Written answers

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

  • Department for Transport

    • Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern Rail Franchise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will take direct control of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern passenger rail franchise.

    • Bus Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bus services have been withdrawn in the top 10 most (a) rural and (b) urban parliamentary constituencies.

      Railways: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that trains are accessible for wheelchair-users at unmanned railway stations when trains do not have...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line: South Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is considering any alternative routes for High Speed 2 through South Yorkshire in addition to a line through Meadowhall and the...

      High Speed 2 Railway Line: South Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost is of the Meadowhall station and viaduct as part of one option for the High Speed 2 route through South Yorkshire; and whether...

      M1: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2017 to Question 61251, what steps he is taking to ensure that when the smart motorway opens between junctions 32...

  • Home Office

    • Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for (a) leave to remain outside the immigration rules and (b) indefinite leave to remain are awaiting allocation to a...

    • Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for standard visitor visas her Department received in each year from 2006 to 2016; and how many such applications were...

      Children in Care: Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help local authorities manage the arrival of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

      UK Border Force: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what Border Force's budget for 2017-18 will be.

      Immigration: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the service standard is for the processing of First-tier Tribunal decisions by UK Visas and Immigration.

      Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications which included medical evidence of torture were rejected in each of the last three years.

      Slavery

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will centrally publish the (a) companies who are required to report and (b) companies who have reported under the Modern...

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2017 to Question 63085, what recent steps she has taken to offer asylum to unaccompanied refugee...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Holiday Leave: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to bring forward proposals to amend existing legislation as a result of the European Court...

    • Industry: Trade Competitiveness

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of making sector-by-sector deals with certain industries after...

      Aerospace Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies in the UK aerospace supply chain benefit from increasing...

      Aerospace Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to build on the UK's strengths in aerospace innovation and manufacturing.

      Aerospace Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the aerospace sector remains globally competitive.

      Holidays Abroad: Repayments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) advice and (b) support his Department provides to people who incurred a financial loss by cancelling travel...

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2017 to Question 60572, whether his Department has a budget for the employment of...

      Higher Education: EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much EU funding was received by higher education institutions in (a) the UK and (b) Greater London in each...

      Cancer: Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding was allocated to UK research projects on cancer under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme.

      Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the level of earnings is of the (a) highest and (b) lowest-paid employees of his Department, its agencies and...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what basis and in accordance with what criteria funds from the Empowerment Fund will be allocated.

    • Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Pakistan on Ahmadis recently arrested in Rabwah and Chakwal.

      USA: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on international cooperation on climate change with Scott Pruitt, President Trump's nominee...

      USA: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on international cooperation on climate change with Rex Tillerson, President Trump's nominee...

      Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45557, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian...

      Israeli Settlements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land;...

      Iraq: Bomb Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to de-mining in and surrounding Mosul since the offensive against Daesh.

      Iraq: Bomb Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to implement an international strategy for the removal of mines, improvised explosive devices and other...

      Ethiopia: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department identified any human rights risks in the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment it...

      Israeli Settlements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2017 to Question 58877 and the Answer of 26 January 2017 to Question 60521, which...

      Hong Kong: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Lord Patten of Barnes on (a) the rule of law and (b) democracy in Hong Kong.

      Hong Kong: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Government on (a) the rule of law and (b)...

      Hong Kong: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on (a) the rule of law and (b)...

      Hong Kong: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on (a) the rule of law and (b) democracy in Hong Kong.

      Hong Kong: Visits Abroad

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Minister for Asia and the Pacific next plans to visit Hong Kong.

      Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the level of earnings is of the (a) highest and (b) lowest-paid employee of his Department, its agencies and arms-length...

      Adrian St John

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure a representative of the British High Commission in Trinidad and Tobago attends the next...

      Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide a comprehensive list of the public policy targets established by his Department (a) between 2010 and May...

  • Department for Exiting the European Union

    • Gibraltar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has met the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to discuss priorities for Gibraltar in the UK's negotiations on leaving the EU.

    • Department for Exiting the European Union: Hotels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many overnight hotel stays for official purposes in other countries have been made by (a) him and other Ministers and (b) special...

      Brexit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Prime Minister's Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 908364, Official Report, column 286, when he expects the...

      Department for Exiting the European Union: Cabinet Committees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will list the Cabinet sub-committees he regularly attends.

      Department for Exiting the European Union: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the (a) level of earnings is of the (i) highest and (ii) lowest-paid employee and (b) median earnings are of employees of his...

      UK Trade with EU

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of World Trade Organisation rules on (a) reaching a new customs agreement, (b) making the...

  • Department for International Development

    • Colombia: Halo Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Halo Trust is working on behalf of the Government in carrying out its de-mining work in Colombia; and if she will make a...

    • Developing Countries: Family Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the potential shortfall in funding to charities and non-governmental organisations as a...

      Syria: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made on the success of the World Food Programme's use of the Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS)...

      Developing Countries: Older People

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department's Bilateral Development Review 2016, how the analysis of demographic trends took into account the...

  • Department for Education

    • Institute for Apprenticeships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills of 9 January 2017, Official Report, column 85, who will be...

    • Schools: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve educational standards in schools.

      Classroom Assistants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the change in responsibilities of teaching assistants since 2010; and what steps her Department takes to support...

      Primary Education: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies or maintained schools with Key Stage 2 SATs results in the top 3 per cent of comparable schools have been judged inadequate.

      Durand Academy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish all correspondence between the Education Funding Agency and Ofsted on Durand Academy in 2016 and 2017.

      Classroom Assistants: Average Earnings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average salary was for (a) general teaching assistants, (b) higher-level teaching assistants and (c) all teaching assistants in (i) local...

      Schools: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds relating to teaching assistants and other school support staff on trends in (a) teacher recruitment and...

      Schools: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2017 to Question 58494, what information her Department holds on the cost of school closures since 2010.

      Schools: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2017 to Question 58097, whether any intervention from her Department in a school closure consultation...

      Citizenship: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many citizenship teachers were trained in each year since 2010.

      Schools: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will write to (a) Wikihow and (b) YouTube to request that those organisations remove from their sites guides on how to hack into school...

      Social Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to prohibit subsidiaries of profit-making companies from contracting with local authorities to run child protection and...

      Teachers: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how inflation is taken into account in determining pay for teachers.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prisoners' Transfers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is her Department's policy to provide information to prisoners and their families in the event of their transfer to another prison; and by...

    • Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of changes to the Ogden tables and discount rates on the cost of insurance policies to consumers.

      Offences against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 has not yet been commenced.

      Courts: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with court staff trade union representatives on their remuneration and training for judicial decision-making as set out in...

      Self-harm: Prisoners on Remand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents there were of (a) self-harm, (b) attempted self-inflicted death and (c) self-inflicted death by prisoners on remand in (i) 2015 and...

      Social Security Benefits: Rutherglen and Hamilton West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of appeals to the tribunal service from appellants in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency for claims relating to (a) personal...

      NHS: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what impact assessment has been carried out on the change to the discount rate on the NHS.

      Magistrates' Courts: Wrexham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what budget has been allocated to pay for the construction of new custody facilities at Wrexham Magistrates' Court.

      Magistrates' Courts: Wrexham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps have been taken to commission new custody facilities at Wrexham Magistrates' Court.

      Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current sentencing for causing a death by dangerous driving.

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    • Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a roadmap for the roll-out of local full-fibre broadband.

    • Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the proportion of time customers of the four major mobile networks are able to access 4G coverage.

      Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to improve 4G coverage in the UK.

      Flags

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which public body provides approval for the list of mandatory flag flying days in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.

      Flags

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the process is for approving additional mandatory days for flying the national flag to the list published by her Department on the...

      Mobile Phones: Radio Frequencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of UK landmass has mobile voice and SMS coverage.

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of households in the top 10 most (a) rural and (b) urban parliamentary constituencies have access to high speed broadband.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Universal Credit: Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2017 to Question 60655, on universal credit and housing benefit, if he will place in the Library the...

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish the unlikely to pay guidance given to child maintenance staff to assist them in the determination of...

      Children: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will launch a public consultation on setting a target to reduce child poverty.

      Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the level of earnings is of the (a) highest and (b) lowest-paid employees of his Department, agencies and arms-length bodies; and what...

      Jobcentres: Newton-le-Willows

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in which postcodes are covered by Newton-le-Willows Jobcentre.

      Jobcentres: Newton-le-Willows

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have accessed services at Newton-le-Willows Jobcentre in each year since 2010.

      Jobcentres: Newton-le-Willows

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff of his Department are employed at Newton-le-Willows Jobcentre.

      National Insurance: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many EU migrants registered for national insurance numbers in Ashfield between (a) July and December 2015, (b) January and June 2016 and...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Military Corrective Training Centre Colchester

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many detainees at the Military Corrective Training Centre have been serving their detention in (a) A Company, (b) D Company and (c) awaiting the...

    • Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the shortfall was for the recruitment of reserve and regular soldiers and officers in (a) London Regiment, (b) Rifles, (c) Royal Gurkha Rifles, (d)...

      Marines: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the shortfall was for the recruitment of reserve and regular marines and officers in the Royal Marines in the last 12 months.

      Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the manning shortfall by rank was for reserve and regular soldiers and officers in (a) London Regiment, (b) Rifles, (c) Royal Gurkha Rifles, (d)...

      Armed Forces: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication, UK armed forces suicide and open verdict deaths: 1984-2015, published on 31 March 2016, what the...

      Navy: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication, UK armed forces suicide and open verdict deaths: 1984-2015, published on 31 March 2016, what the...

      Defence School of Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost and length is of Babock International's contract to run the Defence School of Transport, Leconfield; and what that company's plans are for...

      Defence School of Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trainees have been admitted to training courses at the Defence School of Transport, Leconfield in the fiscal year (a) before and (b) since...

      Guided Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the provision of helicopter-borne anti-ship missiles for the Royal Navy after the withdrawal from service of Sea Skua missiles.

      Army: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers are LGV qualified.

      Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) homeless veterans and (b) veterans experiencing mental health problems; and whether each of...

      Military Aircraft: Deployment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of fast jets are able to be deployed into immediate action.

      Reserve Forces: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made on the effect on reservist recruitment and retention of paying reservists a quarter day's pay as opposed to a half day's pay...

      Armed Forces: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time taken was to conclude an internal formal complaint by each of the armed forces in each of the last three years.

      Ministry of Defence: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the level of earnings is of the (a) highest and (b) lowest-paid employees of his Department, its agencies and arms-length bodies; and what the...

      Armed Forces: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many in-service complaints recorded by each of the armed forces included an oral hearing; and if he will detail the procedures for securing an oral...

      Armed Forces: Complaints

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many internal formal complaints have been recorded by each of the armed forces in each of the last three years.

  • Department for Communities and Local Government

    • Attendance Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the devolution of attendance allowance to local authorities on future...

    • Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to release more publicly-owned land to local authorities for the building of homes.

      Social Services: Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount that each local authority could raise if they employed use of the three per cent social...

      Homelessness: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to Centrepoint's statement to The Independent newspaper of 9 January 2017, what assessment his Department has...

      Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2016 to Question 51988, on housing construction; when he plans to provide an Answer to...

      Health Services: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the reasons are for business rate relief (a) being provided to private health companies and (b) not being provided to...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to maintain payments of the New Homes Bonus at the current rate for those local authorities which...

      Small Businesses: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from small businesses and their trade bodies on the potential effect of business rates...

      Local Council Tax Support Schemes Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the findings of the Ollerenshaw review of local council tax support.

      Charities: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of organisations with charitable status that will be affected by changes in business...

      Local Government Finance: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of its total annual budget Lancashire County Council received from the Local Government Grant (Local Government...

      Parking: Fees and Charges

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of parking charges on low income families.

  • HM Treasury

    • Digital Technology: Infrastructure

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a roadmap for the roll-out of the new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund.

    • Treasury: Pay

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of earnings is of the (a) highest and (b) lowest-paid employees of his Department, its agencies and arms-length bodies; and what the median...

      Minimum Wage

      To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England were found to be paying employees below the national minimum wage in 2015-16; and...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Drugs and Alcoholic Drinks

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from the effects of (a) tobacco, (b) alcohol and (c) cannabis in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Banks: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many bank loans UK Export Finance protected by the NUTS 1 region in each year since 2009-10.

    • Overseas Trade: Mongolia

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote bilateral trade between the UK and Mongolia.

      Overseas Trade: South Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote bilateral trade between the UK and South Africa.

      Overseas Trade: South Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the total bilateral trade between the UK and South Africa was in each of the last five years.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Lions: Hunting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2017 to Question 59111, how many CITES import permits were returned used for lion...

    • Animal Feed: Pigs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she plans to make to her EU counterparts on securing the right to retain the use of zinc oxide in...

      Africa: Ivory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to end the ivory trade in Africa.

      Water Companies: Competition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to widen the markets of the water companies to enable home competition in areas where one sole...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Schools: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of integrated schooling programmes in Northern Ireland in promoting community cohesion since 2013.

    • Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the provision of public services of the absence of an agreed budget in Northern Ireland.

      Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Annual Managed Expenditure component of the Northern Ireland Renewable...

      Veterans: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on support for veterans who served in Northern Ireland.

  • Department of Health

    • Analgesics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS has been of purchasing opioid painkillers in each of the last 10 years.

    • Social Services: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the cost of social care for elderly people.

      Autism: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what non-educational support the Government provides to children with autism.

      Microplastics: Seas and Oceans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the food chain of microplastics in the sea.

      Pregnancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS provides advice to pregnant women on weight loss after birth.

      NHS: Religious Discrimination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on instances of discrimination against NHS staff related to their religious belief.

      Hospitals: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the NHS is taking to reduce the number of deaths in hospitals related to treatment errors.

      Alzheimer's Disease: Statins

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the potential merits of the use of statins to treat Alzheimer's disease.

      NHS: Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS organisations have been targeted by cyber attacks in each year since 2010.

      Fracking: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 21 November 2016 to Questions 54021, 54017, 54073 and 57074, which recommendations of the Director of Public Health at...

      Lung Diseases: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2017 to Question 58880, whether any funding was allocated to support the NHS in implementing the advised changes in...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2016 to Question 56319, on general practitioners, for what reason his Department does not estimate patient number...

      Health: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take following the removal of the target allocation for public health spending to assist (a) Plymouth City Council and (b) others...

      Cervical Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase cervical screening uptake among women in (a) Newcastle, (b) the North-East and (c) England; and if he...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2016 to Question 56319, what the total cost to the public purse of the GP support scheme will be.

      Brain: Tumours

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2016 to Question 41422, what progress has been made by the task and finish working group for brain tumour research; and...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2016 to Question 56319, for what reasons his Department chose to commit to providing an additional 5,000 doctors...

      Royal Brompton Hospital: Heart Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of the proposed closure of congenital heart disease services at Royal Brompton Hospital; and what the cost would be...

      Respiratory System: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department has provided to support respiratory health strategic clinical networks in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13,...

      Organs: Donors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of the Welsh Government's policy of opt-out for organ donation; and if he will review the policy for organ...

      South Africa: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote cooperation and transfer of skills between the NHS and the health sector in South Africa.

      Department of Health: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2017 to Question 59918, whether he attended the Departmental Board meeting that took place after the publication of...

      Health Professions: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which medical discipline has had the greatest vacancy rate in each year since 2010.

      Dental Services: Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many General Dental Council registered dentists have filed for bankruptcy since 2006; and how many dental practices with Limited status have filed...

      Colorectal Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people between the ages of 50 and 60 years of age are diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.

      Prostate Cancer: Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies there were for prostate cancer surgeons in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Royal Wolverhampton NHS...

      Prostate Cancer: Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average number of days is between the date when a patient is first diagnosed with prostate cancer for which surgery is advised and the date on...

      Joint Replacements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average waiting time for (a) knee and (b) hip operations in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

      Prostate Cancer: Surgery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of prostate cancer surgeons in England is trained to carry out prostate cancer surgery using robots.

      Arthritis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made on the suitability of support provided for people living with arthritis.

      Surgery: Robotics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what average number of hours per year is each surgical robot used for operations.

      Health: Equality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in health inequalities in England between 2005 and 2015; and what steps the Government is taking...

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adult in-patient psychiatric beds there were in England in each quarter for which information is available in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many instances of readmission to in-patient psychiatric units there were in each of the last five years.

      Clinical Psychologists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Band 7 NHS psychologists were employed between September 2015 and September 2016.

      Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent on treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in 2016.

      Self-harm: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people under 18 were admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm in 2016.

  • Department for Transport

    • High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to reports that 60 trains will be needed for HS2, how many of the trains will be required to divide into two shorter sets; whether each train will...

    • Cycling: Pedestrian Areas

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on cyclists cycling on footpaths.

      Cars: Exhaust Emissions

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of laboratory tests on pre-production cars of air pollutants emitted from vehicles; and what plans they have...

      Public Transport

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have about the effects of co-ordinating bus and rail services on the use of public transport; and whether they provide funding to promote...

      Volkswagen

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to join in the class action lawsuit against Volkswagen.

      Volkswagen

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to pursue Volkswagen for the same level of damages which Volkswagen paid out as a penalty in the United States; and if not, why not.

      M1

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect junctions 16 to 19 of the M1 motorway to be fully operational.

      Unmanned Air Vehicles

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to improve the safety of drones and to reduce the likelihood of collisions with aircraft, pending the outcome of the current...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fall in the value of the pound sterling since the EU referendum, what assessment they have made of the extent to which the closure of...

    • Patents

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the UK patent sector after Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, in particular in the light of their decision to ratify the...

      Aerospace Industry

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of leaving the EU on the UK aerospace industry.

      Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of leaving the EU on the UK automotive industries.

      Trading Standards

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of trading standards organisations to address consumer protection problems, including fraud; and whether they...

      Climate Change

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 12 December 2016 (HL3624), whether the criticism set out in the briefing paper Statistical Models...

      Climate Change

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what observational evidence, if any, they have of man-made climate change that is not consistent with reasonably expected natural variation.

      Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to respond to the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Steel and Metal Related Industries Steel 2020: Forging a future for the...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Central African Republic: Politics and Government

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in the Central African Republic.

    • Central African Republic: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of a new armed militia group, 3R, operating in Cameroon and the Central African Republic border region; and of the...

      Gambia: Politics and Government

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with partners in the Commonwealth, the UN, the EU and NATO over measures to resolve the political difficulties in The Gambia...

      Giulio Regeni

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the investigation of the killing of Giulio Regeni in Egypt in January 2016; and whether they have received any representations...

      Cameroon: Boko Haram

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance, in any form, they are providing to the government of Cameroon in their campaign against Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North Region and in...

      Iran: Nuclear Power

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure the continued successful implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding Iran.

      Israel: Palestinians

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they did not sign the Paris Middle East peace conference joint declaration on 15 January; whether that decision reflects a change in UK policy towards...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

    • Parliament: Correspondence

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many items of correspondence were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2016; and of those, what proportion was received in the House of Lords.

    • Parliament: Internet

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why access to the "Religion of Peace" website is not available on the Parliamentary estate.

  • Department for Education

    • Voluntary Work: Young People

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to repeal section 1 of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920 insofar as that provision applies to voluntary work...

    • Secondary Education: Expenditure

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of maintained secondary schools spent more than their incomes between 2010–11 and 2014–15.

      Schools: Homophobia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of homophobic bullying were recorded in schools in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

      Arts: Youth Organisations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding was provided in 2016 by the Department for Education for (1) the National Youth Orchestra, (2) the National Youth Dance Company, and (3) the...

      Equal Pay

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the introduction of mandatory gender pay gap reporting under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 is intended to...

      Schools: Homophobia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases there have been of homophobic bullying recorded in schools in each of the last three years; and what plans they have, if any, to increase...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Prison Sentences

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Goldie on 22 November (HL Deb, col 1838) concerning the central unit which is being set up to assess indeterminate...

    • Birmingham Prison

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Keen of Elie on 19 December (HL Deb, cols 1530–1540) on the serious disturbance at HM Prison Birmingham, whether they...

      Wrexham Prison

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prison officers they plan to recruit for the new HM Prison Wrexham; and whether this number is included in their estimate of 8000 officers to be...

      Prison Officers

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are currently on the prison officer reserve list; what proportion of those on the reserve list have received training in the duties of a...

      Judiciary

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 14 December 2016 (HL3710) on the duty of the Lord Chancellor and other Ministers to uphold the...

  • Ministry of Defence

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Bovine Tuberculosis

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 December 2016 (HLWS369), when in 2017 they intend to apply for Officially TB free status...

  • Department for International Development

    • Developing Countries: Agriculture

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the recent Bilateral Aid Review, how they intend to use UK aid to enable smallholder farmers to connect to local, regional and global markets.

    • Developing Countries: Employment

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the 2015 Conceptual Framework on Agriculture and the recent Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews, how they intend to use UK aid to...

  • Department of Health

    • Cancer

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on collecting data for metastatic cancers and how will this be used to inform future workforce planning.

    • Social Services: Fees and Charges

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the savings industry about (1) new insurance products to help provide for later life care needs, and (2) new savings...

      Skin Piercing: Children

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to protect girls under the age of 18 from having genital piercings.

      NHS: Private Sector

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the figure of £8,722,000 stated by the Department of Health in its Annual Report and Accounts 2015–16 (HC322) as the amount spent in...

      NHS: Interpreters

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the additional costs of interpreters required for NHS patients who do not speak English.

      Mental Health Services

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 13 December 2016 (HL3690), whether NHS England’s Advisory and Oversight Group, with...

      Hospitals

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS hospitals have the legal power to refuse treatment to patients on the basis of their smoking or any other lifestyle habit.

      Cancer: Drugs

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make the combination treatment of chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and capecitabine available to all eligible NHS patients.

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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