Written answers

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role the North East Combined Authority has in relation to the Northern Rail franchise.

    • Railways: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the electrification schemes for the North TransPennine and Midland Mainline will resume.

      Great Western Railway Line: Electrification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans for the electrification of the Great Western Mainline to be completed.

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent by his Department on franchising negotiations since 2010.

      Railways: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints by passengers were received by Network Rail in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015.

      RAF Northolt

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the safety of civilian flights at RAF Northolt; and if he will make a statement.

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

    • Homelessness: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve supported accommodation for homeless young people in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (b)...

    • Coastal Communities Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the Coastal Communities Fund to reopen for a further round of funding.

      Communities and Local Government: Labour Turnover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the level of staff turnover was in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's digital team in each of the last 12 months...

      Community Assets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Community Right to Bid scheme; and if he will make a statement.

      Shared Ownership Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to make shared housing ownership schemes more accessible for buyers in (a) central London and (b) other...

      Housing: Derelict Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of new residential addresses have been created on brownfield sites since 2010.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Israel: Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the involvement of Palestinian terror groups in the recent violence in Israel and the West Bank.

    • Sombath Somphone

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the whereabouts of Sombath Somphone who disappeared in Laos in December 2012; and what...

      Rebecca Prosser

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and with whom he last raised the issue of the detention of British journalist Rebecca Prosser by the Indonesian authorities.

      Rebecca Prosser

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department last had contact with Rebecca Prosser or her family; and if he will make a statement.

      Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's (a) budget and (b) personnel is allocated to promoting human rights, rule of law and...

      India: Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Indian authorities on the abuse of young girls in rural areas.

      Ukraine: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the funding of the Dutch investigation into the downing of flight MH17.

      Rebecca Prosser

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last raised the detention in Indonesia of Rebecca Prosser; and with whom he raised that issue.

      Syria: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage other nations to make a greater contribution to humanitarian aid for people affected by...

      Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Contracts for Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has taken steps to ensure that contractors used by his Department do not instigate investigatory proceedings against...

      Cleaning Services: Living Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings he has had with cleaners working in his Department's premises to discuss payment of the living wage.

      Ukraine: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Minsk Agreement in reducing fighting in Ukraine.

      Cleaning Services: Living Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of any letters or emails (a) sent to Interserve by his Department and (b) received by...

      Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his most recent assessment is of the political situation in Zimbabwe.

      Ministers: Codes of Practice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in the Cabinet Office on the removal from the Ministerial Code of a...

  • Attorney General

    • Ministers: Codes of Practice

      To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in the Cabinet Office on the removal from the Ministerial Code of a reference to Ministers having a duty...

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to extend the loan system available for over 24 year olds for Level 3 vocational and technical programmes to...

    • Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that EU and US car safety regulations are compatible under the proposed...

      UK Trade and Investment: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in HM Treasury's publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament,...

      Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of the potential economic and employment effects of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and...

      Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of the potential economic and employment effects of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and...

      Overseas Trade: Israel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) advice and (b) guidance his Department gives on the risks of (i) investment in and (ii) business with Israeli...

      UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer to Question 3393 of 30 June 2015, when the UKTI Defence and Security Organisation priority markets list...

      Food: Prices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on food...

      Visits Abroad: China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who (a) he and (b) the Minister for Small Business met on his recent visit to China; and in which of those meetings he raised...

      Energy: Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on how many occasions he has discussed the Energy Intensive Industry Compensation Package with the European Commission in the...

      Small Businesses: Living Wage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward proposals to assist SMEs with higher labour costs by 2020 under the National Living Wage.

      Foreign Companies: Land

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he expects the Land Registry to publish data on which foreign companies own which land property titles in England and Wales.

      Patents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of patents granted in the UK with other (a) EU, (b) OECD and (c) developed...

      Electronic Publishing: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the potential effect of the European Commission's Digital Single...

  • Department for International Development

    • United Nations

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what reports she has received on the reasons for delays in the establishment of the UN Verification and Investigation Mechanism.

    • South Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

      Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support access of humanitarian supplies and access by aid workers to Taiz City, Yemen.

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate development and environmental sustainability agendas.

      Nepal: Economic Situation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the economic recovery in Nepal since the earthquake in April 2015.

      Somalia: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of political and economic progress in Somalia.

      Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of her Department's budget is directed at the root causes of migration.

      Developing Countries: Gender

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking at UN summits to ensure strong commitments are made to eradicating gender inequality.

      International Conference on Financing for Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who represented the Government at the third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa; and what steps the...

      Palestinians: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department takes to monitor how aid disbursed by the UK to the Palestinian Territories is used.

      Kenya: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the projects her Department funds which help disabled children access education...

      Nepal: Economic Situation

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the progress of the economic recovery in Nepal since the recent earthquake in that country.

      Syria: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect on her Department's work of re-allocating elements of her Department's budget to help local...

      Syria: Refugees

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress the Government is making on meeting the UK's international obligations to refugees fleeing Syria.

      Defence: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether any of her Department's spending will be counted towards the target of spending 2 per cent of gross national income on defence.

  • Department for Education

    • Children: Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for consistent monitoring of the emotional, social and physical development of children in their early years, after the Early Years...

    • Schools: Crawley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to meet the demand for school places in Crawley.

      Primary Education: Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of her Department's comparative studies on reception baseline assessments.

      Primary Education: Assessments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated cost to the public purse of developing the reception baseline assessment policy implemented in September 2015 (a) was in 2014-15...

      Children: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children aged between four and seven in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham and (c) London received free...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisons: Tobacco

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on prison and prisoner stability of banning tobacco in prisons.

    • Magistrates' Courts: Northamptonshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the running costs by expenditure item were for (a) Corby, (b) Kettering (c) Wellingborough and (d) Northampton magistrates' Courts.

      National Offender Management Service: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost was of (a) overtime payments, (b) required hours allowance, (c) Payment Plus, (d) constant watch, (e) bedwatch, (f) tornado, (g) dirty...

      Prisons: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to promote peer to peer mentoring projects (a) in general and (b) to improve literacy and numeracy in prisons.

      Prisons: Saudi Arabia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the offer made to the Saudi Arabian government for its prisons training contract.

      Courts: Chichester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of making Chichester Combined Court Centre compliant with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

      Ministry of Justice: Temporary Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral evidence given by Ann Beasley, DG Finance and Corporate Services, Ministry of Justice, to the Justice Committee on 13 October 2015,...

      Ministry of Justice: Saudi Arabia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral evidence given by Michael Spurr to the Justice Committee on 13 October 2015, HC 416, how many officials of his Department have...

      European Convention on Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward plans to suspend UK membership of the European Convention on Human Rights in respect of UK military operations.

      Family Proceedings: Witnesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the number of litigants in person in the family courts who are cross examined by their abuser.

      Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will assess the efficacy of the communication between the criminal courts and the family courts where a prosecution for domestic abuse is...

      Prisoners: Coroners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has incurred in costs for legal advice and representations at inquests following the deaths of serving prisoners in (a) 2012-13...

      Courts: Calderdale

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account was taken of local transport links in Walsden, Portsmouth and Todmorden in the consultation on the Provision of Court and Tribunal Estate...

      Courts: Calder Valley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what risk assessments his Department has conducted on changes to court provision in Calder Valley.

  • Church Commissioners

    • Church Commissioners: Credit Unions

      To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of the Church of...

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Dept for Culture, Media and Sport: Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the implementation of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation; which...

    • Entertainments: Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the requirements are on places of public entertainment to have public liability insurance in place; and if he will make a statement.

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been returned to his Department by BT following take up beyond 20 per cent under the Broadband Delivery UK contract.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Welfare State: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for Disabled People to the debate on Welfare Reform (Sick and Disabled People) of...

    • Mental Illness: Independent Living Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of the independent living fund in each of the last five years had a diagnosed mental health condition.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Digital Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) funding his Department is undertaking and (b) projects his Department has planned as part of the Government's Digital Inclusion Strategy.

      Social Security Benefits: Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the provisions in Clauses 13 and 14 of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on the welfare...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Ministry of Defence: Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of legal costs to his Department in defending service personnel in relation to actions carried out in the course of duty; what...

    • Armed Forces: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to ensure that (a) UN membership of the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) other human rights measures do not...

      Afghanistan: Interpreters

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many locally-employed Afghan interpreters who worked alongside the British Army have (a) approached the Government for help and (b) been resettled...

      China: Nuclear Power Stations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with colleagues in other Departments about the national security implications of Chinese state involvement in the UK's...

      Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on resolving the dispute between the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and its employees on that body's pension...

      Navy: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether celestial navigation forms part of the Royal Navy's phase one training.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of Army (a) officers and (b) regular soldiers are recruited from (i) Scotland, (ii) England and Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland.

      Ministry of Defence: Mott MacDonald

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Ministers in his Department were made aware of the Mott Macdonald report 2012 submitted to his Department.

  • Home Office

    • Britain First

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the threat level of the group Britain First.

    • Police: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage diversity in the police service.

      Refugees: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to disabled refugees from Syria who are currently in Europe.

      Police: Mergers

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on merging police forces in England.

      Religious Hatred: Islam

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission independent research into the causes of Islamophobia.

      Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent (a) meetings and (b) correspondence she has had on the setting up of buffer zones around abortion clinics; and if she will make...

      Visas: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies renewal applications for the 2015-16 academic year took longer than 18 weeks for a...

      Overseas Students: Further Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many further education colleges used the Confirmations of Acceptance for Studies allocation system in the (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2015-16...

      Asylum: Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will prioritise Christian, Shia Muslim and Yazidi refugees, who have been targeted by ISIL, when considering asylum cases.

      Passports: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of appointments available for premium passport applications in London.

      Police: Ethnic Groups and Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of (a) women and (b) people from ethnic minorities in the police forces.

      Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will Answer Question 11793 of 14 October 2015, on Home Office: staff.

  • Scotland Office

    • Iron and Steel: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers from the Scottish Government on the steel industry in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  • HM Treasury

    • UK Membership of EU

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials in his Department are engaged in planning steps to secure trade and other beneficial economic exchanges in the event of a vote to leave...

    • Tax Evasion

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of which are the principal methods of tax evasion; and what proposals he has for tackling each such method.

      Non-domestic Rates: North East

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what mechanism he proposes to ensure that additional business rate revenue in the North East is allocated to infrastructure investment.

      Spirits

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new distilleries have been registered in the UK since 2012.

      Spirits

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department is providing to the UK spirits industry.

      Business: Taxation

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support the Government is giving to unincorporated businesses via the taxation system.

      Income Tax: Tax Allowances

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to raise the income tax personal allowance during this Parliament.

      Welfare Tax Credits

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency, (b) the London Borough of Lewisham, (c) London and (d) England receive tax credits.

      Veterans: Welfare Tax Credits

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many former members of each branch of the armed forces are in receipt of (a) child and (b) working tax credits.

      Insurance

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the practice of insurers automatically signing up customers to annual renewals without the explicit consent of those policy...

  • Department for Energy and Climate Change

    • Hinkley Point C Power Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11217, what the cost element is of the projected transmission charges within the...

    • China: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 11184, on China: nuclear power, what guarantees are in place to ensure that...

      China: Nuclear Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 11184, on China: nuclear power, if she will publish details of the arrangements...

      Renewable Energy: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory regulation to stimulate volumes of installations of...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will take steps to investigate how the administrative governance of installation of renewable energy systems could...

      Nuclear Reactors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what response she has made to the proposal put forward on 21 October 2015 for a partnership between Westinghouse and the Government to...

      Nuclear Reactors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what date her Department commissioned a study of the technical and economic options for small modular nuclear reactors; which...

      Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department plans to publish its response to its consultation on feed-in tariffs.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Public Sector: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to promote local procurement targets for public projects; and what guidance he has issued to promote the adoption of the BES...

    • Cabinet Office: Welsh Language

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department will make available the first draft of the Cabinet Office's Welsh Language Scheme as required by the Welsh Language Act 1993.

      Interserve

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contracts Government departments hold with Interserve PLC and Developments.

      Government Departments: Contract Cleaning

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to issue guidance that staff employed by contract cleaning companies in government departments should not be disciplined...

      Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014...

      Drugs: Death

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths in (a) Pendle, (b) the North West and (c) England have been caused as a result of people taking legal highs in each of the past three years.

      Mental Illness: Mortality Rates

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which psychiatric disorder had the highest mortality rate in each of the last five years.

      Cabinet Office: Digital Technology

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) funding his Department is undertaking and (b) projects his Department has planned as part of the Government's Digital Inclusion Strategy.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Northumberland National Park

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what commercial freedoms she proposes to offer to Northumberland National Park.

    • Inland Waterways: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has made available for the maintenance of waterways in (a) Pendle, (b) the North West and (c)...

      Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how frequently cattle in each region are tested for bovine TB.

  • Department of Health

    • Diseases: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there has been in the rate of undiagnosed diseases in the last five years; and if his Department will continue to fund at the present rate...

    • Hearing Aids

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the recommendations contained in the report from the Ear Foundation entitled Bending the Spend, published in...

      Incontinence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with (a) urinary incontinence and (b) faecal incontinence in England.

      Health: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans for the Public Health Outcomes Framework to continue to give a comprehensive picture of children's school readiness, when the Early Years...

      Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the desirability of including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease on the long-term prescription list.

      Heart Diseases: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made in establishing a smaller number of specialist children's heart units, as recommended by the Safe and sustainable review of...

      NHS England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library an explanation of the organisational structure, including current post-holders, of the senior management of NHS England.

      Blood: Contamination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2015 to Question 7788, whom his Department has consulted on the matter of compensation packages for people affected by...

      Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department has spent on (a) mental and (b) physical health (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of the total departmental budget in each...

      Action on Smoking and Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 10530, what the job titles are of those officials undertaking the assessment of the grant funding...

      Haematological Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take further steps to support Anthony Nolan's Destination Cure campaign.

      NHS: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that public services provided by the NHS are not affected by legal challenge by commercial markets entrants as a result...

      Clinical Commissioning Groups: Statistics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the publication of the new Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (2016/2017) indicators.

      Autism: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (i) children and (ii) adults meet National...

      Cancer: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that people diagnosed with cancer are (a) diagnosed early and (b) treated immediately.

      Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the use of cancer drugs to slow down Parkinson's disease.

      Palliative Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to improve out-of-hour services for palliative care.

      Palliative Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of funding available to NHS palliative care in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Sunderland in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015.

      NHS Trusts: Performance Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new performance target for Trusts and Foundation Trusts has been introduced since May 2010; and which new performance targets he plans to introduce...

      Department of Health: Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to maintain ringfencing for total NHS funding in the Autumn Statement.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many training places in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service there were in each of the last five years.

      Eating Disorders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training GPs receive on eating disorders.

      Carers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the report, A Charge on Caring?, published by the Carers Trust in...

      Eating Disorders: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of the funding distributed by NHS England to improve eating disorder services has been spent; and what that funding has been spent on.

      Pregnant Women: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission a study of the prevalence of births of children damaged as a result of alcohol consumed by their mothers during pregnancy.

      Pregnant Women: Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of adults with brain damage caused by alcohol consumed by their mothers during pregnancy; and what assessment he...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Utilities: Billing

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment her Department has made on accessibility of utilities bills for (a) people with disabilities and (b) elderly people.

    • Equal Pay

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what response her Department has received to the consultation on regulations on the gender pay gap.

  • Department for Transport

    • East Coast Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unplanned closures there were on the East Coast main line in September.

    • Railways: Electrification

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the new contractor for rail electrification schemes in the North West will be appointed, and what is the timetable for carrying out and completing each...

      Parking Offences: Fines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statistics provided in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 showing that the London Borough of Merton did not...

      Road Traffic Offences: Fines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the generation of revenue from penalties is a legitimate objective in the deployment and operation of cameras used...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what derogations they are seeking from European Technical Standards for interoperability in respect of dimensions of the GC structure gauge for new...

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

    • Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a Community Land Trust under the proposed Right to Buy scheme is required to sell one of the houses it owns if it is unable to provide an alternative...

    • Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many housing association tenants are expected to buy their home under the Right to Buy scheme by (1) 2020 and (2) 2025; and whether they will place...

      Right to Buy Scheme

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homes sold under the Right to Buy scheme since 2000 have been replaced; and whether they will place the figures for each year since 2000 in the...

      Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the National Federation of Housing and the Local Government Association regarding funding the right to buy for housing...

      Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the cost of the right to buy discount for housing association tenants is expected to be each year until 2020; what assessment was carried out on the...

      Housing Occupancy

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is an authority that has the right to inspect properties with regard to the number of people living in the property; and what power that body...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Yemen: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence, if any, they have received about the use of illegal rocket-propelled cluster bombs by Saudi Arabia in Yemen; and whether they have made...

    • Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund will be allocated for survivors of sexual violence in conflict zones.

      Arms Trade: Syria

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered a comprehensive mandatory ban on the supply of arms and equipment to all of the combatants in Syria.

      UK Membership of EU

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Parliament will be able to debate and vote on proposals for the renegotiation of the United Kingdom position in the European Union before they are...

      European Court of Justice

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the statement made on 14 October by the President of the European Court of Justice that there is a strong link between the Court...

      Israel: Nuclear Weapons

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 July (HL1516) concerning the decision of the government of Israel not to join the Nuclear...

      United Nations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the UN concerning criticism of the United Kingdom's internal and external policies by UN officials.

      Andargachew Tsege

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken, and to what effect, to secure the release of Andy Tsege from prison in Ethiopia; and what representations they have made to the...

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the shooting of Maram Abudl-Latif al-Qaddoumi and her father in September.

      Muhammad Bekzhanov

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Uzbekistan concerning Mr Muhammad Bekzhanou.

      Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia concerning the cases of Dawood Hussein al-Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher.

      Lebanon: Electricity

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Lebanon about practical ways in which the United Kingdom can help Lebanon to secure an uninterrupted...

      Saudi Arabia: Religious Freedom

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of Saudi Arabia's 2014 Penal Law for Crimes of Terrorism and its Financing on religious freedom in that country.

      Saudi Arabia: Religious Freedom

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the freedom of religious minorities in Saudi Arabia to practise their religion or belief in private.

      Kurds

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and to what extent, they are (1) engaged in diplomatic contacts with, and (2) providing support to, the Kurdish authorities and groups involved in...

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Overseas Trade: China

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the United Kingdom does not have a free trade agreement with China, and what assessment they have made of whether such an agreement would help to boost...

    • Trade Agreements

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the International Business Advisory Council's statement that implementing the World Trade Organisation’s trade facilitation...

  • Department for Education

    • Teachers: Vacancies

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government which areas of the country are most at risk of an actual or projected shortage of teachers in schools.

    • Teachers: Recruitment

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of talented young people entering the teaching profession.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Community Rehabilitation Companies

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many organisations now running Community Rehabilitation Companies included plans to contract women's centres in the bids for Transforming Rehabilitation...

    • Probation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy in practice of the Weighted Annual Volumes estimated for each contract package area in order to develop...

  • Scotland Office

    • Devolution

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to rename the so-called Sewel Convention in the light of recent events; and if so, what name they plan to give it.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Pets: Sales

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent the sale of exotic animals as pets in the United Kingdom.

    • Food: Production

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to promote the Rural Development Programme vocational skills measures in order to enhance the knowledge and skills of food producers.

  • Home Office

    • EU Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the Islamic doctrine of hijrah for the United Kingdom and Europe in the context of increased migration...

    • Asylum: Voluntary Work

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 5 October (HL2365), what criteria they use to distinguish between volunteering and voluntary work.

      Police: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the specific assessments made in the five-factor simplified model for assessing the need for police funding; and what evidence there is that that...

      Immigrants: Bail

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for a bail address under section 4 of the Immigration Act 1999 have been (1) made, (2) granted, and (3) refused, in each of the last...

  • HM Treasury

  • Department for Energy and Climate Change

    • Energy: Prices

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to amend the Climate Change Act 2008 to alleviate the costs of power for large energy users in the United Kingdom.

    • Hinkley Point C Power Station

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government which technical approvals are still outstanding in respect of the new Hinkley Point nuclear power plant.

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Northern Ireland Government

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 19 October (HL2605) concerning the government of the Republic of Ireland and recent talks at Stormont,...

    • Parades Commission

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will require the Northern Ireland Parades Commission to publish information relating to each determination it makes, and if not, why not.

      Organised Crime: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of paramilitary-linked organised crime in Northern Ireland.

  • Department of Health

    • Patients: Safety

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research is being undertaken to establish the impact of the safeguarding policy for patients on the behaviour of nurses in attending to the needs of...

    • Lyme Disease

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to raise awareness of the challenge of Lyme disease in the light of suggestions that the problem has spread to urban environments.

      NHS: Training

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the Council of Deans and Universities UK regarding the abolition of NHS bursaries; and whether they will publish...

      Genetics

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in meeting their target of collecting and sequencing 100,000 human genomes by 2017.

      Health Services and Social Services: LGBT People

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received regarding the report Unhealthy Attitudes published in July by Stonewall, and what steps they propose to take to...

      NHS 111

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the effectiveness of the NHS 111 service.

      NHS 111: East Midlands

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the safety of the NHS 111 service in the East Midlands.

      NHS: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Individual Funding Requests NHS England received in (1) 2013–14, (2) 2014–15, and (3) 2015–16 to date, and how many of those...

      NHS: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many requests under the NHS England Standard Operating Procedures for funding requests for clinically critically urgent treatment outside established...

      NHS: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS England will hold a consultation on generic commissioning policies, including for Individual Funding Requests, and if so, when details of that...

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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