Written answers

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Social Mobility

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to increase social mobility in (a) Coventry, (b) the west midlands and (c) England; and what measures his Department uses to assess the...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Direct Selling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of fines imposed by the Information Commissioner's Office on reducing nuisance calls and texts.

    • Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that all not spot data will be properly checked before masts are proposed and plans are made public.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any masts proposed as part of the Mobile Infrastructure Project other than that at Fownhope have been withdrawn after a...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the criteria are by which Arqiva assesses not spot data.

      Mobile Phones: Herefordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to ensure that the people have adequate mobile signal coverage in light of the decision not to proceed with...

      Mobile Phones: Herefordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the Mobile Infrastructure Project in Herefordshire.

      Mobile Phones: Herefordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Mobile Infrastructure Project in Herefordshire is on course to be delivered on schedule.

      Mobile Phones: Herefordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the process was by which Arqiva arrived at its decision not to proceed with the proposed Fownhope mast.

      Mobile Phones: Herefordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on whether staff from Arqiva visited Fownhope to assess the adequacy of mobile telephone reception...

      Press

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2014, Official Report, columns 67-68W, on the press, whether he has set a date for meeting victims of...

      Sports: Public Participation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the budget to encourage people in to non-professional sport in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c)...

  • Electoral Commission Committee

    • Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of British...

  • Home Department

    • Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what criteria were used to select members of the project advisory board for the National Union of Students Alcohol Impact initiative;...

    • Asylum: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme since its launch; and how many people are...

      Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings she has had with her Department's chief scientific adviser in the last 12 months.

      Crime: LGBT People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce homophobic and transphobic hate crimes against LGBT people.

      Didier Pierre Paulet

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the deportation order served on Didier Pierre Paulet on 19 November 2007 pursuant to a recommendation by a Crown Court Judge for...

      Driving under Influence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drink driving offences were recorded in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years;...

      Sexual Offences: Registration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who were convicted of a sexual offence have been prosecuted for having failed to notify their personal details to the police...

      Stop and Search

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police and crime commissioners will be able to decide on the applicability of the adoption of her Department's new guidelines on the...

      Stop and Search: Essex

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she received from the Essex police and crime commissioner on changes to guidelines for police stop and search.

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Counties: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to review the boundaries of the county of Lancashire.

    • Fire Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters there are per head of the population in (a) England and (b) Wales.

      Fire Services: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) when he next plans to meet the Fire Brigades Union to discuss the pensions dispute; (2) what plans he has to make a new...

      Fire Services: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bristol North West (Charlotte Leslie) of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column...

      Landlords: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will take steps to ensure that the legal owner of a property is identified when a planning application is submitted...

      Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on their obligations to take action against breaches of planning law.

      Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to speed up the planning system.

      Right to Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effect of the preserved right to buy on the number of affordable homes;...

      Right to Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to the preserved right to buy since May 2010; and what consultation processes have accompanied such...

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Computer Software

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate he has made of the cost to date of introducing Office 365; what the...

    • Parliament: Wi-fi

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission plans to modify the Parliamentary wi-fi system to enable...

      Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology Service

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, which contractors have been hired by PICT during the current financial year; and...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Beef: Imports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity and value of beef was imported to the UK from each importing country in the last year.

    • Birds of Prey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many red kites there are in the UK; and whether his Department has set a population number above which it will take steps...

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the accuracy of TB tests for alpacas; and if he will make a statement.

      Forests: Christchurch

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental impact assessment the Forestry Commission has carried out in respect of the proposed corridor up to 65...

      Mangoes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) economic and (b) infection risks to UK and EU fruit and vegetable production arise from the importation of mangoes...

      Mangoes: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent meetings his Department has had with representatives of (a) the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, (b)...

      Mangoes: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the EU ban on importing Indian mangoes on UK businesses.

      Mangoes: India

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what his policy is on the recent EU ban on Indian mangoes; (2) what proportion of mango lots or number of shipments...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will issue guidance to the West Midlands Waterways, the Canal and River Trust and other similar trusts that replies to...

      Nature Conservation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the farming of endangered species for commercial gain.

      Plastic Bags: Taxation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the annual income from the carrier bag levy in the four years from October 2015.

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how...

  • Education

    • Chemistry: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many chemistry teachers in secondary schools in each constituency have a chemistry degree.

    • Further Education: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of school leavers in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England entered further...

      Local Education Authorities: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local education authorities have procedures in place to protect whistleblowers.

      School Choice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of school-age children living in areas where the only state schools within reasonable travelling...

      Schools: Disciplinary Proceedings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision is in place for a member of school staff to contest an unjust or open-ended suspension.

      Science: Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary schools in England have a (a) science subject leader and (b) subject leader who has a science degree.

      Teachers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how long the recruitment period will be for subject knowledge enhancement courses for 2015-16.

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he had on nuclear power with (a) his Chinese counterpart and (b) other members of the delegation of the Chinese Prime...

    • Coal: Mining

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether UK Coal Surface Mining is a limited company wholly owned by UK Coal Mining Holdings; and whether it can be sold off as a...

      Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of community energy schemes that have not gone ahead due to the cost of securing a connection...

      Energy: Meters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households with prepayment meters in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local...

      Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in fuel poverty in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b)...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding has been allocated to the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund for (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16, (c) 2016-17 and (d) all...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that will receive cashback under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) solid wall insulation, (b) other energy efficiency and insulation measures from...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department has allocated to the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund for the lifetime of the programme.

      Land Use

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from industry on the effect of the use of land management measures on performance and...

      Liquefied Petroleum Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consumer protection is available for users of metered LPG users; and if he will make a statement.

      Mobile Homes: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to make consumer policies for energy more accessible to park home residents.

      Nuclear Power: Decommissioning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funds have been provided from his departmental expenditure limit for nuclear decommissioning in the 2014-15 financial year.

      Oil: Exploration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore petroleum exploration and development licence applications are pending approval in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c)...

      Private Rented Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department will bring forward secondary regulations on minimum standards of energy efficiency in the private rented sector...

      Private Rented Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department will start a public consultation on the regulations on minimum standards of efficiency in the private rental sector...

      Wind Power: Suffolk

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with RWE and SSE concerning a replacement partner for the development of the Galloper offshore wind farm...

      Wind Power: Suffolk

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the future viability of the Galloper offshore wind farm project.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many apprentices have been hired under his Department’s new contract for procurement.

    • Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reason the minutes of the Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce are no longer on its website.

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to prevent employers who engage in blacklisting receiving Government contracts.

  • Transport

    • Aviation: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an assessment of the effect on disabled passengers of the use of detection equipment at airports which generates random false...

    • Driving

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent discussions his Department has had with the insurance industry on the behaviour and attitudes of novice drivers; (2) what recent...

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the identification of disability tax exempt vehicles when no tax disc is present, to enable...

      Motor Vehicles: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU Roadworthiness Directive on the owners of historic vehicles in the UK.

  • Health

    • Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department takes to ensure the referral to the relevant authorities of terminating doctors who do not fulfil their statutory obligations to...

    • Ambulance Services: Bolton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average ambulance response time for each category of call was in Bolton in each year since 2010.

      Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much in real terms was spent on cancer services in each of the last five years; (2) how much and what proportion of national cancer spend was...

      Cystic Fibrosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effect on health services of an increase in the number of adult patients with cystic fibrosis; (2)...

      Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 432-33W, on death, what plans he has to address the principal causes of preventable...

      Family Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department categorises the ellaOne pill as a contraceptive or abortifacient for the purposes of its record keeping.

      Food Poisoning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were infected with bacillus cereus in each of the last five years.

      Food Poisoning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps the Minister is taking to prevent bacillus cereus infections in the UK; (2) what discussions he has had with devolved regional...

      Gambling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on using the increased fixed-odds betting terminals levy to treat gambling addiction in...

      Gastrointestinal System

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on NHS patients receiving Enterra gastric stimulator treatment.

      Health Visitors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of health visitors employed since the start of the Health Visitor Programme.

      Health Visitors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 571W, on health visitors, if his Department will make an assessment of the...

      Hearing Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on hearing aids in each of the last five years.

      Hearing Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to reduce funding for hearing aids in 2014-15.

      In Vitro Fertilisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many of licensable treatment cycles at least 20 eggs were collected in the last five years for which figures are available.

      Kidneys: Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of kidney disease among the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community.

      Kidneys: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will assess the achievements of Kidney Research UK's Peer Educator model to support sign-up to the NHS Organ Donor Register in Black,...

      Motor Neurone Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend pilot treatments for motor neurone disease; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved...

      Motor Vehicles: Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish draft regulations on banning smoking in cars with children present.

      Out of Area Treatment: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) arrangements and (b) contracts NHS England has for non-emergency specialist care and treatment of English residents in Scottish hospitals.

      Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women were admitted to hospital with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in each of the last five years for which figures are available; how many...

      Prostate Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons NICE has not recommended the treatment of abiraterone for use on the NHS; if he will place in the Library all correspondence NICE has...

      Psoriasis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with NHS trusts on the prescription of medicines for psoriasis.

      Shingles: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the 70 to 79 age group have received a shingles vaccination since the vaccination programme began in September 2013; how many people he...

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each such number...

      Transplant Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on allowing the transplant of organs from people deceased outside of hospital.

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps his Department takes to help servicemen and women and veterans with psychological injuries; [R] (2) what budget is available to help...

    • Armed Forces: Peterborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of 2014DIN05-013 on The Closure of Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit Peterborough in the Library.

      Army Reserve

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps his Department takes to ensure that members of the Army Reserve who are injured receive appropriate support; (2) what level of...

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason his Department did not provide an ICT hosting environment for Capita on time for the Recruiting Partnering Project.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military or civilian personnel in his Department of what rank or grade have been reprimanded for failing to deliver an ICT hosting environment for...

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the initial estimate of the additional costs of reverting to the fallback position of a hosting solution provided by Capita for the...

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse to date is of the Recruiting Partnering Project.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014, page 25, if he will provide details of (a) the 167...

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preliminary tests his Department conducted to assess whether it was feasible to recruit and train the required number of reserves within the...

      Defence: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it remains his policy to meet the NATO target of spending 2% per cent of gross domestic product on defence; and what recent discussions (a) he...

      Defence: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the near cash projected spending on the Equipment Plan and Equipment Support Plan is for each year to 2018.

      European Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse was of the visit of four RAF Typhoons to Edwards airforce base for interoperability trials with the Joint Strike...

      Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what he expects to make the next main gate decision for the F-35.

      Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what event or risk of event led to the approval of the Collision Warning System Technology Demonstrator Programme for fast jet aircraft; when that event...

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the total cost of disposal of Nimrod MR4A associated material at RAF Kinloss.

      Nimrod Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of the Nimrod MR4A programme; and what payments were made to each company involved in the programme after 20 October 2012.

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each such number...

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has provided to companies facing bankruptcy in each of the last three years.

    • Companies: Ownership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the penalties will be for companies which fail to properly declare their beneficial ownership on the public register.

      Employment Agencies: Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with employment agencies on the practice of blacklisting.

      Employment Agencies: Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the prevalence of blacklisting amongst employment agencies.

      Exports: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of exports from businesses in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow and (c)...

      Exports: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether export licences to Syria have been granted for the period since 1 July 2012; and if he will describe any such material so...

      Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many inspections each local authority has carried out to ensure compliance with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety)...

      Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many prosecutions there have been for breaches of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 in each of...

      Royal Mail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, column 782W, on Royal Mail, what link was established in the...

      Royal Mail: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of Royal Mail staff who bought shares in the newly-privatised company in (a) Paisley...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of outstanding child maintenance arrears currently owed by non-resident parents with a weekly assessment value set at zero are...

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many Child Support Agency cases there are (a) non-resident parents with a nil liability at present but at least one child of qualifying...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the total Child Support Agency arrears owed to parents with care is regarded as (a) potentially collectable and (b) likely...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what timetable he has set for the closure of Child Support Agency cases which do not form part of the agency's current live caseload; (2)...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls the Child Maintenance Options Service received in each month in the last year.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contingency arrangements have been put in place by the Department's Child Maintenance Group to ensure that the Child Maintenance Options...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases child support arrears have been written off under the Child Support Management of Payments and Arrears (Amendment)...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library and publish the tender and bid for the Child Maintenance Options contract.

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government will receive from deductions of charges and from charges for enforcement action in child maintenance cases under the...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of (a) the tender and bid process for the Child Maintenance Options contract, (b) his Department assisting G4S to...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the G4S contract to provide the Child Maintenance Options programme was underestimated; for what reasons staff in his...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department have been asked to assist G4S in the delivery of the new Child Maintenance Options scheme to date; how many...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government expect to receive from (a) the 20 per cent deduction from the child maintenance payment of the paying parent and (b)...

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last reviewed the level of income disregard threshold for employment and support allowance.

      Employment Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, columns 813-4W, on social security benefits, what estimate his Department has made...

      Employment Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, columns 813-4W, on social security benefits, what estimate he has made of the...

      Employment: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of recent trends in employment in the private sector.

      Independent Living Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the closure of the Independent Living Fund.

      Independent Living Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of Independent Living Fund recipients who will have their care and support budget (a)...

      Independent Living Fund: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) how many disabled people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency will be affected by the closure of the...

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the additional costs to claimants living in rural communities of travel to attend jobcentre interviews for (a)...

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether jobseekers must declare casual income earned during a sanction period once their jobseeker's allowance claim is resumed; and whether...

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants had uninterrupted work records of (a) two years and (b) five years at the start...

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on external legal advice in each of the last three years.

      Maternity Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women received maternity allowance in the last year for which figures are available; what the average length of time they received it...

      National Insurance: Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that asylum seekers are able to receive a national insurance number without unnecessary delay.

      Nurseries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of (a) staff in his Department and (b) members of the public who use his Department’s on-site...

      Nurseries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department's Child Maintenance Group on-site nurseries are due to close from September 2014; and what the location of each such...

      Nurseries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) the number and (b) the cost of staff redundancies resulting from the closure of his Department’s on-site...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that personal independence payment applicants do not suffer financial hardship due to delays deciding their...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the personal independence claims and decision-making process.

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates his Department has made of how many people previously on disability living allowance have had their claim for personal...

      Personal Independence Payment: Glasgow

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the claim by E. Stewart of Christchurch, ref POS(5)10870/552, for a personal independence payment which was received by the...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent assisting people with the costs of (a) travel to interview and (b) clothing for interviews or to commence...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the saving was to the public purse from the reduction of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit for individuals...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the date of the oldest outstanding claim for (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance at each Jobcentre...

      Social Security Benefits: Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that asylum seekers receive the benefits to which they are entitled.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming universal credit were (a) unemployed and (b) self-employed in the most recent period for which information is available.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has given to the tribunals service of how many appeals will be brought by universal credit claimants in each of the next five...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of partners in small businesses who will apply for universal credit; and what steps such people need to...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to merge the two IT systems being developed by his Department to deliver universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that reminders should be sent by text or other telephonic means informing people of the date, time and location...

  • Justice

    • Children: Advocacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many registered intermediaries are available for use by child victims and witnesses in (a) Bolton, (b) Lancashire, (c) England, (d) Scotland...

    • Claims Management Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on what earliest date a still unresolved investigation by the Claims Management Regulation Unit under regulation 35 of the Compensation (Claims...

      Community Rehabilitation Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to allocate National Probation Service staff to new community rehabilitation companies.

      Community Rehabilitation Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had on tendering for contracts to run community rehabilitation companies.

      Community Rehabilitation Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether community rehabilitation companies have access to National Probation Service case records; (2) whether the National Probation Service will...

      Courts: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the treatment of child victims and witnesses within the courts system; (2) what assessment he has made of the...

      Courts: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received from (a) charities, (b) hon. Members and (c) other individuals on the provisions available to support child victims...

      Courts: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many child victims and witnesses have given evidence from inside a court building in each of the last five years; and if he will make a...

      Employment Tribunals Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will initiate an independent audit of his Department’s employment tribunal statistics.

      HM Inspectorate of Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings he and his Ministers have had with the Chief Inspector of Prisons; when each such meeting took place; and what was discussed at each such...

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) prosecuted for, (b) convicted of, (c) cautioned for and (d) given a non-custodial sentence for human trafficking offences in...

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has had on including insolvency litigation in the scope of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

      Prison Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are being held in police cells; what the daily cost is of holding such prisoners; and how many prisoners were held in police cells in...

      Prison Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions prisoners were held in (a) police station and (b) court cells in each month since January 2014.

      Prisons: Capital Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the capital investment budget was for prisons in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14; and what the equivalent budget allocation is...

      Prisons: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that the perpetrators of assaults against prison staff are appropriately punished; (2) what action he is taking...

      Rape

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people were (a) prosecuted for, (b) convicted of, (c) cautioned for and (d) given a non-custodial sentence for rape in each year since...

      Repossession Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department expects to raise from increased Notice to Seek Possession fees in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

      Stalking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) prosecuted for, (b) convicted of, (c) cautioned for and (d) given a non-custodial sentence for each of the stalking offences in...

  • Treasury

    • Fuel Duty

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of freezing fuel duty on the price of petrol.

    • Employment Levels

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of the level of employment.

      Financial Devolution

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what analysis his Department has undertaken of the feasibility of further financial devolution to London and other cities.

      Pensioner Savings

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to give pensioners more control over their savings.

      Long-term Economic Plan

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his long-term economic plan.

      Money Advice Service

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future of the Money Advice Service.

      Job Creation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal steps he has taken to support small and micro-businesses in creating new jobs.

      Air Passenger Duty: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Scottish Government to discuss air passenger duty.

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of divorced and separated parents who will have to decide which of them should own a tax-free childcare account; how...

      Dover Priory Station

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons Mapeley has not come to an agreement with Network Rail regarding the sale of land on the western perimeter of the Priory Court site for the...

      Fracking

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government's proposed fiscal framework for onshore oil and gas exploration, as established within the Finance Bill 2014, has been notified to...

      Gambling

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to hypothecate funds received from the increased fixed-odds betting terminals levy to fund NHS gambling addiction treatment.

      Income Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans to display changes to the amount of income tax levied on an individual on their end of year statement.

      Infrastructure

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 598W, on infrastructure, which projects included in the UK Guarantees Scheme have required...

      Mapeley

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 394W, on Mapeley, what contingency plan HM Revenue and Customs has for dealing with a...

      Network Rail

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects Network Rail to be officially re-classified as a public sector company.

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to complete the loan guarantee arrangement for the proposed nuclear power station investments.

      Roads: City of Westminster

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what works are currently being undertaken in King Charles Street, Westminster; and when the scaffolding and road and pavement equipment related to the works...

      Sanitary Protection: Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to abolish tax on sanitary products.

      Taxation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what fiscal measures he has introduced to reduce taxes on families; (2) what fiscal measures he has introduced to reduce the level of taxes paid by...

      Video Games: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to promote the video games tax relief to video games producers.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Bahrain.

    • Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the political situation in Bangladesh since the elections in that country.

      Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the Bangladeshi Government hold free and fair elections in future.

      Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of British Bangladeshis who visit or live in Bangladesh.

      Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the recent actions by the US against Bangladesh.

      Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to help the Rohingya peoples in Burma; what recent discussions he has had with the Burmese...

      Central African Republic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the UN-led peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic is prepared to protect...

      Central African Republic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to ensure that survivors of sexual violence in the Central African Republic have access to lifesaving...

      Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government have paid to the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus in each of the last four years; and what...

      Roads: City of Westminster

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what works are currently being undertaken in King Charles Street, Westminster; and when the scaffolding and road and pavement...

      UK Membership of EU

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his priorities are for renegotiating UK membership of the EU.

      United Arab Emirates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of the United Arab Emirates regarding migrant workers' rights in that country;...

      Western Sahara

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with the Moroccan Ambassador to the UK the situation of the political prisoners in Saharawi; and what...

  • International Development

    • Central African Republic

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the level of food insecurity in the Central African Republic; and what steps her Department is taking...

    • Central African Republic

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department provides for services for survivors of gender-based violence in the Central African Republic and efforts to...

      Central African Republic

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effect of recent inter-communal violence in Bangui, Central African Republic on Muslims and other...

      Developing Countries: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the adoption of a target to ensure that all cities are accessible and offer opportunities to...

      Developing Countries: Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the adoption of a target to retrofit existing industries on global level based on energy and...

      Developing Countries: Migration

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the adoption of a target to enhance global co-operation to facilitate orderly, safe,...

      Developing Countries: Remittances

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the adoption of a target to reduce to five % or below the transaction costs of migrants'...

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many freedom of information requests on aid projects her Department has declined to provide information on in each of the last 12...

      Telephone Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 her Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls...

  • House of Lords

    • Brunei

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had regarding the compatibility of Brunei’s human rights policies with the human rights values of the Commonwealth Charter,...

    • Chemistry: Teachers

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the numbers of chemistry teachers with a subject-specialist background.

      Claims Management Services

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will bring forward delegated legislation under the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 enabling complaints against claims management firms...

      Consumer Goods: Marketing

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Chantler Review's suggestion that there is a spillover effect, whereby the branding of consumer goods intended for...

      Copyright

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making on their consideration of (1) protection of metadata, (2) remedies against lookalikes, and (3) equalisation of penalties for...

      Copyright: Internet

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the Digital Economy Act 2010 in reducing copyright theft via the internet.

      Employment Tribunals Service

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to lower the level of fees for access to employment tribunals.

      Energy Supply

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress was made towards improving the security and affordability of off-grid fuel supply at the third ministerial roundtable meeting on heating oil...

      European Union

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rules currently govern the disclosure of European Union information; and whether any past or present rule, or any proposed rule, bans disclosure of...

      Football Banning Orders

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy and effectiveness of sentencing in cases where football fans have been found guilty of racially or religiously...

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many companies currently providing contracted services to government departments and agencies use zero hours contracts.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any cost-benefit analysis of the reduction of carbon monoxide emissions as a result of the planned HS2 high-speed rail link.

      HIV Infection

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was their total spending in 2013–14 on treatments for HIV infection in the United Kingdom.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities received additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding from the extra £20 million announced in October 2013; and how much was...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the availability of skilled personnel to carry out the building...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the ability of the United Kingdom building supplies industry to...

      Illegal Immigrants

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost to public funds, in each of the last five years, of compensation payments to illegal immigrants who had been unlawfully detained beyond the...

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the changes in the eligibility of legal aid on the number of litigants in person and the consequential impact on the...

      Local Government: ICT

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes local authorities are required to make to their information technology services in order to remain connected to the gov.uk secure network. To...

      Magistrates: Training

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what training they provide for magistrates.

      Medals

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any civilian honours other than the George Cross can be awarded posthumously.

      Mental Health Services: Hearing Impairment

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking with regard to those Clinical Commissioning Groups that have not funded Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services for...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances employers are legally allowed to pay workers less than the national minimum wage.

      Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what nuclear power stations there are in the United Kingdom; which of those are being decommissioned; what has been the cost to date of each station; and...

      Obesity

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent in each of the last five years to adapt National Health Service hospitals for obese people.

      Patient Choice Schemes

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether patients have the legal right to be referred to any hospital provider of their choice, no matter where the consultant is located in England, subject...

      Personal Injury: Compensation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 5 February (WA 238), whether they are now in a position to implement a revision to the personal injury...

      Prerogative of Mercy

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Office of the Attorney General has any records of royal pardons granted between 1987 and 1997.

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether newly negotiated rail franchises and franchise extensions include incentives for the train operator concerned to devote sufficient resources to...

      Rolling Stock

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether plans to cascade rolling stock between rail franchises are made by officials in the Department for Transport; and whether proposed cascades have been...

      Science: Primary Education

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many primary schools in England have (1) a science subject leader, and (2) a science subject leader who has a science degree.

      Science: Primary Education

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the numbers of primary school teachers with (1) a science degree, or (2) a science A-level, as their highest science...

      Students: Loans

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Student Loans Company does not provide up-to-date online information about the state of an account, detailing all repayments made into the account...

      Students: Loans

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Student Loans Company and HM Revenue and Customs joint accounting system is able to continue deducting repayments on loans via the PAYE system even...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government from which companies and organisations, other than those involved in the tobacco industry, they have received representations since October 2013 regarding...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing standardised tobacco packaging on the United Kingdom's ability to trade globally.

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 6 May (WA 447), whether they will now place in the Library of the House correspondence received by the...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 6 May (WA 444), whether they will place in the Library of the House correspondence between the Intellectual...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Earl Howe on 3 April (HL Deb, col 1121–2), whether in preparing for the publication of the draft regulations on...

      UK Membership of EU

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of Jean-Claude Juncker being appointed President of the European Commission, they plan to review their policy concerning continuing...

      Verne Prison

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to make legal aid-funded immigration representation available to migrants detained in HMP The Verne.

      Verne Prison

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention for on-site legal surgeries be held in HMP The Verne.

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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