Written answers

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

  • Home Department

    • Anti-slavery Day

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2012.

    • Emergency Calls: Performance Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response times to 999 emergency calls were in September (a) 2010 and (b) 2012.

      Extradition: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK-US extradition treaty of 2003 has been ratified by both parties and has entered into force.

      Identity and Passport Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the Identity and Passport Service has received from people who find it distressing to remove their glasses when required...

      Police: Powers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on police powers to promote and maintain public order, which closed in...

  • Wales

    • Broadcasting Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and others on the broadcasting industry in Wales.

    • City Regions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and others on the development of city regions in Wales.

      Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship; (2) how many (a) paid...

      West Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had on the effects in Wales of the franchise decision for the West Coast Main Line.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Equality

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 29WS on Equalities/Equality and Human Rights Commission, what...

  • Justice

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people received custodial sentences for animal cruelty offences in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and how many sentences were...

    • Burglary: Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions of homeowners after a domestic burglary there have been in the last five years.

      Criminal Cases Review Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will initiate a review into the operations of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

      Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) age, (b) family status and (c) ethnicity was of each claimant of legal aid for matters related to domestic violence in each of the last five...

      Electronic Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce the winning bid for his Department's contract relating to the tagging of offenders due to be implemented in April 2013.

      Electronic Tagging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has budgeted for the tendering process for its April 2013 contract relating to the tagging of offenders.

      Prison Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent employees there were in the Prisons Service on 30 September 2012.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve violence reduction and suicide and self-harm monitoring procedures at prisons in (a) Merseyside and (b) England and Wales.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the amount it will receive from the disposal of HMP Ashwell and HMP Wellingborough.

      Prisons: Contracts for Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contacts there were between his ministerial team and any of the private-sector bidders during the current prisons market-testing evaluation process...

      Prisons: Merseyside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps his Department is taking to improve inductions for prisoners in (a) HMP Liverpool and (b) HMP Altcourse; (2) what steps he is taking to...

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what budget his Department allocated to the (a) Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council, (b) Assessor for Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice,...

      Television: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each county in the north west of England were prosecuted for not having a television licence in each of the last 10 years.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship.

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) paid apprentices and (b) paid interns are employed in his Department.

      Apprentices: Warrington

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many apprenticeship starts there were in Warrington in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each of the last five...

      BAE Systems: EADS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to separate his role under the Enterprise Act 2002 with regard to adjudicating on the proposed merger of...

      Construction: Lancaster

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value is of the construction sector to the economy in (a) Lancashire and (b) Pendle constituency.

      Extractive Industry Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of progress in reaching agreement on EU transparency laws for extractive industry companies to report...

      Green Investment Bank: Pendle

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage green investment in Pendle constituency.

      Newspaper Licensing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to his Department was of Newspaper Licensing Agency licences for scanned content for each year since 2010.

      Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010.

      Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to what extent his Department and the public bodies and agencies for which he is responsible used name-blank or anonymised...

      Regional Assistance: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on Northern Ireland of proposals to remove automatic assisted area status for Northern...

      Regional Growth Fund: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 642W, on Regional Growth Fund: North East, how many bidders...

      Shops: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many shops have been empty in Ashfield constituency in (a) each of the last five years and (b) the latest period for...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of badgers within each pilot cull area.

    • Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funds have been provided by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies for the...

      Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of badgers that have been vaccinated within a two kilometre area in each of the two...

      Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the total land area in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Somerset where vaccination of badgers has...

      Ducks: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure ducks are reared under RSPCA standards.

      Floods: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the insurance industry and other stakeholders on the availability of affordable flood...

      Food Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an estimate of the level of food poverty in the UK.

      Peat

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the phasing out of peat in compost and other growing media; what recent assessment he...

      Trees: Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential threat to UK ash trees of fungus from continental Europe;

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless children aged 16 years old and under were accommodated in bed and breakfast accommodation provided by local...

    • Buildings: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership will be of the group reviewing building standards; and if he will make a statement.

      Cambridge

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new households there were in Cambridge in each of the last 11 years; and what the change in the population of Cambridge...

      Cambridge

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the economic performance of Cambridge in the last 10 years.

      Cambridge

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of (a) the likely change in the number of dwellings in Cambridge between 2011 and 2021 and (b) the...

      Children: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families were assisted by family intervention projects in each of the last five years; and what the different...

      Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have received funding to enable them to change from alternate weekly to weekly refuse collection in...

      Electric Cables

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of electrical cabling installed that was counterfeit or falsely marked in each of...

      Electric Cables

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with UK electrical cabling manufacturers on preventing the importation and installation of...

      Electric Cables

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of electrical cabling installed in the UK in each of the last five years...

      First Time Buyers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many first-time house buyers there were in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last three years.

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evidence his Department has on the number of properties with planning consent which are not being built due to unviability...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes in each English local authority have planning permission.

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many new homes are stalled due to site viability under section 106 in each local authority in England; (2) what the...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his policy to include planning applications for housing above a certain size in the definition of major...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 484W, on housing: construction, if he will make it his...

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have signed a formal duty to co-operate as defined in the Localism Act 2012.

      Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely growth in income from National Non-Domestic Rates in the next 10 years; what...

      Planning Inspectorate: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he proposes any increase in staffing of the Planning Inspectorate to manage the increased workload resulting from...

      Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that landlords in the private rental sector comply with electrical safety standards; and if he...

      Social Services: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of council budgets which will need to be spent on adult social care in each of the...

  • Health

    • Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people contracted bovine tuberculosis (a) through contact with cattle and (b) by ingesting products produced by infected cattle and what the...

    • Care Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of care homes in each region which do not meet national minimum standards of care.

      Hunter Syndrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure the continued availability of enzyme replacement therapy for children with Hunter syndrome following the...

      In Vitro Fertilisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on whether the refusal of a Clinical Commissioning Group to fund three full cycles of IVF to eligible couples constitutes a...

      Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support and treatment his Department provides for sufferers of pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

      Psychiatry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical and (b) non-medical staff there were in the psychiatry group of specialties in the NHS in England, by primary care trust, on 31 July...

      Thalidomide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make it his policy to provide financial assistance on a permanent basis to people living with the effects of thalidomide; and if he will...

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve public understanding of the work of the armed forces in Afghanistan.

    • Aircraft Carriers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many months of the year the Queen Elizabeth class carrier will be operational.

      Aircraft Carriers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sorties can be flown from a Queen Elizabeth class carrier in 24 hours.

      Aircraft Carriers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the additional cost of running a second Queen Elizabeth class carrier would be.

      Armed Forces: Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, on infantry officers, what calculations his Department made in reaching the decision that...

      Astute Class Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether design work has been carried out to modify the design of later submarines in the Astute class in order for them to be powered by PWR3...

      BAE Systems: EADS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS on the Scottish defence industry.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department intends to respond to a freedom of information request (reference 20120606/FOI-MSU4.7.6_U) submitted in April.

      Olympic Games 2012: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much compensation has been paid to members of the armed forces for cancelled holidays and other costs incurred as a consequence of their being...

  • Scotland

    • Anti-slavery Day

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2012.

    • Cabinet Growth Implementation Committee

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 11 September 2012, Official Report, column 124W, whether the membership of the Cabinet Growth Implementation Committee has...

      Defence: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS on employment in the Scottish defence sector;...

      Electoral Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the annual canvass of voters due to take place in Scotland in Autumn 2013 will request information on 14 and 15 year olds resident in households.

      Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much he plans to spend in...

      Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was...

      Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with electoral registration officers in Scotland and the Scottish Electoral Management Board on the proposed extension of...

      Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the mechanisms that will be put in place for voter registration of 16 and 17 year olds prior...

      Sovereignty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had discussions with Ministerial colleagues on whether extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds in the forthcoming referendum on...

      Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what media or public speaking training Ministers in his Department have received since May 2010.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Assisted Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the benefits of assisted area status for Northern Ireland.

    • HMS Caroline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current status is of HMS Caroline.

      Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much she plans to...

      Welfare Reform Act 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on introducing...

  • Treasury

    • Bank Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2012, Official Report, column 372, on SMEs, when he expects the Financial Services Authority to publish its...

    • British Business Bank

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the proposed British Business Bank will be able to borrow its own financial resources and direct these to small and medium-sized businesses;...

      Business: Peterborough

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made on the effect of the Funding for Lending Scheme on (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) mortgages in Peterborough...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are taken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to carry out an investigation into tax and maintenance evasion, where an application for child...

      Taxation: Community Interest Companies

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider reforming the tax treatment of community interest companies (CICs) to change the tax treatment of CIC directors relative to directors of...

  • Attorney-General

    • Human Trafficking

      To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of human trafficking or associated offences where the type of exploitation was forced cultivation of...

    • Human Trafficking

      To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions took place for conspiracy to traffic human beings in each of the last three years; and how many such prosecutions led to convictions.

  • International Development

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what plans she has to make tackling violence against women and girls a priority for the Government in its bilateral aid programme...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel on calls to demolish the Jahalin School in Khan Al Ahmar; and if he...

    • Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 19/2; and what his objectives are for...

      UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which budget his recent £1 million pledge to support the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative...

      World War II: Medals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to issue medals to those who served in the (a) Political Warfare Executive and (b) Political...

  • Education

    • Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with officials at Ofqual about the recent decisions by examination boards to...

    • GCSE: Brighton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the number of pupils in the Brighton and Hove local authority area who have been affected by recent decisions by examination boards...

      Higher Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham of 17 July 2012; (2) when the Government intends to...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has discussed including international aviation and shipping emissions in carbon budgets as recommended by the Committee on...

    • Centre for Sustainable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which contracts have been assigned by his Department to the Centre for Sustainable Energy in the last five years; and what the value...

      Combined Heat and Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage refineries to generate their own electricity using combined heat and power once levy exemption...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of total electricity generation capacity within the UK; and what estimate he has made of such capacity in 2015.

      Energy Distribution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the annual cost of energy distribution to consumers.

      Energy: Profits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the level of annual profits reported by energy distribution firms.

      Exhaust Emissions: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a carbon price on international shipping; whether such a proposal will be...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 149 of the impact assessment for the Green Deal and energy company obligation, what steps his Department...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal (a) providers, (b) assessors and (c) installers have been approved since the inception of the scheme.

      Low Carbon Networks Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the benefits of the Low Carbon Networks Fund.

      Low Carbon Networks Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total value of the Low Carbon Networks Fund is.

      Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the potential size of domestic UK shale gas reserves; and if he will make a statement.

      Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the potential size of domestic UK coal bed methane reserves; and if he will make a statement.

      Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010.

      Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects an announcement from Horizon Nuclear Power on the future of its nuclear programme in the UK; and if he will make a...

      Renewable Energy: Infrastructure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what the five most costly renewable energy infrastructure projects in the UK are which are (a) being planned and (b) under...

      Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to publish the data used to calculate the different tariffs for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme; and if he will...

      Warm Home Discount Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to provide the Warm Home Discount to the poorest families with children under five years old.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Average Earnings: Peterborough

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average median weekly earnings were before tax for employees (a) aged 50-64, (b) over 65 and (c) of all ages in Peterborough constituency in...

    • Civil Servants

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many civil servants of each grade from 1 to 7 there are in each Government Department; (2) how many civil servants of each grade from 1 to 7...

      Employment: Wales

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the net change in private sector jobs was in (a) Wales and (b) Vale of Clwyd constituency from May 2010 to the latest period for which figures are...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Lobbying

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to publish a response to the public consultation on introducing a statutory register of lobbyists document; and when he plans to publish a White...

  • Transport

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship; (2) how many (a)...

    • Aviation: Musicians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will support the Association of British Orchestras and the Musicians' Union in their representations to the European Commission's Department for...

      Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on (a) retaining runway alternation and (b) the introduction of mixed mode operation at Heathrow.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the effect of locating the London terminus of High Speed 2 at (a) Euston and (b) Old Oak Common on (i) journey times and convenience...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that his Department should undertake a comprehensive re-examination of the business case for HS2.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which responses to the HS2 consultation were not taken into account by HS2 Ltd's contractor Dialogue by Design, by constituency.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how individuals and organisations that responded to the HS2 consultations can check that their contributions have been registered and included in the...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department will use a full Ecosystems Service Approach for the next version of the Economic Case for High Speed 2.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department will publish an update to the Economic Case for High Speed 2.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will ensure that the evaluation by High Speed 2 engineers of the proposals for a full tunnel under the Chilterns Area of Outstanding...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current date for the estimated completion of the environmental impact assessment for High Speed 2 London to Birmingham route is.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the delayed compensation consultation document will be issued by his Department.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line: Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to adapt the route of High Speed 2 if the Department's Inquiry on Aviation recommends an enhancement of landing and take-off...

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the three per cent above RPI increase in regulated rail fares.

      Railways: Fares

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Command Paper ‘Reforming Our Railways: Putting the Customer First’, when he expects to end above-inflation fare increases.

      Railways: North Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an estimate of the cost of upgrading the signalling on the North Wales coastal route; and if he will make a statement.

      Railways: North Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the case for investment in infrastructure on the Conwy Valley line.

      Redditch-Birmingham Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has any plans to upgrade the Redditch to Birmingham line.

      Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was...

      Thameslink Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied that the Thameslink rolling stock procurement process was carried out correctly.

      Thameslink Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the consultation on the combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchises, what estimate his Department has made of the...

      Thameslink Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the Thameslink rolling stock procurement process.

      Traffic Lights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether his Department has carried out an analysis of the potential effects of installing environmentally-friendly LED traffic lights; (2) what...

      Transport: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which transport projects in the UK contribute to the trans-European transport network.

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many WS Atkins staff worked on the West Coast Mainline franchise on behalf of his Department; and what the (a) grade and (b) hourly rate was of each.

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Eversheds LLP staff worked on the West Coast Mainline franchise on behalf of his Department; and what the (a) grade and (b) hourly rate was of...

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours work Eversheds LLP charged his Department in respect of work relating to the West Coast Mainline franchise; and at what hourly rate....

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many hours work WS Atkins charged his Department in respect of work relating to the West Coast Mainline franchise; and at what hourly rate.

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what technical errors have been made by his Department's officials in evaluating the West Coast mainline franchise bids.

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency plans are in place for the West Coast Mainline to be operated by Directly Operated Railways if First Group is not in a position to...

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of (a) transition and (b) ongoing costs that will be incurred by Directly Operated Railways for running the West Coast...

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's officials are involved in the planning for the West Coast Mainline to be operated by Directly Operated Railways and what...

      West Coast Railway Line: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the civil servants involved in the West Coast Mainline franchise process had any involvement in the Thameslink rolling stock procurement.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Archaelogy and Cultural Heritage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent steps her Department has taken to involve and interest young people in (a) archaeology and (b) heritage; and if...

    • Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the contribution of the creative industries to local economies in each region.

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many local authorities had had Broadband Delivery UK audits before 1 September 2012; and how many such local authorities...

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many local authorities have been required to have a new additional audit by Broadband Delivery UK in (a) September, (b)...

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when the next negotiations with the EU on state aid, broadband and Broadband Delivery UK will take place.

      Information and Communications Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many IT systems which cost over £1 million and were introduced since May 2010 are in use in her Department.

      Information and Communications Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many IT projects have been developed for her Department since May 2010.

      Newspaper Licensing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost to her Department was of Newspaper Licensing Agency licences for scanned content for each year since 2010.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Atos Healthcare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what correspondence he has received from any Minister in the Scottish Government on Atos Healthcare; and if he will place copies of any such...

    • Carer's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans he has to increase the earnings threshold for carer's allowance; (2) what plans he has to synchronise minimum wage rises with...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions a decision by his Department in relation to eligibility for employment and support allowance has been overturned without...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of housing benefit claimants (a) of all ages and (b) under 26 were (i) in work and (ii) unemployed in the latest period for...

      Housing Benefit: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of the withdrawal of housing benefit from those aged under 25 years on levels of (a)...

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made by users of Jobcentre Plus against staff in the last five years by (a) region and (b) Jobcentre Plus office.

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that people can continue to receive jobseeker's allowance while waiting for Criminal Records...

      Jobseeker's Allowance: Peterborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 50 and over were claiming jobseeker's allowance in Peterborough constituency in each quarter since 2001; what proportion...

      Poverty: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

      Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Bradford district were sanctioned under his Department's mandatory work activity scheme for failing to participate in the...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of women born between 6 June 1951 and 5 December 1953 who will reach state pension age before men born...

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what enquiry and claims telephone lines his Department operates which are (a) free to the caller and (b) may incur a charge to the caller; and...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department is of the (a) helpline and (b) training for hon. Members and their staff on the introduction of universal credit.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place on his Department's website a record of the actions from meetings of the Universal Credit Finance and Commercial Working Group...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will update his Department's website to include the minutes of the meetings of the Local Authority Transition Working Group which have...

      Welfare Reform Act 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Minister for Social Development and (b) the Finance Minister in Northern Ireland on introducing...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider contracting work capability assessments to the NHS.

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 166W, on employment schemes, when during the autumn he plans to conduct the...

  • House of Lords

    • Banking: Ring-fencing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed implementation of the ring-fencing of United Kingdom banks follows the findings of the report of the Liikanen Group.

    • Banks: British Business Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed British business bank will operate separately or through existing commercial banks. To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written...

      Banks: British Business Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much private capital has so far been secured for the proposed British business bank. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the proposed British business bank...

      Banks: Lending

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have set targets for bank lending to United Kingdom companies in order to stimulate growth and whether they will publish any such targets.

      Banks: Lending

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether banks and building societies that have signed up for the Funding for Lending scheme have produced any evidence of additional loans having been made; and,...

      Crime: Hate Crime

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to tackle race hatred; and what is their response to the publication by the Association of Chief Police Officers of data on 13...

      Eritrea

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are enforcing the United Nations ban on armaments for Eritrea.

      Government Departments: Mail Opening

      To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances Royal Mail staff are required to open correspondence to the Department for Work and Pensions from claimants containing confidential medical...

      Health: Dermatitis

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the number of cases of workplace dermatitis.

      Health: Needlestick Injuries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action are they taking to reduce the incidence of exposure to blood-borne viruses (BBV) as a result of needlestick injuries.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty's Government for how long housing benefit is paid in England to (1) 16 to 17 year- olds, (2) 18 to 21 year-olds, and (3) 22 to 24 year-olds.

      Human Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of girls and women trafficked into the United Kingdom by gangs operating in Turkey.

      Immigration: Deportation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government to which countries they do not deport foreign criminals; from what date in each case; and whether discussions with those countries are under way regarding those...

      Police and Crime Commissioners

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is being given to police and crime commissioners about engaging with children and young people in conflict with the law.

      Questions for Written Answer

      To ask the Leader of the House why 10 Questions for Written Answer tabled in July were unanswered on 8 October.

      Questions for Written Answer

      To ask the Leader of the House, for each government department with Questions for Written Answer that were tabled in July and remained unanswered on 8 October, whether he will discuss the delays...

      Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have estimated the additional revenue that would be raised if (1) winter fuel allowance, (2) free television licences, and (3) free bus passes were...

      Transport: Eurotunnel

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent improvements have been introduced by UK Border Agency officials to enhance the service to motorists using the shuttle service trains between Folkestone...

      Trees: Chalara Fraxinea

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the loss of 90% of ash trees in Denmark, due to attack by chalara fraxinea (ash tree fungus); and what controls they intend to...

      UN: Drugs

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the request by the presidents of Colombia, Mexico and Guatemala for a review of global drugs policy by the United Nations.

      Valuation Office: Appeals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average length of time from lodging an appeal with the Valuation Tribunal against a Valuation Office ruling on a council tax banding appeal to the...

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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