Written answers

Thursday, 26 January 2012

  • Defence

    • Argentina: Military Alliances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) nature and (b) extent of military links with the Government of Argentina are.

    • Armed Forces: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force personnel there were in (i) May 2010 and (ii) December 2011; and how many he expects...

      Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Safety Improvement Notice issued on 26 May 2010 by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator was formally closed; and if he will place in the...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many university graduates the armed forces have recruited since the end of the 2010-11 academic year.

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which posts have been filled or created within his Department to oversee work on the military covenant in the last 12 months.

      Ex-servicemen: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what funding was provided by his Department to service leavers studying for (a) a first full level 3 or (b) a first higher education qualification...

      Public Sector: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on steps to mitigate the effects of changes made to public sector pay in the autumn statement.

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from (a) industry and (b) the National Grid on the use of STOR aggregators.

    • Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the (a) average and (b) maximum premium being paid by customers using pre-payment meters for (i)...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures are in place to monitor the costs passed on to consumers of the smart meter roll-out.

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects new nuclear power stations to be operational.

      Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on his decision to reduce the feed-in tariff for solar PV.

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage energy companies to ensure cancer patients have access to the warm home discount scheme.

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to publish individual constraint payments made to wind farm companies via the balancing mechanism.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on how many occasions he visited (a) operas, (b) museums and (c) London theatres on (i) official business and (ii) as an...

    • Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has had discussions with Telford and Wrekin council on improving broadband services in their area; and what...

      Copyright: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed US legislation, the (a) Stop Online Piracy Act...

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full-time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering...

      Football

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent progress he has made on reforming football governance.

      Libraries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport who in his Department is responsible for identifying and advising him on potential problems with the provision of library...

      Libraries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) whether his Department has set any criteria for intervention in a local library authority; (2) whether it is his policy...

      Radio: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects Radio Cymru and Radio Wales to be available on digital radio to listeners in North Wales.

      Wedgwood Museum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what (a) discussions and (b) meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues on the Wedgwood Museum.

  • Transport

    • Buses: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the MOT failure rate was for bus and coach operators in Vehicle and Operator Services Agency area 3, including (a) Go North East, (b) Stagecoach...

    • Buses: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency last audited each bus and coach operator in area 3, including (a) Go North East, (b) Stagecoach Cumbria,...

      Driving: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if she will estimate the length of time required to update (a) driving licences and (b) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency records when...

      Ports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to support the regeneration or expansion of small existing or unused ports; and if she will make a statement.

      Railways: Cotswold Hills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether she plans to propose revised specifications for the Cotswold line franchise to increase the frequency of trains from Great Malvern to...

      Travel: Trains

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the frequency with which the format of passenger announcements on trains and in stations is reviewed.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Charities: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department provided to (a) Action on Addiction, (b) Adoption UK, (c) the Adoption and Fostering Information...

    • Crisis at Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department provided to Crisis in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full-time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering (a)...

      Domestic Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many councils have bid for specific funding to enable them to collect household waste weekly; and how many such...

      Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people sleeping rough in England in each month since June 2010; and if he will make a...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the potential number of people affected by the proposed limits to housing benefit for people who...

      Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the revenue generated from empty property rates came from public sector organisations in the last year for which...

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of social rated housing which is illegally sub-let; and how that cost...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his 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 Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department provided to (a) The Art Room, (b) the National Portrait Gallery, (c) Mountain Rescue England,...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Challenge Network

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding his Department provided to The Challenge Network in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

    • International Law: Cybercrime

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent (a) multilateral and (b) bilateral discussions he has had with his (i) international and (ii) European counterparts on establishing...

      New Businesses: Worcestershire

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new companies were started in (a) Worcester constituency and (b) Worcestershire in each of the last three years.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • EU Action

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided any resources for the organisation and hosting of the European Liberal Summit he hosted on 9 January 2012;...

    • EU Action

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether any officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were present at the European Liberal Summit he hosted on 9 January 2012; and what advice or support...

      EU Action

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times he has visited Brussels in an official capacity in the last year; and on which such occasions he was accompanied by officials from the Foreign and...

  • Attorney-General

    • Fraud

      To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on which organisations the Government proposes will in future be responsible for...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Bill of Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

    • Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff in his Department are engaged in delivering (a) front line and (b) corporate or back...

  • Treasury

    • Assets: Egypt

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assets held in the UK have been frozen at the request of the Egyptian Government in the last 12 months; in each such case who the individual was who...

    • Banking

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will introduce an obligation for banks to serve low and middle income communities; and if he will make a statement; (2) what estimate he has...

      Bankruptcy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were made bankrupt as a result of court action initiated by HM Revenue and Customs in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

      Copyright: Internet

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an assessment of the likely cost to the British economy of proposed US legislation, the (a) Stop Online Piracy Act and (b) Protect IP Act.

      EU Law

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other means originated from...

      Executives: Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) salaries and (b) bonuses in the financial sector are in proportion with those of other industries.

      Internet: Sales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been raised by the Exchequer as result of the sale of (a) CDs, (b) DVDs, (c) e-books and (d) songs purchased by electronic means from...

      National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on making the national insurance contribution holiday an opt-out rather than opt-in scheme.

      National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to encourage participation in the National Insurance contribution holiday scheme.

      PAYE: Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential difficulty for employers of implementing simultaneously PAYE real-time information and automatic enrolment into...

      Revenue and Customs: Standards

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) practices for the purpose of ensuring that small businesses do not incur a fine due to the time taken by...

      Taxation: International Cooperation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what negotiations with other countries his Department is involved in on (a) double taxation agreements and (b) tax evasion.

      Working Tax Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on couples with children who work less than 24 hours a week of his proposals for reform of the working tax credit;...

  • Health

    • Autism: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the level of qualification and experience of providers of services to people with autism spectrum conditions;...

    • General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications for cross-border GP consortia have been received by the Shadow NHS Commissioning Board to date.

      General Practitioners: Pharmacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to encourage pharmacists to become involved in the GP commissioning process in order for their opinions to be considered.

      Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve co-operation between hospital trusts to ensure efficient continuity of patient care.

      Hospitals: Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a list of all hospitals that are contracted to provide electricity on demand to STOR aggregators.

      National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the accreditation process for the Duchenne Standards...

      NHS: Reorganisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the (a) redundancy and (b) non-redundancy costs which have been incurred as a result of NHS reorganisation since (i)...

      Organs: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in South Swindon constituency are registered as organ donors; and if he will make a statement.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Departmental Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies have spent on (i) wine, (ii) other alcoholic refreshments and (iii)...

    • Economic and Monetary Union

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings have taken place at EU level to negotiate the terms of the fiscal compact in advance of the EU summit on 30...

      Economic and Monetary Union

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on investigating the legal issues surrounding the use of EU institutions by non-EU bodies...

      Economic and Monetary Union: Civil Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any civil servants have been involved in official negotiations with other EU countries on the fiscal compact ahead of...

      EU Countries: Visits Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on ministerial travel to each EU member state capital in each month since October 2010.

      Pakistan: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the aims and objectives of policy on Pakistan are.

      Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department has intervened in order to help facilitate the return of monies held in overseas countries...

      Third Sector

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

  • Work and Pensions

    • Disability Living Allowance: British Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department is providing to British citizens previously living abroad who have returned to the UK and meet the 26 week...

    • Disability Living Allowance: British Nationality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many British citizens previously living abroad who have returned to the UK and meet the 26 week residency criteria are awaiting a decision...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what alternatives his Department considered to the one-year time-limit on contributory employment and support allowance; and what the reasons...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the employment and support allowance support group have a statutorily-defined terminal illness under the terms of his...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance applicants have undertaken a work capability assessment whilst having a statutorily-defined terminal...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a statutorily-defined terminal illness under the terms of his Department's DS1500 Form are in the work related activity...

      Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against refusal of the employment and support allowance there were in each month from June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

      Employment Tribunals Service: Unfair Dismissal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for unfair dismissal tribunal hearings there were in each month from June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in each local authority area that will be affected by the planned reduction in housing...

      Housing Benefit: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the potential effects of extending the shared accommodation rate for housing benefit to...

      Identity Assurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason his Department has published a cancellation notice in the Official Journal of the European Union in respect of its tender for...

      Identity Assurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to issue his Department's tender for identity assurance services; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the time...

      Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were members of (a) defined benefit and (b) defined contribution pension schemes in each of the last five years for which...

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many reports of benefit fraud were received through the benefit fraud report hotline in the last 12 months; and how many of these resulted...

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money was claimed back as a result of investigations carried out following reports to the benefit fraud hotline in the last 12 months.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on the testing and implementation of computer systems that will be used to administer the universal credit.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2012, Official Report, column 920W, on universal credit, what the membership of the transition working...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2012, Official Report, column 920W, on universal credit, which local authorities (a) have been visited and...

      Welfare Reform Bill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill on levels of subjective well-being of children.

      Work Experience

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department collects on the ratio of work placements to job interviews undertaken under the sector-based work academy scheme.

  • Home Department

    • Asylum: Egypt

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of the former Egyptian Government have claimed political asylum in the UK.

    • Travel Requirements

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) quickest and (b) slowest times taken to process an application for a convention travel document submitted in each of the years...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Civil Partnerships: Ceremonies

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities (1) what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Church of England and (b) other church groups on same sex marriages in church; (2) what...

  • International Development

    • Burkina Faso: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made on the number of people living in poverty in Burkina Faso.

    • Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the conduct of the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

      Developing Countries: Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's programmes to tackle non-communicable diseases in...

      Developing Countries: Multinational Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department works in partnership with (a) Nestlé and (b) other multinational companies on programmes in developing...

      Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of levels of (a) cardiovascular disease, (b) cancer, (c) chronic lung diseases and (d) diabetes in (i)...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 5 October 2011 and email of 10 November 2011 from the hon. Member for Basildon...

      Somalia: International Co-operation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what international development objectives he has set for the international conference on Somalia on 23 February 2012.

      Yemen: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department has allocated to Yemen for 2012.

  • Justice

    • Appeals: Hull

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average length of time was from receipt of (a) an income support, (b) a tax credits and (c) a disability living allowance appeal to the...

    • Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of days was between (a) application and decision on eligibility and (b) decision on eligibility and payment for those seeking...

      Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for criminal injuries compensation were received from applicants serving custodial sentences or on remand in each year from 1997 to...

      Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for criminal injuries compensation were (a) ruled out because the applicant had a criminal record and (b) granted to applicants...

      Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding he allocated to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in each year from 1997 to 2011.

      Criminal Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which offences are triable only in (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates' courts; and which offences are triable in either magistrates' or Crown courts.

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many case starts were awarded legal aid in each local authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

      Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the £1 million which Manoucehr Bahmanzadeh was ordered by Plymouth Crown court to pay under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, following his...

      Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted criminals had their sentences increased for non-payment of money owed under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since its...

      Solicitors: Harrow

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of firms of solicitors in the London borough of Harrow with legal aid contracts in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13;...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total cost has been of Tribunal Service operations relating to appeals in respect of the work capability assessment in 2011-12 to date.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Apprentices: Agriculture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support agricultural apprenticeships and vocational training in the agricultural sector.

    • Company Accounts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to adjust the filing penalties in Section 453 of the Companies Act 2006 to take account of the size of the...

      Copyright: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of proposed US legislation, the (a) Stop Online Piracy Act and (b)...

      Departmental Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department allocated to sponsor apprenticeships in his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how...

      Departmental Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices were employed by his Department between (a) April 2010 and March 2011 and (b) April and December 2011; and...

      Employment: Arbitration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on a rapid resolution scheme for employment disputes;...

      Employment: Arbitration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress he has made on developing a simplified form of compromise agreements following the Government's response to the...

      Employment: Arbitration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to receive the report of Justice Underhill on the review of rules and procedures for employment tribunals.

      Employment: Arbitration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timetable is for the consultation on protected conversations.

      Green Investment Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable he has set for consideration of proposals for the site of the Green Investment Bank; and whether he plans to...

      Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the speech to the Policy Exchange of 4 January 2012 by the Minister of State for Universities and Science,...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in each parliamentary constituency applied to study at Oxford and Cambridge universities in 2011.

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications to and offers by each (a) Russell Group and (b) 1994 Group university were made in the 2010-11 admissions...

      Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on support for the manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement.

      Patents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many patents were (a) applied for and (b) approved in each region in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

      Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on making Government services available at post offices.

      Unfair Dismissal: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timetable is for his Department's consultation on compensated no-fault dismissals for small businesses.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Animal Health and Welfare Board for England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the meeting note of 8 November 2011, for the Animal Health and Welfare Board (AWHB), whether the AWHB's...

    • Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications Natural England is considering for the designation of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and for...

      Christmas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if she will make a...

      Common Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the total amount of common land in England (a) in hectares and (b) as a proportion of the total...

      Departmental Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on (a) wine, (b) other alcoholic refreshments and (c) bottled water since May 2010.

      Departmental Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of full-time equivalent staff in her Department engaged in delivering...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the regulations her Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which EU (a) directives, (b) regulations and (c) other legislation affecting her Department require transposition into UK...

      EU Law

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether her Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not...

      Fisheries: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on whether there should be a global requirement for vessel monitoring system satellite tracking devices to...

      Furs: Origin Labelling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the introduction of country of origin labelling so that...

      Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition her Department uses of well-being in society.

      Hunting: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government classifies hunting with hounds as a field sport.

      Otters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the (a) size and (b) location of the wild otter population in England in the last 20...

      Reed Beds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many hectares of reedbed in National Nature Reserves are managed on a sustainable basis to produce reed for...

      Soil: Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the farming industry on soil protection regulations; and if she will make a statement.

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department provided to (a) The Art Room, (b) the National Portrait Gallery, (c) Mountain Rescue England,...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to measure progress on the implementation of policies supporting the Big Society...

      Trees: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans she has to use the revised National Planning Policy Framework to promote tree planting; (2) whether it is...

      Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the Office of Fair Trading's market study on organic waste; (2) whether her Department...

      Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on his Department's fund for...

      Waste Disposal: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department gives local authorities on the treatment and disposal of food waste.

      Written Questions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many ordinary written questions tabled to her Department by hon. Members since May 2010 have not received a reply within...

  • House of Lords

    • Agriculture: Eggs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to ensure fair competition for United Kingdom egg producers within the European Union.

    • Agriculture: Schmallenberg Virus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make Schmallenberg virus a notifiable disease in livestock.

      Animals Welfare Act 2006

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions for cruelty to animals there have been since the enactment of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

      Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many electro-magnetic catapults are being procured from the United States; whether they are all intended for one aircraft carrier; for which carrier or...

      Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are plans to ensure future refitting and maintenance work on the new aircraft carriers can be conducted in English, Welsh and Northern Irish yards,...

      Armed Forces: Falklands Air Bridge

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many seats are reserved for civilians on the Falklands Air Bridge service; and what changes have been made since 2010. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether...

      Banking: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are bonus arrangements in the contracts of executives at Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group that cannot be changed by the remuneration...

      Benefits: Disability

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received in support of their proposals to reduce the rate bands for disability living allowance from three to two; and what plans...

      Benefits: Disability

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received in support of their proposals to stop automatic qualification for the disability living allowance; and what plans they have...

      Burma

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals there are to open an embassy in Burma.

      Developing Countries: Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries are currently benefiting from their commitment to help to build the capacity of tax authorities in developing countries.

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 7 February 2011 (WA 13-4), 11 August 2011 (WA 362) and 10 January 2012 (WA 22), how the provisions of the Human...

      Employment Law: Unfair Dismissal

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what reduction in the number of unfair dismissal claims they expect to achieve from the decision to increase the qualifying period from one to two years.

      Employment: Vocational Training

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what safeguards will be in place to ensure the £250 million pilot fund on vocational training available to employers is well spent.

      European Council

      To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions the United Kingdom has been successful in achieving blocking majorities in the European Council or Council of Ministers; and what are the...

      Extradition

      To ask Her Majesty's Government in relation to what charges, and from which countries, they have received applications for the extradition of (1) Gary McKinnon, (2) Richard O'Dwyer, and (3) Abu...

      Falkland Islands

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the World Trade Organisation about the criteria being applied by Mercosur nations to international trade as a result of...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the population of Gaza they estimate are currently dependent on humanitarian assistance.

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the significance of the role currently being played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and the World Food Programme in Gaza.

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of water and sanitation projects for essential repair, maintenance and improvement of the infrastructure in Gaza currently...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of the water from Gaza's water source which is drinkable.

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what evaluation they have made of the recent statement by the head of the Israeli army's Southern Brigade that Israeli forces are preparing for a new military...

      Gaza

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the artillery shells which the Israeli Defence Force allegedly fired into a civilian...

      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: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what weight the Foreign and Commonwealth Office give to relevant experience, appropriate proven temperament attributes and the necessary language skills, for...

      Health: Addiction to Prescribed Drugs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken regarding addiction to prescribed medication following the points agreed at the Round Table meeting on 15 September; and when that...

      Higher Education: Overseas Students

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the impact to date of the new fees regime on the number of students coming from the rest of the European Union to England and Wales for...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the British delegates to UNESCO last raised issues concerning the special status of the Old City in Jerusalem, particularly the case for repairs to the...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent consultations they have had with Palestinian leaders and the Government of Israel on human rights in penal policy, and its application in the treatment...

      Israel and Palestine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how in their discussions with Israel and Palestine regarding the use of Palestinian natural resources they intend to take account of the recent decision by the...

      Middle East and North Africa

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the total of European Union aid to the Middle East and North Africa in the financial year 2012-13; what is the breakdown of that figure for each...

      Museums: Regimental Museums

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals there are for the future of the Regimental Museum in Armagh City.

      Neet

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons living in (1) Liverpool, (2) north-west England, (3) London, and (4) England and Wales, broken down by age group, were not in employment,...

      NHS: Expenditure

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 January (WA 61), what, in cash terms, was the actual spending on continuing health care in 2009-10 and 2010-11;...

      Northern Ireland Office: 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...

      Ports and Harbours

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many objections to the current application by EastPort for a Harbour Revision Order are outstanding.

      Schools: Free Schools

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the introduction of the free school programme, they considered the option of schools which would be partly dependent on parent payments,...

      Schools: King James Bible

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether copies of the King James Bible have been printed in connection with the Secretary of State for Education's intention to circulate a copy to every state...

      Scotland: Referendum

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of independence from the United Kingdom being granted to Scotland, the name of the country would have to be officially altered to take...

      Shipping: Type 26 Frigates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of current uncertainties regarding Scottish devolution, they are putting in place plans to ensure the building and sub-contracting for the...

      Taxation: Avoidance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will estimate the amount of tax avoided by non-domicile taxpayers, and the total value of winter fuel allowances paid to such taxpayers.

      UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which United Kingdom obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child have yet to be implemented; and whether they include action...

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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