he will publish that...

      Environment Protection: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of green jobs in the UK economy.

      EU Emissions Trading Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the UK oil refining industry of the introduction of Phase Three of the EU...

      Fuel Poverty: Walsall

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the number of households living in fuel poverty in Walsall South constituency.

      Green Deal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Green Deal financing mechanism interest rates are conducive to high levels of...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Affordable Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the modelling undertaken by his Department to calculate the number of new affordable homes to be funded...

    • Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to combat anti-Semitism since July 2010; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of...

      Community Land Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the task force on Community Land Trusts produced by Professor Carl Dayson.

      Councillors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of councillors who sit on both district and county councils.

      Councillors: Business Interests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for a national register of councillors' interests.

      Departmental Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of (a) electricity and (b) gas supplied to his Department's offices at Eland House in each of the last 12...

      Departmental Lobbying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 5 August 2010, which arms' length bodies with his Department's area of...

      Departmental Marketing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on promotional materials since 6 May 2010.

      Departmental Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the citing of party political publications as evidence in consultation documents issued by his Department.

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on plans for the level of its budget in 2010-11 made prior to May 2010.

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of...

      Fire Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate he has made of the likely change in the number of non-firefighter fire service posts to 2015; (2) whether...

      Government Offices for the Regions: Gallup

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government Offices in each region have paid to Gallup in the last 36 months; and what the purpose was of each item...

      Homelessness: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many registered homeless people there are in rural areas in each region of England; and what steps his Department is taking...

      Housing Market

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage house price growth in the next five years.

      Housing Market

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects annual house price growth to return to positive figures.

      Housing: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his plans for the future of the Housing Market Renewal Grant.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will conduct his Department's review of the local government grants system.

      Local Government: Bank Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision he has made for the capitalisation of local authority debt arising from lost deposits in Icelandic banks over the...

      Multiple Occupation: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2010, Official Report, column 693W, on multiple occupation: licensing, if he will take steps...

      Supporting People Programme: Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has had discussions with Nottinghamshire county council on the proposed reduction in Supporting People programme...

      Travellers: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of Travelling families with children who have no fixed abode.

      Travellers: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Travelling families with children were recorded as having a fixed residence in each year since 2001.

      UN Food and Agricultural Organisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what information his Department holds on the level of compliance of local authorities with the UN Food and Agricultural...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to promote apprenticeship schemes; and if he will make a statement.

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on their role in promoting apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement.

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many higher apprenticeship (a) starts and (b) completions there were in the last 12 months.

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices he expects there to be in (a) 2010 and (b) each year to 2015.

      Business: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed for benchmarking purposes the burden of regulation on each sector of the economy; and if he will make a...

      Departmental Lobbying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how much his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent from the public purse on influencing public...

      Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many export orders were won by British businesses as a result of trade missions undertaken since May 2010; what the monetary...

      Further Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many further education colleges Ofsted rated as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) satisfactory and (d) failing in the last...

      Further Education: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what qualifications are required to teach in a further education college; and if he will make a statement.

      Higher Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy in the Brighton and Hove area of the planned reduction in teaching...

      Higher Education: Student Numbers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people from each London borough entered (a) university and (b) a Russell Group university in the last four years.

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage greater transparency in the insolvency sector.

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how long on average it took for an insolvency case to be settled in the latest period for which figures are available.

      Insolvency: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to set a cap on the fees charged by insolvency practitioners.

      Local Enterprise Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from each source he expects to be available to each proposed local enterprise partnership in each year of the...

      Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibilities he has in respect of the supply chain for new nuclear facilities in the UK.

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which 15 countries outside the EU have the highest number of nationals studying in further and higher education institutions in...

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which 25 universities have the highest number of students from outside the EU.

      Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many overseas students are studying for (a) undergraduate degrees and (b) postgraduate degrees in (i) a science subject,...

      Science: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) measures and (b) funding he plans to provide to support women to enter the science, engineering and technology sectors...

      Science: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of gender equality in the workforce in the science, engineering and technology sectors; what...

      Sheffield Forgemasters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on Sheffield Forgemasters since May 2010.

      Skylon Spaceplane

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the potential viability of the Skylon Spaceplane; what assessment he has made of his merits...

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to monitor the impact of higher undergraduate fees on take up of postgraduate provision; and if he will make a...

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the impact of higher fees at undergraduate level on take up of postgraduate study.

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the Barnett consequentials for Scotland arising from the proposed change in the level of...

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the debt owed to the Student Loan Company by residents of the London borough of Bexley who are in...

      Technology Strategy Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future work of the Technology Strategy Board; and if he will make a statement.

      Trade: Developing Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to encourage trade links with developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

      Unemployment: Brighton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in Brighton, Kemptown constituency were not in employment, education or training in each month of the last five...

      Vocational Guidance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take in designing his Department's new careers service to provide expert levels of service to those of all...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Central Call System: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent complaints he has received on the central call system for individual benefit claimants; and whether he plans to enable claimants to...

    • Child Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of parents who will cease to claim child benefit because a member of their household is a higher rate...

      Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the expenditure of his Department and its predecessor on printing (a) Command Papers, (b) papers laid before...

      Disposable Income: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of median (a) pay and (b) real personal disposable income has been in each year since 1990.

      Future Jobs Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) each bid for funding from the Future Jobs Fund made to his Department and rejected as a...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of local rental markets he expects to be affordable to recipients of local housing allowance in 2014-15.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Aberdeen South of 22 November 2010, Official Report, columns 18-19, on housing benefit, if he...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance in (i) South Lanarkshire and (ii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the average amount of housing benefit paid was for each tenure type in (a) South Lanarkshire and (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond to the letter of 28 October 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms H Gourlay.

      Remploy: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people Remploy has employed at management level in each year since 2000.

      Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the proportion of over-payments to benefit recipients in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what point during a payment period universal credit will be paid to employees who are paid monthly.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to make the real-time earnings data provided for calculation of universal credit available to local authorities.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanism he plans to put in place to enable people without online access to (a) apply for universal credit and (b) access their...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether an employee's universal credit will be paid (a) late or (b) on time but on the basis of previous data in a case where real-time...

      Winter Fuel Payments: Reading West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for winter fuel payments his Department received from households in (a) Reading West constituency, (b) Reading borough and...

      Winter Fuel Payments: Taxation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the revenue cost of exempting the winter fuel payment from taxation was in the latest period for which figures are available.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Biodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for International Development on the role of her...

    • Common Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers local authorities have to designate land within their ownership and for the use of the public as town or village...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Business: Closures

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses have ceased trading in each local authority area in England in each of the last three years.

    • Business: Closures

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses in rural areas have ceased trading in each region in each of the last three years.

      Iraq Committee of Inquiry: Public Appointments

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the appointment of Margaret Aldred to the secretariat of the Iraq Inquiry was made under his Department's managed move procedures.

      Unemployment: Rural Areas

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of unemployment was in rural areas in each region in each of the last 10 quarters.

  • Treasury

    • Departmental Travel

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on grey fleet in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.

    • Economic Policy: EU Action

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal advice he has (a) sought and (b) received on the compatibility of the European Financial Stability Mechanism with provisions of the Treaties (i)...

      Employment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in the number of (a) public and (b) private sector jobs in Sunderland Central constituency and in England in the period up...

      EU Grants and Loans: Republic of Ireland

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2010, Official Report, column 977W, on EU grants and Loans: Republic of Ireland, what assessment he made of the legal...

      Football: South Africa

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letters of 5 and 15 October 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay on his constituent Mr Kerwin.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that the Government's expenditure proposals do not disproportionately affect people on low incomes.

      Students: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the average annual cost to the Exchequer of ending university tuition fees for all domestic full and part-time higher...

      Taxation: Self-assessment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax return forms were issued to (a) women and (b) men in 2009-10.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • House of Lords: Reform

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to bring forward proposals for reform of the House of Lords.

    • Members

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what factors he took into account when developing his proposals to reduce the number of hon. Members to 600.

      Parliament

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what factors he took into account when deciding upon five years as his proposed period for a fixed-term Parliament.

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to meet his Albanian counterpart to discuss (a) the Albanian contribution to the International Security Assistance Force mission in...

    • Aircraft Carriers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the economy of his decision to build two aircraft carriers.

      Armed Forces: Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the level of anti-Semitism in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

      Armed Forces: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on changes to housing needs attributable to relocation to...

      Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plans are in place should a catastrophic event prevent the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham from providing medical care for...

      Armed Forces: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take in response to the order of the chairman of the War Pensions Tribunal to disclose confidential documents relating to UK...

      Armed Forces: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the six-year agreement entered into by 16 year-olds on joining the armed forces with the UK's...

      Clyde Naval Base

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what published information he has made available to local organisations and individuals about his estimates of the (a) trend in the number of service...

      Defence: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many suppliers of (a) equipment, (b) personnel, (c) parts and (d) assembly facilities for the Vanguard-class Trident submarine maintenance...

      Defence: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Babcock International Group plc, (b) Finmeccanica SpA, (c) QinetiQ Group...

      Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's annual budget for conferences was on (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010.

      Electronic Warfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department has allocated to cyber security matters in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15; and to which (a) units in his Department and...

      Ex-servicemen: Radiation Exposure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings (a) he, (b) his predecessors and (c) his officials have had with representatives of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association in...

      Ex-servicemen: Radiation Exposure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the number of (a) British citizens and (b) dependants of British citizens compensated under nuclear test...

      Harrier Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice informed his decision to end the Harrier fleet of jets.

      Military Aircraft: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training his Department has provided for (a) fast jet, (b) helicopter and (c) multi-engine pilots overseas by (i) location, (ii) aircraft type,...

      Military Bases: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce his proposals for the future of Ministry of Defence establishments in Wales.

      Nuclear Weapons: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what documents relating to nuclear tests in 1957 and 1958 his Department holds but has not published.

      RAF Lossiemouth: Tornado Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many passes have taken place at (a) RAF Holbeach, (b) RAF Tain and (c) the Cape Wrath Range by Tornado GR4s taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in...

  • Health

    • Ambulance Services: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the letter of 23 September 2010 from his Department's Director of Performance to the Chief Executive of each strategic health authority, what...

    • Dementia: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on steps to improve the care of dementia since the meeting of the Ministerial Task Force for Dementia in September 2010.

      Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's annual budget for conferences was at (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010.

      Diabetes: Health Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on diabetes prevention in each of the last five years.

      Diabetes: Health Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on diabetes information leaflets in each of the last five years.

      Doctors: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of foundation house officers have dropped out of courses (a) FHO1 and (b) FHO2 in each year since 2005.

      Drinking Water

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public drinking water fountains were installed in each year since 2005.

      Drugs: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of providing integrated drug treatment systems to each (a) primary care trust and (b) prison in (i) total and (ii) by prisoner in each...

      Health Services: Bassetlaw and Doncaster

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions he has received representations from non-executive directors of (a) Bassetlaw primary care trust, (b) Doncaster primary care trust...

      Health Services: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much expenditure the NHS recovered from overseas patients who received treatment in West Reading constituency under non-reciprocal agreements in each...

      HIV Infection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to reduce the level of undiagnosed HIV.

      HIV Infection: Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of tuberculosis patients are also infected with HIV; (2) whether his Department is taking steps to encourage testing for HIV of...

      Hospitals: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to ensure that hospital consultants have adequate protected time for supporting professional activities; and if he will make...

      Hospitals: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the average protected time per week a hospital consultant has for Supporting Professional Activities in each NHS trust.

      Injuries: Offensive Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the Information Sharing Implementation Group on the sharing of non-confidential information on firearm and knife injuries...

      Malnutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the cost to the NHS of malnutrition in the last five years.

      Medical Treatments Abroad: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications were made for funding for treatment abroad under Article 49 (now article 56 of the Lisbon Treaty) in the last 12 months; and how...

      Mental Health Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people made the transition from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services at the age of (a) 16 and (b)...

      Mental Illness: Employment Tribunals Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of extending the application cut-off date for mental health patients pursuing industrial tribunals.

      NHS: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rules are in place in relation to NHS appointments in respect of which those responsible for filling non-executive posts are (a) colleagues of and...

      Organs: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make an estimate of the effects on the number of organs available for donation annually of a scheme comparable to the organ donation...

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of exemptions from prescription charges for each class of condition and illness in the most...

      Primary Care Trusts and NDPBs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the use of savings to the public purse arising from the abolition of (a) primary care trusts and (b) non-departmental public...

      Social Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms his Department plans to use to ensure that funding for social care allocated as part of the comprehensive spending review is spent for...

      Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) elective and (b) non-elective surgical episodes were carried out in each primary care trust area in each year since 2006.

      Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay was for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure in each primary care trust area in each year since 2006.

  • Education

    • Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children subject to a care order, police protection order or emergency protection order left care in England in each year from 1989 to 2005.

    • Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on (a) children in care and (b) litigation in connection with such children in each year since 2007.

      Departmental Communication

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dundee East of 11 October 2010, Official Report, columns 12-13W, if he will place in the Library a...

      Departmental Communications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether (a) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families and (b) officials of his Department have had (i) meetings, (ii)...

      Departmental Communications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether (a) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families and (b) officials of his Department have had (i) meetings, (ii)...

      Departmental Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take to encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations to compete for...

      Departmental Early Retirement

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

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each...

      Education Psychology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects the freeze on the recruitment of trainee education psychologists to end.

      Family Law: Adoption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of variation in the practice and implementation of adoption law across England and Wales.

      Institute for Fiscal Studies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2010, Official Report, column 728W, on the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which contracts his Department...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Torbay of 1 September 2010, on his constituent Mrs Greenwood.

      Overseas Students: Guardianship

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the merits of reviewing the safeguarding requirements for those providing education guardianship and host family...

      School Linking Network Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the School Linking Network project; and what plans he has to review the operation of that...

      Schools: Religion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's Interfaith School Linking Network Project; when he next plans to renew the...

      Teachers: Languages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the British Council Language Teaching Assistant scheme.

  • House of Lords

    • Abortion

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the number of abortions in 2011; why they believe that making abortions more easily available will reduce the number of abortions...

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the announcement that NATO forces have set a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan, what representations they have made to neighbouring...

      Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in reaching their decision to discontinue the Nimrod MRA4 programme, they took into consideration the social costs and loss of employment opportunities at...

      Armed Forces: Commemoration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 1 December (WA 449), whether they will sponsor research into the identification of the military personnel...

      Arms Trade

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have of the operation of re-export control provisions in those countries that have enacted legislation; and whether they will place in the...

      Aviation: Passenger Duty

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the report by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation entitled The Impact of Air Passenger Duty and Possible Alternatives for the...

      Banking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is HM Treasury's forecast of the impact on growth in gross domestic product of the full implementation of Basel III rules for banks.

      Banking: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Sir David Walker's statement in his review on the disclosure of bank pay that "an exemplary leadership stance by the United...

      Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount has been transferred to Northern Ireland in each of the past five years to pay for social security, child support, pensions and housing benefit; and...

      Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any significant differences between Northern Ireland social security and housing benefit payments and those in the rest of the United Kingdom;...

      Burma

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 2 December (WA 487), what role the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees played in assisting...

      Care Homes: Mobility

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what (a) voluntary, and (b) statutory, guidance exists for providers of residential care to ensure the practical mobility of residents; and what procedures exist...

      Cayman Islands

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 23 November (WA 179), what progress has been made in the privatisation of the water company in the...

      Children: Care

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children have been in care for more than five years; how many are waiting to be adopted; how many and which voluntary adoption agencies have closed in the...

      Consumer Prices Index: Housing Costs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 23 November (WA 306), when they expect to receive a response from the Governor of the Bank of England regarding...

      Defence: UK-France

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which are the specific projects which are under active consideration for possible Anglo-French defence co-operation.

      Economy: National Debt

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much working families will pay towards interest on the national debt in 2015.

      Education Maintenance Allowance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the number of students in each of the districts of Greater Manchester currently in receipt of education maintenance allowance who...

      Education: Teacher Training

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the White Paper The Importance of Teaching, whether they will clarify their plans for teacher training, in terms of the consequences for...

      Education: Training and Development Agency

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will set out their plans for the future funding and role of the Training and Development Agency for teachers.

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) which resulted in the patient being hospitalised have been reported to the Human Fertilisation and...

      Equality: Gay Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement their commitment to gay rights.

      EU: Cohesion Funds

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries in the European Union benefit most from European Union cohesion funds.

      EU: Cohesion Funds

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which multinational private companies derive the most benefit from European Union cohesion funds.

      EU: External Action Service

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are supporting the policies of the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy during the formation of the European...

      EU: Gendarmerie Force

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what policy support they are giving to the European Gendarmerie Force.

      EU: Research and Development

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will promote co-ordination and reduce unnecessary duplication of research and development projects by European Union member states.

      EU: Salaries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take following the decision of the European Court of Justice to overrule the decisions by member states to halve the 3.7 per cent...

      Government Departments: Salaries

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

      Government Departments: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of all unpaid advisers to Ministers in the Ministry of Defence.

      Gulf War Illnesses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds the Ministry of Defence has described the work of the United States Congressionally Appointed Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses,...

      Health: Funding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether funding for public health will be ring-fenced when it is transferred to local government; and, if so, how.

      Health: Multiple Sclerosis

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide more funding to multiple sclerosis research.

      Higher Education: Student Loans

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to encourage low-income students to apply for student loans.

      Homelessness

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they forecast levels of homelessness will rise in London due to the cap of £400 per week on housing benefit.

      House of Lords: Life Peerages

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend, prior to the reform of the House of Lords, to complete the commitment in the coalition agreement to create sufficient life peerages to reflect...

      House of Lords: Publications

      To ask the Chairman of Committees what was the cost of producing the House of Lords 2011 Calendar; and how many were printed.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance will be issued to local authorities in the use of direct payments to landlords where the local authority considers this may help a tenant secure, or...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it will be a condition of direct payments to landlords in the private rented sector for them to lower their rents.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of local housing allowance (LHA) claimants who will now be offered nine months' transitional protection following the...

      Iran

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran to involve them in conflict resolution in Afghanistan.

      Museums: Funding

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Baroness Rawlings on 30 November, whether they are reconsidering their proposal to terminate central funding of the Design, Horniman and...

      NHS: Debt

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the level of historic debt held by all NHS bodies that was held at the beginning of 2010-11 and is likely to be transferred to new NHS bodies at the...

      NHS: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to respond to the rise in the number of NHS staff assaulted by patients.

      Northern Ireland Office: Website

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why the memorial lecture for Lord Steinberg given by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 16 November was not posted on the Northern Ireland Office media...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that any work undertaken by a future Northern Ireland Commission for Human Rights is within the remit of the legislation...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has received since its creation; and what assessment they have made of the value for money of the...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 29 November (WA 415), how release of information on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 29 November (WA 415), whether the abolition of the post of chief executive has any effect on the...

      Office for Budget Responsibility

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the figures for privatisation receipts for each tax year from 2010-11 to 2015-16, as assumed by the financial transactions line in table 4.22 of the...

      Overseas Territories: Debt

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of a contingent liability in the context of limits on the debt obligations of an Overseas Territory.

      Questions for Written Answer

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Questions for Written Answer tabled between 5 October and 11 November were allocated to the Cabinet Office; what percentage of that figure is represented...

      Railways: Colne-Skipton

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on negotiations between BRB (Residuary) Ltd and Lancashire County Council for the sale of the section of the former Colne-Skipton...

      Railways: Intercity Trains

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Earl Attlee on 25 November regarding investment in railways, whether the further investigation into a new fleet of intercity trains...

      Schools: Academies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether independent schools registered as charities can convert to academies; and whether they would be allowed to raise additional income through fees if they did so.

      Schools: Teaching Schools

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they will set out for schools to qualify as Teaching Schools, and on what timescale they will be established.

      Sport: Coaching Certificates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation Sportscoach UK had with independent sports teachers and coaches in its review of the UK Coaching Certificate.

      Taxation: Patents

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by GlaxoSmithKline of a £500 million investment programme in the United Kingdom and the statement by the Chancellor of the...

      Telephone Helplines

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce the criteria for, and level of funding of, family support helplines for the financial year 2011-12.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of Christian organisations in Turkey by other religious organisations or by the Government of Turkey.

      Universities: Drop-out Rates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which twenty undergraduate universities have the highest drop-out rates; and how many students at all undergraduate universities have failed to complete a degree...

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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