Written answers

Thursday, 17 February 2011

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Affordable Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable housing units he expects to have been completed in the London borough of Bexley in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

    • Councillors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department issues guidance to local councils wishing to reduce the number of councillors.

      Departmental Domestic Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the date was of each ministerial visit to each local authority area since May 2010.

      Departmental Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) women and (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

      Fire Services: Cambridgeshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the effect on service provision of the update of the (a) regression expenditure base for the funding formula...

      Green Belt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will make it his policy to ensure that (a) proposed neighbourhood development orders and (b) other proposed orders...

      Housing: Overcrowding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households approached each local authority for homelessness assistance on the grounds that overcrowding made it...

      Housing: Overcrowding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities award reasonable preference to overcrowded households in their allocations policy where overcrowding is...

      Private Rented Housing: Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to ensure closer working between private landlords and housing benefit administrators.

      Private Rented Housing: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to ensure that properties in the private rented sector meet minimum health and safety standards...

      Residents' Associations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information he holds on the number of residents' associations in each parliamentary constituency.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the management of estates by social tenants.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence and severity of antisocial behaviour in social housing.

      Travellers: Caravan Sites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to strengthen civil law relating to trespass in order to tackle unauthorised Traveller sites...

      Voluntary Organisations: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department provides to voluntary organisations which are facing closure or reduction in service delivery owing...

  • Scotland

    • Private Rented Housing: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the use of funds received from fines rendered against private landlords in Scotland.

    • Scotland Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to publish the correspondence on the Scotland Bill between his Department and the Scottish Government.

  • Health

    • Cancer Drugs Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria strategic health authorities use to grant funding from the interim Cancer Drugs Fund.

    • Carers: Grandparents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision his Department has made to support grandparents who are the primary carers of their disabled grandchildren.

      Chlamydia: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements will be placed on primary care trusts in respect of the delivery of the national Chlamydia screening programme for 2011-12.

      Departmental Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2011, Official Report, columns 458-60W, on departmental contracts, what services were provided under each contract...

      Diabetes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of diabetes and diabetes-related conditions in each year since 2005.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to issue guidance to GP consortia on the commissioning of fracture prevention services.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate (a) the number of fragility fractures which would be prevented and (b) the net cost savings to the NHS that would be achieved in an...

      Health Services: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence his Department has evaluated on the effect of variable price competition on the health care market.

      Horse Meat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many horses were slaughtered for food in each of the last five years.

      Horse Meat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many horses slaughtered for food (a) were thoroughbreds and (b) had horse passports in each of the last five years.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people with a personality disorder; and how many of those were in receipt of forensic mental health...

      NHS Foundation Trusts: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent a foundation trust from selling its property to offset short-term financial deficits.

      NHS: Managers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managerial staff were employed in the NHS in England at the end of each financial year since 1997-98.

      NHS: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons closed direction pensions transfers were introduced for social enterprises and not for other providers of public services.

      NHS: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely treatment under EU state aid rules of a foundation trust hospital which receives over 50% of its income from...

      NHS: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to require foundation trust hospitals to share (a) operating theatres and (b) brain scanners with private health providers under his...

      Prostate Gland: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the best practice tariff will maintain equity between the (a) transurethral resection of the prostate and (b) holmium laser enucleation of the...

      Transition Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011, Official Report, column 736W, on transition programme, for what reason the information on the (a) membership...

      Transition Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011, Official Report, column 736W, on transition programme, what the (a) names of, (b) leaders of and (c)...

      Transition Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011, Official Report, column 736W, on transition programme (1) if he will make it his policy to place in the...

      Transition Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2011, Official Report, column 736W, on transition programme, if he will publish a list of all meetings or events...

  • Justice

    • Corruption: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals on corruption in international business.

    • Corston Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the continuing operational viability in 2011-12 of each of the projects arising from the recommendations of the...

      Death Certificates: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely average fee to be charged for death certificates under the proposed new death certification process.

      Harassment: Restraining Order

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many persons were found guilty under Section 5(5) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 of breaching a restraining order and given (a) a...

      Lancaster Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which body will have responsibility for the maintenance of HM Prison Lancaster following its closure.

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the effects of the implementation of his proposed changes to the legal aid scheme on the number of litigants in...

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of legal aid recipients were (a) women, (b) black, (c) Asian and (d) minority ethnic in the last 12 months for which figures are...

      Legal Aid: Landlord and Tenant

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received legal aid in respect of a tenant's right to live in quiet enjoyment in the latest 12 months for which figures are available.

      Legal Aid: Repossession

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many repossession cases were (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully contested by the defendant in the most recent 12 month for which figures are...

      Legal Aid: Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many welfare claimants received legal aid in respect of a benefit claim in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

      National Offender Management Service: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many senior managers employed in the head office at the National Offender Management Service have (a) experience of and (b) a qualification in...

      Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the effectiveness of the rehabilitation of foreign national prisoners convicted in courts in England and Wales...

      Social Security Benefits: Tribunals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of welfare benefit tribunal cases were (a) won and (b) lost by the claimant in the most recent 12 month period for which...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • BSkyB: News Corporation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2011, Official Report, column 879W, on News Corporation, if he will ensure that the...

    • Digital Economy Act 2010

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effects on the digital economy of implementation of sections 3 to 16 of the Digital Economy...

      Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) for how long he anticipates the contract with Arqiva for licensing spectrum to the programme making and special events...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 9 December 2010 with regard to Ms J...

      Mobile Phones: Harassment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will discuss with mobile phone operators the introduction of a protocol to handle instances of menacing or harassing...

      Newspaper Press

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many local newspapers have closed in each region in each of the last 20 years.

      Tourism: Marketing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which (a) companies and (b) other organisations have pledged a contribution to the tourism marketing fund; and how much has...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Energy: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require third party energy intermediaries to sign up to a...

    • Energy: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to require energy suppliers to be responsible for the sales methods used by third party...

      Energy: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will direct Ofgem to review its procedure for complaints against third party intermediaries by small and medium-sized enterprises...

      Energy: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2011, Official Report, columns 910-11W, on energy, if he will work with his European counterparts...

      Energy: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in what proportion of privately-rented properties in the constituency of Brighton, Pavilion his Department expects energy efficiency...

      Energy: National Policy Statements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to discuss with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the findings of the Report by the...

      International Climate Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contribution his Department plans to make to the international climate finance fund over the period of the comprehensive spending...

      Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of solar photovoltaic projects supported through the feed-in tariff scheme that were...

      Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the inclusion of solar photovoltaic projects in his review of feed-in tariffs on...

      Warm Front Scheme: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in Enfield North constituency have participated in the Warm Front scheme in each of the last five years.

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many submissions were made to his Department's Warm Home Discount consultation; how many such submissions called for terminally ill...

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contacts between UK forces and the Taliban there have been in Helmand province in each month since April 2009.

    • Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ISAF-trained Afghan National Army personnel worked in partnership with UK forces between (a) 18 May 2009 and 4 October 2009, (b) 5 October...

      Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider the merits of making regular reports to Parliament on the deployed number of (a) ISAF-trained Afghan National Army personnel, (b)...

      Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fatalities there were in Afghanistan among ISAF-trained Afghan National Army personnel (1) working in Afghanistan in partnership with (a) UK...

      Armed Forces: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the pension entitlement will be of a member of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme who retires after 30 years' full-time service on a salary of (a)...

      Armed Forces: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely savings to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme of the proposed indexation according to the consumer prices index (a)...

      Christmas Island: Radioactive Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the location is of the (a) toxic and (b) radiologically-contaminated waste recovered as a result of the remediation programme conducted on...

      Defence: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the (a) names, (b) job titles and (c) dates of office were of the senior responsible owners for the Typhoon project; (2) pursuant to the...

      Defence: Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what serviceable (a) aircraft, (b) vessels and (c) weapons systems his Department has sold since 1997; and how much it received from each such sale.

      Depleted Uranium

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many depleted uranium shells were fired into the Irish sea from ranges operated by his Department in each year since 2007.

      Munitions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much his Department expects to spend on loitering munitions in 2010-11; (2) whether he is reviewing his Department's contracts for loitering...

      Munitions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates his Department has made on potential cost savings in the procurement of loitering munitions equipment.

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what airborne (a) electronic intelligence and (b) intelligence, surveillance, target co-operation and reconnaissance capability will remain to HM Armed...

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many specialist RAF personnel formally employed on the MRA4 project will be (a) retained and (b) made redundant.

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the physical destruction of the MRA4 airframes was initiated; and by whom the decision was taken to release images of this process to the...

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to preserve the (a) airborne and (b) ground-based components of the EL/8300 Electronic Support Measures system, together with...

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the cancelled MRA4 aircraft had been flown; and how many flights in total had been undertaken.

      Nuclear Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of items for propulsion for the first three boats to be purchased ahead of the Trident...

      Nuclear Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the status is of those contracts for long-lead items for the Trident replacement programme that were suspended in May 2010 pending the result of the...

      Nuclear Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date it will be necessary to make long-lead purchases prior to the Trident replacement main gate decision.

      Nuclear Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Parliamentary scrutiny of the Trident replacement programme prior to the main gate decision.

      Strategic Defence and Security Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from whom his Department received written submissions to the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Prime Minister

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he has in the event that the Prime Minister is incapacitated and unable to carry out his duties.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Animal Products: Clones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's policy is on the use of the offspring of cloned animals in food production.

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on promotion of the neutering of cats and dogs by their owners.

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce proposals arising from her Department's public consultation on the use of wild animals in circuses.

      Arctic Resources

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to call for (a) an end to the exploitation of Arctic resources and (b) no further resource...

      Birds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) effects of and (b) factors underlying the decline in the size of the songbird...

      Circuses: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish the conclusions of the review of the use of wild animals in circuses.

      Common Fisheries Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she plans to have with the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on fish discards.

      Dairy Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms there are in England; and what the average subsidy paid to each farm was in the latest period for which...

      Dangerous Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual cost to her Department was of kennelling dogs seized (a) by Merseyside Police and (b) nationally in 2010.

      Departmental Information Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d)...

      Dogs: Electric Shock Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what date she expects her Department's research project on the implications for the welfare of dogs of electric shock...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which sites sold by the Forestry Commission in each constituency have been sold since May 2010; what the size was of each...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the contribution to biodiversity of established conifer plantations owned and managed by the...

      Forests: Deer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on the welfare of deer of the implementation of her proposals for the disposal of...

      Gangmasters Licensing Authority: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has allocated to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority over the Comprehensive Spending Review period.

      Inland Waterways: Avon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made in consideration of the application for cruiseway status for the Kennet and Avon Canal.

      Irish Sea: Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of ships illegally flushing their tanks in the Irish sea were reported to her Department in each of the...

      Irish Sea: Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many oil spills or leaks in the Irish Sea have been reported to her Department in each of the past 10 years; and what the...

      National Nature Reserves

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on the potential sale of National Nature Reserves.

      Noise: National Policy Statements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ilford North of 26 January 2011, Official Report, column 522W, on local...

      Palm Oil Crops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with Wetlands International on the effect of the growth of palm oil crops on biodiversity.

      Pets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the number of dogs and cats available for sale (a) through classified advertisements and (b) via...

      Rabbits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department plans to publish a code of practice on the welfare of pet rabbits.

      Squirrels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many licences were issued by Natural England for the release of grey squirrels into the wild in each year since 2008.

      Waste Disposal: Devonport Dockyard

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish copies of written communications from her Department to the Ministry of Defence on the decision of the...

  • International Development

    • Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced People

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the development implications of the displacement of people in northern and eastern Sri Lanka following...

    • Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced People

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of humanitarian conditions for internally displaced people in government-controlled camps in Sri Lanka.

      Sudan: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance his Department is providing to northern Sudan.

      United Nations

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the steps taken by the UN to improve its response to natural disasters; and if he will make a...

      World Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to reform the World Bank; and if he will make a statement.

  • Home Department

    • Crimes of Violence: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women who were the victims of (a) wounding and (b) grievous bodily harm had been previously stalked or harassed by the perpetrator...

    • Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) cost and (b) outcomes for levels of drug crime in South Wales were of Operation Tarian.

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was allocated to police forces by central Government in each year since 2005-06.

      UK Border Agency: Peterborough City Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services were provided to Peterborough City Council by the UK Border Agency at a cost of £27,000 as published on the Council's...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Average Earnings

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average gap between the earnings per hour of a full-time (a) female and (b) male worker was in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2010.

    • Businesses: Bexley

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new business start-ups there were in Bexley in each of the last three years.

      Infant Mortality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) neonatal, (b) infant and (c) child mortality rates (i) at Doncaster hospital, (ii) at Bassetlaw hospital, (iii) in the Yorkshire...

      Life Expectancy: Females

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of women currently aged 56 are forecast to live to the age of (a) 65, (b) 70, (c) 80 and (d) 100.

      Older Workers

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the labour market participation rate is for (a) women and (b) men aged (i) between 50 and 55 and (ii) between 56 and 60 years.

      Personal Income

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the level of household personal disposable income (a) at current prices and (b) in real terms in each year since 1981;...

      Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of active members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme earn (a) between £10,000 and £15,000, (b) between...

  • Prime Minister

    • Business: Community Development

      To ask the Prime Minister which companies have informed him of their intention to participate in the Every Business Commits initiative.

    • Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Prime Minister (1) when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Bury South, dated 24 January 2011; (2) when he plans to answer question 38789, on correspondence...

  • Treasury

    • Banks: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish a list of each attendee at each meeting which has taken place as part of Project Merlin; (2) how many meetings relating to Project...

    • Banks: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) (i) discussions and (ii) meetings his Department had with and (b) representations he received from the Scottish Government on Project Merlin...

      Child Care Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on work incentives of reductions in entitlement to the child care element of working tax credit.

      Departmental Conferences

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility; (2) what his Department's...

      Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to spending review 2010, page 69, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of public funds spent on meeting the mobility needs of...

      Financial Services: Consumer Protection

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contribution he plans to make on consumer protection in financial services to the Financial Stability Board prior to the G20 Summit in November 2011.

      Financial Services: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he next expects to discuss with his European counterparts an agreement on transparency for executive pay in the financial services sector.

      Financial Services: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to secure agreement with other European countries on transparency of executive pay in the financial services sector.

      Financial Services: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's meetings on Project Merlin have involved small businesses in Northern Ireland.

      Income Tax: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residents of Northern Ireland there were in each income tax band in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 9 December 2010 in regard to Ms G Brownridge.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he expects to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 11 January 2011 sent to the Department of Energy and Climate...

      National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the number of employees for whom employers pay no national insurance contributions in each (a) local authority, (b)...

      Revenue and Customs: ICT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the capacity of commercial software suppliers to provide the necessary software for businesses to comply with the April 2011...

      Revenue and Customs: ICT

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of (a) the likely effect on business costs of the implementation of iXBRL filing, (b) the likely effect of penalties imposed...

      Royal Bank of Scotland: Santander

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects on competition of the sale of Royal Bank of Scotland branches to Santander.

      Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the exemptions for woodland owners from (a) capital gains tax, (b) inheritance tax and (c) income tax.

      Taxation: Aviation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment has been made of the effects on the level of aviation taxation in the UK and (a) economic activity, (b) trade, (c) tourism and (d)...

      UK Financial Investments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a public interest test in respect of disposal of assets of companies in which UK Financial...

      VAT: Supermarkets

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to extend the application of the basic rate of value added tax to hot food sold from delicatessen counters in supermarkets; and if he will...

      Welfare Tax Credits: Repayments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will fund proposals to allow tax credit claimants who have received erroneous payments due to administrative error to have payments backdated by more...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Access to Work Programme: Sign Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications were (a) made and (b) approved under the Access to Work scheme for sign language interpreting services (i) in 2009-2010...

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to conduct its review of procedures and rules relating to share care cases;...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the most recent previous employment was of each senior staff member newly employed on a fixed-term contract in his Department since May 2010.

      Departmental Official Cars

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many ministerial cars his Department has used since May 2010.

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on travel for officials since May 2010.

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of Rossendale and Darwen constituency receiving disability living allowance (DLA) have had their DLA payments reassessed in...

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proportion of the mobility element of disability living allowance that is spent by recipients on (a)...

      Disability Living Allowance: AIDS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the length of time for which persons diagnosed with AIDS prior to 1999 will be eligible for disability living allowance.

      Health and Safety Executive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Health and Safety Executive to bring forward proposals for the next steps in its development as a more commercial entity...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition he uses for under-occupancy of social rented accommodation for the purposes of restricting housing benefit.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish the two-year review of the local housing allowance.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the liability of local authorities for penalties for early termination of contracts for outsourced housing...

      Housing Benefit: Pregnant Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what point single pregnant women become entitled to the single room rate of housing benefit rather than the shared room rate; and if he will...

      Incapacity Benefit: Dartford

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Dartford constituency successfully claimed incapacity benefit due to heart disease in each of the last five years.

      Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive has launched the simplified interactive risk assessment form for (a) offices, (b) classrooms and (c)...

      Jobcentre Plus: Kilmarnock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he next plans to visit the Jobcentre that serves Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency; and if he will make a statement.

      Pensioners: Personal Savings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) women and (b) men aged 56 who have pension savings of (i) less than £2,000, (ii) less...

      Pensioners: Personal Savings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of average monetary value of pension savings of (a) men and (b) women aged (i) 30, (ii) 40 and (iii) 50.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Barnett consequential funding his Department has provided to each of the devolved Administrations in (a) 2010-11 to date and (b)...

      Remploy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2010, Official Report, column 461W, to the hon. Member for Glasgow East, on Remploy, when he expects the...

      Remploy: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the number of managers in Remploy since 2008.

      Remploy: Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that the management of Remploy consult and negotiate on their plans for the future of the organisation with the...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how employment will be defined for the purposes of determining which household will be subject to the proposed total cap on benefit entitlement...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households which will be subject to the cap on benefit entitlement where social rents are set at 80%...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the working age population of each constituency in the UK were in receipt of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b)...

      Social Security Benefits: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of those in receipt of each welfare benefit are deaf.

      Social Security Benefits: Kirkcaldy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2011, Official Report, columns 84-6W, how many and what proportion of the working age population of...

      State Retirement Pensions: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of women who are carers who will be affected by the revised timetable for increasing state...

      Unemployment and Early Retirement: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of women who will (a) become unemployed and (b) take early retirement before reaching the...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the additional 6,800 work capability assessment claims started between October 2008 and May 2009 are included in the figures...

  • Transport

    • Aviation: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the European Aviation Safety Agency's publication OPS 1, Subpart Q, on flight time limitations for air pilots, (1) what...

    • Aviation: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on pilot fatigue in the last 10 years.

      Aviation: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the effects on safety of replacing the Civil Aviation Authority's current CAP 371 flight time limitations with the...

      Aviation: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors he will use in determining whether changes to pilots' flight time limitations being proposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency...

      Aviation: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on safety of the European Aviation Safety Agency's Notice of Proposed Amendment for flight time limitations.

      Bus Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has undertaken an equality impact assessment on the effect on bus services to changes to (a) Bus Service Operator Grant, (b) concessionary...

      Bus Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the effects of reductions in public expenditure on the...

      Departmental NDPBs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets have been set for the work of the Highways Agency.

      Galileo System: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the UK of the EU Galileo project.

      Highways Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that all major schemes being undertaken by the Highways Agency are the subject of an up-to-date business case.

      HM Coastguard: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse is of (a) each regional director in HM Coastguard posts and (b) the support teams for each such director.

      Lorries: Sleep Apnoea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the proportion of drivers of large goods vehicles of each age group who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea.

      Railways: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to ensure that residents in areas north of Birmingham potentially affected by high speed rail have the opportunity to...

      Railways: Franchising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will have powers to prevent train operating companies changing local rail services under new franchises.

      Railways: Industrial Disputes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011, Official Report, column 539W, on railways: industrial disputes, and with reference to the answer to the...

      Roads: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many wheelchair users were (a) killed and (b) injured in accidents when travelling in a taxi or minibus in the last 12 months for which figures...

      Roads: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of local authorities which have levels of salt in store at or below the recommended...

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the planned additional train carriages to increase capacity on the rail network will be distributed among franchised operators.

      Salt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of procurement of the strategic stockpile of rock salt; what the volume of rock salt so procured was; what costs have been incurred...

      Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what preparation for winter weather his Department made prior to the severe weather of December 2010; (2) what recent discussions he has had...

      Southeastern

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received on the future of the Integrated Kent Franchise; (2) what criteria his Department will use to assess...

      Southeastern

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much he estimates Southeastern will receive from the public purse in each year of the current franchise agreement; and if he will estimate how much...

      Tolls: Lorries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) costs and (b) benefits of his proposed road pricing scheme for hauliers he has identified; and what estimate he has made of likely annual...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on widening access to higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds; and if he will make a...

    • Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to paragraph 4.4 of the Guidance to the Director of Fair Access, whether he has plans to publish the names of...

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to paragraph 4.4 of the guidance to the Director of Fair Access, which courses offer the greatest financial...

      Royal Mail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with Royal Mail on the future of the inter-business agreement with the Post Office.

      Apprenticeships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship starts there have been in the academic year 2010-11 to date.

      Groceries Supply Code

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on establishing a body to monitor and enforce the groceries supply code of practice; and if he will...

      Small Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on support for small businesses.

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new apprenticeship places for those aged (a) 18 to 24 and (b) 16 to 18 years he plans to create in the 2011-12...

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps is he taking to create more apprenticeship places for those aged (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 18 to 24 years in the 2011-12...

      Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to which countries the exports of defence equipment has been supported by the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security...

      Business Investment Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on support for private sector jobs in (a) Easington constituency and (b) the North...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) records the number of energy contracts mis-sold to small and medium-sized enterprises by...

      Business: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will direct the Office of Fair Trading to use the powers available to it under the Business Protection from Misleading...

      Business: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to provide incentives to contractors to promote business support in rural areas.

      Climate Change Projects Office: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of businesses in (a) the London Borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London who have...

      Community Interest Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many community interest companies were registered in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last 10 years.

      Debts: Advisory Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what initiatives he has for the promotion of free and impartial debt advice.

      Fair Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which persons and organisations responded to his Department's consultation on the draft guidance to the Director of Fair Access...

      Fair Access

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the final guidance issued to the Director of Fair Access does not include the contents of paragraph 6.1 in the...

      Fossil Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what definition of dirty fossil fuel energy production his Department uses.

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on collaboration between schools and universities on...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to provide information to university applicants on the performance of individual institutions against the access...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to publish contextual data used by universities following the Guidance to the Director of Fair Access at the...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation he carried out prior to issuing his Department's Guidance to the Director of Fair Access, February 2011; which...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to make access agreements for individual universities known to potential applicants to those universities.

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the low participation neighbourhoods referred to in paragraph 6 of the Guidance to the Director of Fair Access, February...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the amount spent by each university on outreach activities in the latest period for which figures...

      Local Enterprise Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2011, Official Report, column 832W, on local enterprise partnerships, what successor bodies...

      Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he (1) expects to transfer staff from his Whitehall offices to his Department's new regional offices; and whether he...

      Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of staff who will be employed in his Department's new regional offices in 2011-12.

      Money Lenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to protect the public against unscrupulous loan sharks.

      National Regional Development Agency Transition Programme Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the plans submitted to the National Regional Development Agency Transition Programme Board by each regional...

      New Businesses: Bexley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small business start-ups in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

      Older People: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people in Scotland likely to be affected by the end of the default retirement age; and...

      One North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the effects on the economy of the North East of the removal of grants previously provided by...

      Patents: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress has been made towards the establishment of the EU Patents Court.

      Regional Development Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) who will be responsible for decisions arising from recommendations from the National Regional Development Agency Transition...

      Regional Development Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans to include local enterprise board representatives on the National Regional Development Agency Transition...

      Regional Development Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria the National Regional Transition Programme Board will use to decide whether regional development agency assets will...

      Regional Development Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what liaison his Department's new regional offices will have with regional development agency offices while the latter remain in...

      Regional Development Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions the National Regional Development Agency (RDA) Transition Programme Board is scheduled to meet to consider...

      Regional Development Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation he had with stakeholders prior to the creation of the National Regional Development Agency Transition Programme...

      Regional Development Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how the area covered by the South East Economic Development Agency will be represented on the National Regional Development...

      Regional Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what role his Department's new regional offices will have in advising the National Regional Development Agency Transition Board...

      Regional Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blackpool South of 8 February 2011, Official Report, column 216W, on regional...

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many pooled bids he has received for funds from the Regional Growth Fund.

      Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many student places his Department funded in 2009-10; how much such places it plans to fund in each of the next four years;...

      Students: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2011, Official Report, column 155W, on students: finance, what the outcome was on his...

      Trade Promotion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which countries his Department has identified as potential high growth markets for UK businesses; and what steps he is taking to...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Afghanistan: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Anas Sarwar) of 2 February 2011, Official Report, column 816W,...

    • Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure in real terms on (a) counter-narcotics and (b) rule of law...

      Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on human rights and democracy programmes in Afghanistan in real terms...

      BBC External Services: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between his Department and the (a) BBC World Service...

      Colombia: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with his Colombian counterpart the issue of the safety of (a) human rights activists and (b) trade unionists...

      Colombia: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with his Colombian counterpart the cases of David Ravelo Crespo and Carolina Rubio during his visit to Colombia.

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of his Department's full-time equivalent headcount in each country in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and...

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on establishing a new foreign currency mechanism.

      Egypt: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to assist British citizens without access to finance to return to the UK from Egypt.

      Egypt: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first received reports of unrest in Egypt.

      Gaza: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the change in the volume of goods entering the Gaza Strip from Israel since June 2010.

      Gaza: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the number of international staff of non-governmental organisations entering and leaving...

      Iran: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to support human rights groups in Iran.

      Israel: Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the government of Israel since 15 June 2010 on its policy on the misuse of British passports.

      Israel: Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions he has had since 10 June 2010 with the Government of Israel on its policy on the misuse of British...

      Middle East: International Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department provided to aid and promote joint business initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians in...

      Middle East: International Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Palestinian Authority, (b) his Israeli counterpart and (c) his US counterpart...

      Middle East: International Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) his US counterpart, (b) the Palestinian Authority and (c) his Israeli counterpart...

      Palestinians: Security Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department provided to assist the US Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian territories in the...

      Thailand: Cambodia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on recent events on the Cambodia-Thai border; and if he will make a statement.

      Turkey: EU Enlargement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the likely timetable for the accession of Turkey as a full member of the EU; and if he will...

      Western Sahara: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent incident at el-Aauin/Gdeim Izak and its effect on the 1991 ceasefire agreement in...

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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