Written answers

Thursday, 6 November 2014

  • HM Treasury

    • Public Sector Debt: UN Resolutions

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the UK is taking to engage in discussions at the UN on establishing a legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring processes.

    • Personal Income

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of income inequality on national wellbeing.

      Lighting

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the merits of introducing fiscal incentives to more widespread use of LED lighting.

      National Insurance Contributions

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses have (a) claimed and (b) been successfully awarded employment allowance in (i) Bury St Edmunds, (ii) Suffolk, (iii) the East of England...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2014, to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury to Question 197359, if he will make it his policy that HM Revenue...

  • 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 recent research the Electoral Commission has conducted into the reasons why...

    • Absent Voting

      To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to increase the take-up of postal votes.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects Jobcentre Plus to deploy an IT solution for the calculation of universal credit for those other than single people; and if he...

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many front line job centre advisers took part in user acceptance testing of the IT systems developed to facilitate the delivery of...

      Lighting

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

      Work Capability Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many incapacity benefit claimants died during or after their work capability assessment in each of the last two years.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individual cases of customer overpayment debt there have been in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk, (c) the East of England and (d)...

      Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of eligible pensioners that do not receive pension credit.

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is that a personal independence payment claim takes (a) to receive an appointment for assessment, (b) for the...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average length of time is taken between Personal Independence Payment claim from claimants in (a) Wales and (b) the UK receiving a...

      Budgeting Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications made for Budgeting Loan have been made in each year since 2010; and how many such applications were rejected.

      Disability Living Allowance: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants there are of higher rate disability living allowance in Northern Ireland.

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was made available through the Social Fund in each year since 2010.

      Employment: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what way his Department participates in the Two Ticks Positive About Disabled People scheme.

      Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the number of people being injured or made ill at work; and if he will make a...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) moved to and (b) not yet moved to the personal independence payment from the disability living allowance.

      Welsh Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the need to provide access to his Department's services in Welsh.

  • Home Office

    • Offences against Children: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times digitally stored photographs seized by police forces in England and Wales investigating online child abuse were checked...

    • Offences against Children: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2014, to Question 211467, what capability has existed for police forces to electronically match seized...

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the National Referral Mechanism review team is taking to consider best practice from other EU member states.

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) victims of trafficking and (b) victim direct service providers have been consulted during the review of the National Referral...

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on iPhones in each year since 2010.

      Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions her Department has made appointments by exception since 2010; and who was appointed for each such post.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Freedom of Information requests her Department has declined to answer in full since 2010.

      Crime: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made on implementing the commitment in paragraph 6.44 of the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published in...

      Corruption

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will publish the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, announced by the Prime Minister at the Open Government Partnership Summit in...

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of Information requests since...

      Crime: Shipping

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Bermuda government and the Hampshire Constabulary,...

      Miscarriages of Justice

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her written statement of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 35W, on potential miscarriages of justice, whether Mark...

      Police: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officer recruits in (a) Suffolk and (b) England and Wales began residential training in each year since 2010.

  • Department of Health

    • Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much and what proportion of the public health budget in (a) Hackney local authority area, (b) London and (c) England is spent on mental health.

    • Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on RU486 in each year since January 2011.

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase spending on mental health; and if he will make a statement.

      Health Hazards: Radon Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what studies have been commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies which report to his Department on the potential health...

      Lighting

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

      NHS: Lighting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue guidance to all NHS organisations that they should implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in all NHS premises.

      Prostate Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to increase awareness and early diagnosis of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement.

      Dementia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department will publish guidance on the timeline for a successor to the National Dementia Strategy for England and the Prime Minister's...

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) mean and (b) median length of hospital stay was for a person diagnosed with (i) pneumococcal disease and (ii) pneumococcal...

      Pneumonia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people aged (a) 0 to five, (b) six to 15, (c) 16 to 64 and (d) 65 and over contracted pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia in each (i) NHS...

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people aged (a) 0 to five, (b) six to 15, (c) 16 to 64 and (d) 65 and over contracted invasive pneumococcal disease in each (i) NHS England...

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of (a) invasive pneumococcal disease and (b) pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia were diagnosed in each (i) NHS England local area...

      Maternity Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that women who have just given birth in hospital are not sent home between 11pm and 8am.

      Mental Health Services: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new waiting time standards for adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) apply to children and adolescents' IAPT.

      NHS: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the insurance industry on cover for NHS buildings in the last three years.

      Musculoskeletal Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the benefits to the NHS of a preventative public health approach to musculoskeletal conditions.

      Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on the effectiveness of alcohol addiction treatment facilities.

      Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions have been carried out on patients who are over 24 weeks pregnant since January 2014.

      Health Services: Learning Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths of people with a learning disability there have been in (a) assessment and treatment units and (b) other inpatient units in the last five...

      Musculoskeletal Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of physical activity in reducing the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions.

      Measles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent an upsurge in measles; and what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved...

      Obesity: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on a co-ordinated strategy to stem the increase in the number of...

      Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes in England has taken to promote local awareness of diabetes.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP Super-Practices he plans to set up by the end of 2014.

      Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the amount (a) recoverable and (b) recovered by the UK through the European Health Insurance Card scheme was in 2013-14.

      Obesity and Diabetes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking in response to the prioritisation of diabetes and obesity prevention in the NHS Five Year Forward View.

      Health Services: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost was to the NHS of providing treatment to visitors from (a) the European Economic Area and (b) other non-permanent residents in 2013-14.

      Dementia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether an official review of the National Dementia Strategy has taken place.

      Dementia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Ministers have become dementia friends; and on what date they became a dementia friend.

      Accident and Emergency Departments: Dental Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of admissions to hospital via accident and emergency departments were related to dental problems in each of the last four years.

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2014 to Question 205866, on legal costs, if he will break that data down by type of legal service.

      Doctors: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instruct Health Education England to make a placement in General Practice compulsory for all F1 and F2 trainee doctors.

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people have records contained in the General Practice Research Database; how many patients whose records are in the Database have at...

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people in defined at risk groups who were eligible for pneumococcal vaccinations were vaccinated against pneumococcal disease in each...

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease which were preventable in each of the last five years.

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating invasive pneumococcal disease in each year from 2008 to 2013.

      Pneumococcal Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's pneumococcal vaccination targets are met.

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    • UK Export Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of successful applicants to the UK Export Finance line of credit facility have been small and medium-sized...

    • EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress he has made on the recent round of discussions on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

      Met Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the new Met Office supercomputer will be better able to predict heavy storms such as the one in Castle Point on 20 July...

      Met Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the increased accuracy in weather forecasting arising from the new Met Office supercomputer.

      European Space Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the time taken for the general release of data from European Science...

      Apprentices: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new apprenticeships were created in (a) Cumbria and (b) South Lakeland in each year since 2005.

      Post Offices: Financial Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps Post Office Ltd is taking to encourage banks to expand availability of their services through the Post Office network.

      Post Offices: Biometrics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, at what locations in the UK Post Office Ltd has installed applicant enrolment identification machines.

      Telecommunications: Foreign Investment in UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote the UK as a hub for global trade to foreign investors involved in the telecoms industry.

      Disabled Students' Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's proposed changes to Disabled Students' Allowances on access by...

      Disabled Students' Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's proposed changes to Disabled Students' Allowances on rates of...

      Disabled Students' Allowances

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with (a) disability charities and organisations and (b) universities and colleges on the effects of...

      Business: Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with specialist subcontractors in the construction industry on tackling late payment to small...

      Business: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employers in (a) the North West and (b) Warrington have been (i) named and (ii) prosecuted since 1 October 2013.

      Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the company registration number is of (a) Master Distribution Limited, Essex and (b) Zoom Limited, Havant, named for...

      Chemicals: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether licences grated to companies to export dual-use chemicals that could be used as precursors to the production of chemical...

      Chemicals: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make public the names of the companies which had licences approved to export dual-use chemicals that could be used as...

      Chemicals: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he took to ensure that the export licences approved to export to Syria dual-use chemicals that could be used as...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employers were named for breaking the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 in each month of 2014 to date.

      Energy: Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward assistance for energy intensive industries from 2016 to 2015.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of shale gas extraction on the industrial supply chain.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK personnel were involved in the destruction of Borak chemical rockets in 2006.

    • Armed Forces: Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officers in the regular forces there have been at each rank between one star, NATO code OF-6, and five star, NATO code OF-10, in each of the...

      RAF Northolt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual operating cost is of RAF Northolt.

      Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who has access to his Department's sports and social club; what the annual cost of running the club was in each of the last two years; what benefits...

      HMS Victory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports from independent companies and subject experts in sea bed restoration and conservation the Maritime Heritage Foundation have been...

      Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the direct military aid his Department provided to Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many servicemen and women from Northern Ireland were injured in Afghanistan.

      Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what legacy the Armed Forces leave in Afghanistan.

      War Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claimants of the War Pensions Scheme in each age group receive (a) the Allowance for a Lowered Standard of Occupation and (b) the...

      Armed Forces: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what cost his Department (a) has and (b) will incur for the (i) design and (ii) editing of the British Armed Forces Learning Resource 2014.

      War Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much on average is received each week by claimants of the War Pensions Scheme in each age group who claim (a) the Allowance for a Lowered Standard...

      Mali

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) HM service personnel and (b) civilians have been seconded by the UK Government to (a) MINUSMA and (b) the EU Training Mission in Mali; and...

      Lighting

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

      Joint Exercises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) assets and (b) personnel are taking part in NATO Exercise Iron Sword.

      Sentinel Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what upgrades the Sentinel R1 aircraft is receiving; and what the (a) purpose, (b) cost to the public purse and (c) completion date of those upgrades is.

      Sentinel Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where Sentinel R1 aircraft will be based in their maritime surveillance role.

      Military Medals Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Sir John Holmes' independent Military Medals Review.

      Military Decorations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what criteria applications for service medals for auxiliary personnel are judged.

      Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what defence agreements exist between the UK and Bahrain.

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

    • Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to promote environmental and sustainable housebuilding following the abolition of the Code for...

    • Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to assist local authorities build more sustainable homes.

      Local Government Ombudsman

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding is allocated to the Local Government Ombudsman; how many staff the Ombudsman employs; and how many enquiries were...

      Lighting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to (a) local authorities and (b) fire and rescue authorities that they should implement a replacement...

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to put in place a planning process for fracking which diverges from existing planning rules.

      Affordable Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the costs of Clause 3 of the Affordable Homes Bill; and if he will make a statement.

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what has been the current take-up of the Help to Buy scheme in (a) England and (b) Bradford.

      Solar Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide that solar panels may not be sited on agricultural land.

  • Scotland Office

    • Lighting

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

  • Department for Transport

    • Public Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.

    • Belfast Harbour

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the security regime in the Port of Belfast.

      Motorcycles: Noise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2014 to Question 211087, what current legal mechanisms are in place to tackle excessive motorcycle noise and...

      Ebola

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what function the National Maritime Intelligence Organisation's Vessels of Interest (VOI) list performs in alerting ports to ships with potential...

      Ebola

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has produced for people working in port pilotage on protocol for dealing with ships entering the UK from regions affected...

      Ebola

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what independent checks are made on the validity of reports on crew health which ships submit to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on entering UK waters.

      Ebola

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether extra resources have been made available to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to support its response to the Ebola outbreak; and what...

      Roads: Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to educate young people on road safety.

      River Thames: Bridges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of new river crossings in East London on the economy of that area.

      Roads: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road deaths there have been in the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce such deaths.

      Cycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of passenger journeys in the UK were made by bicycle in each of the last five years; and what share of his Department's spending...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) total Allied and (b) UK financial contribution to the Afghan National Security Forces will be in the current year;...

    • Gibraltar: Spain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he is satisfied with the speed of border crossings between Spain and Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ease with which Syrian nationals can cross the Lebanese border.

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help civilians affected by the ongoing violence in Kobane, Syria.

      Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on which UK companies operate in Colombia.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will meet the hon. Member for Lagan Valley to discuss the refusal of the government of Iran to accept a delegation of UK...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on reopening the Iranian Embassy in London.

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what priority his Department accords to (a) human rights and religious freedoms and (b) other matters in its bilateral...

      Intelligence Services: Electronic Surveillance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to paragraph 58 of the Respondents' Open Response to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal Case No. IPT/13/92/CH and...

      Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the consequences of President Abbas' statement that the temporary closure of Temple Mount was a...

      Iran

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Iran's support for international terror groups has been raised in talks between Iran and the P5+1.

  • Department for International Development

    • Lighting

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

    • West Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its programmes in West Africa do not create perverse incentives which prioritise...

      India

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart following the decision of that country to restrict foreign funding to civil...

  • Department for Education

    • Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to update the Accountability System Statement outlining the roles and responsibilities for school oversight.

    • Primary Education: Warrington

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the requirement for primary school places in Warrington in the next five years.

      Teachers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places from the initial allocation were relinquished by School Direct in the 2013-14 admissions year.

      Teachers: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places were allocated to School Direct for recruitment in the 2014-15 acacemic year.

      Priority School Building Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in each region and constituent part of the UK are on the Priority School Building Programme.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Squirrels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the Government review of the Forestry Commission's policy on grey squirrels.

    • Squirrels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the use of warfarin in controlling grey squirrel numbers.

      Insecticides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to check and certify the online selling of Chlorpyrifos.

      Common Agricultural Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of greening measures included in reform of the Common Agricultural...

      Agriculture: Subsidies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much in Single Farm Payment was paid to farm businesses in each county of Northern Ireland in the last year for which...

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of co-operation between the devolved administrations and her Department in...

      Poultry: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on beak trimming; and what assessment her Department has made of the results of Bristol University's...

      Milk: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with farming organisations in Wales about changes in the price of milk.

      Milk: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the causes of recent changes in the price of milk.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on legal fees over prevention of release of information requested by Freedom of...

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Freedom of Information requests her Department has declined to answer in full since 2010.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on iPhones in each year since 2010.

  • Department for Energy and Climate Change

    • Energy Companies Obligation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the savings energy companies have passed onto consumers following the changes to the Energy Company...

    • Energy Companies Obligation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the report by the Association for the Conservation of Energy on differences between the savings (a) for...

      Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the contingent liability is in respect of future financial years of payment under the non-domestic renewable heat incentive scheme.

      Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the social cost per tonne of emitted carbon his Department uses to judge the cost benefit of energy policies.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the use of water for hydraulic fracking on the general supply and cost of water.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what his policy is on requiring companies to inform people about fracking under their home or land.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the potential effect the investor protection clause of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment...

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether he plans to make Government subsidies available to the fracking industry during exploration, gas extraction and land reclamation.

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what contingency plans his Department has in place for clean-up after fracking activity in the event that small fracking companies go...

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will take steps to ensure that independent monitoring of drill sites and their effect on public health and local geology takes place.

      Biofuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of renewable electricity and renewable heat was supplied by biomass fuelled technologies in the last year for which...

      Biofuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to paragraph 4.6.25 of the Consultation Document on UK Renewable Energy Strategy, published on 26 June 2008, what plans...

      Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the security of the electricity supply for (a) businesses and (b) data centres in winter 2014-15.

      Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he is taking to reduce the risk of electricity blackouts during winter 2014-15.

      Energy: Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he is taking to help households improve their energy efficiency.

      Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he is taking to help households improve their energy efficiency.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will publish the results of the Government's 2009 consultation on the edited version of the electoral register and the Government's response to it.

  • Attorney General

    • Cybercrime: Prosecutions

      To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2014, to Question 212020, how many successful prosecutions were made for cybercrimes in each year since 2009.

  • Wales Office

    • Lighting

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

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prison Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison staff from which prisons were dismissed for conducting inappropriate relationships with prisoners in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and...

    • Speed Limits: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers were fined for speeding in each police force area in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

      Driving Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) convictions and (b) fixed penalty notices there have been following arrests for speeding offences in England and Wales (i) in total and...

      Fixed Penalties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of each category of fixed penalty notices were (a) issued and (b) paid in each month since their introduction in (i) Bury St Edmunds, (ii)...

      Driving Under the Influence: Reoffenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drivers convicted of driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs had previous convictions for the same offence in (a) Bury St Edmunds,...

      Prisoner Escapes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisoners have been on the run since April 2004; what offence each such prisoner had committed; how long each prisoner's sentence was; and how...

      Lighting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will issue guidance to operators of (a) courts and (b) prisons that they should implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in...

      Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what services aimed at giving victims of crime practical and emotional support have been introduced since 1 October 2012.

      Police Cautions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of police cautions issued for (a) rape, (b) sexual offences and (c) violent crimes in each year since 2010.

      Prison Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers who have taken voluntary early departure since 2010 have been re-recruited.

      Legal Aid Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have represented themselves in court in each year since 2010; and what proportion of such people had previously applied for legal aid...

      Prisons: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison cell searches have taken place in each month since May 2010.

      Prisons: Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many violent incidents of each type there have been in the prison system in each month since May 2010.

      Prisons: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many mandatory drug tests have taken place in prisons in each month since May 2010.

      Crown Courts: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2014 to Question 212299, how many witnesses have received support from the court-based Witness Service in each year...

      Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of funding changes in insolvency litigation in the Legal Aid, Sentencing...

      Prisons: Pay Television

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners held in contracted-out prisons were eligible to have access to subscription channels provided by British Sky Broadcasting in (a)...

  • Members Estimate Committee

    • Members: Allowances

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the Members Estimate Committee, when it was determined to shred documentation on expenses claims submitted by hon....

  • Cabinet Office

    • Government Departments: Billing

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that government departments pay contractors on time and in full; and if he will take steps to ensure that all...

    • Lighting

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to intriduce LED lighting throughout buildings and sites used by (a) the Cabinet...

      Education: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that procurement regulations do not increase the administrative burden (a) on local authorities seeking...

      Community Development

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent analysis of the performance of the Community Organisers Programme has been conducted.

      Community Development

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much of the funding of the Community Organisers Programme was allocated from the Office of Civil Society's budget.

      Corruption

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the job specification for the role of the Anti-corruption Champion; and what dedicated resources there are to...

      Government Departments: Cleaning Services

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that cleaners of all Government offices are paid the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

      Jobseeker's Allowance

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion 16 to 17 year olds in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 were BME.

      Unemployment: Scotland

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women over the age of 50 in Scotland have been classed as economically inactive in each of the last four years.

      Standard of Living

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in spending per houshold in (a) the top 10 most deprived local authority areas in England and (b) the 10 least deprived...

  • Department for Culture Media and Sport

    • Sports: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase media coverage and commercial investment in women's sport; and if he will make a statement.

    • Big Society Network and Society Network Foundation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants or special advisers his Department seconded to the (a) Society Network Foundation and (b) Big Society Network...

      Society Network Foundation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the total value of (a) financial and (b) non-financial support provided by his Department to the Society Network...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

  • House of Lords

    • Burkina Faso

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the President of Burkina Faso to amend the country’s constitution to permit him to seek a third term...

    • Burkina Faso

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what work the United Kingdom Special Envoy has undertaken in Burkina Faso since being appointed to the post.

      Burkina Faso

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks of (1) domestic, and (2) regional, destabilisation as a result of current political events in Burkina Faso.

      Burkina Faso

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the political situation in Burkina Faso.

      Council Tax Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the detailed terms of reference for the review of the impact of abolishing Council Tax Benefit.

      Dropbox

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any requests for account information from Dropbox using the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States.

      Egypt

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the political situation in Egypt.

      EU External Trade: Tunisia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they and the European Union are making any special provision for access for imports from Tunisia, in particular for olives and tomatoes.

      Honours

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 10 July (HL828) and 28 July (HL1115), whether they will now consolidate the replies and list...

      India

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Indian authorities regarding Soni Sori.

      Iran

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari on 25 October, what evidence they have to demonstrate that the United Kingdom’s resumption of direct...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the decision by the government of Israel to close access to Al-Aqsa mosque; and whether they intend to raise the matter at the...

      Middle East

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support European Union members are giving to the United Nations Secretary-General’s investigation into Israeli attacks on United Nations...

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the main constituents of the change in administration of the Vehicle Excise Duty that make up their estimated saving of £20 million.

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the removal of visible paper tax discs from vehicles, why they consider one reminder letter to constitute adequate notice to the vehicle...

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they distinguish between a motor trader and a motor retailer or repairer for the purposes of Vehicle Excise Duty.

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks associated with the use of trade plates on cars with integrated bumpers and parking sensors; and whether they...

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they gave, in making their changes to Vehicle Excise Duty, to the situation of motor traders not eligible for trade plates who wish to...

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the impact of the changes in Vehicle Excise Duty on the ability of purchasers of vehicles to enjoy a cooling-off period...

      National Insurance: Foreign Nationals

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many foreign nationals have been given national insurance numbers in the last eight quarters; how many were given numbers in total in those two years;...

      North Korea

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why North Korea is not one of the countries that the Department for International Development has prioritised for the funding of journalistic training for...

      North Korea

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent assessment of food shortages in North Korea.

      Occupied Territories

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the decision by the government of Israel to build a further 1,000 homes in East Jerusalem; and whether they intend to raise the...

      Official Cars

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when purchasing vehicles for use by government departments, what criteria they apply regarding whether to purchase petrol- or diesel- fuelled cars.

      Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Palestinians they estimate to have been displaced from their homes in East Jerusalem during the last two years.

      Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the European Union is taking to ensure that East Jerusalem remains a part of Palestinian territory.

      Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with other European governments concerning the case for lifting the blockade of Gaza.

      Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel concerning the planning of a Gazan seaport.

      Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel concerning recent reports of an arrest by the Israeli military of a mentally disabled boy in Hebron.

      Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made concerning the treatment of children in military detention in Israel following the recommendations made by the report on the...

      Prisoners: Suicide

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of suicides in HM prisons.

      Public Expenditure

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the Barnett Formula.

      Pupils: Bullying

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

      Railways

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what savings they have made from alliances between passenger train operators and Network Rail.

      Reading Station

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 13 October (HL1928), what assessment they have made of the compliance with the standards required by the...

      Saudi Arabia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of freedom of religion or belief in Saudi Arabia and the extent to which discrimination against and restrictions experienced by...

      Saudi Arabia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Criminal Court; and whether they consider that the proceedings of that Court are...

      Saudi Arabia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia regarding the decision taken on 15 October by the Specialized Criminal Court to...

      Seas and Oceans: Pollution

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to deal with plastic waste in the ocean through international co-operation, including programmes such as the United Nations...

      Taxation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK Statistics Authority was consulted about, or intends to review the categorisation of expenditure used in the recent letter sent to taxpayers...

      Tribunals

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much it cost to prepare the Senior President of the Tribunals’ annual report on the performance of decision-making in the Ministry of Justice, in...

      Ukraine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance the United Kingdom and the European Union are providing to Ukrainian scientific institutions that have been adversely affected by the recent...

      Welfare Assistance Schemes

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the review of the use of local welfare provision funding, mentioned at paragraph 1.10 of Local Welfare Provision in...

      Work Programme: Bristol

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in Bristol have enrolled in their Work Programme; and how many of those, after six months, were not in employment, education or training.

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.

November 2014
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930