Written answers

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to eliminate bovine tuberculosis in addition to the current cull of badgers.

    • Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to test a tuberculosis vaccine on (a) cattle and (b) badgers; and if he will make a statement.

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to work with Save Me, the Badger Trust and the RSPCA to look at alternatives to the...

      Horses: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the hot branding of horses and ponies; and if he will make a statement.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Buildings: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money has been included in the local authority settlement each year under the New Burdens Doctrine for compliance...

    • East of England Energy Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to facilitate the completion of outstanding and future payments from the European Regional Development...

      Housing: Building Alterations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department made of the cost implications for local councils of the changes to permitted developments for...

      Local Enterprise Partnerships: Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has given to local enterprise partnerships to support the arts and creative industries.

      Local Government: Audit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have transferred audit work from the Audit Commission to one of the big four accountancy firms to...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy that a recently constructed outbuilding cannot be classified as an existing outbuilding and...

      Rents: Arrears

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases of local authority housing rent arrears there have been since January 2010; and what the cost to local...

      Sleeping Rough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people sleeping rough in the UK.

  • Transport

    • Airbus A380

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of likely changes in the number of A380s flying into London airports in the next 10 years.

    • Airbus A380

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to ensure that an increase in the number of Airbus A380s landing at Heathrow airport does not affect the continued...

      Electric Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what his policy is on the introduction of mandatory approaching vehicle audible systems in electric vehicles; (2) whether he has had recent...

      Great Western Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Directly Operated Railways and GW Railways Ltd regarding the Great Western franchise extension.

      Great Western Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress he has made on negotiations towards a short-term extension of the Great Western franchise due to commence in October 2013.

      Heathrow Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that Heathrow airport be renamed Churchill airport.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for the interface between Cross Rail and High Speed 2 at Heathrow airport.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether double decker trains will be permitted to operate on the High Speed 2 line.

      Level Crossings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to increase awareness about the potential dangers of using level crossings.

      Railway Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what bids he considered for awards from the New Stations Fund; and whether the New Stations Fund will be underspent.

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) new national rail stations and (b) miles of new or reopened miles of passenger lines have been brought into service in (i) Scotland, (ii)...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) new national rail stations and (b) miles of new or reopened miles of passenger lines have opened in (i) England outside London, (ii)...

      Rescue Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of shifts at maritime rescue co-ordination centres were staffed at below risk-assessed levels in May 2013.

      Rescue Services: Belfast

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Belfast was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in May 2013.

      Rescue Services: Stornoway

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Stornoway was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in May 2013.

      Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings his Department has held to review the road maintenance block grant since 1 January 2010; with whom those meetings were held; and what the...

      Traffic Lights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to promote the use of cycle-specific traffic lights.

      Transport: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department has already provided, or is planning to provide, over the period of the current Spending Review, to (a) Transport for...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability living allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have been...

    • Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and...

      Employment and Support Allowance: Mental Illness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that people with mental health problems should not be relied on to gather themselves all the medical evidence...

      Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was allocated in discretionary housing payment funding to (a) each local authority, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in 2012-13.

      Pension Protection Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he is making with his planned reforms to the compensation cap on the Pension Protection Fund.

      Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

      Social Exclusion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to tackle social exclusion.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the amount no longer spent by his Department on people in (a) North-East Lincolnshire and (b) Henley-on-Thames as a result...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-working age households currently have benefit income, excluding housing benefit, above the level of the benefit cap; and, of...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is his policy that, for non-working households whose benefit income other than housing benefit exceeds the level of the benefit cap,...

      Universal Credit: East Ham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the first date on which residents of East Ham constituency will be able to apply for universal credit.

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome have been classified as Fit for Work under the Atos Back to Work assessments; (2) how...

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of the number of complaints made against Atos and any other firm carrying out work capability assessments.

      Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on legal representation in appeals against decisions on benefits entitlement made following work capability...

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many participants in the Work programme have been successful in finding employment since its inception; (2) how many individuals...

      Work Programme: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Work programme in tackling unemployment in Wales.

  • Home Department

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she and (b) her ministerial colleagues have held with representatives from the animal welfare sector between 1 January 2013...

    • Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the (a) performance of G4S in delivering its COMPASS contract for asylum seekers and (b) capacity of G4S to...

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many returned asylum seekers returned to their country of origin have since returned to the UK and have been accepted as victims of...

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children seeking asylum in the UK have been subject to the use of physical force in the last six months.

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children seeking asylum in the UK have been strip-searched in the last six months.

      Asylum: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she last assessed the performance of the Azure card.

      Borders: Personal Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on reaching a settlement with Raytheon Systems Ltd on the e-Borders programme; and when the arbitration progress...

      Capita

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

      Criminal Investigation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police investigations were dropped before a charge was brought against the accused in the latest period for which figures...

      Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tighten control over illegal internet sites.

      Deportation: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been deported by the UK Border Agency in each of the last three years.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the scale of under-reporting of domestic abuse.

      Firearms: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gun licences were issued by each police force in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13.

      Firearms: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to review gun licence fees.

      Illegal Immigrants: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many businesses in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway have been fined for employing illegal foreign national workers...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 7 May 2013 from the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr P....

      Social Security Benefits: Mothers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department takes to ensure that commercial organisations distributing information about available benefits to new and...

      UK Border Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed by the UK Border Agency in each year of its establishment.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Business: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what targets he has set for increased funding for small and medium-sized enterprises through the establishment of a Business Bank.

    • Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he intends to publish delegated legislation to implement Section 69 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.

      Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether a company's (a) history of tax avoidance and (b) compliance with the national minimum wage is taken into account when...

      Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what new development grants his Department makes available to small and medium-sized enterprises.

      Higher Education: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of those who accepted a university place to study (a) engineering, (b) technology, (c) mathematics and computer...

      Local Enterprise Partnerships: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the role of local enterprise partnerships in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

      Manufacturing Industries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support manufacturing industry in the UK.

      Public Sector: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that companies involved in blacklisting of workers are banned from tendering for public sector...

      Shipping: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department last conducted a study of rates of pay for seafarer ratings working in the UK maritime sector; what its...

      Young People: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of young people who have moved away from rural areas to urban areas in search...

  • Attorney-General

    • Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Attorney-General how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he...

    • Crown Prosecution Service

      To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of Crown Prosecution Service cases charged at police stations were rejected or downgraded prior to the listing hearing in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.

  • Treasury

    • Business: Loans

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with banks and other financial institutions about making additional finance available to small and medium-sized enterprises.

    • Illegal Immigrants: Employment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Northern Ireland have received fines or other penalties for employing illegal labour in each of the last three years for which...

      Revenue and Customs: St Helens

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of how many jobs will be lost if the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs' enquiry centre in St Helens goes ahead; (2)...

      Royal Bank of Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he or his officials first discussed with Sir Philip Hampton the desire for a target sale date for some or all of the Government's shareholding...

      Royal Bank of Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the decision to change the Chief Executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland was independently determined without consultation with him or his...

      Tax Evasion: Fuels

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the loss of revenue as a result of fuel laundering activities in the Republic of Ireland.

      Welfare Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is spent annually on (a) working tax credits and (b) child tax credits in each region of the UK.

      Welfare Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs improves its performance in reducing tax credits error and fraud.

  • Wales

    • Devolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to publish the draft Wales Bill announced in the Queen's Speech.

    • Devolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department have been tasked with analysing the implications of the recommendations of the first report of the Commission on...

      Government Bills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has published a summary of measures in the Queen's Speech that will have an effect on Wales.

      Official Cars

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many journeys he and his Ministers have undertaken in his Department's ministerial car in each of the last six months.

      Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with Cabinet Ministers in the Welsh Government in the last six months.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the Welsh block grant ahead of the Spending Review.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes have been made to the the Welsh block grant in each year of the current Parliament in both real and absolute terms.

      Social Networking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all Twitter accounts for which his officials (a) have had or (b) currently have responsibility for (i) monitoring and (ii) updating.

  • Education

    • Academies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department expects to announce the calculation of the return funds to local authorities following the 2012-13 top slicing for academies; and...

    • Children: Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department provides to schools in caring for pupils with type-1 diabetes.

      Children: Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on requiring schools to provide support for pupils with type-1 diabetes; and if he will make a statement.

      Free School Meals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education when changes to the criteria to receive free school lunches were last made.

      Free School Meals: Secondary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in secondary schools receive free lunches.

      Free Schools: Devon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the need for the Route 39 Free School in Torridge; (2) for what reasons he approved the Route 39 Free School in...

      Free Schools: Devon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the cost of the Route 39 Free School; (2) what assessment he has made of the (a) capital costs and (b) costs of...

      Free Schools: Devon

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the Route 39 Free School on existing schools in the area.

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 124W, on education, what the GCSE performance was of (a) students in London eligible...

      Sixth Form Colleges: VAT

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make representations to HM Treasury in support of proposals to introduce a VAT refund scheme for sixth form colleges that mirrors the scheme...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Community Relations Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Community Relations Council since September 2012.

    • Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were suspended from her Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and...

      Foreign Investment in UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what meetings she has planned with attendees to the G8 summit on encouraging inward investment to Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations she has made to the Northern Ireland Assembly to ensure that the GCSE examination is protected and viewed...

  • Justice

    • Bribery Act 2010

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful prosecutions there have been under the Bribery Act 2010 since that act came into force.

    • Commercial Court

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were dealt with by the commercial courts in England and Wales in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

      Courts: Shropshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the proposed centralisation of motoring courts in the area that includes Shropshire.

      Homicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of public confidence in the rule of law of the present test of materiality used in partial defences to murder; (2)...

      Human Trafficking

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

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of reforms to legal aid on Welsh language services.

      Prisoners' Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that recent changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges measures are fully enacted in prisons; (2) how the...

      Prisons: Allotments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons have working allotments on site.

      Prisons: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many working positions in (a) cooking, (b) serving meals, (c) prison maintenance and (d) cleaning there are in each prison in the UK.

      Prisons: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to rule 31 of the prison rules, what the procedure is for dealing with convicted prisoners who refuse to work at any point during their...

      Prisons: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the cost of all services in each prison in the UK.

      Prisons: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the budget of each prison in the UK is spent on procuring external services.

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the success of Afghan-led security operations in Helmand Province.

    • Armed Forces: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost for food on Christmas day was for each member of the armed forces stationed in the UK; (2) what the full meal Christmas Day (a)...

      Armed Forces: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether vegan options are given at every meal for soldiers stationed in the UK.

      Armed Forces: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets are in place to ensure that his Department's personnel are treated within 10 weeks by NHS trusts.

      Armed Forces: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's personnel have not been treated within 10 weeks for (a) urgent and (b) non-urgent care by NHS trusts.

      Armed Forces: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to ensure his Department's personnel are treated within 10 weeks by NHS trusts if commissioned by his Department.

      Armed Forces: Injuries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the support given to injured service personnel.

      Army Families Federation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Army Families Federation with regards to the number of enquiries that body has received...

      AWE Aldermaston

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the write-off costs are as a result of cancelling Project Hydrus at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

      Corps of Army Music

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the authorised establishment is of the Corps of Army Music; and how many posts were unfilled as at 31 March 2013.

      Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have been employed within his Department to work on cyber security issues since May 2010.

      France

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of the Project Teutates Technology Development Centre at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston; what the (a)...

      G8: County Fermanagh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have been made available to provide security for the G8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.

      HMS Tireless

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any radioactive emissions were vented to the atmosphere following the recent reactor coolant leak of HMS Tireless; where such releases were...

      Intelligence Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people engaged in defence intelligence speak (a) Chinese, (b) Japanese, (c) Vietnamese, (d) Taiwanese and (e) Korean.

      Languages

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department speak (a) Chinese, (b) Japanese, (c) Vietnamese, (d) Taiwanese and (e) Korean.

      Military Bands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he has any plans to reduce the number of military bands; and if he will make a statement; (2) how many military bands there were in (a)...

      Navy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department is carrying out into underwater security in order to assist maritime operations.

      Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

      Territorial Army: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Territorial Army in Northern Ireland are eligible to be recruited to UK Special Forces.

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the five incidents of strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles which resulted in civilian casualties that were recorded by the UN Assistance...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) her Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Commonwealth

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many Commonwealth citizens living in the UK, who are not UK passport holders, are eligible to vote in UK parliamentary elections; (2) if he will list...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public...

    • Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c)...

      Energy: Barnsley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in (a) Barnsley and (b) Barnsley Central...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress has been made on the introduction of smart meters into every home in the UK.

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what enforcement measures are in place if a householder refuses to allow an energy company into the property to install a smart meter.

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of trends on energy prices; and if he will make a statement.

      Green Deal Scheme: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal (a) assessors, (b) providers and (c) installers are located in Wales.

      Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many advisors who had previously worked at (a) British Gas, (b) EDF, (c) npower, (d) Scottish Power, (e) SSE and (f) E.ON have been...

      Solar Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his contribution of 24 May 2012, Official Report, column 1308, on feed-in tariffs scheme, and pursuant to his answer...

  • Health

    • Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under 18 years of age in each (a) socio-economic and (b) gender group were admitted to hospital with suspected alcohol-induced conditions...

    • Health: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on the Public Health Responsibility Deal of the findings of research carried out by the London School of...

      Muscular Dystrophy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by NHS South on ensuring the long-term future of the neuromuscular care pathway co-ordinator and patient advocate post for the...

      NHS: Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has considered developing an NHS Staff Outcomes Framework for the purpose of improvement in the care and support provided to staff...

      Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on refreshments since January 2013.

      Speech and Language Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that augmentative and alternative communication services are appropriately commissioned by NHS England.

      Strokes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to increase access for patients in stroke units to psychological services; and if he will make a statement; (2) what...

      Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the publication of surgeons' performance data; and if he will make a statement.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights' report Protesters in Bahrain Behind Bars; and if he...

    • Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conviction of Mohammed Mirza in Bahrain and his subsequent treatment in detention.

      Chemical Weapons Convention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in implementing...

      Mali

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current political situation in Mali; and if he will make a statement.

      Occupied Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 862W, on Occupied Territories, what assessment he has made of the...

      Occupied Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 862W, on Occupied Territories, whether he has obtained legal...

      Swaziland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of preparations for the forthcoming elections in Swaziland.

      Tanzania

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from UK investors regarding the current environment for foreign investment in Tanzania.

      Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to work with the International Court of Justice to recognise the Ukrainian holodomor as genocide.

  • International Development

    • Anti-Slavery Day

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she and Ministers in her Department have to mark Anti Slavery Day on 18 October 2013; and if she will take steps to ensure...

    • Developing Countries: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the representations sent to the Prime Minister on 3 June 2013 from (a) African civil society...

      Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent discussions she has had on the eradication of polio; (2) what support her Department is offering the Global Polio...

      Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative by helping to enhance coordination between civilian and security services...

      Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative by encouraging local demand for vaccinations by facilitating...

      Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative by encouraging international, national and local Islamic leaders in (a)...

      Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were suspended from her Department and its associated public body on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c)...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the Iranian Government about its commitments under Article 3 of the 1958 Convention concerning...

      St Helena

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many endemic invertebrate species will be affected by the St Helena airport project; and which of such species have global...

      Vietnam

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what plans she has to enable established non-governmental organisations in Vietnam to support victims of human trafficking...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Government Contracts

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to assist British firms to secure Government contracts.

    • Government Contracts

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent steps he has taken to give small- and medium-sized enterprises greater access to Government contracts. [Official Report, 24 June 2013, Vol....

      Civil Service: Diversity

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to increase diversity in the civil service.

      Charity Commission

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has had on the work of the Charity Commission.

      Charitable Organisations: Financial Prospects

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the heads of charitable organisations on their financial prospects in the next 12 months.

      Public Sector Pay Cap

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with the pay cap in the public sector.

      Efficiency and Reform Group

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what savings to the public purse have resulted from the work of his Department's efficiency and reform group to date.

      Big Society Network

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 956-7W, on Big Society Network, what the purpose was of each grant or contract the Big...

      Charities

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many registered charities there are in (a) Barnsley Central, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England.

      Charities

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to make the Charity Commission refer applications to become charities to HM Revenue and Customs before organisations are accepted onto...

      Charities

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Charity Commission has passed information to law enforcement authorities which has led to a prosecution in each year since 2010.

      Ict

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i)...

      Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many advisers who had previously worked at (a) British Gas, (b) EDF, (c) npower, (d) Scottish Power, (e) SSE and (f) E.ON have been engaged by the...

  • Prime Minister

    • Ict

      To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from No. 10 Downing Street in (i) 2010-11, (ii)...

  • House of Lords

    • Banks: Funding for Lending

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to see an increase in net lending by United Kingdom banks to small and medium-sized enterprises; whether they will publish a review of the...

    • Banks: Shareholdings

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to sell publicly owned shares in (1) Lloyds TSB, and (2) the Royal Bank of Scotland; and when they expect to announce that sale.

      Children: Looked-after Children

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in reducing the number of looked-after children from London boroughs who are placed in East Kent.

      Communities: Community Tensions

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of civilian deaths, including those of children, in Palestine and Muslim countries on community tensions in the...

      Crime: Perverting the Course of Justice

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many convictions for perverting the course of justice resulted in the imposition of (1) an immediate, and (2) a suspended, custodial sentence, in each of...

      Egypt

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Newby on 3 June (HL205), what is their assessment of the human rights situation of the Copts in Egypt.

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 3 June (WA 114) regarding the consultation on mitochondrial replacement by the Human Fertilisation and...

      EU: Budget

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what provisions the European Union Council of Ministers was able to decide by majority an increase of £770 million to the United Kingdom’s...

      Financial Policy Committee

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any restrictions placed on the commercial employment in the financial sector of members of the Financial Policy Committee (FPC); and...

      Fostering: Foster Parents

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Staying Put: 18 Plus Family Placement Programme, whether they will consider extending the financial support given to foster parents to enable...

      Health: Cancer Drugs Fund

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessments they have undertaken of the changes in clinical involvement in decisions about the availability of cancer medicines since the introduction...

      Health: Cancer Drugs Fund

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS England has plans to create a transition mechanism to ensure that all patients whose access to medicines is currently funded through the Cancer...

      Health: Ophthalmology

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cataract operations have been performed in NHS hospitals in each of the last five years.

      Healthcare: Costs

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 20 May (WA 24–5), whether the French documentation in relation to the £196,692,000 sought and paid...

      Housing: Lodgers

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the large number of spare bedrooms available, they have any plans to exempt from income tax payments from lodgers to individual...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning its projected legislation to enable the forcible eviction of Bedouin from their lands.

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the alleged destruction by settlers of land and olive trees belonging to the villages...

      Legal Aid

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed residence test for civil legal aid claimants on potential child victims of trafficking.

      Legal Aid

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will be monitoring the impact on the working of the courts and tribunals as a result of the increasing numbers of unrepresented parties due to...

      NHS: Clinical Commissioning Groups

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patient representatives have been recruited directly to Clinical Commissioning Group Health Boards.

      NHS: Websites

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government who (1) operates, (2) authors, and (3) is responsible for the content of the NHS website Map of Medicine.

      Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support European Union proposals to limit bonuses and compensation paid to the investment managers of pension funds.

      Schools: Nutrition

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to encourage more schools to participate in the British Nutrition Foundation’s Healthy Eating Week programme.

      Schools: Secondary Schools

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the agreement of a city deal with Liverpool City Council, what progress has been made towards (1) the establishment of a Secondary School...

      Syria

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they consider to be the key United Kingdom national interests in Syria.

      Syria

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many United Kingdom nationals they estimate are currently in Syria.

      Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they consider to be the difference between a legal duty and a moral responsibility to pay taxes authorised by the House of Commons.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the government of Turkey’s response to the recent demonstrations in Istanbul and other cities.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last met President Gul of Turkey; and what is their assessment of the outcome of that meeting.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next intend to meet President Gul of Turkey; and what topics will be on the agenda.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when was the last occasion that they met the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu; and what is their assessment of the outcome of that meeting.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the number of journalists currently imprisoned in Turkey.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted a risk assessment of the safety of United Kingdom tourists in Turkey in the light of the current demonstrations in that country.

      Young Offenders

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many foreign children and young people up to the age of 21 were accommodated in the youth secure estate over the past three years; and what nationalities...

      Young Offenders: Searches

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times (1) unauthorised drugs, (2) knives, and (3) guns, were found on children subject to a full search in a secure establishment in each of the...

      Young Offenders: Transport

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding (1) the latest time at which children should arrive at secure establishments, and (2) the maximum period in which children can...

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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