Written answers

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

  • Home Department

    • Deportation: Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2011, Official Report, column 502W, on deportation: offenders, what the (a) nationality and (b) offence...

    • Entry Clearances: Domestic Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether domestic workers who entered the UK on visit visas are covered by UK employment legislation.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 13 September 2011...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Arms Trade: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department attended the recent Defence and Security Equipment International...

    • Burma: Deaths

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to press the Burmese authorities to provide an explanation for the deaths of Saw Kaw Lar and Saw San Pe...

      Burma: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press for any UN General Assembly resolution on Burma to include a recommendation to establish a Commission of...

      Colombia: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to raise human rights with the President of Colombia during his visit to the UK.

      Colombia: Peace Negotiations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will offer support to the Government of Colombia to help achieve a peace process in that country.

      European Union: Powers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which powers have been repatriated from the EU since May 2010; and what powers he expects to repatriate by 2015.

      Libya: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support the National Transitional Council of Libya to meet its international obligations in respect...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters he has received on funding for civil society organisations within his Department's area of responsibility in each month since 1...

  • Education

    • Children's Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department plans to allocate to children's centres in Ashfield constituency in each of the next four years.

    • Ministerial Voluntary Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work...

      Public Sector Mutuals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if he will make a statement.

      Schools: Vocational Guidance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanism his Department uses to assess the quality of careers guidance in schools.

      Sign Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the Government plans to introduce family sign language classes throughout England.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to enable children with (a) autism and (b) other special educational needs to participate in both mainstream and specialist...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much he expects to...

  • Treasury

    • Air Passenger Duty

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on the reform of air passenger duty.

    • Asset Protection Agency: Government Procurement Card

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Asset...

      Business: Fuels

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of the price of fuel on the cost of setting up a new small or medium-sized enterprise; and if he will make a statement.

      Procurement

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for his Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11;...

      E-mail

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of government business.

      Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his rationale is for using the retail prices index instead of the consumer prices index to calculate increases in duty excise.

      Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations his Department has received on beer and wine duty fraud since the 2011 Budget.

      Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commence a formal consultation with the drinks industry on the impact of alcohol duty fraud.

      Foreign Investment in UK: Renewable Energy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons he has not approved the price structure proposed to ensure the UK meets its legally binding targets for renewable energy; and what estimate...

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last visited a Jobcentre Plus centre in an official capacity.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to his Department's press notice of 3 October 2011, how the £150 million to improve mobile telephone coverage will be funded.

      Money: Counterfeit Manufacturing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the number of counterfeit (a) £1 and (b) £2 coins in circulation; (2) what recent estimate he has made of the...

      National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 133W, on National Insurance Contributions, what data limitations prevent the national...

      Revenue and Customs: Government Procurement Card

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 702W, on Revenue and Customs: Government Procurement Card, (1) what the names of the...

      Revenue and Customs: Manpower

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what plans he has to consult (a) staff and (b) union officials of the tax credit office in Preston prior to making any decision on staffing levels...

      Revenue and Customs: Manpower

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in HM Revenue and Customs work in the affluent team; and how many staff will be recruited to that team in the next 12 months.

      Revenue and Customs: Recruitment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of staff in HM Revenue and Customs' affluent team were (a) recruited externally and (b) redeployed from within HM Revenue and Customs.

      Revenue and Customs: Standards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in reviewing HM Revenue and Customs' service standards; and what objectives were set for the review.

      Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the potential revenue yield of freezing the (a) capital gains tax allowance threshold and (b) inheritance tax allowance threshold for...

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Revenue and Customs' target is for the collection of revenue currently lost through tax avoidance and evasion for each year of the comprehensive...

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the General Anti-Avoidance Rule working group to publish its findings; and when he expects to bring forward any legislative proposals that...

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the monetary value of revenues lost to the Exchequer as a result of tax avoidance and evasion by (a) UK-domiciled individuals...

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets HM Revenue and Customs has for solving open cases; and what progress has been made towards the achievement of such targets.

      Taxation: Environment Protection

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 711W, on taxation: environment protection, whether he has plans for the recycling of...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work undertaken...

  • Health

    • Cancer: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the findings of the 2010 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey; and what assessment he has made of the evidential basis...

    • Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official ministerial papers were recorded as not returned to his Department or otherwise unaccounted for in each month since May 2010; and if he...

      Euthanasia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is available to healthcare professionals caring for dying patients who request medical assistance to hasten their death.

      Haemophilia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Health Service Guidance HSG 93(30) on Provision of Haemophilia Treatment and Care was last revised.

  • Justice

    • Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex of 26 January 2011 regarding parliamentary sovereignty and the...

    • Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 7 September 2011 regarding Mr R Whalley.

      Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people from (a) Vietnam, (b) South Africa, (c) Nigeria and (d) China were held in prison in England and Wales in (i) May 2010 and (ii) October 2011.

      Prisoners’ Release: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women have been released from prison since May 2010 and what proportion entered into work within (i) one, (ii) three, (iii) six...

      Prisoners: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women prisoners were in paid work in each month of 2011.

      Sentencing: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what proportion of children given indeterminate sentences were subsequently released in each year since 2000; (2) what the average...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress she has made on the new licensing regime for wild animals in circuses.

    • Animal Welfare: Wildlife

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to assist ground-based wildlife with migratory paths that cross motorways and other busy...

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with the National Farmers Union on the vaccination of badgers against bacteria...

      Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to introduce mandatory carbon reporting for companies; and if she will make a statement.

      Coastal Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support her Department makes available for seaside communities to establish whether land reclamation is a viable option.

      Cormorants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications there have been to kill cormorants in each of the last five years; and how many were granted in each...

      Crops: Biodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the contribution of orchards to (a) the environment and (b) biodiversity.

      Floods: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with interested parties on the availability of flood insurance for homeowners after the...

      Metals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is (a) considering taking and (b) taking in relation to scrap metal as part of her Department's review of...

      Pesticides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has taken any enforcement action in respect of the incorrect use of a pesticide product containing aminopyralid...

      Pesticides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive's Chemicals Regulation Directorate...

      Rivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many English rivers do not meet the standard of the Water Framework Directive.

      Rivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the effects of abstraction and pollution on English rivers; and if she will make a...

      Squirrels: Pest Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost to the public purse of grey squirrel control.

      Squirrels: Pest Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the cost of damage caused by grey squirrels nationwide.

  • Transport

    • Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the annual cost of the security regulatory system to the aviation industry; and what estimate she has made of the...

    • Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's consultation document, Better Regulation for Aviation Security, what estimate she has made of the projected time...

      Bus Services: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much subsidy was given to coach operators to offer concessionary coach travel to pensioners and disabled people in each of the last five years; and...

      Crossrail Line: Rolling Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to make changes to the Crossrail procurement process in light of experience from the Thameslink rolling stock procurement process.

      Legal Opinion

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

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made in analysing responses to the High Speed 2 rail consultation.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason her Department has not published (a) the analysis of responses to the High Speed 2 rail consultation and (b) the proposed route and...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards publishing the route and strategy for the High Speed 2 line.

      Invalid Vehicles: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2011, Official Report, column 19W, on invalid vehicles: regulation, when she plans to announce the results of...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on a high-speed rail link between Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

      Railways: Snow and Ice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what commitments she has had from (a) train operating companies and (b) Network Rail on provision of passenger information in the event of winter...

      Railways: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of train operating companies' preparedness for extreme winter weather conditions.

      Roadworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities' roadworks are subject to the same rules as roadworks conducted by utility...

      Thames Estuary Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the feasibility of establishing an airport in the Thames Estuary.

      West Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost has been of (a) full-time equivalent staff in her Department, (b) consultants and (c) solicitors involved in the negotiations with Virgin...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he made an estimate of the carbon footprint which would arise from requiring energy companies to write to their customers to...

    • Carbon Emissions: Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration his Department has given to the potential contribution of off-mains gas households to meeting carbon emission targets.

      Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010.

      Foresee

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) date, (b) time, (c) attendees and (d) topics of discussion were of each meeting with Ministers in his Department attended...

      Satellite Communications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of earth observation satellite technology in monitoring (a) climate change...

      Sellafield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of decommissioning the nuclear site at Sellafield in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to maintain the global position of the UK in respect of the creative industries; and what account...

    • Ministerial Voluntary Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what volunteering (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the...

      Libraries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much he expects to save through the abolition of the Advisory Council on Libraries.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Enterprise Zones: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate he has made of the number of highly-skilled jobs that will be created as a result of the operation of the...

    • Government Procurement Card

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what transactions have been made on his Department's Government Procurement Card by each card-holding director and board member...

      Local Government: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to make it mandatory for local authorities to provide residents with the opportunity to raise...

      Public Sector: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his answer of 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1158W, on public sector: pension, when the Government plans to...

      Regional Development Agencies: Property Transfer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that the assets of regional development agencies are disposed of in an open and transparent manner.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 1-5WS, on the work of the Department...

      Travellers: Caravan Sites

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish his proposed new Planning Policy Statement for Traveller sites.

      Waste Disposal: Domestic Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the cost of implementing weekly refuse collections for household waste in the Calderdale council area.

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Advisory Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether armed services personnel receive advice on (a) budgetary and life skills, (b) debt management, (c) physical health, (d) mental health and (e)...

    • Armed Forces: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the inquest of Sergeant Major Adamson held in June 2011, if he will review the decision regarding a compensation claim to establish if...

      Arms Trade: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department attended the recent Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition.

      BAE Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the recent redundancies announced by BAE Systems have had on his industrial strategy for defence.

      Defence Equipment: Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the book value is of the surplus vessels and equipment for sale by tender in Gibraltar.

      Cultural Heritage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his Department's 2009-11 Heritage Report, which heritage risks have been identified for active management during the transition period...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on promoting British jobs and contracts within the defence...

      European Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on levels of employment of a slow-down in orders for tranche 3A of the Eurofighter.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Richmond Park of 28 March 2011, regarding service family accommodation and the Green Deal.

      Dalgety Bay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the clean-up of radioactive contamination arising from radioactive luminous dials from redundant military aircraft dismantled at...

      Dalgety Bay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish any advice obtained by his Department in relation to the risk to health from radioactive pollution found at Dalgety Bay in Fife.

      Radioactive Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which locations his Department has records of the burial of radium fragments.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Arms Trade: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department attended the recent Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition.

    • Business: Marketing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on measures to protect (a) consumers and (b) businesses from unsolicited, unwanted marketing approaches.

      Departmental Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are...

      Exports: Libya

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assistance he plans to provide to small and medium-sized enterprises owed money for goods supplied to Libyan customers...

      Exports: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of applications for standard individual export licences were processed in (a) 20 working days or fewer, (b)...

      Higher Education: Charities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment on the likely effect of an expansion of for-profit higher...

      Higher Education: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential for creation of bogus universities as a result of changes to the rules governing the...

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times his Department's legal section provided legal advice to Ministers in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the...

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times his Department has sought legal advice from external counsel in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six...

      Local Enterprise Partnerships: Foreign Investment in the UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made by UK Trade and Investment on ensuring that local enterprise partnerships are vehicles for inward...

      Postage Stamps: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the process for setting the price of a first class stamp; and from whom.

      Science: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the letter of 11 June 2010 from the Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington, on public science...

  • Wales

    • Ministerial Voluntary Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what volunteering (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have undertaken as part of the One Day Challenge; what the nature of the work...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Data Protection

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many official Ministerial papers were recorded as not returned to his Department or otherwise unaccounted for in each month since May 2010; and if...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Departmental Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on (a) the big society bank, (b) the Work programme and (c) volunteering in each month since June 2011;...

    • Press: Subscriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2010-11.

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c)large businesses in each month since May 2010;...

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such...

      Employment: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the number of job vacancies in each local authority area.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households have received annual housing benefit payments in excess of £50,000 (a) in and (b) outside London in the latest period...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to each local authority to meet the cost of council tax benefit in each of the last five years; and what the percentage...

      Public Service Mutuals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will...

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that his proposals to decentralise the Social Fund do not reduce the availability of the Social Fund to...

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that his proposals to decentralise the Social Fund do not result in (a) ineffective targeting of support...

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of local authorities to administer the Social Fund.

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against decisions made on Social Fund applications there were in (a) Coventry and (b) England in each of the last five years.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Social Mobility

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to improve social mobility; and if he will make a statement.

  • International Development

    • Mopani Copper Mines, Zambia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the Mopani copper mines in Mufulira, Zambia.

    • Female Genital Mutilation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on steps to eradicate female genital mutilation in developing countries.

      Cameroon

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of levels of education in Cameroon.

      Lesotho

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the development needs of Lesotho.

      Burma: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding he is providing for capacity building work in Burma.

      Burma: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure the effective delivery of aid to Burma.

      Commonwealth: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by how much he plans to change the level of aid to each Commonwealth country in 2011-12.

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in his Department received a bonus in each year since 2007.

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of...

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in his Department were working in its legal section in June 2011; and how many staff were working in the legal...

      Libya: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest assessment is of the humanitarian and stabilisation situation in Libya.

      Libya: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian and stabilisation situation in Libya.

      Overseas Aid: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent officials of his Department responsible for fraud investigation are based in (a) Europe, (b) Africa, (c)...

      Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce the prevalence of (a) multidrug resistant tuberculosis and (b) extremely drug resistant...

      Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has any plans to visit Zimbabwe.

  • House of Lords

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their objectives for December's Bonn conference on Afghanistan.

    • Airports: Runways

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with representatives of the Government of China, Chinese airlines, and the deputy administrator of the Civil Administration of China...

      Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to pursue the suggestion by the United States Chief of Naval Operations for co-manning of United States Naval maritime patrol aircraft.

      Aviation: Passenger Duty

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider reducing air passenger duty as a means of alleviating the impact of the application of the European Emissions Trading Scheme.

      Azerbaijan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have sent congratulations to the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its independence on 18 October.

      Bangladesh

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances regarding requesting that the group should ask...

      Banking: Northern Rock

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether NBNK Investments plc has been released from restrictions placed on its bidding for Northern Rock; and, if so, when NBNK was advised of this release; and...

      China

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what tangible benefits to the United Kingdom there have been as a direct result of the trade delegation to China led by the Prime Minister in November 2010.

      Cyprus: Oil and Gas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Turkish Cypriot Leader, Dr Dervish Eroglu's four points proposal for settlement of the oil and gas exploration issue,...

      Drugs: Lethal Injections

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations have they made to other European Union member states and the European Commission regarding implementing a Union-wide ban on the export of...

      Education: Careers Advice

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what improvements they will be making to careers advice services offered in the secondary education sector.

      Egypt

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reports sent to Lord Howell of Guildford by Lord Alton of Liverpool detailing continuing violence and intimidation directed...

      European Court of Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government who were the three nominees submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 1998 to enable it to choose the British judge at the European Court...

      Finance: Credit Easing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether residential mortgage-backed securities linked to sales of new homes will qualify for purchase under quantitative easing or credit easing.

      Government Departments: Consultants

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent by the Department for International Development on consultants in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. To ask Her Majesty's Government...

      Government: Ministerial Code

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to revise the Code on Ministerial Conduct.

      Government: Ministerial Meetings

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings have been held since the formation of the coalition Government between Ministers in the Cabinet Office and external organisations engaged in...

      Government: Residences

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost to the taxpayer of Chequers and Chevening.

      Health: Podiatry

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of preventable diabetes-related foot and lower limb amputations carried out each year in the United Kingdom.

      Health: Podiatry

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that there are sufficient podiatrists to reduce the number of preventable diabetes-related foot and lower limb amputations...

      Health: Resuscitation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns raised by Action on Elder Abuse about Care Quality Commission inspections and the use of "do not attempt resuscitation"...

      Higher Education: Tuition Fees

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions or correspondence they have had with Welsh Ministers about any potential Welsh Government liability for financial support for students from...

      Homelessness: Rough Sleepers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of rough sleepers in London.

      House of Lords: Staff

      To ask the Chairman of Committees what was the total cost of staff in the House of Lords in each of the past seven years.

      Houses of Parliament: Prorogation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the current session of Parliament to end.

      International Year for People of African Descent

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 13 October at oral questions, what use they plan to make of the International Year for People of African...

      Iran: Public Execution

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations have they made to the Government of Iran regarding outlawing the practice of execution by stoning.

      Justice: Third Party Litigation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on businesses of a growth in third party litigation funding in legal cases. To ask Her Majesty's Government...

      Ministry of Defence: Expenditure Cuts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to reduce the impact of Ministry of Defence changes in capability requirements and programme delays as a result of budgetary factors and...

      Morocco

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support international efforts to broker a solution to the violence in Laayoune.

      National School of Government

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will offer alternative civil service employment to staff in the National School of Government to avoid redundancies when it is closed; and how many...

      NHS: Primary Care Trusts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what would be the outcome if an existing primary care trust and the primary care cluster board covering the same geographical area made contradictory or dissimilar...

      Northern Cyprus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider the community in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be at peace or at war since the 1974 Turkish intervention that followed the Nicos...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 7 September (WA 32), whether they will ask the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission why its...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 13 October (WA 255-6) concerning the appointment of the Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights...

      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 131-2), who decided Hilary Jackson was qualified to chair the panel selecting the new...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House all of the correspondence between the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

      Nuclear Weapons

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the contents of the Declaration on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World moved at the Astana Conference on 12 October 2011.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on giving aid to countries where there is systematic persecution of gay persons.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to impose sanctions on, or withdraw aid from, countries where abuse of minorities is permitted, in cases other than those in which the...

      Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to provide aid, both directly and indirectly, to countries that deny basic human rights.

      Patrick Finucane

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement repeated by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 12 October (Official Report, col. 1733-43), whether in using the word "collusion" in relation to...

      Patrick Finucane

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they define the phrase "state collusion", which they accept occurred in the case of the murder of Patrick Finucane; and how that definition differs from those...

      Patrick Finucane

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will second staff from the Northern Ireland Office to assist Sir Desmond de Silva QC with his report into the death of Patrick Finucane.

      Population

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to control population growth in the United Kingdom in the light of any projections they have made.

      Public Sector: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost-benefit to public funds of the 111,000 fall in the number of state employees in the three quarters up to June 2011.

      Railways: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Bombardier about the Thameslink contract since the award of that contract.

      Railways: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will confirm the orders for additional Class 350 rail units for London Midland.

      Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to recommend to the criminal justice agencies the use of Unlock's criminal records disclosure calculator to ensure that offenders are...

      Republic of Ireland: Irish Language

      To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent they took the principle of equality into account when signing a memorandum of understanding with the Government of the Republic of Ireland about the...

      South Sudan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures, including funding and technical assistance programmes, the United Kingdom is taking to support the work of South Sudan's Audit Chamber.

      South Sudan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures, including funding and technical assistance programmes, the United Kingdom is taking to assist South Sudan in building the capacity of South Sudan's...

      St Andrews Agreement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken towards working with the Northern Ireland Executive as part of the St Andrews agreement to promote Ulster Scots language and culture.

      Taxation: Fuel Duty

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to cut fuel duty further to assist economic growth.

      Ukraine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the imprisonment of Yulia Tymoshenko.

      UN: Rio+20

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the emphasis on population stabilisation in the preparations for the Rio+20 United Nations conference on sustainable development.

      Western Sahara

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals for self rule for the people of the Western Sahara.

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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