Written answers

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

  • Department for Transport

    • Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations have inspected mock-ups of Intercity Express Programme train sets.

    • Railways: Crawley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department provided to upgrade railway stations in Crawley constituency (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

      Railway Signals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made with the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System.

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the specification was for (a) catering services, (b) guards' cabin and (c) catering staff accommodation in the mock-ups of Intercity Express...

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations his Department consulted on the design specifications used for mock-ups of Intercity Express Programme train sets.

      Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for how many months since 2010 the role of Chief Scientific Adviser for his Department has been vacant.

      Southeastern

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many 12-carriage trains Southeastern rail has provided since work was completed to extend the platforms through (a) Eltham, (b) Plumstead and (c)...

      Driving Tests: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2015 to Question 220504, if he will provide information equivalent to that in the Answer for the other 58...

      Driving Tests: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2015 to Question 220504, what the average number of postponements of driving and motorcycle tests was in...

      London Gateway Port

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to integrate the London Gateway port with inland transport modes.

      Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to update the Government's Aviation Policy Framework following the publication of the Airports Commission Final Report; and if he...

      Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the invitations to tender will be issued for the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises.

      Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many responses have been received to the consultation on the future of the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchises.

      Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many responses to the Northern Rail and TransPennine Express franchise consultation (a) supported and (b) opposed driver-only operation.

      Cycleways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of cycle lanes were created on (a) the strategic road network and (b) other roads in (i) England and (ii) Birmingham in 2014.

      High Speed Two: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to relocate officials from his Department to Birmingham to work alongside officials from HS2 Ltd.

      High Speed Two: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, from whom are the new premises into which HS2 Ltd are relocating being let.

      High Speed Two: Birmingham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the budget is for relocating HS2 Ltd to Birmingham; how many HS2 Ltd staff will be relocated; what the annual cost is of the premises to be...

  • Home Office

    • Radicalism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 2.3 of the report of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in...

    • Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff...

      Radicalism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the threat of far right radicalisation.

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have (a) applied and (b) successfully resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to date; what the...

      Illegal Immigrants: Republic of Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to increase surveillance and resources in Northern Ireland to prevent people from illegally entering the UK from...

      Naturalisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of naturalisation applications took (a) less than 6 months, (b) between 6 and 9 months, (c) between 9 and 12 months and (d)...

      Firearms: Seized Articles

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal firearms were confiscated by UK customs officials at border checks in each of the last five years.

      Work Permits

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many roles were added to the Tier 2 shortage occupation list in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

      Immigrants: Detainees

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to publish the findings of the follow-up audit of reports made under Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to enquiries emailed to her office by the constituent of the hon. Member for Chesterfield, Gillian Norman, on 28...

      Asylum: Deportation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were returned to their country of origin in each year since 2010.

      Radicalism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the involvement of psychologists is in the Government's de-radicalisation programme.

      Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it remains her policy that Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry into the relationship of the police and the press will take place; and when...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department intends to reply to the letter to the Immigration and Security Minister dated 16 December 2014 from the right hon....

      Marriage Certificates

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2015 to Question 219638, whether the potential timelines for legislative change to allow the mothers of...

      Asylum: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities have (a) applied for and (b) received funding from her Department for the purposes of resettling Syrian refugees;...

      Tony Blair

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse has been of providing security for Tony Blair and his office in respect of (a) accommodation within the...

      European Arrest Warrants

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) requests, (b) arrests and (c) surrenders have been made relating to people wanted from the UK or wanted by the UK for human...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Turkish government on freedom of speech.

    • Colombia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Amnesty International on human rights in Colombia.

      Democratic Republic of Congo

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent support the Government has given to the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

      Sri Lanka

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the election in Sri Lanka and the prospects for an independent war crime inquiry in...

      Hamas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken in response to the decision of the General Court of the European Union on Hamas.

      Libya

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to help the Libyan government bring peace and stability to that country.

      Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Turkey.

      Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote (a) press freedom and (b) other human rights in Bahrain.

      Wildlife: Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many foreign UK-based and locally-engaged staff of his Department worked (a) part-time and (b) full-time on tackling the...

      Wildlife: Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funds his Department allocated to tackling the illegal wildlife trade in each financial year since 2010; and if he will...

      Wildlife: Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which British embassies and high commissions include tackling the illegal wildlife trade in their business plans; and if he...

      Wildlife: Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of links between the illegal wildlife trade and (a) conflict and (b) terrorism...

      Turkmenistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Turkmenistan remains a country of concern in relation to human rights; and when his Department's next annual Human...

      Wildlife: Smuggling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to change the number of UK-based and locally-engaged staff of his Department working on tackling illegal...

      Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the accession of the Palestinian Authority to the International Criminal Court on...

      Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken in response to the increase in the number of political prisoners in Burma in the last year.

      Burma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the establishment of an independent, international inquiry to investigate allegations...

  • Attorney General

    • Directors

      To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of the Law Officers Departments' executive board were educated at (a) private and (b) state school.

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    • EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had on how the Government will consult the public about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

    • EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential economic costs and benefits of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership...

      EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations he has consulted on the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

      Offshore Industry: Kilmarnock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency which are part of the supply chain for...

      Coal: Export Credit Guarantees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) type and (b) value of support provided by UK Export Finance for projects, goods or services supplied to the coal...

      Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to publish the results of his call for evidence on the introduction of a pre-licensing register of arms brokers...

      Royal Bank of Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to meet the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland to discuss the review announced by that...

      Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will undertake a review of the use of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in response to the review...

      EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Council of the European Union will act by unanimity or qualified majority when adopting decisions authorising the...

      Land: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much and what proportion of land was registered in Wales in each of the last 10 years.

      Aerial Photography

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to replace the Ordnance Survey's aerial photography programme with the licensing of such...

      Fossil Fuels: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much research and development funding has been directed towards the oil and gas sector since 2010; and what proportion that...

      EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Council of the European Union acted by unanimity or qualified majority when adopting the negotiating directives for...

      Aerial Photography

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost was of the Ordnance Survey's aerial photography programme in each of the last five years; and if he will make an...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Electricity Intensive Industries - Relief from the Cost of Renewables scheme.

      EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the EU can apply parts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership within EU competence after the Partnership...

      EU External Trade: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which provisions under negotiation for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are not a matter of EU competence and...

      Economic Situation: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase job creation and economic growth in the north of England.

      Freight: Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will consider extending the student loans system to cover training and apprenticeships for the freight industry.

      Property Searches

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many local authorities were involved in trials of the new local land charges register scheme.

      Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2014 to Questions 196539 and 196540, how much of the funding for (a) adult further education and...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what provisions exist to prevent agencies providing staff to companies deliberately wrongly designating them as apprentices in...

      Apprenticeships Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Richard review of apprenticeships.

  • Department for International Development

    • Egypt and Middle East

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support refugee camps in (a) Jordan, (b) Lebanon, (c) Turkey, (d) Egypt and (e) Iraq.

    • Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Saudi Arabia on supporting Syrian refugees.

  • Department for Education

    • Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of new childcare places that will be created through the Childcare Business Grant scheme in 2015-16.

    • Schools: Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which organisations and individuals were consulted as part of her Department's review of asbestos policy in schools.

      Schools: Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on the use of asbestos in school buildings.

      Schools: York

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capital the Government has provided for investment in York schools in each of the last 10 years.

      Pupils: Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of bullying incidents reported at schools in England but not recorded centrally in each of the last three years.

      Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 219582, how her Department monitors the progress of local authorities in meeting the requirement...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisons: Civil Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) charges, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there have been for the offence of prison mutiny in each of the last five years.

    • Prisoner Escapes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are unlawfully at large having escaped since June 2010 from escorts conducted under the Prison Escort and Custody Services contract...

      Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure there is consistent, co-ordinated and efficient access to victim support services in the UK.

      Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received on the future funding of victim support services.

      Courts: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department arising from the closure of (a) Rhyl family court and (b) Denbigh magistrates' court.

      Prison Service: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers staffed prisons in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

      Probation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Transforming Rehabilitation contracts with Tier 1 providers state (a) that people on short prison sentences must be supervised and (b) the...

      Prisoners: Suicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to reduce the number of suicides within prisons in England and Wales.

  • Church Commissioners

    • Employment Tribunals Service

      To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Commissioners have spent on the Employment Tribunal action by the Reverend Mark Sharpe against the...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he could place in the Library a table showing, for each branch of the Armed Forces Police, the number of cases of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and...

    • Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many suitably qualified and experienced personnel staff are currently required by his Department; and how many such positions for each role are...

      Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear-qualified and experienced personnel have been required by his Department in each of the last three years; and how many such posts were...

      Tornado Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2014 to Question 210783, what the issues were that required resolution; whether those issues they have been...

      Trident

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the section on Barrow Infrastructure in the United Kingdom's Future Nuclear Deterrent: 2014 Update to Parliament, how he calculated...

      Tornado Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2015 to Question 219525, if he will place in the Library a copy of the document that has superseded Version 1.3 of...

      European Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects testing of the collision warning system for Typhoon jets to be completed; what estimate he has made of the time and cost of installing...

      Veterans: Mesothelioma

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to offer support to veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma.

      Trident

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his statement of 20 January 2015, Official Report, column 105, on Trident renewal, that the UK has met its commitment to withdraw from...

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department arising from the closure of the army recruitment centre in Rhyl.

      Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, over what time period the contract between his Department and CGI to provide security vetting services will run; and what the cost of that contract will...

      Armed Forces: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on recruitment to each of the armed forces in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15 to date.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 220095, how many personnel were recruited to the regular Army between April and December 2014; and...

      Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2015 to Question 216757, on vetting, what the average time to process applications has been in each month since...

      EU Common Security and Defence Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Common Security and Defence Policy continues to increase Britain's capability in ensuring international security.

      Defence Equipment: Deployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vehicles within each group, included in his Department's contract made as a result of the sale of the Defence Support Group, need to be kept at...

      Ministry of Defence Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the proposals of the Defence Police Federation on Ministry of Defence Police pensions.

      Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the services currently available to military personnel suffering from mental illness.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests for mandatory reconsideration on claims for Personal Independence Payments were made in the 12 months to October 2014.

    • Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deafblind recipients of Access to Work support have had a reduction in their support package in the last 12 months.

      Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how often his Department reviews the cost and availability of technologies that support deafblind people to work; and whether Access to Work...

      Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government has taken to gain greater control over the type and amount of benefits paid to EU nationals who reside in the UK but...

      Unemployment: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what further plans he has to reduce youth unemployment.

      Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the number of people affected by the under-occupancy penalty in Halton Borough council area.

      Access to Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of Access to Work support packages are deafblind; and what the average cost to the public purse is of packages for those...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will reduce the benefit cap further.

      Jobcentre Plus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre Plus staff were subject to disciplinary action in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

      Unemployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the inactivity rate recorded in the Office of National Statistics Labour Market...

      Winter Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the eligibility criteria are for a UK pensioner living in France to receive winter fuel payments.

      Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households were in relative poverty in (a) 2010, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of disability living allowance (a) have had their rate of entitlement changed, (b) have lost any entitlement and...

      Work Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide an appropriate level of support to people with mental health problems on employment and support...

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for the completion of the mandatory reconsideration of disability living allowance claims in the latest...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Dogs: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of the captive bolt gun for the destruction of dogs; and if...

    • Veterinary Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what communication has been delivered to private veterinary practices and farmers regarding the recent changes to the UK's...

      Birds of Prey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the hon. Member for Strangford and Natural England the request for a licence to control buzzards by...

      Shellfish: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to crustaceans and decapods.

      Forests

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department is giving to Natural England for its work to update the Ancient Woodland Inventory in (a)...

      Common Agricultural Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to (a) return control of agricultural policy to member states and (b) reduce subsidies...

      Dairy Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of milk sold in Britain comes from intensively farmed cows.

      Dairy Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to ensure that all milk labelling clearly states the farming methods used in production of...

      Nature Conservation: Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what targets the National Wildlife Crime Unit has been set for dealing with wildlife cybercrime.

      Farmers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page seven of her Department's policy brief, How increased Connectivity is Boosting Prospects of Rural...

      Employment: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of people who will (a) leave and (b) join the labour market in rural areas before 2025.

      Business: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page seven of her Department's policy brief, How increased Connectivity is Boosting Prospects of Rural...

      Tourism: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page seven of her Department's policy brief, How increased Connectivity is Boosting Prospects of Rural...

      Action with Communities in Rural England: Northamptonshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made on the level of funding available for the Northamptonshire Action with Communities in Rural England.

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

    • Private Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much of the funding allocated to tackle beds in sheds has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date.

    • Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to answer Question 217220, tabled on 4 December 2014 by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East.

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his letter of 18 January 2015 to Muslim faith leaders, what assessment he has made of the capacity of (a)...

      Housing: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of houses in England and Wales whose owners do not have household insurance; and if...

  • HM Treasury

    • Revenue and Customs

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of training available to staff at HM Revenue and Customs.

    • New Businesses

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of small business start-ups on the wider economy; and if he will make a statement.

      Welfare Tax Credits

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of recipients of tax credits are in employment.

      Oil: Prices

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of falling oil prices on the rural economy.

  • Department for Energy and Climate Change

    • UK Coal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the contribution of 6 November 2014 by the Minister of State in his Department, Official Report, column 949, what...

    • UK Coal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the contribution of 6 November 2014 by the Minister of State in his Department, Official Report, column 949, what...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2014 to Question 219579, if he will make it his policy to direct energy suppliers to withdraw...

      Energy: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the definition of energy subsidies used by his Department is the same as the definition set out in the report, Subsidies and...

      Energy Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information his Department holds on the extent of additional expenditure that will be incurred by EDF in order to meet its...

      Fracking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he has taken to ensure that the views of local residents are represented in decisions relating to drilling for shale gas.

      Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the value and proportion of the UK content of each completed UK offshore wind farm is.

      Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate his Department has made of the value and proportion of UK content of the forthcoming Race Bank offshore windfarm.

      Fracking: Christchurch

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which areas within Christchurch constituency are covered by existing Government licences permitting fracking.

      Coal: Taxation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2015 to Question 220505, on coal: taxation what estimate he has made of the amount collected...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much his Department has spent on collective switching initiatives since 2010; and how many customers have switched specifically as...

      Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on its change of interpretation of the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme Regulations 2011, as...

      Petrol: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require petrol wholesalers to publish the price at which they sell petrol; and if he...

      Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will take steps to ensure that both (a) Combined Heat and Power facilities where biogas production and combustion take place on...

      Energy: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will conduct an impact assessment on freezing energy bills on the energy sector and its potential effect on the workforce that...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Civil Servants: Pensions

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to ensure that MyCSP tackles the reported backlog of problems and queries from individuals, and to ensure that payments to...

    • Low Pay: Females

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of women earned less than two-thirds of the median hourly pay, excluding overtime, of all full- and part-time employees in each year...

      Ministry of Defence Police

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence on Ministry of Defence Police...

      Unemployment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children there were in workless households in (a) 2010, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

      Jobseeker's Allowance: Thirsk

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many long-term unemployed people claim jobseeker's allowance in Thirsk and Malton constituency; and if he will make a statement.

  • Department for Culture Media and Sport

    • World War I: Anniversaries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on refurbishment projects and national events announced in 2012 to mark the centenary of the...

    • Directors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of his Department's executive board went to (a) private school, (b) state school and (c) the universities of Oxford or...

      Chief Scientific Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for how many months since 2010 the role of Chief Scientific Adviser for his Department has been vacant.

      European Capital of Culture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department is providing for UK cities considering a bid for the title of 2023 European Capital of Culture.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Electoral Register: Young People

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the Electoral Commission has endorsed the inclusion of 17 year old attainers on the electoral register; and what assessment he has made of the effect of...

    • Electoral Register

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2015 to Question 219123, what proportion of people who initiated an online registration failed to finish that registration;...

  • Department of Health

    • Accident and Emergency Departments: Huddersfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce A&E waiting times in Huddersfield and Kirklees.

    • Orthopaedics: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to provide care and respite funding for young adult amputees.

      Liver Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support patients with cirrhosis liver conditions.

      Prescriptions: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of prescription drug-taking among women.

      Eyesight: Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people underwent laser eye surgery in the last five years.

      Chronic Illnesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of long-term conditions which entitle patients to free prescriptions are curable.

      Pain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for pain management in each region.

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients with long-term health conditions which entitle them to free prescriptions have been fined for not renewing their certificates in each...

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to publicise the fact that certificates of entitlement to free prescriptions for chronic and incurable conditions are time-limited.

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that the NHS Business Unit should contact GPs when a certificate of entitlement to free prescriptions is due to expire.

      Pain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned into complex regional pain syndrome.

      Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been fined for falsely claiming free prescriptions in each of the last five years.

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to the NHS in assisting patients with breast cancer.

      Bile Duct Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned into cholangiocarcinoma.

      NHS: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors and nurses, including agency staff and locums, are working in the NHS in England; and what the equivalent figure was in 2009-10.

      Pain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made in treating pain since the Chief Medical Officer's annual report in 2008 called for the issue to receive greater...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to revise the impact assessment for the proposed introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco in response to the analysis of that...

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to commission or conduct research on the potential cost of compensation to the intellectual property sector for the proposed...

      Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many elected operations were cancelled by Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust in (a) November and (b) December 2014.

      Babies: Hereditary Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has discussed with Ministers in the devolved administrations the merits of extending to their jurisdictions the recently-announced programme...

      Cannabis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department conducted its most recent study into the potency of skunk cannabis; and if he will commission a new potency study with respect to...

      Incinerators: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2014 to Question 208139, when he expects the results of the Health Protection Agency findings on the health effects...

      Social Services: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities in Greater Manchester concerning changes to capacity in adult social care.

      Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater Manchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans he has for hospitals in Greater Manchester failing to meet the Government's A&E target.

      NHS: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of potential financial loss to the NHS arising from failure to claim reimbursement from insurance companies.

      Drugs: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will update the FRANK website to include information on skunk cannabis and links between that drug and psychosis.

      Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is his Department's policy that Government funds paid to external organisations to provide abortions and ancillary services are not used to...

      Meningitis: Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date negotiations on the price of the new meningitis B vaccine began; and whether an end date has been set for those negotiations.

      Mental Illness: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the number of children under the age of 16 who have been diagnosed with mental health problems in each year since 2010.

      General Practitioners: Dudley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of GP appointments for people in Dudley.

      General Practitioners: Dudley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs there were in Dudley in (a) 2010 and (b) each year since 2010.

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs per head of population were in practice in (a) Dudley, (b) the Black Country and (c) England in the most recent period for which figures are...

      Clinical Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Written Statements of 18 December 2013, Official Report, column 110WS and of 20 November 2014, WS14, and pursuant to the Answer of...

      Human Embryo Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014 by Earl Howe on 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns WA174-5, how many human embryos have been...

      NHS: Management Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he has issued to hospitals on their use of management consultants.

      In Vitro Fertilisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 220130, which member of the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology...

      Hospitals: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has issued guidance on the appropriate ratio in hospitals of permanent staff to locum staff.

  • Prime Minister

    • Public Inquiries

      To ask the Prime Minister, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to empower Ministers to compel public inquiries to publish reports by a given date.

    • Iraq Committee of Inquiry

      To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with the Chair of the Iraq inquiry on the publication of the findings of that inquiry.

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: Freight

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement in the National Networks National Policy Statement that if freight carried by rail was to increase by 50 per cent (in terms of...

    • Railways: North of England

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of (1) the types of routes on which Pacer units are regularly used by Northern Rail, and (2) the types of rolling stock...

      Driving: Licensing

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government from which countries outside the European Union driving licences may be used to drive in the United Kingdom without sitting a United Kingdom driving test.

      British Transport Police

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 19 January (HL4148), whether British Transport Police officers regularly patrol outside the boundaries...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Parades: Belfast

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 15 January (HL3951), what groups supported the setting up of a panel on parading in North Belfast and...

    • Northern Ireland Government

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 15 January (HL3950), why she did not answer the question asked; and whether the issue of human rights...

      Northern Ireland Government

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 19 January (HL3949) concerning the government of the Republic of Ireland and the Stormont House...

      Northern Ireland Government

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 19 January (HL3949) concerning the government of the Republic of Ireland and the Stormont House...

      Government Departments: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff were employed in the Northern Ireland Office on 1 January in each of the last ten years.

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Barclays

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions ministers and officials at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had with Barclays Bank about the planned closure of rural...

    • Personal Care Services: Apprentices

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many and what proportion of (1) 16 year-olds, (2) 17 year-olds, and (3) 18 year-olds started an apprenticeship in England in 2012–13 and...

  • Department for Education

    • Internet: Bullying

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Ariel Trust’s recent pilot scheme to teach every primary school pupil how to tackle cyberbullying within Liverpool, what plans...

    • School Leaving

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of 17 year-olds in England are participating in education and training in fulfilment of the duty to participate set out in the...

      English Language: Education

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 14 January (HL3983), why the section of the National Curriculum in England framework document entitled...

      Teachers: Males

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 16 January (HL4047) concerning numbers of male and female teachers in primary and secondary schools, what...

      Classroom Assistants

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest figures available for the number of male and female teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales.

      Schools: Admissions

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the expected shortfall of school places by 2023 they consider to be due to net migration between 1997 and 2014.

      Special Educational Needs

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to exempt special education and disability services from the 2004 European Union Procurement Directives and the Children and Families...

      Primary Education: Free School Meals

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are putting in place to help infants schools that are struggling to provide universal free school meals due to overstretched equipment or...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Bahrain

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk that Bahrain’s security services are being infiltrated by supporters of Daesh, and the consequent...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Rights of Way

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of historic rights of way which will not have been recorded by the time of the cut-off in 2026, broken down by...

  • Home Office

    • Drugs: Crime

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were arrested for human trafficking offences (1) during the Metropolitan Police's Operation Pibera, and (2) during similar operations across...

    • Licensing Laws

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take steps to reduce late night drunkenness and disorderly behaviour in public places by encouraging local and licensing authorities...

  • HM Treasury

    • Financial Services: Pay

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Bank of England’s fair and effective markets review will consider the level of bonuses paid to individuals working in the fixed income,...

  • Department for Energy and Climate Change

    • Wind Power

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of electricity was generated from wind farms in the week ending 18 January 2015.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Population

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of population growth in the United Kingdom over the last 10 years has been the result of immigration or the natural increase of the immigrant...

  • Department for Culture Media and Sport

    • Satellite Broadcasting

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for satellite broadcasters to pay retransmission fees for the programmes they broadcast from terrestrial television.

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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