Written answers

Thursday, 10 April 2014

  • Women and Equalities

    • Gender

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department of the results of publicly-funded research into gender differences in brain...

    • Gender: Discrimination

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many times gender discrimination in the maritime sector has been (a) reported to the Equal Opportunities Commission, (b) prosecuted and (c)...

      LGBT People

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable LGBT people in civil partnerships to convert these to marriages as defined in the...

  • Electoral Commission Committee

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, columns 611-2W, on...

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, which local authorities have failed performance standard 3 on house-to-house...

      Electoral Register

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many and what proportion of households which had a door step contact under...

      Electoral Register: Young People

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with which (a) mobile telephone companies, (b) voluntary groups and (c) travel card...

      Electoral Register: Young People

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 620W, on the...

      Electoral Registration Officers

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, columns 611-2W, on...

      Electoral Registration Officers: Scotland

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, which parliamentary constituencies in Scotland are part of local authority areas...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Broadband: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the economic effect of mobile internet services on the rural economy.

    • Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding is still available through the childcare business grant scheme; how many grants under that scheme have been allocated...

      Culture: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department and his Department's Executive agencies allocated to museums, galleries and libraries in (a) London and...

      Employment Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 26 February 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect of mobile network outages.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with mobile network operators on reform of the electronic communications code; and if he will make a statement.

      National Lottery: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of national lottery grants have been provided to good causes in Scotland in each year since 2010.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's total (a) departmental expenditure limits (DEL), (b) resource DEL, (c) capital DEL, (d) resource departmental...

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 718W, on public expenditure, what the projected spending is by his...

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 718W, on public expenditure, under which category Heritage Lottery Fund...

      Responsible Gambling Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Gambling Commission on the independence of the research programme of the Responsible...

      Tickets: Touting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to follow the model used for the restriction of the resale of football match tickets for other live events.

      Tickets: Touting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action his Department is taking to prevent the resale of event tickets on the internet at a significant increase to their original...

  • Prime Minister

    • Euthanasia

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to suspend collective responsibility on any vote in the House on assisted suicide legislation.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Building Regulations

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on how building regulations can contribute to his Department's...

    • Census

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of people in England and Wales identified themselves as (a) British, (b) Scottish and (c) British and Scottish in the 2011...

      Job Creation

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Office for National Statistics includes in its estimate of newly-created private sector jobs those which have been reclassified from public...

      Jobseeker's Allowance: Scotland

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged under 25 years in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland have claimed jobseeker's allowance for more than (a) one and (b) two...

      Unemployment: Essex

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the proportion of young people in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex who have been unemployed for more than 12 months.

      Youth Services

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will rank each English local authority by the (a) percentage and (b) actual change in (i) total and (ii) per capita expenditure on all...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Housing Benefit: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of need in rural communities for discretionary housing payments beyond 2014-15.

    • Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under-occupancy penalty have been given exempt...

      Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which suppliers his Department has contracted for the delivery of his Sorting Out Separation Web Application; and how much was awarded under...

      Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure the effectiveness of the Sorting Out Separation Web app in providing constructive support to assist...

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2014, Official Report, columns 971-2W, on Remploy, what proportion of the £4.2 million spending has gone...

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision is made by Jobcentre Plus for victims of domestic violence.

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues to Jobcentre Plus on giving written appointment cards to claimants with details of future appointments.

      Jobcentre Plus: Bolton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints about (a) staff behaviour, (b) contested sanction decisions and (c) telephone line waiting times have been made against...

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any jobseeker's allowance claimant was sanctioned for not signing on Christmas Day.

      Nurseries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 26W, on nurseries, for what reasons his Department is reviewing provision of...

      Pensioners: Means-tested Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the minimum income per annum required during an individual's working life to prevent the need to claim...

      Pensions: Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions the Government has had with the government of Russia on the failure of certain Russian companies to fulfil their obligations...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time is for a personal independence payment assessment for claimants in (a) the Torbay local authority area, (b) the...

      Personal Independence Payment: Clackmannanshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of personal independence payment claimants in Ochil and South Perthshire constituency...

      Remploy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how much personal budget his Department allocated to each Remploy worker; (2) how much of the funding available for Remploy worker...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's policy is when a claimant's regular signing on date falls on a bank holiday.

      Unemployment Benefits: Lone Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions are in place to enable a lone parent on out-of-work benefits and on a course taking up more than 16 hours per week, whose...

      Vacancies: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many and what proportion of vacancies currently available on Universal Jobmatch are employee only jobs; (2) pursuant to the answer...

      Vacancies: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that jobs advertised on Universal Jobmatch do not breach his Department's terms and conditions.

      Vacancies: North Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current number of job vacancies is in the Thirsk, Malton and Filey travel-to-work area.

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, columns 518-19W, on the Work programme, for what reason the change in the...

  • Health

    • Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of deaths from air pollution in (a) London, (b) Cardiff, (c) Edinburgh and (d) Birmingham in each of the last 10 years.

    • Bone Marrow Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the UK receiving long-term care after a bone marrow transplant; and what assessment he...

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to generalise BRCA 1/2 gene testing in England and Wales; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that...

      Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all cancer strategic clinical networks have adequate financial resources to contribute to the...

      Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to improve the experience of cancer patients at the end of life.

      Dental Health: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding of dental visits to schools and Sure Start centres to promote dental awareness.

      Dental Health: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage reductions in dental decay in young children.

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to home visits for frail dental patients.

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on replacement of the 2006 Units of Dental Activity dental contract.

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care dental services contracts have been secured by UK providers in each of the last four years.

      Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has considered potential alternative sources of funding for additional NHS dental services.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of GP practices which have a premium or 0845 telephone number to book appointments.

      Health: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library all recent correspondence between Ministers in his Department and their counterparts in the Scottish Government on...

      Medical Records: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Data Access Advisory Group's register of approved applications for sensitive data made to the Health and Social Care Information...

      Medical Records: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health who would be responsible for informing patients that their confidential medical data had been released without a legal basis.

      Medical Records: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the approved application for sensitive data made by the Cabinet Office to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Data...

      Nurses: Foreign Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses from (a) the European Economic Area outside the UK and (b) other overseas countries registered as a nurse in the NHS in each of the last...

      Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific targets relating to portion size companies which are signed up to the calorie reduction pledge of the Responsibility Deal have agreed to;...

      Obesity: Harlow

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the causes of (a) adult and (b) childhood obesity in Harlow constituency.

      Out-patients: Attendance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of missed appointments in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in the last 12 months.

      Palliative Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that there should be universal access to 24 hours a day seven days a week community nursing services to support people to...

      Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) families, (b) mothers and (c) fathers have used CANParent vouchers during the time of the pilot project, broken down by provider; whether any...

      Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of new parents have signed up to the NHS Information Service for Parents; how many people have accessed the...

      Physiotherapy: South Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on steps to ensure that specialist neuromuscular physiotherapy is provided to both children and...

      Radiotherapy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Vision for Radiotherapy 2014-24, published by Cancer Research UK and NHS England on 3...

      Reckitt Benckiser

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what total costs his Department incurred in relation to the Government's claim against Reckitt Benckiser in connection with the supply of Gaviscon to the...

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of NHS's involvement in No Smoking Day on 12 March 2014 and the performance of the NHS Choices Stop Smoking app.

      Smoking: Bolton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Bolton have received assistance from the NHS to stop smoking in each year since 2010.

      Thalidomide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birkenhead, of 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 886W, on thalidomide, if he will make representations...

  • Transport

    • Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

    • Motor Vehicles: Seized Articles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles have been crushed as a result of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database errors since July 2013.

      Motor Vehicles: Seized Articles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will request the Driving Standards Agency and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to waive charges arising from car seizures as a result of...

      Parking: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign-registered cars received a parking penalty charge in each year since 2010; how many parking penalty charges for foreign-registered...

      Railways: Stansted Airport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on efforts to improve the frequency of services by Cross Country trains between Peterborough and Stansted...

      Road Traffic: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of congestion charging on traffic movements in London in each year since the introduction of such charging.

      Rolling Stock: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from (a) local authorities and (b) hon. Members in Lancashire on rolling stock in Lancashire.

      Schools: Cycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2014, Official Report, column 411W, on transport: schools, how many (a) schools and (b) pupils took part in...

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to update the current Air Navigation Order to define and categorise unmanned aircraft systems. [R]

      West Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the average load factor of West Coast Mainline trains leaving London Euston in 2013.

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the number of (a) aggravated assaults against members of the armed forces and (b) times members of the armed...

    • Armed Forces: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's notice 2014DIN01-021, Revision of cost-of-living addition salary bands; (2) if he will...

      RAF Menwith Hill

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department was (a) aware of the nature of and (b) consulted before the start of surveillance being carried out at NSA Menwith Hills.

      Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to promote the commercialisation of scientific and technological research by his Department and its agencies.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Business: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to increase the availability of credit for small businesses in (a) Bolton North East constituency and (b)...

    • Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

      Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote digital industries in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

      Employment Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how...

      Engineering: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that more women are able to take up senior positions in engineering businesses.

      Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many tier 4 visa applications were refused for applicants intending to study at each English university in the last year for...

      Innovation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote innovation within industry; and if he will make a statement.

      Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of rates of national minimum wage non-compliance in each (a) sector and (b) region; what...

      National Renewable Energy Centre

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of the National Renewable Energy Centre on its local economy.

      Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his...

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids by LEPS to the (a) regional growth fund and (b) exceptional regional growth fund have been (i) under discussion...

      Regional Growth Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the total value is of all bids to each round of the Regional Growth Fund; how much has been committed to winning...

      Regional Growth Fund: East Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was (a) committed to and (b) spent in each constituency in the East Midlands through the Regional Growth Fund in (i)...

      Royal Mail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what category of investor Lansdowne Partners was with regard to the sale of Royal Mail.

      Self-employed

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people who run a small or medium-sized enterprise as a secondary form of income...

      Skilled Workers: Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of migration on UK businesses which require highly-skilled employees.

      Social Enterprises: Brighton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many social enterprises there were in Brighton, Kemptown constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on raising the cap on the amount of student loan accessible by students studying at alternative learning providers.

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's estimate is of the latest RAB charge for further education students.

      UK Trade and Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) bonuses, (b) additional salary increments and (c) premiums are offered to UK Trade & Investment staff for...

      UK Trade and Investment: Nigeria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the quality and performance of UK Trade and Investment support for UK-Nigeria partnerships...

  • Home Department

    • Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were placed in local authority care in each of the last 10 years; (2) how many...

    • Asylum: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Syrians have been brought to the UK under the Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme to date.

      Borders: Personal Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration of the critical system vulnerabilities in...

      Borders: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of (a) the cost to set up and (b) annual running costs of full border control with Scotland.

      Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by her Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of victims who took part in the research used in the report Everyone's business; Improving the police response to domestic...

      Employment Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for her Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency...

      Entry Clearances: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what comparative assessment her Department has made of the cost to Indian nationals of applying for a (a) UK and (b) US student visa.

      Entry Clearances: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for study visas by Indian nationals were (a) granted and (b) refused in the year ending (i) September 2012 and (ii)...

      Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to investigate the English language test results of students who completed English language tests organised by ETS...

      Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a record of those institutions which have made a conditional offer to overseas students whose application...

      EU Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to work with other EU member states to reduce the number of deaths of immigrants illegally coming to the...

      EU Justice and Home Affairs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussion she has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on transitional arrangements to cover the potential gap between...

      Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were impounded under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2010.

      Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil penalties were imposed on hauliers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in each year since 2010.

      Immigration Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 821W, on immigration controls, what procedures are in place to ensure that...

      LGBT People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with chief constables in England and Wales about hate crimes against LGBT people; and if she will make a...

      Motor Vehicles: Seized Articles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many vehicles have been seized by police officers as a result of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency classification database errors...

      Offenders: Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people deported by the Border Agency since May 2010 have subsequently been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK.

      Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by her Department...

      Proceeds of Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2014, Official Report, columns 615-16W, on proceeds of crime (1) whether the requests for repatriation of...

      Refuges

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of specialist refuge places for women from black and minority ethnic communities.

      Stalking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what proportion of cases where (a) an allegation of stalking was made or (b) a criminal conviction was obtained for stalking the...

      Stephen Lawrence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms of reference are for the inquiry led by Mark Ellison QC announced on 6 March 2014 into whether undercover police officers...

      Surveillance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many warrants to undertake surveillance on British nationals were issued by her Department between 1989 and 1992.

      Travel Restrictions: Uganda

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will implement travel bans against those who have been actively promoting the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014.

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has issued any authorisations under section 42(3) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which permit intrusive...

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has issued any exemptions pursuant to section 28 of the Data Protection Act 1998 which apply to data obtained via unmanned...

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 607W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether any person, agent or public...

  • Treasury

    • Flood Control

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2014, Official Report, column 595W, on flood control, what the extra sum allocated in Budget 2014 is for each of the...

    • Helius Energy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider awarding a loan guarantee under the UK Guarantee Scheme to investors in Helius Energy's proposed biomass energy project in Avonmouth due...

      Individual Savings Accounts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 12W, on individual savings accounts and with reference to HM Revenue and Custom's policy...

      Individual Savings Accounts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people made the maximum allowed contribution to an ISA in each of the last three years; and how many he estimates will do so in each of the next...

      National Insurance Contributions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) to how many businesses the letter from the Prime Minister about the employment allowance was sent; what criteria were used to select those businesses;...

      Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish an impact assessment of planned changes to pensions from 2015 as announced in the 2014 Budget.

      Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what comparative analysis he has carried out of the effects of the changes to pensions set out in the 2014 Budget on men and women.

      Personal Income

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of individual taxpayers in each £1,000 band of gross income between £40,000 and £70,000.

      Revenue and Customs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long discussions have been ongoing between HM Revenue and Customs, Network Rail and others on the development of new parking facilities at the...

      Revenue and Customs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs supports in principle the sale of part of the Custom House site adjacent to Dover Priory Railway Station for the development...

      River Thames: Bridges

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which parties have received the £30 million for the Garden Bridge announced in the National Infrastructure Plan.

      River Thames: Bridges

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Department has responsibility for calculating the estimated cost of the Garden Bridge announced in paragraph 3.45 of the National Infrastructure Plan 2013.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Baltic States

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the UK has offered through NATO to its Baltic allies since the Russian military incursion into Crimea.

    • Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response his Department has made to the expulsion of Médicins Sans Frontières from Rakhine state by the Burmese...

      Central African Republic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what level of engagement, support or resource the Government is contributing to the expected EU mission in the Central African...

      Diplomatic Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) male and (b) female (i) HM Ambassadors and (ii) High Commissioners there are from each region of the UK.

      Egypt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s latest assessment is of the security situation in Egypt following the recent suicide bombing outside...

      Egypt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart on 2 April 2014; and when the next meeting is planned.

      European Union

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart on reform of the EU.

      GCHQ

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote the commercialisation of scientific and technical research undertaken by GCHQ.

      Gender

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the gender balance is of his Department’s management board and its sub-committees.

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister of his Department last visited Gibraltar.

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times he has visited Gibraltar in an official capacity since taking up his present office.

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions he has met the First Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, since Mr Picardo became First Minister.

      Gibraltar: Spain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the government of Spain on the proposed twinning of the town of Algeciras in...

      Gibraltar: Spain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings the Minister for Europe has held with the European Commission to discuss incursions by Spanish government...

      Gibraltar: Spain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings the Minister of State for Europe has held with the European Commission with the sole purpose of discussing...

      Gibraltar: Spain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many naval incursions there have been into British Gibraltar territorial waters by Spanish government vessels in each month...

      India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Government Minister took the decision that there were no grounds for a futher inquiry into the events in Amritsar in 1984.

      India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Cabinet Secretary was tasked with assessing whether there were grounds for a further inquiry into the events...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to his Iranian counterpart for the release of Shahrokh Zamani.

      North Korea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of persecution of Christians in North Korea; what steps he is taking within the...

      Pakistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he plans to make to the Government of Pakistan following the death sentence imposed on Sawan Masih as a...

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps his Department is taking to ensure that the international investigation into the human rights situation in...

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions Ministers in his Department have met President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka since May 2010.

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Minister of State, the hon. Member for East Devon, will next travel to Sri Lanka.

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has asked President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka to resign as Chairperson in Office of the Commonwealth in the light of the...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s most recent assessment is of the likelihood of President Assad complying with the agreed...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific steps the UK has taken to encourage more opposition groups to join the Syrian National Coalition.

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Syrian National Coalition.

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of how representative the Syrian National Council is of all Syrian opposition groups.

      Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the UK Government plans to provide through the EU in advance of presidential elections in Ukraine in May 2014.

      Ukraine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to increase the UK's bilateral financial support for Ukraine in the next six months.

      Venezuela

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Venezuelan counterpart on exercising restraint in response to protests in that...

  • International Development

    • Caribbean

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her future plans are for support to the Caribbean.

    • Developing Countries: Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Foyle, of 10 March 2014, Official Report, column 42W, on developing countries: abortion,...

      Developing Countries: Family Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy that UK public funds should not be used for the purposes of campaigning for more liberal abortion laws...

      Developing Countries: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to Stepping up a gear for girls and women: updates to the Department for International Development's Strategic Vision...

      Development Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assessment she has made of the role of early stage co-investment funds in assisting the achievement of development goals;...

      Nigeria

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps her Department is taking to increase the role of the UK further education sector in strengthening vocational education...

      Nigeria

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent meetings she has had with representatives of the Nigerian diaspora in the UK on support for entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

      Nigeria

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to establish an early stage co-investment fund in Nigeria.

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Biofuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when work will begin on the bioenergy strategy review; and if he will make a statement.

    • Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid.

      Employment Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in...

      Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to secure the long-term provision of energy for the UK; and if he will make a statement.

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the Supplemental Balancing Reserve on energy bills for the year (a) 2014-15 and (b)...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what forecast he has made of the impact of capacity contracted under the Supplemental Balancing Reserve to the Loss of Load Expectation...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that all customers receive the full benefit of reductions in levies on energy bills.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the regulatory regime associated with fracking.

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of 27 March 2014, Official...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been disbursed to Ombudsman Services for work relating to the Green Deal in each month since January 2013; and how many...

      Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has conducted on the accuracy of assumptions made in the National Housing Condition Survey that all stone...

      Offshore Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had on the Natural Environment Research Council’s funding of a new innovation programme in oil and...

      Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his...

      Radioactive Fallout

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made by (a) the RIMNET network and (b) other bodies of the possibility that the sand fallout across the...

      Winter Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with other government departments on extending the winter fuel payment to people on the higher...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Betting Shops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that betting shops are not placed in the same planning use class as...

    • Enterprise Zones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many jobs have been (a) created and (b) safeguarded at each enterprise zone to date; how many (i) jobs and (ii) firms...

      Fire Services: Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the mean retirement age of a firefighter was in each of the last 10 years; (2) how many firefighters in South...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the protections currently available under planning law for parcels of land which...

      Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in how many cases an Article 4 direction has resulted in the rejection of a planning application which has not subsequently been...

      Social Rented Housing: Brighton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social housing units were built in Brighton, Kemptown constituency in the most recent five-year period for which...

      State Retirement Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the financial effect on local authorities when the single tier state pension is introduced in...

      Temporary Accommodation: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of London households in temporary accommodation were in (a) private sector leased properties, (b)...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings he has had with the Mayor of London on air quality.

    • Bees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy of the findings of the European Commission's Epilobee Study,...

      Bees: Pesticides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies the Government has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the effects of pesticides on honeybee mortality.

      Biodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will provide citations of all the scientific literature used by his Department to establish the weightings of risk...

      Coastal Erosion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to review the integrity of the coastline following recent severe weather; and if he will make a statement.

      Coastal Erosion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the (a) UK coastline and (b) Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven stretch of...

      Conifers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the planting of conifers.

      Flood Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount spent per person on flood defences in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department gives the private sector on steps to increase the area of woodland with a current UK Forestry...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recommendations have been made to him by the Natural Capital Committee on the ecosystem services provided by woodland.

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans that the commercial timber manufacturing sector will be represented on the proposed public forest trustee body.

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made towards the creation of a new public forest trustee body as proposed in the...

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on developing an ecosystem valuation approach.

      Livestock: Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding the live export of animals; and if he will make a statement.

      Timber

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on the development of the Grown in Britain certification scheme for timber products.

  • Justice

    • Coroners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether police reports to coroners' inquests are available to the connected parties; what the cost is of supplying such reports; and if he will make a...

    • Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of (a) magistrates' courts, (b) County courts and (c) County Court money claims centres use higher-rate telephone numbers.

      Employment Tribunals Service: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunals in Scotland have been processed by HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each year since 2010.

      Insurance: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the number of victims of personal injury insurance fraud in the last year for which information is available.

      Insurance: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if his Department will estimate the savings in reduced litigation costs that might accrue from a reform of civil procedure rules to clarify the...

      Insurance: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will adopt the Law Commission's proposal in its 12th programme of law reform on fraud by victims of personal injury; (2) what progress his...

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many appeals against jobseeker’s allowance decisions went to tribunal between (a) 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April 2013 and...

      Magistrates Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he next plans to review the number of magistrates courts operating in England.

      Non-molestation Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 95W, on non-molestation orders, what the figure for previous convictions or cautions is...

      Oakwood Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what discussions he or his officials have had with the management of HM Prison Oakwood about staffing levels at that prison; (2) what the expected...

      Offensive Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged (a) under 18 years old and (b) 18 years and over were (i) prosecuted and (ii) received a custodial sentence for carrying a bladed or...

      Personal Injury: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will take steps to reform civil procedure rules to clarify courts' powers to strike out cases due to exaggerated or fabricated personal...

      Prison Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) operational capacities and (b) certified normal accommodations were of each privately run prison with which a contract for additional places...

      Prisoners' Release

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the highest number of hours spent on temporary release in a week by a prisoner was in the latest period for which figures are available; (2)...

      Prisoners: Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason the rules governing the provision of books to prisoners have recently been changed.

      Prisoners: Religion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether prisoners are subject to different conditions depending on their religion.

      Prisoners: Repatriation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in England and Wales originate from countries that are signed up to the EU Prisoner Transfer Agreement.

      Prisons: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many assaults there were against prison officers in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

      Prisons: Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) items of post were received by prisoners and (b) items of contraband was found in prisoners’ post in each of the last four years.

      Prisons: Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what types of contraband were found in items of post received by prisoners in each of the last four years.

      Remand in Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) men and (b) women were refused bail and remanded in custody where the allegation related to (i) an offence against the person, (ii) a...

      Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners being held in prisons in England and Wales are serving sentences passed in jurisdictions outside England and Wales.

      Taxation: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) first-tier and (b) upper-tier tax tribunal (i) judges and (ii) expert panel members there were as of April 2014; for how many days (A)...

      Verne Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funds his Department has spent on preparing HM Prison the Verne for re-role as an immigration detention centre to date.

      Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2014, Official Report, column 293W, on prisons: mother and baby units, what the reasons were for the time taken to...

  • Education

    • Children: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the education of children with pathological demand avoidance.

    • Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 221W, how many three and four year olds in each parliamentary constituency are...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost of child care for a three-year-old in England has been in each year since 2005.

      Children: Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether recommendations from the Independent Experts Panel on Serious Case Reviews to Local Safeguarding Children's Boards are advisory.

      Children: Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education which children's services departments have instituted the role of Principal Social Worker; and how many people each such department employs.

      Children's Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has in place to support children’s centres that wish to move towards a co-operative model following their proposed closure;...

      Families: Advisory Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of (a) mothers and (b) fathers with children under two years of age in each of the pilot areas have taken up subsidised...

      Free Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will rank each English local authority by the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary free schools to have received approval; and what this...

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will visit further education colleges to discuss the effect of his proposed 17.5 per cent reduction from September for funding for 18-year-olds...

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on career colleges.

      Further Education: Ethnic Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed 17.5 per cent reduction in funding for full-time education on 18-year-olds from ethnic...

      Jimmy Savile

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education which local authorities are involved in investigations of historic abuse by Jimmy Savile; and when he expects the resulting reports to be published.

      Julian Le Grand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contractual arrangements his Department has with Professor Julian Le Grand; and how much he has been paid.

      Pre-school Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many early years providers with exemptions from the early years foundation stage are funded to provide early education places to two, three and...

      Priority School Building Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2014, Official Report, column 250W, on schools construction, if he will place in the Library a copy of his...

      Pupil Exclusions: Autism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the school exclusions pilot on pupils with autism; (2) what assessment he has made of the potential...

      Pupils: Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many unauthorised school absences there have been in (a) St Albans constituency, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) the East of England and (d) the UK since...

      Schools: Discipline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to integrate better into schools children with challenging behaviour; and if he will make a statement.

      Social Work: Pilot Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on the Social Work Practice pilots; and which local authorities are taking part in those pilots.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to support parents whose children attend a school in special measures; and if he will make a statement.

      Water: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to amend the national curriculum to require the teaching of water safety in schools.

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.

April 2014
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930