Written answers

Wednesday, 25 January 2012

  • Work and Pensions

    • Bakery: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of asthma in the baking industry.

    • Bakery: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of cases of asthma caused by contact with flour in the baking industry.

      Cold Weather Payments: Pensioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to pensioners as a result of the increase in cold weather payments in winter 2010-11.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse from freezing local housing allowance rates from April 2012 prior to...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the projected savings in cash and real terms are from the uprating of local housing allowance by the consumer prices index for the...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the costs to local authorities of the application of the household benefit cap on temporary accommodation; and...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have attended a work capability assessment...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Economic Affairs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development.

  • Scotland

    • Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether it is his intention that the consultation on a referendum on independence for Scotland will involve (a) trade unions, (b) religious groups, (c)...

    • Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on whether it is its intention that an independent Scotland would negotiate a mutual defence...

  • Treasury

    • Defence: Expenditure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of gross national income is spent on defence; and what he estimates the proportion will be (a) at the conclusion of Tranche 2 of the Armed...

    • Revenue and Customs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects HM Revenue and Customs to meet its target of dealing with child benefit claims within 23 days.

      Tax Allowances: Offshore Trusts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional revenue to the Exchequer that would be raised by ending the tax exemption for land held in offshore trusts; and...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to ask the National Audit Office to monitor and report on the effectiveness of Government Departments' participation in the Big Society...

      Unemployment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce a system for collecting data on the numbers of people who have experienced unemployment during set periods of time along the lines of...

      Working Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the conclusion contained in his Department's comprehensive spending review 2010 on the level of saving to the Exchequer resulting from an...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Charities: Shops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the contribution of charity shops to the local community in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

    • Council Tax Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with interested parties on proposals to transfer responsibility for council tax benefit to local...

      Council Tax: Rates and Rating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will publish a table setting out the distribution between council tax bands A to H of (a) newly constructed...

      Departmental Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidelines his Department issues to its non-departmental public bodies on the employment of unpaid interns.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to amend social housing allocation policy to classify under-occupying tenants as being in housing need from...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society initiative;...

  • Education

    • Academies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultation is required to ensure a change to academy status is voluntary.

    • Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the Working Time Directive on (a) family life and (b) children's subjective well-being; (2) what...

      Children: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 16 to 24 year-olds not in education, training or employment are (a) disabled and (b) on the autism spectrum.

      Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the average number of hours of teaching time per week for pupils in (a) academies and (b) other maintained schools.

      Departmental ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many requests have been made to his Department's IT department from (a) officials and (b) special advisers working within his Department for...

      Departmental Official Visits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy to inform the relevant local education authority in advance of an official of his Department visiting a school.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 15 December 2011 concerning a school in his constituency.

      Pupils: Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason the calculation in the Raise Online performance tool Table 4.1.25 is based on the total number of pupils in the cohort for English and...

      School Funding Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department expects to respond to its consultation on School Funding Reform.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department provided to (a) The Art Room, (b) the National Portrait Gallery, (c) Mountain Rescue England, (d) the English Schools...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Departmental Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on (a) wine, (b) other alcoholic refreshments and (c) bottled water since May 2010.

    • Football: Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent progress his Department has made on the reform of football governance to support the cooperative ownership of...

      Football: Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received from Supporters Direct concerning a proposed football club licensing system; and if he...

      Supporters Direct

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of Supporters Direct since May 2010.

  • Women and Equalities

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Agriculture: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to reduce the burden of regulation on the farming industry; and if she will make a statement.

    • Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of landowners in receipt of subsidy payments under the (a) Single Payment Scheme and...

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will require the Rural Payments Agency to ensure landowners in receipt of subsidies under the Single Payment Scheme...

      Animal Health and Welfare Board for England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition her Department uses for (a) animal health and (b) animal welfare in the context of the Animal Health and...

      Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the recent ruling of the Austrian Constitutional Court dismissing an application brought by Circus Krone to...

      British Waterways: Canal and River Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the functions and assets of British Waterways in England and Wales to be transferred to the Canal and River...

      Common Agricultural Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her objectives for the current round of discussions on common agricultural policy reform; and if she will...

      Dangerous Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to take steps to control the prevalence of dangerous dogs.

      Departmental Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidelines her Department issues to its non-departmental public bodies on the employment of unpaid interns.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department allocated to (a) Centrepoint, (b) Crisis, (c) Skill Force and (d) Shelter in (i) 2010-11 and...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2012, Official Report, column 376W, on the third sector, how much direct funding of...

  • Health

    • Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the national clinical director for diabetes to make a statement on the effect on diabetes care and provision of the proposed reforms to...

    • Diabetes: Orthopaedics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many amputations arising from diabetes-related complications have taken place in Leicester City Primary Care Trust since January 2011; and how many...

      First Aid: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on bringing forward legislative proposals to require the teaching of emergency life...

      Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money the NHS has received from each EU member state for treatment of their nationals in the NHS in each of the last three years.

      Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has paid to each EU member state for the health treatment of UK citizens in each of the last three years.

      Land: Contamination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the effect of the new principles in his Department's proposed contaminated land statutory guidance on individual sites has been tested in a pilot;...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 6 October 2011 regarding Saheed Onikeku.

      Muscular Dystrophy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in each (a) local authority area and (b) age group in each of the last five years.

      Neurology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with neurological conditions receive health and social care.

      Neurology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the findings of the National Audit Office report on services for people with neurological conditions published on 16 December 2011; and...

      NHS Foundation Trusts: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS foundation trusts which have left the NHS Litigation Authority and sought commercial insurance coverage.

      NHS Litigation Authority: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that NHS foundation trusts' contributions to the NHS Litigation Authority are proportional to their claims histories and...

      NHS Litigation Authority: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs of membership are of the NHS Litigation Authority for each NHS trust and foundation trust.

      NHS: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has paid in compensation to NHS patients for operations and treatments in non-NHS hospitals and treatment centres in each of the last...

      NHS: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money the NHS has recovered from private hospitals and treatment centres as a result of the NHS having to pay compensation to patients following...

      NHS: Negligence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) claims and (b) successful claims for clinical negligence have been brought against each NHS trust and foundation trust in the latest period...

      Palliative Care: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to respond to the report of the palliative care funding review.

      Speech Therapy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the provision of speech and language therapy for children.

      Surgery: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been refused routine operations until they lost weight in Hertfordshire in the last year.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if he will make a...

      Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to monitor the recent outbreak of drug-resistant tuberculosis in India, Italy and Iran and its effect on the UK.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Bell Pottinger Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official meetings he has had with third parties at the recommendation of, or with the assistance of, Bell Pottinger Group...

    • China: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese Government on (a) reports of cruelty in fur farms and (b)...

      EU Countries: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are currently in detention awaiting trial in (a) EU countries other than the UK and (b) non-EU countries;...

      Intercountry Adoption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of intercountry adoptions in the last 10 years.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports that Iran may close the Strait of Hormuz; and if he will make a statement.

      Iran: Oil and Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has a contingency plan to deal with a blockade of oil and gas shipments in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.

      Israel: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Israeli government calling on them to end the practice of detaining children in...

      Israel: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2012, Official Report, columns 585-6W, on Israel: prisoners, what discussions he has had...

      Israel: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2012, Official Report, columns 585-6W, on Israel: prisoners, what mechanism he expects the...

      Languages: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to reopen his Department's language schools; and if he will make a statement.

      Middle East: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the attack on Mahmoud Abu Rahma in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

      Morocco: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Morocco on the development of democracy in Morocco.

      Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations on the assets of former President Ben-Ali of Tunisia held in UK or British Overseas...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Business

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate has been made of the number of (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized businesses in (i) Newton Abbott constituency, (ii) Devon...

    • Business

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate has been made of the number of businesses in (a) Newton Abbott constituency, (b) Devon and (c) the South West that employ fewer...

      Departmental Drinks

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on (a) wine, (b) other alcoholic refreshments and (c) bottled water since May 2010.

      Food Poisoning: Death

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in the UK died as a direct result of food poisoning in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency's proposals for accelerating the geological...

    • Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what he policy is on establishing a permanent data series to monitor carbon dioxide emissions on a producer and consumer basis; with...

      Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the use of short-term operating reserve aggregators; and if he will make a statement.

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representation his Department will have at the first public meeting on the stress tests of nuclear power plants in Europe and the...

      Nuclear Power Stations: Hinkley Point

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will investigate the actions of National Grid in relation to the Hinkley Point C Connection and the effect of the scheme on the...

      Smart Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with energy suppliers regarding the interoperability of smart meters.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if...

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for the construction of commercial wind turbines have been (a) received and (b) approved in (i) Meriden, (ii)...

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many applications for the construction of commercial wind turbines have been (a) received and (b) approved in (i) South West...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Develoution: England

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether a member or members of the Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons have been appointed to represent the English interest.

    • EU Action

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has had with discussions with other European politicians in an official capacity regarding (a) EU treaty change and (b) the EU generally since the EU...

      European Liberals

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he hosted the meeting of European Liberals on 9 January 2012 in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister.

      European Liberals

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether funding from the public purse was provided for the organisation and hosting of the meeting of European Liberals on 9 January 2012.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society initiative; and if he will make a statement.

  • Transport

    • Pedicabs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to address the issues raised by the operation of pedicabs; and whether she will discuss these issues with (a) Transport...

    • EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting her Department require transposition into UK law; and what estimate she...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy area which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the...

      London and South Eastern Railway

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations she has received on the performance of Southeastern Railway.

      Motorways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of the cost of completing the A14 J7-9 Kettering Bypass widening and improvements between Huntingdon and Cambridge will fall...

      Motorways: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with representatives of the emergency services on the proposed changes to the Incident and Support Unit service; and if...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish an indicative timetable for consultation on the arrangements for the replacement of the TransPennine rail franchise.

      Railways: East Anglia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any of her Department's guidance or tender documentation for the Greater Anglia franchise included information on the possibility of a...

      Road Traffic Control: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will reconsider her Department's plan to end the requirement to advertise temporary and permanent traffic regulation orders in local...

      Roads: Manchester Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the cost of completing the new link road to Manchester airport will fall beyond the comprehensive spending review period.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the big society initiative; and if she will make a...

      Trains: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the extent of disabled access at train stations in (a) England (b) the South West.

  • International Development

    • Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid to officials in his Department in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in...

    • Departmental Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) officials and (b) advisers other than his political advisers have been awarded (i) short-term and (ii) permanent contracts...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society initiative; and if...

  • Defence

    • Defence: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what hospitality the (a) Chief of the Defence Staff, (b) Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, (c) Chief of the Air Staff, (d) Chief of the General Staff and...

    • Military Aid: Olympic Games 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of training armed services personnel to provide security for the London 1012 Olympic Games.

      Military Attaches: Argentina

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are attached to the British Embassy in Buenos Aires; what the rank of such personnel is; and what duties they perform.

      Overseas Territories Dept

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department are solely responsible for Overseas Territory affairs; and what the (a) job title and (b) specific responsibilities...

  • Home Department

    • Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers remained in the UK in each of the last five years; and what steps she is taking to reduce the numbers of such...

    • Asylum: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) nationality and (b) gender is of each person who was assisted to return home under the Assisted Voluntary Return Scheme operated...

      Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on unmanned HM Revenue and Customs points in UK airports.

      Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs points at UK airports were completely unmanned in each of the last five years.

      Cinemas: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the report of the Film Policy Review, what plans her Department has to create an offence of recording a film in a cinema...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff in her Department are engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or...

      Detention Centres: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-UK citizens have died in asylum detention centres in each year from 1995.

      Extradition: Egypt

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were extradited from the UK to Egypt in (a) each year between 1982 and 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; in respect of which...

      Extradition: Egypt

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Egyptian government on (a) establishing an extradition treaty between the UK and Egypt and (b)...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 12 December 2011 regarding Mr M Akram.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 12 December 2011...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 12 December 2011 regarding Mr AG Tarob.

      Operation RAMP

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of Operation RAMP.

      Operation RAMP

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for (a) illegal trade in reptiles and amphibians and (b) irregular paperwork were made following Operation RAMP in the UK.

      Oxycodone: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the (1) Home Department when she expects to publish the Government's formal policy to replace the interim policy on the importation of oxycodone; (2) for what...

      Police: Olympic Games 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what her most recent estimate is of the number of sniffer dogs which will be available for security purposes during the London 2012...

      Prisoners: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals awarded grants under the Facilitated Returns Scheme (a) have been sentenced to a period in custody in a UK prison and...

      Prostitution: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many sex workers in the London area have reported attacks on themselves to the police since the creation of Specialist Crime...

      Vehicle Number Plates: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of number plate cloning were reported to the police in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) West Yorkshire in each of the last...

  • Justice

    • Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the conviction rate was for each offence in (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates' courts in each year between 1997 and 2011 inclusive; (2)...

    • Criminal Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many cases brought before magistrates courts had (a) no previous convictions, (b) one previous conviction, (c) between two and five previous...

      Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender is of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support scheme operated by the...

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Legal Services Commission spent on legal aid in each local authority in England and Wales (a) in total and (b) per capita in each of the...

      Legal Services Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what (a) mean and (b) median award was given by the Legal Services Commission to each case start (i) nationally and (ii) in each local authority area in...

      Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of each type of offence type committed.

      Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those in prison were given custodial sentences of (a) less than six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between 12 months and...

      Sentencing: North Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) men and (b) women were sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence of less than six months for each type of offence by the courts in North...

      Stalking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) perpetrators and (b) victims he estimates will be referred to the National Stalking Clinic in 2012.

      Youth Custody: Ethnic Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of self harm of people in each (a) age and (b) ethnic group there have been in each secure training centre in each month since 2008.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Business: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized enterprises in Newton Abbott constituency have received assistance from...

    • Energy: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans UK Green Investments has to invest in non-domestic energy efficiency projects.

      Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises have exported to international markets in each year since 1997.

      Green Investment Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what form of support will be provided by the Green Investment Bank for the commercial development of wave and tidal...

      Green Investment Bank: Fossil Fuel Levy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the £103 million of funding from the Scottish Fossil Fuel Levy, which his Department announced in November 2011...

      Higher Education: Student Numbers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students were registered as being in higher education in each parliamentary constituency in 2011.

      Land: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2012, Official Report, columns 791-2W, on Land Registry, what steps he is taking to register...

      Public Houses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to change the relationship between large pub companies and their licensees; and if he will make a statement.

      Public Houses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the self-regulatory regime for small community pubs; and if he will make a statement.

      Public Houses: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings he has had with representatives of (a) the Campaign for Real Ale, (b) the British Beer and Pub Association,...

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of expenditure from the Regional Growth Fund in 2011-12; and what use he intends to make of any monies...

      Unfair Dismissal: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons his plans to consult on compensated no-fault dismissals do not include firms with 10 or more employees.

  • House of Lords

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the mining symposium they held on 30 June 2011, what assessment they have made of risks surrounding the mining sector in Afghanistan; and what...

    • Apprenticeship to Fellowship Scheme

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the establishment of the Apprentice to Fellowship scheme for railway engineers to become professionally qualified without the need for a degree, what...

      Banking: Fraud

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 13 December (WA 286), how the information is held on how many money mules have been successfully prosecuted for...

      Banking: Republic of Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, in view of Allied Irish Banks being owned directly by the Government of the Republic of Ireland, whether relevant officials of the Irish Department of Finance...

      Businesses: Developing Countries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that multinational companies are compliant and transparent in their dealings with developing countries.

      Businesses: Pre-pack Administration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the cost to small and medium-sized enterprises, and the employment consequences, of pre-pack administration; and whether they will carry...

      Crime: DNA Database

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to stop the practice of mental health service users in custody while accessing mental health care having their DNA and fingerprint records...

      Crime: DNA Database

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to arrange the permanent deletion of DNA and other police records of innocent mental health service users; and, if so, when.

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 January (WA 20-1), for how long it is considered necessary for identifying information on gamete donors and...

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 27 October 2009 (WA 124) and by Earl Howe on 10 January 2012 (WA 21-2), what was the source of information...

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 January 2012 (WA 21-2), for what purpose the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) expect research...

      Energy: Smart Meters

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether energy customers will have the right to refuse the installations of smart meters in their homes or premises.

      EU: Trade Agreements

      To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the European Union offers duty-free access to its markets for Middle East and North African countries.

      Export Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many freedom of information requests have been submitted to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about (1) export control, and (2) re-export...

      Extradition Act 2003

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003 (1) have been tried and acquitted, (2) remain...

      Extradition Act 2003

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Home Secretary has made a decision not to review the Extradition Act 2003; whether she has sought to inform either or both Houses of Parliament of that...

      Finance: Interest Rates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect their proposed programme of credit easing to lead to a reduction of one percentage point in the rate of interest being charged to companies, as...

      Finance: Payday Loans

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what legislation currently regulates payday loans; what changes have been made to that legislation since enactment; and what changes are planned in each of the...

      Finance: Sovereign Loan Agreements

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the imposition of mandatory collection action clauses into existing sovereign loan agreements as a condition of the grant of International...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the restrictions on imports of fuel for public sale, put in place by the Government of Israel, on the people of...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of occasions during 2011 on which the military of Israel opened fire on civilians in the buffer zones around Gaza and of how...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of occasions in 2011 on which the military of Israel fired into Gaza and of the consequent number of people killed and injured.

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of occasions in 2011 on which weapons were fired from Gaza into Israel, and of the consequent number of people killed and...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total number of jobs lost in Gaza as a result of restrictions imposed by Israel on essential imports and exports.

      Genetically Modified Organisms

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 2 November 2011 (WA 264), why the Oxitec document Eliminating tetracycline contamination placed in the...

      Genetically Modified Organisms

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been provided with a copy of the dose-response studies on tetracycline levels and their effect...

      Government Departments: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the past five years for which figures are available and according to civil service band, how many people were eligible for performance and special...

      Government Departments: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each of the next three years for which figures are available and according to civil service band, how many people are eligible to receive performance and...

      Government Departments: Freedom of Information

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of all Freedom of Information requests made to the Department of Energy and Climate Change since May 2010.

      Guantanamo Bay

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last discussed with the Government of the United States the case of Mr Shaker Aamer, the British citizen cleared for release in 2007 from Guantanamo Bay.

      Health: Anthrax Vaccine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 January (WA 123), why emergency workers are not vaccinated against possible anthrax attacks by terrorists and are...

      Health: Diabetes

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to improve diabetes services following the National Diabetes Audit Mortality Analysis' finding that there were 24,000 preventable deaths...

      Health: Lyme Disease

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Lyme Unit of the Health Protection Agency does not publish full details of its in-house immunoblots including the name, origin and specificity data of the...

      Health: Lyme Disease

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Lyme Unit of the Health Protection Agency regard the 41 internal antigen on the Mikrogen immunoblot as highly specific or non-specific for the...

      Health: Lyme Disease

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Lyme disease is still being studied at Porton Down for its potential as a biological weapon.

      Health: Neurology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how their new long-term conditions strategy will address improvements in the quality and accessibility of neurological services, in the light of the National Audit...

      Health: Pathology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers or strategic health authorities determine what should be the number of pathology case investigations an NHS hospital is required to perform in...

      Houses of Parliament: Mail

      To ask the Chairman of Committees how many items of post were received by the Palace of Westminster in 2011; and, of those, what proportion was received by the House of Lords.

      Housing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the right to buy scheme.

      Infrastructure: Growing Places Fund

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what schemes have benefited to date from the £500 million Growing Places Fund.

      Insolvency

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will initiate a review of the fees charged by administrators of companies placed in administration, and of the oversight of administrators.

      Iraq: Camp Ashraf

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what reliance they place on the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 25 December 2011 between the Iraqi Government and the United Nations Secretary General's...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of people killed and injured by terrorist action in Israel during 2011.

      Israel and Palestine: West Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are making representations to the Government of Israel about the recent vandalising of the mosque in Deir Istiya, near Salfit in the West Bank, and...

      Justice: Welfare Benefit Cases

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of welfare benefit cases finalised under a Legal Services Contract have had a positive outcome for the claimant; of these how many (1) were appeal...

      Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill on the budget of each government department; and whether...

      Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered the analysis in the recent King's College London report, Unintended Consequences: the cost of the Government's Legal Aid Reforms, of...

      NHS: Peterborough Primary Care Trust

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 January (WA 61), what is the breakdown in the figures for people in receipt of continuing healthcare in...

      Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the April 2011 accord between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas which provides for transitional government and for elections in May 2012.

      Passports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether first-time applications by British nationals for British passports in Yemen can be applied for at the regional passport processing centre in Paris. To ask...

      Questions for Written Answer

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what data about written answers to parliamentary questions is provided by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to the Leader of the House of Lords;...

      Schools

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 14 September 2011 (WA 76), when in 2012 they plan to open up access to datasets, linked to unique pupil...

      Somalia

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 21 December 2011 (WA 391-2), who has been invited to the London conference on Somalia on 23 February;...

      Somalia and Kenya

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will invite the United Nations to consider giving Kenyan Armed Forces in Somalia, which are part of the African Union Mission, authority to occupy the...

      Squatters

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of (1) residential, and (2) commercial properties in the United Kingdom in which there are currently squatters. To ask Her...

      Terrorism

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether facilities exist in the United Kingdom to identify the nature of a terrorist attack using biological weapons in the period between the time of the attack...

      Unemployment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 10 January (WA 86-7), whether their interpretation of the 1982 International Labour Organisation...

      Zimbabwe

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether United Kingdom Government loans to Zimbabwe in the 1990s were used to finance the Zimbabwean police service while it was engaged in internal repression, as...

      Zimbabwe

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received on the promotion in Zimbabwe of Three Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, who allegedly co-ordinated...

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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