Written answers

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

  • Department for Transport

    • Traffic Lights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's Report, The Operation of Traffic Signals during Low Demand Periods, published in October 2012, what trials to turn...

    • Railways: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department spent on consultants on electrification in financial years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15 to date.

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the costs of administering each franchise of the Direct Awards programme are.

      Midland Main Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what works will be required to overhead wiring south of Bedford as a result of the Midland Main Line electrification programme.

      Directly Operated Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what Directly Operated Railways' staff numbers and overall budget are projected to be in each year between 2013-14 and 2016-17.

      High Speed Two

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what premises officials in his Department are working on High Speed (a) 2 and (b) 3; what the square footage is of each premises; and what the...

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

    • Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many social housing homes in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) the London Borough of Hackney, (c)...

    • Betting Shops

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of betting shops on high streets; and if he will make a...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • South Ossetia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote dialogue between the Georgian government and South Ossetia; and if he will make a statement.

    • Nagorno Karabakh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nagorno-Karabakh; and if he will make a statement.

      Montenegro

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Montenegrin counterpart on Montenegro joining NATO; and if he will make a statement.

      Lord Mayor of London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times the Lord Mayor of London has travelled overseas on an official visit organised and funded by his Department; for...

      Georgia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Georgian counterpart on Georgia joining NATO; and if he will make a statement.

      Bosnia and Herzegovina

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Bosnian counterpart on Bosnia and Herzegovina joining NATO; and if he will make a...

      Abkhazia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote dialogue between the Georgian government and Abkhazia; and if he will make a statement.

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage support from legislators in the US for British sovereignty over Gibraltar.

      Cyprus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of the misselling of and corruption related to mortgages for properties for UK citizens...

      Kenya

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Kenyan counterpart on the threat of Islamist militants in that country.

      West Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK's financial share is of the EU's contribution to fighting the spread of Ebola.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Sunningdale Park

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse was of the former Civil Service College at Sunningdale in each of the last four financial years; and what spending is...

    • Unemployment: Young People

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of young people between 16 and 25 years were not in work, training or education in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and...

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many 18 to 21 year olds are claiming jobseeker's allowance in each English region; and what proportion of all 18 to 21 year olds in each region...

  • Attorney General

    • GPT Special Project Management

      To ask the Attorney General, whether the Serious Fraud Office has sought his assistance with securing evidence from the Ministry of Defence in relation to its investigation into GPT Special...

    • Marriage of Convenience

      To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has brought on breaches of immigration law arising from sham marriages in each of the last five financial years.

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Disabled Students' Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received calling for a public consultation on proposed changes to disabled students' allowance.

    • Students: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that disabled pupils have information in advance of an application to a higher education...

      Mass Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many responses his Department's press office has made to enquiries from student journalists in the last year.

      Local Growth Fund: North Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on the Local Growth Fund allocation to North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

      Disabled Students' Allowances: East Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands received disabled students' allowance in each of the...

      Technology: Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made with the Smart Cities programme; and if he will make a statement.

      Disabled Students' Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has sought views from individual disabled pupils about the impact of proposed changes to disabled students allowance.

      Apprentices: Fareham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices have been employed by companies in Fareham constituency in each of the last five years.

      Disabled Students' Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what criteria his Department used to determine which bodies should be consulted over proposed changes to disabled students allowance.

      Students: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many appeals have been (a) made to and (b) upheld by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator by disabled pupils about a...

      Research Councils: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on gender diversity in research of the process by which the Research Councils award grants.

      Higher Education: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the funding that higher education institutions receive to recruit and support disabled students is ring-fenced for that...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employers in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) the London Borough of Hackney, (c) London and (d)...

      Temporary Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen enforcement of regulatory safeguards for agency workers.

      Students: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, when Student Finance England will issue guidance...

      Video Games

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many grants were distributed to the video games industry under Innovate UK's Smart Programme in 2013-14; and what the value...

  • Department for International Development

    • Developing Countries: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage female political participation in developing countries.

    • Tunisia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the availability and suitability of health services in Tunisia.

      Developing Countries: Malaria

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations she has received from pharmaceutical companies on the development of a vaccine for malaria; and if she...

      Sub-Saharan Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to prevent the spread of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa; and if she will make a statement.

      West Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to West African countries affected by Ebola to conduct screening of passengers at airports;...

      Armed Conflict: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help end violence against women and girls in conflict zones.

  • Department for Education

    • Carers: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support young carers in school.

    • Foster Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children in each local authority were in a foster care placement on 31 March (a) 2008, (b) 2010, (c) 2013 and (d) 2014; how many...

      Annual Reports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons her Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 has not yet been published; and when that report is due to be published.

      Secondary Education: Teaching Methods

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children at secondary school are being efficiently grouped according to their academic ability.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many SENCO-accredited courses are being run in (a) colleges and (b) universities in 2013-14.

      Schools: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that schools do not use charges for uniform, school trips and other activities as a means of selection.

      Children: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Children's Commission on Poverty report, At What Cost? Exposing the impact of poverty on school life, what steps her Department...

      Schools: Uniforms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit schools from taking a commission on the sale of school uniform to parents.

      Primary Education: Swimming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all primary school children (a) learn to swim and (b) are knowledgeable about water safety.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Youth Custody: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to provide children in custody with better education; and if he will make a statement.

    • Pornography: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent the distribution of revenge porn; and if he will make a statement.

      Young Offenders: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made on the level of academic attainment for incarcerated young offenders; and if he will make a statement.

      Courts: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of officials in his Department have undergone specialist training on working with victims of sexual assault in a court environment.

      Prisons: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of violent incidents in prisons linked to legal highs in the last five years.

      Adoption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against placement orders have been issued in family courts since 2010; and how many of those appeals have been allowed.

      Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value was of fines (a) issued by the courts and (b) collected was in financial year 2013-14.

      Divorce: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the announcement on 23 October 2014 by the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties on more support for separating couples...

      Divorce

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to integrate the new supporting separated parents in dispute helpline pilot to be run by the Children and Family Court Advisory...

  • Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assistance is offered to households where residents may not have the capability...

  • Leader of the House

    • Public Opinion

      To ask the Leader of the House, how much his Office spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which units of the Colombian military have received British military training in the last three years.

    • Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK's ability to respond militarily to threats to Gibraltar.

      Armed Forces: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what change there has been in the time taken to process War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims since 2010.

      Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what UK (a) military and (b) civilian assets are stationed in Gibraltar; and what their duties are.

      Gurkhas: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of former Gurkhas who left service on or after 1 July 1997 and transferred to Armed Forces Pension...

      Armed Forces: Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 to Question 210743, when the changes to the habitation of offenders legislation came into force; when his...

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 October 2014, Official Report, column 63WS, on the Middle East, from which bases the UK's (a) Reaper UAVs and...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 October 2014, Official Report, column 63WS, on the Middle East, how many of the UK's Reaper aircraft will be...

      West Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by his Department in responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa that will be recovered from the...

      Nuclear Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear weapons emergency exercises his Department's defence nuclear emergencies organisation has conducted since May 2010; and if he will...

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy that people entitled to carer's allowance are included in the groups that qualify for the childcare costs...

    • Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether information about how disabled people can make an application to personal independence payment by email or letter is included in all...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases have been registered for personal independence payment in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) the London...

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many allegations of benefit fraud his Department received in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013.

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria his Department uses to distinguish between legitimate and malicious allegations of benefit fraud.

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence claims in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) Hackney local authority area, (c) London and...

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all allegations of benefit fraud received are investigated properly.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of Universal Credit have applied for (a) budgeting advances and (b) alternative payment arrangements; how many such...

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in employment and support allowance and personal independence payments on people with...

      Children: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the potential effect on child poverty of a freeze on (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

      Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what date (a) new and (b) existing claims for employment and support allowance will end.

      Children: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the potential effect on child poverty of a freeze on (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) universal credit, (c)...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit applications can be processed on average manually by an adviser in a day.

      Motability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funds the Government has provided to Motability in each of the last five years.

      Social Security Benefits: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's projected expenditure on (a) disablity living allowance and (b) personal independence payment is in each year up to 2017-18.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what metrics were used to determine whether the IT systems developed to facilitate the delivery of universal credit pathfinders were fit for...

      Forced Labour

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases of (a) forced labour and (b) trafficking for labour exploitation were identified by the Health and Safety Executive in (i)...

      Welfare State: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the new Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive on implementation of welfare reform.

      Post Office Card Account

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department expects to announce its decision on the future of the Post Office card account.

      Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2014 to Question 211627, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of a link between the reduction in...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects all new applications to be for universal credit instead of for existing benefits and credits.

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of applications for jobseeker's allowance used the rapid reclaim provisions in each month since May 2010.

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people aged between 18 and 21 claiming jobseeker's allowance who have skills levels below Level 2.

      Social Security Benefits: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of benefit fraud committed in respect of each benefit which was attributable to identity fraud in...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Animal Welfare: Circuses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made in implementing its commitment to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses;...

    • Oil: Refineries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when all licensed import and distribution terminals will be fully post-Buncefield compliant.

      Cattle: Antibiotics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance she issues to farmers on the use of antibiotics in meat and dairy cattle; and if she will make a statement.

  • Home Office

    • Passports: Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many false passports have been confiscated from people (a) entering and (b) leaving the UK in each year since 2011.

    • Illegal Immigrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many attempted clandestine entrants were identified through the use of body scanning technology at the UK's ports of entry in each of...

      Illegal Immigrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many attempted clandestine entrants were identified at the UK's points of entry by means other than body scanning technology in each of...

      Violent and Sex Offender Register

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward proposals to expand the scope of the sex offenders' register to include serial stalkers and domestic violence...

      Asylum: Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2014 to Question 202954, how many Afghan locally engaged civilians have been granted asylum in the UK since...

      Domestic Violence: Brigg

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many domestic violence arrests were made in Brigg and Goole constituency in each of the last 10 years.

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will bring forward proposals to introduce self-financing photo identity cards on a voluntary basis to establish...

      Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken for her Department's Referred Casework Unit to review decisions of the Entry Clearance Manager in the last year;...

      Asylum: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees have been settled in the UK during the last six months; and how many such refugees she expects to arrive in the...

      Prime Minister: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will carry out an inquiry into personal protection for the Prime Minister.

      Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) British nationals and (b) other people have had their extradition from the UK under a European arrest warrant blocked under the...

      Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) British nationals and (b) other people have been extradited from the UK under a European arrest warrant since sections 156 and...

      Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many European arrest warrant requests have been rejected since July 2014.

      Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what forecast she has made of the proportion of extraditions of (a) British nationals and (b) other persons sought from the UK under a...

      Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons European arrest warrants have been rejected since July 2014.

      Police: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost in each budgetary category of national police recruitment campaigns was in each police force area in England and Wales in each...

      Lighting

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout her Department's buildings and...

      Asylum: Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Sri Lankan asylum seekers who have been victims of torture have been removed to Sri Lanka in the last five years; and if she will...

      Police: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that police officers are protected when handling dangerous calls alone.

      Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many on-the-spot fines have been issued in each police area to date.

  • HM Treasury

    • Dividend Tax Credits

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the Exchequer effect of aligning the dividend tax rate with income tax rates for additional rate taxpayers.

    • Corporation Tax

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) company headquarters and (b) jobs have been reshored in the UK since the reduction in corporation tax rates.

      EU Budget

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials in his Department have had responsibility for monitoring gross national income accounting changes and their effect on the UK contribution...

      National Insurance Contributions: North Ayrshire

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses in North Ayrshire and Arran constituency receive employment allowance.

      Ambulance Services: VAT

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will exempt charitably-funded rapid response vehicles from VAT.

      Tobacco

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings the Exchequer Secretary has had with representatives of the tobacco industry since his appointment.

      Human Trafficking

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training is provided to national minimum wage inspectors to identify cases of trafficking.

      Economic Policy

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a comparative assessment of the economic effect of (a) a target for a long-term current surplus and (b) an overall surplus target.

      Business: Government Assistance

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent fiscal steps he has taken to support small businesses.

  • Department for Energy and Climate Change

    • Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how long he expects the round of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund due to open in November 2014 to remain open.

    • Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on the pricing structure of the energy industry.

      Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many organisations have to date made use of the licence lite provisions with regard to energy supply established by Ofgem in 2009.

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the value is of Green Deal Home Improvement Fund vouchers which have been issued in each constituency.

      Hinkley Point C Power Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 to Question 210445, if he will extract and publish the titles from the correspondence with...

      Fossil Fuels: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many bids were received in the 14th licensing round for onshore oil and gas.

      Fossil Fuels: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he intends to announce the awarding of licences arising from the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing round.

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many onshore wind turbine applications in the UK were (a) approved and (b) rejected in the year to October 2014.

      Wind Power: Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many onshore wind turbine applications in Nottinghamshire were (a) approved and (b) rejected in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2014...

      Wind Power: Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many onshore wind turbine applications in Nottinghamshire were (a) approved and (b) rejected in 2010.

      Wind Power: Nottinghamshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many onshore wind turbine applications in Nottingham were (a) approved and (b) rejected in 2011.

      Energy Supply: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions he has had with power companies on their preparations for bad weather events in Northern Ireland.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Parades

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will hold discussions with her ministerial colleagues on including parading rights in a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland; and if she...

    • Orchestras: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will take steps to secure funding for the Ulster Orchestra; and if she will make a statement.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will take steps to arrange a service of thanksgiving for people from Northern Ireland who served in Afghanistan and a commemoration for...

      Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many drug-related arrests have been made in Northern Ireland since 2010.

  • Department for Culture Media and Sport

    • HMS Victory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to permit the (a) Maritime Heritage Foundation and (b) Odyssey Marine Exploration, to sell material...

    • HMS Victory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who has made representations to his Department on the future management of HMS Victory 1744; and what the content was of such...

      Lighting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • By-elections

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the average cost to the public purse was of parliamentary by-elections since May 2010.

  • Department of Health

    • Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of legal highs upon public health.

    • University Hospital of Hartlepool

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, if he will ensure that the...

      University Hospital of Hartlepool

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, if he will ensure that the...

      Ebola

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has carried out a risk assessment of the threat posed to the UK by the Ebola epidemic.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many locum GPs there are in (a) Walsall South constituency and (b) England.

      General Practitioners: Merseyside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices have (a) opened and (b) closed in (i) Merseyside and (ii) Knowsley in each of the last five years.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that funding for the refurbishment and replacement of GP premises is made available.

      Hospitals: Stockton on Tees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost has been of the application for a new hospital at Wynyard by the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust; and whether the costs will...

      Pancreatic Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will assess the effect of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's three month end of life threshold on the appraisal of treatments...

      Pancreatic Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's technology appraisal criteria in relation to the provision of...

      Medical Equipment: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure the routine commissioning of cough assist machines in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

      Prostate Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2014 to Question 209881, when he expects to announce a decision on allowing an application for a second Patient...

      Out-patients

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Health and Social Care Information Centre next plans to review the list of treatment function codes for outpatient procedures.

      Continence: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Health and Social Care Information Centre on the inclusion of a specific treatment function code for...

      Out-patients

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential financial effect of NHS healthcare trusts failing to properly record data on outpatient procedures.

      Constipation: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital admissions there were for constipation in children in 2013; and what the estimated cost to the NHS was of treating such admissions.

      Prescription Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether medicines which do not meet the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) Technology Appraisal and Highly Specialised...

      Prescription Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria a newly licensed medicine must fulfil in order to be considered for an interim clinical commissioning policy by NHS England; and what the...

      Down's Syndrome

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with Down’s syndrome there were in the UK aged (a) under 15, (b) 15 to 30, (c) 30 to 50 and (d) over 50 on the latest date for...

      Caesarean Sections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the number of births by caesarean section in the UK.

      Caesarean Sections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research to investigate the potential link between births by caesarean section and the incidence of autism and ADHD.

      NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department is providing to assist NHS hospitals in implementing the systems and processes required to efficiently capture, manage and...

      NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on the effect that publishing safe staffing data has on patient choice.

      Nurses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on the potential benefits of real-time reporting of nurse staffing numbers at NHS hospitals.

      Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had on ensuring that the payments made by the pharmaceutical industry under the current...

      Mental Health Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services prevalence survey.

      Health Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what elements in NHS England's Five Year Plan other than Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service impatient beds specifically relate to children.

      NHS: Leadership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects that Sir Stuart Rose's report on NHS Leadership will be published.

      Exercise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information on the Chief Medical Officer's physical activity guidelines is included in the curriculum for (a) trainee doctors, (b) trainee nurse,...

      Exercise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department takes to communicate the Chief Medical Officer's physical activity guidelines to frontline medical professionals.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in what circumstances Alternative Provider Medical Services contracts are used by NHS England; and how many such contracts were used in (a) 2010, (b)...

  • House of Lords

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategic policy on the use of armed drones was put in place before withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider issuing visas in Kabul for civil society representatives who wish to attend the London Conference on Afghanistan in November and...

      Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address Britain’s drinking culture, which Public Health England recently identified as causing a rise in liver disease deaths.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in respect of Britain's drinking culture in order to reduce liver disease deaths.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why an order has been placed for the turreted version of Scout SV before the Critical Design Review has been completed, and when completion of the Review is...

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether all the intellectual property for the Scout SV will be held by General Dynamics United Kingdom or by a foreign company.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the value of work within the Scout SV programme will be carried out in the United Kingdom.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Scout SV vehicles are planned to be delivered by the end of 2020.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether support work, including deep support, for Scout SV will be carried out in the United Kingdom.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what ways they expect the Scout SV to prove superior in capabilities to VBCI and CV90 vehicles.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why there is to be no assembly or production line for the Scout SV vehicle in the United Kingdom; and what, if any cost savings they anticipate as a result...

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact they anticipate on the operations and value of the Defence Support Group as a result of overseas assembly of and support for the Scout SV vehicle.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the effect on the costs of production of the Scout SV vehicle of the non-production of the Pizarro II vehicle from which it is derived.

      Armoured Fighting Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assumptions have been made about the exportability of the Scout SV vehicle family; and what benefits they expect the United Kingdom to derive from any...

      Bail

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals were placed on police bail in England and Wales in each year between 1976 and 2013.

      Civil Servants: Languages

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to conduct a comprehensive audit of the foreign language skills currently possessed by civil servants across all departments and...

      Diesel Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce measures to reduce the use of diesel engines as compared to petrol engines because of the effects of diesel fumes on health.

      Electricity Generation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the relative current delivered costs of electricity delivered to users in the United Kingdom produced respectively by nuclear fusion, offshore...

      EU Budget

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations within the European Union that any spending increases will be met through countervailing spending cuts and not by...

      Eurasian Economic Union

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likely political and economic impact of the Eurasian Economic Union being launched on 1 January 2015.

      European Parliament

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the amount of subsidy paid to each of the European Parliament’s political groups annually.

      European Rail Traffic Management System

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their latest cost estimates for the installation of the European Rail Traffic Management System in each cab of United Kingdom trains.

      Food Banks

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of people using food banks who also receive benefits; and whether they have any plans to discuss the matter...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the advantages of the HS2 project, in the light of the statement in the booklet Rebalancing Britain at page 31 that journeys from London to York via...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why housing benefit overpayments increased to £1.4 billion in 2013–14 and how they are addressing the issue.

      Industrial Health and Safety: Agriculture

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures they have of the number of fatal and serious accidents occurring in the farming industry.

      Iraq

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of Amnesty International’s reports of the discovery of unidentified bodies apparently subjected to executions and its...

      Jobseeker’s Allowance Sanctions Independent Review

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the remarks by Lord Freud on 21 October that they were “taking forward all recommendations” of the Oakley Report on Jobseeker's...

      Kashmir

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are providing any financial or material aid to Kashmir after the recent flooding there.

      Migration

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the most recent annual figures for (1) emigrants departing the United Kingdom, and (2) immigrants arriving in the United Kingdom; and how many of...

      Ministers: Pay

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Ministers are presently unpaid (1) in the House of Lords, and (2) in the House of Commons.

      Nato

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what Royal Navy vessels are currently taking part in NATO’s Operation Active Endeavour.

      NHS: Reorganisation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost to date of the reorganisation of the National Health Service as a result of the reforms in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

      Orthopaedics

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have (1) considered, and (2) taken, to reduce the number of preventable amputations occurring within the National Health Service.

      Pakistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the condition of internally displaced persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. To ask Her Majesty’s...

      Pakistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the position of Ms Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of four sentenced to death in Lahore under Pakistan's blasphemy laws; and...

      Parliament: Veterans

      To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he has any plans, in conjunction with the House of Commons Commission, to identify those posts in the Palace of Westminster which could be filled by...

      Poliomyelitis

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are working with civil society, other donor governments, the European Union and polio-affected countries to support the global eradication of polio.

      Prisoners: Suicide

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take in relation to the growth in the number of suicides in prisons in the light of the observations of the Prison Service...

      Prisons: Mental Health Services

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government which prisons in England and Wales will include a new specialist mental health centre as part of their health care provision.

      Railways: Electrification

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost difference between electrifying both the main and relief lines between Severn Tunnel Junction and Cardiff, and...

      Railways: Electrification

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the implications for the operation of the railway between Severn Tunnel Junction and Cardiff if only the main lines are electrified, and not the...

      Railways: Exeter

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total estimated cost of the works near Cowley Bridge to improve the resilience of the railway by removing three weirs from the River Exe, and...

      Railways: North West

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they make of (1) the case for improved commuter services from Manchester to Clitheroe, (2) the case for improved commuter services from...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what allowance is made in future costings of renewable energy for weather conditions, such as when wind or solar power are not available.

      Reoffenders

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to identify whether a person recalled to custody has (1) a learning disability, and (2) an IQ of less than 80.

      Rolling Stock

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy of encouraging rail operators to convert first class carriages to standard class.

      Sexual Offences

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current estimate of the cost to the Exchequer to date of those parts of Operation Yewtree where (1) the defendant has been acquitted, or (2) a...

      Syria

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey over the Syrian Kurds currently detained by them at Suruc and who do not wish to be returned...

      Teachers: Training

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there is an appropriate regional distribution of teacher training opportunities, in the light of the level of...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether ministerial agreement has been reached on whether the United Kingdom is to proceed with standardised tobacco packaging; and whether it had been...

      Trident Submarines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what long lead items have already been ordered for the replacement for the Vanguard-class submarines.

      Trident Submarines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the design for the missile compartment of the replacement for the Vanguard-class submarine has been finalised.

      Trident Submarines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they estimate will have been spent on the replacement for the Vanguard-class submarine by 7 May 2015.

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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