Written answers

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

  • Scotland

    • Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on external consultants, including management consultants, in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

    • Risk Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what strategic or transitional risk registers in each area of policy are held by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many trade union representatives in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public body had (i) part-time and (ii) full-time paid facility...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public body in...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public body for...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library copies of the facility time agreements between trade unions and (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public body.

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many trade union representatives in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public body have faced disciplinary action for abusing paid...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings have taken place between his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public body and trade union representatives utilising paid...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions trade union representatives from (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental body have utilised paid facility time to...

  • Wales

    • Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with reference to the oral answer of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 940, on rail transport, whether her Department has conducted an impact...

    • Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in her Department in each of the last three years.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Logos

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Equality and Human Rights Commission spent on items branded with its logo in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Local Government Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the eligible workforce is enrolled in the Local Authority Pension Scheme in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b)...

    • Local Government: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will publish guidance for local authorities on how best to foster race equality.

      Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many jobs formerly in his Department and its agencies and non-departmental bodies were transferred to the private sector in...

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

      Tenants: Antisocial Behaviour

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to help residents living next to an antisocial tenant of a private landlord.

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many trade union representatives in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-department public bodies have faced...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions trade union representatives from (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government Equalities Office is taking to implement the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of...

  • Transport

    • Traffic Orders: Ashfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the level of expenditure on advertising traffic orders in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the east...

    • Roads

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency spent on downgrading lay-bys to emergency use only in (a) Suffolk, (b) the east of England and (c) England in each of the...

      Roads

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency spent on upgrading substandard lay-bys in (a) Suffolk, (b) the east of England and (c) England in each of the last five...

  • Prime Minister

    • Child Malnutrition: G8 Summit

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the issue of malnutrition among children in Africa at the forthcoming G8 summit.

  • Home Department

    • Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methodology her Department uses to calculate the charges for single entry and multiple entry visas.

    • Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what comparison her Department has made between UK charges for single entry and multiple entry with (a) Schengen agreement countries, (b) the...

      Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been expelled from the UK as a result of the expiration or invalidation of their student visas in each of the last 12 months.

      Female Genital Mutilation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to prevent female genital mutilation being carried out on British citizens.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 26 March 2012 with regard...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her Department's officials located in Wales would be affected by proposals for local-facing pay.

      Police: Bureaucracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce administrative burdens on the police.

      Social Security Benefits: Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to support asylum seekers by means of benefits payments.

      UK Border Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the UK Border Agency were working on intelligence gathering about common routes for smuggling people into the UK in (a)...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Direct Mail: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to protect consumers from mail scams.

    • Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 20 March 2012, Official Report, column 685W, on higher education, how he ensures value for money...

      Ict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to provide assistance for small and medium-sized companies in the IT sector; and what steps he is taking...

      National Childbirth Trust: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to alter his Department's funding arrangements for National Childbirth Trust practitioner training courses.

      Postgraduate Education: Bexley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in the London borough of Bexley enrolled on a postgraduate course in each of the last three years.

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding intended for allocation from the Regional Growth Fund in 2011-12 will have been allocated to recipients by the...

      Risk Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what strategic or transitional risk registers in each area of policy are held by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on external consultants, including management consultants, in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and...

    • Cricket

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has made an assessment of the Israel Cricket Association's cricket 4 peace project.

      Direct Selling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department plans to take to try to restrict the number of unwanted and nuisance marketing calls originating...

      Leveson Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether the costs of the legal representation of Government Ministers who have been granted core participant status at the...

      Leveson Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for what reason Ministers which are core participants at the Leveson Inquiry are being represented by Treasury Counsel.

      Leveson Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will make public funding available on a non-means-tested basis to cover the costs of legal representation at the Leveson...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many households' digital television reception will be affected by 4G mobile services once such services come into operation.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what plans he has to require mobile telephone operators winning the spectrum auction to provide funding to rectify any...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his estimate is of the number and proportion of households (a) reliant on communal aerial systems and (b) using...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his estimate is of the number of households with more than one television set that may be affected by interference from...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) with reference to the answer to my right hon. Friend, the Member for Cardiff South and Penarth (Alun Michael) of 22...

      Video Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has any plans to place further restrictions on the content of video games following the testimony of...

      Video Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many representations his Department has received from the Pan European Game Information Service in relation to...

  • Health

    • Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 18 April 2012, Official Report, column 415W, on cancer, how he plans to allocate the £150 million underspend from the...

    • Cleaning Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his private ministerial office has spent on dry cleaning and laundry in the last 12 months.

      Clinical Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effect of adaptive trials on the productivity of pharmaceutical research and development.

      Community Nurses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure universal access to 24/7 community nursing in order to allow more people to die at home.

      Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collects on the number of NHS trusts or primary care trusts establishing their own limited companies; and if he will make...

      Contraceptives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve access for women to contraceptive services.

      Disability Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to include augmentative and alternative communication within specialist services for the purpose of funding by the national...

      Drugs: Side Effects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of steps taken within the NHS to ensure that adverse drug reactions in patients are detected at the earliest possible stage in...

      Eye Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the kerotoconus eye condition.

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) managers, (b) senior managers and (c) administrators there were in the (i) Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust, (ii) North East Essex Primary Care...

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on redundancies by (a) Mid-Essex Primary Care Trust, (b) North East Essex Primary Care Trust and (c) West Essex Primary Care Trust in...

      Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waiting for treatment had been on a waiting list for (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 18 months or more at (i) Northwick Park...

      Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collects on the number of cancelled (a) in-patient and (b) out-patient appointments; and if he will make a statement.

      NHS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) approved social workers and (b) other mental health staff were employed by the NHS in each region of England in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12;...

      Pain: Mental Illness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 911W, on pain: mental illness, what assessment has been made of the efficacy of...

      Parkinson’s Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider ending prescription charges for people with Parkinson’s disease.

      Prescription Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for (a) benzodiazepine and (b) Z drug tranquilliser were issued in each quarter of 2011.

      Radiotherapy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) with reference to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, columns 476-7W, on radiotherapy, how many cancer patients receiving radiotherapy...

      Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, columns 709-10W, on expenditure on social care, how many persons were involved in each of...

      Tobacco

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the dates were of each meeting he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the possible effect of the implementation of plain...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Economy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the recent Budget on the economy of Northern Ireland.

    • Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

      Air Transport Links

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of air transport links between Northern Ireland and other domestic and international destinations.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to ensure the continued health of bees.

    • Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward legislation to make compulsory the use of leads on dogs when walking on a public highway.

      Flood Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is considering for upgrading the sea wall defences from Sunderland Point to Silverdale in Lancashire.

      Hunting Act 2004

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the operation of the Hunting Act 2004; whether she has any plans to (a) review and (b) bring...

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in her Department in each of the last three years.

      UN Conference on Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her priorities are for the Rio+20 conference.

      Water Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish a draft bill on reform of the water industry in England and Wales; and what recent discussions she...

      Water Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have discussed levels of water pressure in each region with (i)...

      Water Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on steps being taken by water companies to safeguard water supplies by preventing...

      Water: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps water companies are taking to prevent leaks in residential properties with water meters.

  • Defence

    • Accountancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of staff in each of the last three years working for the Department have a recognised accountancy qualification; and how many such staff...

    • Air Force: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF personnel have been required to pay back money owing to errors with their accelerated increment of pay in the most recent period for which...

      Armed Forces: Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what communications his Department has had with local authorities in England on applying the 50 per cent discount in council tax to military families...

      Armed Forces: Olympic Games 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Territorial and (b) Regular Army personnel he proposes will be deployed for duty at the London 2012 Olympics.

      BAE Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate the minimum number of workers required to meet the Key Industrial Capabilities as set out in section 20.1.2 of his Department's...

      BAE Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library an unredacted copy of Schedule 4 of his Department's 2009 Terms of Business Agreement with BAE Systems.

      BAE Systems

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of document number (a) 24, (b) 25, (c) 26, (d) 27, (e) 28 and (f) 29 listed in schedule 9 of his Department's 2009...

      Government Contracts: Party Application

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what (a) grants and (b) contracts his Department has awarded to companies or organisations run by individuals who were previously employed in any...

      Defence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps he plans to take to establish the work programme and parameters for the next strategic defence review during the current Parliament; (2)...

      Defence Equipment: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) recovery vehicles, (b) heavy equipment transports, (c) light equipment transports, (d) heavy duty utility trucks, (e) medium mobility load...

      Defence Equipment: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) aircraft support vehicles, (b) Royal Maritime Auxiliary service ships, (c) fire trucks, (d) rapid intervention crash vehicles, (e) cars and...

      Defence Equipment: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) fast motor launch systems, (b) rigid inflatable boats, (c) rigid raising crafts, (d) landing craft and associated utility vehicles and (e)...

      Defence Equipment: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Fleet Auxiliary (a) aviation training ships, (b) landing ships, (c) replenishment ships and (d) marine tankers of each type are...

      Hercules Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the Hercules hangar capacity at RAF Brize Norton.

      Navy: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of trends in the recruitment of (a) men and (b) women in the Royal Navy over the past five years.

      Territorial Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were available for the Territorial Army in (a) 1989, (b) 1992, (c) 1997, (d) 2002 and (e) in each of the last five years; and how many...

      Territorial Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers and (b) non-commissioned officers of the Territorial Army received the 10 year Volunteer Reserves Service Medal in each of the last...

      Territorial Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of Territorial Army soldiers other than those in the Officer Training Corps qualified for the bounty in each of the last...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings have taken place between (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental bodies and trade union representatives utilising paid...

      Trade Unions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions trade union representatives from (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies have utilised paid facility...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Energy: Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the European Parliament's proposed amendments to article 6 of the energy efficiency directive relating to the...

    • Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the cost of electricity and gas for households with a pre-payment meter; and what representations...

      Natural Gas: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether Ofgem has given any consideration to requiring gas companies to use per metric unit metered gas pricing instead of per kilowatt...

      Renewable Energy: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish data showing the distribution of seasonal performance factors (SPFs) achieved by heat pumps on 15 April 2012 in his...

      Renewable Energy: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will create a means by which the daily achieved seasonal performance factors of the 150 installed heat pumps being tested by his...

      Renewable Energy: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what level of achieved seasonal performance factor as installed would qualify a heat pump as renewable by the European Union; and for...

      Tidal Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had on the provision of (a) financial and (b) other support for a privately-funded tidal barrage across the...

  • Justice

    • Alternatives to Prison: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 31 January 2012, Official Report, column 669, on the Greater Manchester Intensive Alternative to Custody Project, when he...

    • Charles Taylor

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has made for the imprisonment of Charles Taylor.

      Civil Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to reform civil justice following his Department's 2011 consultation.

      Crown Courts: Prison Sentences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1464W, on Crown Court: prison sentences, how many of the total tried were found...

      Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions have been brought in relation to e-crime in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

      Offenders: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national offenders there were of each nationality in the latest period for which figures are available.

      Prisoners’ Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners have worked outside of prison on temporary licence in each of the last five years; (2) how many prisoners working outside of...

      Prisoners: e-mail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) with reference to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, columns 1164-7W, on prisoners: e-mail, how many contacts were made through the...

      Private Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether defendants' costs in private prosecutions are met from public funds.

      Reoffenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number was of breaches of a suspended sentence by way of a breach of community requirement or the commission of a further offence where...

      Reoffenders: Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many additional days of imprisonment have been awarded to children in Wetherby Young Offender Institution by an outside adjudicator for...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Accountancy

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many members of staff in each of the last three years working for the Department have a recognised accountancy qualification; and how many such...

    • Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average number of alcohol units consumed by each (a) socio-economic, (b) ethnic and (c) age group in each of the last...

      Charities

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many charitable trusts and foundations were investigated by the Charity Commission for having made insufficient payouts in each of the last five...

      Charity Commission

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much the Charity Commission spent on (a) conferences, (b) staff away days and (c) sports events in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii)...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department's selection criteria under the Major Project Authority applied to the Department for Transport's High Speed 2 proposals; and...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which individuals produced the Major Projects Authority's report on the Department for Transport's HS2 proposals; and what their areas of expertise were.

      Job Creation: Hyndburn

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many private sector jobs were created in Hyndburn constituency between (a) May 2005 and May 2009 and (b) June 2009 and May 2012.

      Major Projects Authority

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which projects reviewed by the Major Projects Authority have been (a) terminated and (b) re-scoped as a result.

      Major Projects Authority

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which projects reviewed by the Major Projects Authority have been classified as (a) green, (b) amber/green, (c) amber, (d) amber/red and (e) red.

  • International Development

    • Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the G8 successfully tackles malnutrition in Africa.

    • Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to tackle malnutrition in Africa.

      Developing Countries: Malnutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to encourage G8 countries to tackle malnutrition and growth stunting in developing countries.

      Eritrea

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Eritrea; and if he will make a statement.

      India

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided any funding to the Indian space programme.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure UK aid spent through the EU contributes to the Government's priorities of poverty reduction and...

      Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure any lessons learnt from the bilateral aid review and multilateral aid review are used to inform EU...

      Risk Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what strategic or transitional risk registers in each area of policy are held by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

      Southern Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether Ministers or officials in his Department have had discussions with their counterparts in the government of the Republic of...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in determining with partners the appropriate proportions of UK aid to be allocated to each country and to assist people fleeing Syria,...

      International Watercourses

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government intends that the UK will accede to the UN convention on non-navigational uses of international watercourses.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with representatives of the Government of Bangladesh on disappearances in that country.

    • Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had any meetings with representatives of the government of Bangladesh regarding the disappearance of M. Ilyas Ali.

      Guided Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the Storm Shadow missile made by MBDA Missile Systems falls within the scope of the...

      Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with ministerial colleagues on the export of armoured and other demolition...

      Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of whether the conditions experienced by Israeli-held prisoners are in accord with (a)...

      Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the Israeli prison practise of sunduq punishment; and if he will make a statement.

      Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the EU not to renew Israel's special trading status in view of its continued occupation of...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to investigate reports of the use of British equipment in the demolition of Palestinian...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of Palestinian prisoners that have been tried before Israeli military courts...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities on the possible demolition of EU-funded buildings at Khan al-Ahmar...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure Palestinians' access to clean water and sanitation.

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the number of Gazans dependent on food aid.

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made on the opening of crossings into Gaza.

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to visit Palestine to assess the humanitarian situation.

      Risk Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what strategic or transitional risk registers in each area of policy are held by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

      United Arab Emirates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of the United Arab Emirates on the hunger strike of Peter Margetts in...

  • Treasury

    • Accountancy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff in each of the last three years working for the Department have a recognised accountancy qualification; and how many such staff...

    • Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an estimate of the effect of minimum pricing of alcohol on the value of duty on alcohol lost to HM revenue and Customs due to smuggling.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects of minimum unit pricing of alcohol on the (a) turnover and profit of (i) producers and (ii) retailers...

      Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what comparative assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the unit price of alcohol by either (a) introducing a minimum unit price or (b)...

      Billing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of payments made by his Department to small and medium-sized enterprises have been paid late since May 2010.

      Bona Vacantia

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of all the cases referred to the Estates Group within the Bona Vacantia Division of the Treasury Solicitor and ceded to the state in the...

      Bona Vacantia

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases where a person died without leaving a will or any entitled kin were referred to the Estates Group within the Bona Vacantia Division of the...

      Departmental Staff: Political Affiliation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the (a) job title and (b) pay band was of each official, excluding special advisers, recruited by his Department since May 2010 who was...

      Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of revenue lost to the Exchequer through unpaid duty on (a) beer, (b) wine and (c) cider.

      Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the data and calculations which his Department uses to set the rate of Machine Games Duty.

      Families

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on direct support for families in each year since 2010; and what the projected spending on such support is for each of the next two years.

      Unemployment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of the medium and long-term cost to the Exchequer of the current level of unemployment.

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 9 March 2012 from the British Hospitality Association and other large bodies representing the hospitality industry...

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised from VAT on alcohol sales in each of the last five years.

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was refunded to visitors from abroad to the UK on goods which they exported to their home countries in the last year for which figures are...

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the imposition of VAT on (a) automatic defibrillators and (b) other first aid equipment; and if he will assess the merits of exempting...

      Vat

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for the tapering of tax relief for the introduction of VAT on holiday homes.

  • Education

    • Curriculum: ICT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what impact assessment he has made of the potential effects on future employability of the removal of ICT classes from the curriculum.

    • Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many pupils were eligible for and (a) claiming and (b) not claiming free school meals in (i) maintained nurseries, (ii) state-funded...

      Literacy: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is still national guidance that teachers should correct no more than three spelling mistakes in a piece of work in order not to harm a...

      Physics Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to recruit more physics teachers.

      Pre-school Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of families in Reading West constituency who will receive free early education for two-year-olds in each year...

      School Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to identify and spread best practice in respect of nutritional standards in schools.

      Secondary Education: Reading (Berkshire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications he received for funding from his Department's summer schools fund for disadvantaged children making the transition to secondary...

      Special Educational Needs: Direct Payments Pilot

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the provisions of the Special Educational Needs (Direct Payments) (Pilot Scheme)...

      Teachers: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to encourage more men to become primary school teachers.

      Teachers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications for postgraduate teacher training there were in each year since 1997.

      Teachers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding was available through the Graduate Teaching Programme for (a) science, technology, engineering and mathematics and (b) other shortage...

      Teachers: Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many former members of the armed forces (a) applied and (b) were accepted for the Teach First programme in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date.

      Teachers: Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1522W, on teachers: veterans, how many of the 195 service leavers who have applied for...

      Vocational Guidance: Disabled

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that schools continue to provide careers advice for disabled young people.

      Vocational Guidance: Disabled

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he plans to monitor the effectiveness of the careers advice schools provide to young disabled people.

      Young People: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of young people in the Teesside area who use illegal drugs.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Accountancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of staff in each of the last three years working for his Department have a recognised accountancy qualification; and how many...

    • Carer’s Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged between 50 and 64 years are in receipt of carers allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

      Carer’s Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were eligible for carers allowance in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many people claimed carers...

      Child Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has to charge for the collection of child maintenance arrears which have...

      Child Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of Reading West constituency have Child Support Agency cases with arrears of (a) £5,000 to £10,000, (b)...

      Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on external consultants, including management consultants, in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a...

      Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the causes of trends in employment among UK-born citizens since January 2007.

      Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who were born in the UK were in employment in each year since 2007, broken down by (a) type of job and (b) skill level.

      Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed in the UK (a) in each type of job and (b) at each skill level in each year since 2007.

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of employment and support allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North...

      Employment and Support Allowance: Berkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance claimants resident in (a) Reading West constituency, (b) Reading and (c) Berkshire were placed in the...

      Employment Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many long-term benefits claimants who are fit to work have not yet been referred on to the work programme.

      Employment Schemes: Reading (Berkshire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses in Reading West constituency are participating in the Work Experience programme.

      Employment Schemes: Reading (Berkshire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming employment and support allowance were referred into the work programme in Reading West constituency in the latest...

      Employment Schemes: Reading (Berkshire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were successfully placed in jobs by Work programme contractors in Reading West constituency in each of the last 12 months.

      Employment Schemes: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have received Youth Contract wage subsidies since the launch of the scheme.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many incapacity benefit claimants in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK were placed in a...

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact assessment was made by his Department prior to the roll-out of the incapacity benefits migration programme in April 2011; and if he...

      Long-term Unemployed People: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial assistance is available to long-term unemployed people who wish to retrain for professions such as an electrician.

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's officials located in Wales would be affected by proposals for local-facing pay.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days of sick leave were taken by staff in his Department in each of the last three years.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has estimated the potential change in the volume of work for bailiffs arising from benefit changes in (a) 2011-12, (b)...

      Social Security Benefits: Airdrie

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much benefit was paid to claimants in Airdrie and Shotts constituency in 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the level of payments in...

      Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of making the benefit cap helpline a freephone number; and what consideration he has given to providing...

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many call centres provide services for his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible; and how many such call centres are based...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide details of the universal credit pathfinder that will launch in April 2013.

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average number of work capability assessments carried out by Atos Healthcare was (a) each day, (b) each week, (c) each month and (d)...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish updated cancer descriptors for the work capability assessment; when he plans to publish updated fluctuating conditions...

      Work Capability Assessment: Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which (a) benefit delivery centres and (b) Atos Healthcare centres Professor Malcolm Harrington made unannounced visits in 2012.

      Work Capability Assessment: Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department were involved in conducting the Harrington review of the work capability assessment in...

      Work Capability Assessment: Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who will succeed Professor Malcolm Harrington in carrying out the independent review of the work capability assessment.

      Work Capability Assessment: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has considered exempting people diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from the work capability assessment.

  • House of Lords

    • Armed Forces: Help for Heroes

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which, if any, ambulance services in the United Kingdom are instructing staff not to wear poppies or charity wristbands, including those for Help for Heroes.

    • Arms Export

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of British arms and military equipment approved for export to each state in the Middle East and North Africa, in each of the past three years.

      Fire Safety

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with fire and rescue services in the United Kingdom about reducing the number of domestic and commercial fires as a result of faulty...

      Greece: Imports and Exports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of (1) exports to Greece, and (2) imports from Greece, in each of the past three years.

      Greece: Imports and Exports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of (1) exports to Greece, and (2) imports from Greece, in the full year prior to Greece joining the Eurozone.

      UK Honours

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that it is appropriate for honours to continue to refer to the British Empire.

      Water Supply: Pipe Leakage

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what requirements there are for water companies to reduce leakages by 2015.

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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