Written answers

Thursday, 16 May 2013

  • Scotland

    • Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department;...

    • Wilson Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to publish the Wilson Review.

  • Wales

    • Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of...

    • National Assembly for Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what considerations have been made with regards to renaming the National Assembly for Wales the Parliament of Wales.

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what...

  • Prime Minister

    • Honours

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish a single honours list each year rewarding the giving of money to charitable works and foundations and to honour equally those who similarly...

    • Lynton Crosby

      To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether Mr Lynton Crosby is classified as a Government special adviser; and whether he has been subjected to (a) all forms of personnel security control, (b) a...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in her...

  • Transport

    • Directly Operated Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of staffing levels at Directly Operated Railways for the next two years; and what the job description will be for each grade.

    • Directly Operated Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes in legislation would be required to allow Directly Operated Railways to permanently operate franchised rail passenger services.

      Directly Operated Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by Directly Operated Railways in the last two years; and what roles were performed by each grade of staff.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 20W, on high speed 2 railway line, when he plans to publish the draft...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to assist British companies to win contracts for the construction and manufacture of tracks, locomotives and carriages...

      Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of...

      Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to discuss repeal of the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002 with officials from the Health and Safety Executive...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department;...

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes in legislation would be required to allow Network Rail to permanently operate franchised rail passenger services.

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for the domestic rail (a) industry and (b) staff of the European Commission's Fourth Rail Package...

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in respect of the current negotiations between his Department and the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract for the (a)...

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in respect of the current negotiations between his Department and the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract for the (a)...

      Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since...

  • Justice

    • Prisons: Discipline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what types of rewards are afforded to prisoners; and whether prisons have a minimum criterion for the requisite level of prisoner behaviour before...

    • Prisons: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of mental health in-reach teams (MHIRTs) in each prison over the last five years; and what the health outcomes of MHIRTs for prisoners are.

      Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts for the running of prisons have used the social value clauses in the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 since that Act came into...

  • Treasury

    • Bank Notes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how many £5 notes (a) are currently in circulation and (b) were in circulation in each of the previous four years.

    • Financial Services: Regulation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority to publish the results of the consultation exercise CP12-19; and whether he expects venture capital trusts...

      Fuels: Prices

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of differential fuel pump prices in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

      Individual Savings Accounts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have more than (a) £100,000, (b) £500,000 and (c) £1 million in an...

      Inflation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of...

      Pay

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what...

      Public Expenditure: Ministry of Defence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the current financial delegations for the Ministry of Defence.

      Tonnage Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the UK's annual (a) imports and (b) exports in each year since 2000-01 were accounted for by vessels in the tonnage tax scheme.

  • Home Department

    • Altaf Hussain

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports she has received from the Metropolitan Police on recent television broadcasts made from London by Altaf Hussain; and if she will...

    • Altaf Hussain

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the recent televisual appearances of Altaf Hussain; and whether these appearances will have any consequence...

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum applicants were granted (a) asylum or humanitarian protection and (b) neither in each of the last five years.

      Entry Clearances: China

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision for biometric facilities there is in China for Chinese nationals applying for a visa to visit the UK.

      Entry Clearances: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the same-day business visa service for Indian nationals announced by the Prime Minister in February 2013 to be introduced.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 2 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr T.N. Tchinda.

      Plants: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff have the expertise to identify exotic diseases on imported plant material entering the UK.

      Police: Festivals and Special Occasions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been made to national guidance on the charges levied for the policing of (a) festivals with up to 5,000 attendees,...

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to authorise the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence gathering by UK law enforcement agencies; and if she...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Cabinet

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost was of the extension of the size of the table at which the Cabinet meets.

    • Equal Opportunities

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what outcome his Department seeks in order to meet its commitment to developing a workforce that is representative of the population it serves.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the full Major Projects Authority report into High Speed 2 which carries a red/amber classification.

      Inflation

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of...

      Internet

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with interested parties on IP address transparency.

      Migration

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Office for National Statistics will issue revised Long Term International Migration Statistics for the period between the 2001 and 2011...

      Ministerial Policy Advisers: Vetting

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many candidates for special adviser posts have not been appointed because they have not received security clearance since May 2010; how many special...

      Pay

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department;...

      Ministerial Meetings

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if the Permanent Secretary of his Department has held any (a) briefing sessions, (b) private meetings and (c) lunches or dinners with journalists...

      Publications

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other...

      Railway Stations: Crime

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many criminal offences were recorded at (a) Barrow and Furness, (b) Roose, (c) Dalton-in-Furness and (d) Ulverston railway station, by category of...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Health Education: Sex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 827W, on health education: sex, when the Government plans to...

    • Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in...

      S4C

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will (a) review the financial position of S4C and (b) institute a fixed funding formula for that channel to facilitate greater...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Local Government: Elections

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the levels of turnout of electors voting (a) by post and (b) in person at the 2013 county council elections.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and...

    • Employment Schemes: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when statistics for the Youth Contract wage subsidy scheme will be released; (2) how many employers have received wage subsidy payments...

      Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London...

      Homelessness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will work with homelessness organisations to assess the effectiveness of the toolkit for identification of homelessness by Jobcentre Plus...

      Innovation Fund: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland have been supported by the Innovation Fund; and how many such people have gone on to (a) full-time and (b)...

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to assess a claim for jobseeker's allowance is in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire...

      Jobseeker's Allowance: Croydon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 18 to 24 years old in Croydon North constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months in the...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his...

      Pensioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) many pensioners have returned to the Exchequer the cash value of their (a) winter fuel allowance, (b) free television licence and (c)...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) cost savings will be made and (b) benefits for the claimant will result from reassessing personal independence payment claimants who...

      Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered employment as a result of the application of the benefit cap; and if he will make a statement.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls to the helpline for existing benefit recipients have been declined on security grounds since the introduction of new security checks.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to review the online application process for claiming (a) attendance allowance, (b) disability living allowance and (c)...

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) target set and (b) rate of achievement is for response to call back telephone calls for his Department's call centres.

      Unemployment Benefits: Croydon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women were claiming out-of-work benefits in Croydon North constituency in the most recent month for which figures are...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of universal credit.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation he has set in place to assess the effect on (a) lifting people out of poverty and (b) claimants of disablement benefits, of the...

      Universal Credit: Gloucestershire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when benefit claimants in Gloucestershire will be transferred to universal credit.

      Vacancies: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vacancies have been posted on Universal Jobmatch to date; and how many job outcomes have been achieved through that system.

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the reasons why people who apply for employment and support allowance do not subsequently attend a...

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he has put in place for those people who will complete two years on the Work programme without having achieved a job sustainment.

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the Work Programme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 to date.

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will strengthen the minimum service standards for the Work programme to better improve the experience of homeless people who use...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Climate Change: Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the proposal by the Department for Education to remove climate change from the national curriculum...

    • Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the total UK onshore shale gas resource; and when he plans to publish the recent report on shale gas...

      Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1058-60W, on fuel poverty, what the time lag was for reporting...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that small construction companies are able to access work contracts to deliver the Green Deal.

      Plutonium

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 31 of page 14 of his Department's consultation on the Management of the UK's Plutonium Stock, published on...

      Radioactive Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what communications his Department has received from the Office for Nuclear Regulation on (a) transport safety and (b) security issues...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of electricity market reform on community and co-operative energy projects.

      Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Aerospace Technology Institute

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what advice his Department has issued to the Aerospace Growth Partnership's working group examining the location of the...

    • Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bankruptcy cases were recorded as having few or no assets in each year since 2008.

      Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average level of debt was for bankruptcy cases (a) recorded as having few or no assets, (b) excluding those with few or...

      Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Insolvency Service annual reports 2009-10 and 2010-11, what the threshold is for a bankruptcy case to be...

      EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on an EU-US trade agreement; what timetable is envisaged; and if he will make a statement.

      Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department's (a) Export Refinancing Scheme and (b) Direct Lending Facility will be in operation.

      Foreign Investment in UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much foreign direct investment the UK has attracted in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

      Ict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support the creation of a digital single market.

      Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer...

      Post Offices: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has given consideration to the future of Holloway Crown post office.

      Zoos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the importance of zoos and aquariums to the UK economy; (2) what steps he is taking to...

      Zoos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the economic potential of zoos, aquariums and allied wildlife sites to local enterprise...

  • Health

    • Variant CJD

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when screening for vCJD will be available to families who have been affected by it; (2) when he proposes that a vCJD blood screening test will be...

    • Variant CJD

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many silent carriers of vCJD there are in the UK; and how many of those could be potential blood donors; (2) what his latest estimate is of the...

      Clinical Commissioning Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups do not have conflicting interests when purchasing services on behalf of patients.

      Croydon University Hospital

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the proposed downgrade of Croydon university hospital, including the closure of accident and emergency, maternity and...

      Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hospital admissions arising from legal highs in each of the last five years.

      General Practitioners: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of spending on out-of-hours care between 2004 and 2010, by primary care trust.

      General Practitioners: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many items of correspondence his Department received from primary care trusts expressing concern about arrangements for out-of-hours care...

      General Practitioners: Working Hours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices have opted out of providing out-of-hours care under the provisions of the revised GP contract since April 2004.

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's administrative budget in 2013-14 is for (a) Monitor, (b) Healthwatch England, (c) Healthwatch Staffordshire, (d) Independent...

      Health Services: Berkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has recently received representations from NHS Berkshire about (a) the future of Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot and (b) the strategic priorities...

      Health Services: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value was of invoiced fees owed to the NHS by foreign patients not entitled to free care which were written off in each of the last 10 years.

      Health Services: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of secondary care provided to foreign nationals who were not entitled to free treatment.

      Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of...

      Mental Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to develop existing high secure hospital estates to meet changes in overall capacity requirements over the next five years; (2)...

      Mesothelioma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held with insurance firms on the proposal to place their financial contribution to mesothelioma research on to a statutory basis.

      NHS Foundation Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts have not achieved foundation trust status; and when he expects all NHS trusts to gain foundation trust status.

      NHS: Whistleblowing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many individual items of correspondence his Department received expressing concern about the effects of Government targets on patient care...

      Offenders: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost of (a) methadone prescriptions and (b) rehabilitative treatment for both prisoners and offenders on probation is.

      Prisons: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost of prisoners' access to (a) psychiatric nurses, (b) psychiatrists, (c) clinical psychologists, (d) occupational therapists, (e) drug...

      Skin Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) GPs with special interests who diagnose, manage and excise low-risk basal cell...

      Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the potential effects on (a) insurers and (b) policy holders of the proposed cap on...

      Streptococcus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set a target for the reduction of early-onset group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies; and if he will make a statement.

      Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will create a national strategy for tuberculosis in the UK.

      Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent of the incidence of tuberculosis in the UK.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • All-party Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings he and Ministers in his Department have had with all-party parliamentary groups in the last 12 months.

    • Fires: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of deaths per 100,000 due to fire in (a) the UK and (b) countries that have introduced...

      Local Government: Newspaper Press

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority spent on newspapers delivered to households in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Access to Countryside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the countryside.

    • New Markets: British Producers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on opening up new markets to British producers. [R]

      Red Tape

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on reducing red tape in the farming industry.

      Rural Economy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies he is putting in place to encourage growth in the rural economy.

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on testing for bovine tuberculosis in (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency in each of the last 10 years.

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the bagder cull programme in Ireland and of lessons to be learned in relation to...

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to eradicate tuberculosis from cattle.

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans he has to start bovine TB cattle vaccination trials; (2) whether he has submitted a request to the European...

      Bovine Tuberculosis: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in the North West of England is attributable to cattle movements from the South...

      Gangmasters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 682W, on gangmasters, what progress he has made in (a)...

      Temporary Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agency staff are currently working within (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

  • Education

    • Childminding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he plans to offer financial incentives to encourage the formation of childminder agencies; (2) what representations his Department has...

    • Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has approached regarding the establishment of pilot schemes for the relaxation of staff to...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he has received representations from Ofsted in support of the relaxation of child care ratios; (2) what recent discussions he has had...

      Children's Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children's centres employed early years professionals as of (a) 6 May 2010 and (b) 6 May 2013.

      Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the Government plan to publish a revised impact assessment on the proposed changes to the national curriculum.

      Curriculum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish the final programmes for study for Key Stage 1 to 3.

      Departmental Responsibilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the stop lists of policy activity referred to in his Department's recent infrastructure and funding division newsletter.

      Education: Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken in publication of assessment criteria on the development of learning resources.

      Pre-school Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what representations he has received advocating the delivery of free nursery education by child care providers rated as satisfactory without the...

      Pre-school Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average number of hours of free entitlement was for (a) two-year-olds, where offered, (b) three-year-olds and (c) four-year-olds actually used...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take in response to the report of the Office of the Children's Commissioner entitled They Go The Extra Mile, published in March...

      School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to monitor the take-up of school meals.

      Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools other than academies and free schools have been visited by each Minister in his Department since May 2010.

      Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effect of the introduction of new GCSEs and A-levels at the same time on the workload of schools.

      Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will request Ofsted to inspect specialist SEN support services for children with sensory impairments; (2) what the outcome was of his...

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information is available to parents of children with sensory impairments on the quality of support they receive from specialist SEN support services.

  • International Development

    • Clothing

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public body for which she is responsible have made a claim for...

    • Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she discussed increasing resources for nutrition-specific programmes at the World Bank spring meeting in Washington, USA.

      Ethiopia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how UK bilateral aid to Ethiopia has been spent, by category of programme and expenditure, in each of the last three years.

      Ghana

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how UK bilateral aid to Ghana has been spent, by category of programme and expenditure in each of the last three years.

      Inflation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price...

      Nepal

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government of Nepal has declined funding from the UK Government to support their gender-based violence unit in the Prime...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in...

      Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by her Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits...

      South Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 92W on South Africa, (1) for what reasons the proportion of UK...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Afghan Government about (a) fully implementing the Elimination of Violence Against...

    • Afghanistan and Pakistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on public opinion in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Pakistan of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes.

      Altaf Hussain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the activities of the leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement leader Altaf Hussain; and...

      Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that requirements on health and safety in the workplace are taken into account in the conduct...

      Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) his European counterparts and (b) the European Commission on plans to use...

      Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the killing of large numbers of peaceful protestors in Shapla Square, Dhaka, Bangladesh; and if...

      British Nationals Abroad: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1049-50W, on British nationals abroad: deaths, what the...

      Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and...

      Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Colombia about the death threat received by the Patriotic March member,...

      Fiji

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Fiji about that country's human rights record; (2) what...

      G4S

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an...

      Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c)...

      Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Russian Government regarding the detention and trial of Alexei Navalny.

      Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Russian Government on (a) human rights, (b) the independence of the...

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent sexual violence in Somalia.

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the representation of women's issues at the conference on Somalia held on 7 May 2013.

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with representatives of Somali women prior to the conference on Somalia held on 7 May 2013; and if he...

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions will be taken with regard to protecting and advancing women's rights in Somalia as a result of the conference on...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that no UK companies are (a) directly and (b) indirectly involved in selling goods to the...

      UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the UN Security Council for a human rights requirement to be included in the future...

  • House of Lords

    • Alcohol: Licensing

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to introduce public health as a licensing objective, as outlined in their Alcohol Strategy (Cm 8336).

    • Aviation: Air Quality

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Earl Attlee on 13 June 2012 (Official Report, col. 1406), whether, as the matter was formally referred, the Committee on the...

      Charities: Cup Trust

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the oversight of the Cup Trust by the Charity Commission; and whether they will order the publication of the names of donors who...

      Driving: Penalty Points

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many drivers currently have more than 12 points on their driving licences; whether any of those drivers are not disqualified from driving; and, if so,...

      Energy: Wind Farms

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what calculations they have made of the effect of the carbon price support mechanism on (1) the level of subsidy payable to existing wind farms and to those...

      Health: 999 Calls

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether all 999 calls in England answered by private ambulance services in contract with the National Health Service are attended by properly trained and...

      Health: Complementary and Alternative Medicines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the statutory register for practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines, announced by the Secretary of State for Health in 2011, will be...

      Health: Complementary and Alternative Medicines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to assist practitioners, producers and suppliers of herbal medicines in dealing with the consequences of European Union Directive...

      Health: Complementary and Alternative Medicines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Chief Medical Officer and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have provided their views on the establishment of a statutory...

      Living Wage

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to promote the use of the living wage.

      Migration: Romanians and Bulgarians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Potential Impacts on the UK of Future Migration from Bulgaria...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to change the way in which the minimum wage calculations are made.

      National Insurance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Romanians and Bulgarians respectively have registered for national insurance numbers (1) in each year since 2007, and (2) in total; how many of...

      Planning

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many planning applications for buildings on school sports fields have been approved since 2010, and in what locations.

      Planning

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Communities and Neighbourhoods Planning scheme could in principle make grants to organisations representing Gypsies and Travellers wishing to...

      Planning

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rules apply, and what guidance is given, to local authorities in designating a neighbourhood forum (other than parish councils) under Section 61F of the...

      Poverty

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to introduce alert mechanisms to assist local authorities in detecting any rise in poverty as a result of austerity measures.

      Railways: High Speed 2

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their forecast of the total borrowing of Network Rail on completion of HS2 from (1) London to Birmingham, and (2) the extension to Leeds and Manchester.

      Railways: Network Rail

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their forecast of the change in the total borrowings of Network Rail for the next (1) five, (2) 10, (3) 15, and (4) 20 years. To ask Her...

      Railways: Network Rail

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the borrowing of Network Rail exceeds £28 billion.

      Suicide

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the rates of death by suicide among (1) men, and (2) women, aged a) 18–25, (b) 25–40, (c) 40–50, (d) 50–60, (e)...

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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