Written answers

Wednesday, 12 October 2011

  • Northern Ireland

    • Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on security and the common travel area since May 2010.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Departmental Consultants

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what procedures her Department uses when engaging external consultants.

    • Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office spent on new furnishings in the last year.

  • Transport

    • Airports: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of his letter to the European institutions regarding the searching of religious headgear at airports.

    • Blue Badge Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate has been made of the number of blue badges in circulation.

      Bus Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to allowing delegated driving examiners to provide tests for multiple bus companies where there is no conflict of interest.

      Bus Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by municipal bus companies as a result of being restricted to borrowing only from local...

      Coastguard Agency: Liverpool

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the proposal by staff at Liverpool Maritime and Coastguard Agency to create a Maritime Operations Centre at Liverpool.

      Great Western Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to electrify the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea.

      Motorways: Speed Limits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 959W, on motorways: speed limits, whether his Department plans to review default speed...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the decision to allow the inflation linked cap on rail fares to rise from RPI plus 1 per cent. to RPI plus 3 per cent. from January...

      Railways: Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail regarding a railway transport hub at Heathrow airport; (2) when he plans to make an...

      Rescue Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responses he has received to his Department's consultation on the future of the coastguard; and what assessment he has made of those submissions.

      Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the note of each meeting held by (a) the Secretary of State and (b) Ministers of State on (i)...

  • Wales

    • Private Sector Job Creation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues and others on job creation in the private sector in Wales.

    • Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with (a) her ministerial colleagues and (b) university vice-chancellors on cross-border issues in higher education.

      Pensioner Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment she has made of the extent of pensioner poverty in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

      Swansea Coastguard Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the future of Swansea coastguard station.

  • Home Department

    • Pre-Departure Accommodation Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who she expects to undertake the independent inspection of pre-departure accommodation centre for families and children detained for...

    • Anti-Slavery Day

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to mark Anti-Slavery day 2011.

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much section 4 asylum support was granted in the 12 months to 1 September 2011.

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were granted in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010.

      Departmental Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures her Department uses when engaging external consultants.

      Departmental Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the removal of protection under the Immigration Rules for victims of domestic violence with unspent...

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the objectives are for the domestic abuse, stalking and honour-based violence risk identification training for police forces; (2)...

      Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals relating to visa applications under the asylum category have been (a) upheld and (b) refused in the last 12 months.

      Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals for visa applications in the Family Migrant category have (a) been upheld and (b) failed in the last 12 months.

      Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to promote the use of participatory budgeting in future resource allocation decisions for which her Department is responsible.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she plans to reply to the letter of 3 June 2011 from the hon. Member for Walsall North regarding constituents, ref: M10597; (2)...

      Police: Ashfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the average number of years in employment for a police constable in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b)...

      Police: Email

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department provides to police forces on provision of contact email addresses for chief constables.

      Police: Termination of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2011, Official Report, column 1009W, on police: termination of employment, what action a police officer...

      Primates

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of recommendation 14 of the Review of research using non-human primates chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson...

      Sojourner Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received from women's groups on the Sojourner Project.

      UK Border Agency: Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the accessibility and clarity of UK Border Agency guidance for Commonwealth military personnel and foreign...

      UK Border Agency: Translation Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency spent on translation services in each of the last five years.

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on recruitment advertising for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and Royal Marines and (c) Royal Air Force since May 2010.

    • EU Defence Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which European Defence Agency projects the UK is taking part.

      EU Defence Policy: Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role Permanent Structural Cooperation will have in the creation of an EU Permanent Operational Headquarters.

  • Health

    • Health and Social Care Bill 2010-12

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Health and Social Care Bill to require joint working between health and education services in...

    • Health Professions: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the European Commission's review of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC, with regard to (a) midwives...

      Health Services: Overseas Visitors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1179W, on health services: overseas visitors (a) how much was owed to the NHS in unpaid...

      Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2011, Official Report, columns 1263-4W, on health services: reciprocal arrangements, what steps he is taking to...

      Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether a requirement will be placed on the franchise holder for Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust to reduce the trust's legacy debt; and whether it will be...

      Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne of 7 December 2010, what the reason is for the time taken to commence the...

      Hospitals: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of non-disclosure clauses signed by doctors in each London hospital in the last five years; and what...

      Influenza: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of influenza vaccine for winter 2011-12.

      Medical Records: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the safeguards in the Personal Demographics Service to prevent illegal access to personal information.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Leeds West of 2 September 2011.

      NHS: Psychology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychologists employed by the NHS specialised in (a) cancer, (b) dermatology, (c) burns, (d) plastics, (e) ophthalmology, (f) craniofacial...

      NHS: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how commissioners will obtain specialist advice on speech, language and communication needs under his proposals for NHS reform.

      Orthopaedics: Footwear

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints the NHS received in relation to orthopaedic shoes in each of the last five years.

      Waiting Lists: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waited over six months for NHS treatment in Birmingham in each year since 1997.

      Waiting Lists: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for (a) inpatient and (b) outpatient treatments was for patients in Birmingham on (i) May 1997 and (ii) May of each...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Afghanistan: British Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the British Council's work in Afghanistan; and if he will make a...

    • Algeria: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Algeria on religious freedom for Christians in that country.

      Belarus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last had direct discussions with the government of Belarus.

      B'Tselem

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much (a) financial and (b) other support his Department provided to B'Tselem—The Israeli Information Centre for Human...

      China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with the government of China in 2011.

      China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many hon. Members his Department assisted in arranging visas for or meetings in China in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

      China: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed in person human rights and democracy with the Chinese Ambassador.

      Columbia: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what human rights issues he raised during his meeting with the Colombian foreign minister on 13 July 2011.

      Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the resource budget allocation was for the office of his Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last five...

      Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the salary, including benefits, was of his Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which...

      Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the office of his Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last...

      Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on requiring his Department's (a) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (b) contractors to have a...

      Departmental Official Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have visited the institutions of the (a) European Union, (b) World Trade...

      Departmental Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on new furnishings in the last year.

      Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many requests he received from hon. Members for assistance from his Department to bring to trial constituents detained in...

      Dubai: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many hon. Members wrote to him about constituents detained and awaiting trial in Dubai in each of the last 10 years.

      Indian Subcontinent: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he received from (a) the Indian Government, (b) the Pakistani Government, (c) human rights organisations...

      Kashmir: Foreign Relations

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

      Kashmir: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on respect for human rights in Kashmir; and if he will...

      Kashmir: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Indian Government on respect for human rights in Indian-administered Kashmir; and if he...

      Kashmir: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with human rights organisations on respect for human rights in Indian-administered Kashmir.

      Kashmir: Peacekeeping Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to help achieve a long-term peace in Kashmir.

      Libya: UN Resolutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his counterparts in (i) France and (ii) the US and (b) the Libyan National Transitional...

      Middle East: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many hon. Members requested assistance from his Department for constituents detained without trial in countries in the...

      North Korea: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the case of the family of Dr Oh Kil-nam, believed to have been...

      Palestinians: United Nations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to support the Palestinian Authority's efforts to be recognised as a sovereign, independent...

      Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka on the independence of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation...

      Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka on protection for witnesses and victims appearing before the...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters he has received on funding for civil society organisations within his Department's area of responsibility in...

      West Bank: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the proposed demolition of the school in Khan al Ahmar,...

  • Justice

    • Bill of Rights Commission: European Court of Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the Bill of Rights Commission's interim proposals on the reform of the European Court of Human Rights; and which...

    • Civil Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged under-18 years in each ethnic group have been imprisoned (a) on remand and (b) under sentence in connection with the public disorder...

      Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) number of claims and (b) total value of claims paid to residents of the City of Nottingham through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme...

      Electoral Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which local authorities are piloting new ways to share data and increase electoral registration; and when the pilots will finish.

      Judicial Review: Public Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the number of applications for judicial review that were (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused on matters...

      Polygamy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many polygamous households exist in the UK; and what steps are being taken to reduce the number of such households.

      Prison Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) certified normal accommodation and (b) operational capacity was of each prison and young offenders establishment on (i) 1 January 2008, (ii)...

      Prison: Video Linkup

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many days the video linkup system at Peterborough Prison has been fully operational in the last three months; and what assessment he has made of...

      Prisons: Contracts for services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department paid to the contractors running (a) HMP Doncaster, (b) HMP Peterborough, (c) HMP Lowdham Grange, (d) HMP Bronzefield, (e) HMP...

      Tribunals Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what resources he has allocated to the Tribunals Service to reduce the number of cases waiting to be heard in the latest period for which figures...

      Tribunals Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) in how many cases on appeal dealt with by the Tribunals Service decisions were overturned in the latest period for which figures are available; (2)...

      Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were employed by the Tribunals Service to deal with appeals against work capability assessment decisions in each month of (a) 2010 and (b)...

      Wormwood Scrubs: BBC

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2011, Official Report, column 632W, on Wormwood Scrubs: BBC, what reasons have been given for the delay from the...

      Youth Justice Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget he has allocated to the Youth Justice Board for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

      Youth Offending Teams

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funding youth offending teams received in total in each year since 2007.

  • Treasury

    • Banks: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK banks which take up their full allocation of European Investment Bank funding; (2) what happens to...

    • Capital Investment: Government Departments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Oldham West and Royton of 14 June 2011, Official Report, column 701W, how many capital expenditure programmes...

  • International Development

    • Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness of (a) nutrition and (b) agriculture in developing countries; and if he will...

  • Education

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds were undertaking an apprenticeship in each of the last five financial years; and what proportion he expects to...

    • Departmental Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by his Department in 2010-11; what guidance his Department...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations his Department has received from directorates of the European Commission on the UK's carbon floor price.

    • Carbon Emissions: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on negotiations to apply a carbon price to international shipping emissions.

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from the European Commission on electricity market reform.

      Energy Supply: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how he plans to consult energy-intensive industries prior to the announcement of measures to mitigate the effects on them of...

      Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many community installations accredited for the feed-in-tariff scheme are (a) above and (b) below 50KW.

      Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of people aged over 60 in fuel poverty in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c)...

      Oil

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his further review of regulatory procedures of the UK oil and gas industry will give to the oil leak from Shell's...

      Renewable Energy: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the annual average (a) proportion and (b) cash amount by which the energy bills of domestic...

      Renewables Obligation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Renewables Obligation Certificate banding review; and when he expects his proposed consultation as...

      Water Power: Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether marine energy projects will be eligible to receive support through his proposed feed-in tariff with contract for difference.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Laws: Regulations

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which laws and regulations have been repealed since May 2010.

    • Recall of Members of Parliament

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2011, Official Report, column 623W, on Recall of Members of Parliament, whether he expects to publish his proposals for recall of...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Anti-Slavery Day

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to mark Anti-Slavery Day 2011.

    • Computers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many laptops were lost by staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and what penalties were imposed on those staff members as...

      Crisis Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2011, Official Report, column 462W, on crisis loans, how much has been repaid against crisis loans made...

      Departmental Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made in eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements with a value of under £100,000.

      Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in residential care homes in each local authority claim the mobility component of disability living allowance.

      Disability Premium: Glasgow

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in (a) Glasgow and (b) Scotland are currently in receipt of the (i) disability premium and (ii) enhanced disability premium.

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the amount of any personal or occupational pension that is disregarded for the purpose of calculating the amount of money...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to his Department of writing to all contributory employment and support allowance claimants in the support group...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) whether he carried out an impact assessment of his proposal not to allow access to employment and support allowance during an appeal...

      Employment and Support Allowance: Brighton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made by residents in Brighton and Hove unitary authority area were...

      Employment Schemes: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants who will qualify for his planned mandatory work activity scheme.

      Employment: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sanctions were issued as a result of a claimant refusing an offer made under the Young Person's Guarantee between April 2010 and March...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to allow local authorities to transfer unspent central Government funding provided for the annual allowance...

      Industrial Health and Safety: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, columns 1173-4W, on industrial health and safety: construction, in what...

      Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what requirements his Department sets in respect of telephone answering timescales; and what proportion of telephone calls breached these...

      Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Calls

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association and its local offices the same level of telephone and email access to...

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to enable the automatic payment of pension credit; and if he will make a statement.

      Social Security Benefits: Polygamy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claims were rejected due to the polygamous nature of the applicant's marriage in each of the last three years.

      Social Security Benefits: Polygamy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to what extent polygamous families are recognised in the benefits system; which benefits and credits may be claimed by such families; and if he...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the changes which would be needed to the state pension age to maintain the average proportion of adult life spent in...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the savings to the Exchequer which would arise from bringing forward the proposed increase in the state pension age to 67...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer which would arise from capping the increase in the state pension age for an individual to a...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely effect of auto-enrolment on the amount spent on pensions tax relief in each income decile in (a) 2012,...

      Unemployment Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of (a) non-EEA nationals, (b) EEA nationals and (c) UK nationals claiming out-of-work benefits in...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland that are in receipt of tax credits that will have their...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a claimant will move from universal credit to tax credits if they transfer from an employer making universal credit real time PAYE...

      Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department was of appeals made to the Tribunals Service against work capability assessment decisions in (a) 2009, (b) 2010...

      Work Capability Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments of claimants previously in receipt of incapacity benefit were completed in each month of 2011 to date.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Childbirth: Neonatal Mortality

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) live births and (b) stillbirths there were in each region of England in 2010.

    • Civil Servants: Pensions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent progress has been made on the mutualisation of MyCSP; and if he will make a statement.

      Jobseeker’s Allowance

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many claimants flowed off jobseeker's allowance in each month from August 2010 to August 2011.

      Social Media: Civil Servants

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what (a) discussions he has had and (b) representations he has received on (i) existing and (ii) future guidance on the use of social media by civil...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects to bring forward legislative proposals to set the framework for charitable incorporated organisations.

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects to (a) begin and (b) complete his consultation on reforming facility time arrangements for trade union representatives; and when he...

      Trade Unions: Civil Service

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will introduce measures to make the use of facility time by trade union representatives more transparent; and if he will require that details must...

      Young People: Unemployment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people aged 18-24 years are unemployed in Halifax; and what proportion were unemployed in May 2010.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Export Control Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 78-79WS, on export control policy...

    • Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department expects to charge for each approval process for licensing the export of arms and weapons.

      Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of exports from the construction industry.

      Defence Equipment: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department contributed towards the cost of supporting the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition at...

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have sought on the for-profit higher education system in (i)...

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates officials of his Department have had meetings with private higher education providers since May 2010.

      Higher Education: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason Warburg Pincus attended a meeting of for-profit and private higher education providers in (a) December 2010 and...

      Higher Education: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with the US Justice Department on its...

      Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage and support community-run post offices.

      Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many community-run post offices there are in (a) the UK and (b) Kent.

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to announce the first allocation of funds under the regional growth fund.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Audit Commission: Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 February 2011, Official Report, columns 830-1W, on Audit Commission: allowances, if he will publish...

    • Council Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people renting council accommodation in each of the last 30 years.

      Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of empty homes (a) returned into use to date and (b) to be returned to use by October...

      Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral answer of 5 September 2011, Official Report, column 11, on empty homes, what mechanisms he plans to use to...

      EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press notice of 1 August 2011, on European Regional Development Funding, how much funding has...

      EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press notice of 1 August 2011, on European Regional Development Funding, what the reasons are...

      Homes and Communities Agency: Government Procurement Card

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff of the Housing and Communities Agency and its predecessor were disciplined for misuse or abuse of the Government...

      Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what effect the introduction of the New Homes Bonus will have on the level of formula grant for local authorities in the...

      Housing: Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the impact on the average cost of construction of an average home of achieving the...

      Landlords

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the merits of introducing statutory landlord accreditation.

      Local Government: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to allow local authorities to transfer unspent funding provided by central Government to the...

      Metals: Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an estimate of the cost to local authorities of replacing metal items which have been stolen in (a) England,...

      Natural Gas: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that landlords comply with the legal requirement to arrange for registered Gas Safe engineers...

      Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the ending of the Citizenship Survey and The Place Survey; and what analysis his...

      Temporary Employment: Contracts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department issues guidance to local authorities on the contracting of agency staff; and if he will place in the...

      Travellers: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans located on sites granted retrospective planning...

      Waste Disposal: Domestic Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what formula has been agreed for the distribution of the additional funding for local authorities to obtain or sustain weekly...

  • Attorney-General

    • Crown Prosecution Service

      To ask the Attorney-General how many cases the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has reviewed for trial in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and in how many of those cases the CPS...

  • House of Lords

    • Armed Forces: Medals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 14 September (WA 58), they wish to revise the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach...

    • Bats

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what surveys have been made of the use by bats of the two bat bridges constructed over the A38 Dobwalls Bypass; and what conclusions have been drawn regarding the...

      Bats

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what cost-benefit analysis has been made of the cost to public funds of the construction by the Highways Agency of bridges for bats; and what proportion of the...

      Bats

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to finalise the design of the bridge for bats which the Highways Agency proposes to build over the A11 Fiveways to Thetford road improvement in...

      Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any changes have recently been made in determining the entitlement to United Kingdom benefits of applicants from other European Union member states.

      Equality Act 2010

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact the reduced resources and the restructuring of the Equality and Human Rights Commission will have on the implementation of the provisions of the...

      Finance: Credit Easing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury's representative in attendance at the next meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England will be explaining, or answering...

      Finance: Eurozone

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what means the European Union can employ to force member states to remain in the eurozone against their wishes.

      Finance: Foreign Exchange

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to intervene to prevent currency exchange bureaux advertising zero commissions while charging exchange rates with margins in excess of 25...

      Government Departments: Telephone Calls

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what departmental telephone calls were made by (a) the Secretary of State for Transport, (b) the Minister of State for Transport and (c) the Permanent Secretary of...

      Gypsies and Travellers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the equality impact assessment with regard to the ending of specialist consultancy services on the...

      Health: Diabetes

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals are being considered in the European Union to change the law with regard to drivers with diabetes; and what discussions they are holding regarding...

      Infrastructure Planning

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the speech given by the Deputy Prime Minister at the London School of Economics on 14 September 2011, which infrastructure projects will be given...

      International Labour Organisation: Domestic Work

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are signatories to the International Labour Organisation Convention on Domestic Workers of June 2011; and when they expect to be able to ratify the...

      Judiciary: Retirement Age

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the retirement ages of (a) magistrates, (b) County Court Judges, (c) High Court Judges, (d) Lords Justices of Appeal, and (e) Justices of the Supreme Court.

      Migrant Workers: Bulgarians and Romanians

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Bulgarian and Romanians, including students, the self-employed and dependents, they estimate have come to reside in the United Kingdom since those...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 11 August (WA 427) concerning the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, what process was used to reduce the...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 11 August (WA 427) concerning the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, what process was used to reduce the...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of the process to appoint the chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and whether consultants were used in the...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 3 October (WA 132), how the number of hours to be worked by the chairman is to be calculated; by whom; and who...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 3 October (WA 132), who was the "independent expert" in human rights; what are their qualifications...

      Olympic Games 2012: Air Quality

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they, or other authorities in London, will have powers during the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to control road traffic in order to keep air pollution...

      Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 11 August (WA 414-5), what percentage of those who responded to the sample of United Kingdom pension payees...

      Prisons: HMP Spring Hill

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the concerns expressed by the Independent Monitoring Board in its annual report on HMP Spring Hill for the year to December 2010...

      Probation Case Management System

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that the proposed new Probation Case Management System, which is due to be completed by the end of March 2012, will be delivered on time. To...

      Probation Case Management System

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans have been made in the event that the proposed new Probation Case Management System is not completed by March 2012. To ask Her Majesty's...

      Protection from Harassment Act 1997

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons were sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment for breach of a restraining order under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each of the...

      Public Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether contracts subject to European Union legislation, such as the Thameslink contract, require an assessment to be made of the net overall cost to the Exchequer...

      Public Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, when assessing tenders from companies overseas for public works contracts in the United Kingdom, what consideration they give to (a) the impact on unemployment...

      Quality of Life

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the outcomes of quality of life assessments for people living and working in the United Kingdom.

      Transport: Sleep Apnoea

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to put in place initiatives in the Department of Health and the Department for Transport to improve the collection of statistics, in order to...

      UK Statistics Authority

      To ask Her Majesty's Government where advertisements were placed for the post of chair of the Statistics Authority before Sir Michael Scholar's appointment; and what salary was offered.

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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