Written answers

Thursday, 7 February 2019

  • Department for Transport

    • Railways: North of England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for the electrification of the Transpennine express line.

    • High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent assessment is of the benefit cost ratio for phase 2B of HS2; and whether an assessment has been made of the potential merits of...

      Crossrail Line: Slough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for the Crossrail station at Slough to be operational.

      Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Fixed Penalties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people received an incorrectly issued fixed penalty notice for travel on the Dartford Crossing.

      Thameslink Railway Line: Maidstone

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the timely implementation of the City Thameslink Service from Maidstone East before the end of 2019.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to support community energy generation after the closure of the feed-in-tariff scheme in...

    • Iron and Steel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason there is no specific reference to the steel industry in the EU Exit: Long-term economic analysis...

      Nissan: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Nissan will be required to pay back any of the £2.6 million allocated to it by the Government to encourage...

      Professions: Qualifications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the UK who will be directly affected by the end of the mutual...

      Professions: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) his policy is on and (b) assessment he has made of the ability of UK professionals to continue to practise in...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Diplomatic Relations: Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of climate change on UK diplomatic relations with states that have (a) a...

    • Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken to protect (a) asylum seekers and refugees in the UK and (b) their...

      Venezuela: Elections

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government supports the EU in its call for the immediate commencement of a political process that can lead to...

      Syria: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on the ongoing conflict in Syria.

      Kurds: Syria and Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to ensure the protection of the Kurdish population in (a) Syria and (b) Northern...

      Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Bahrain after the recent verdict against Nabeel Rajab and...

      Bahrain: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK-trained oversight bodies in Bahrain in investigating allegations of the...

      Iraq Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information the Government holds on discussions between GCHQ and the US National Security Agency on surveillance of...

      Diplomatic Service: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the budget for consular activities not based in embassies and high commissions by country in 2018-19.

      Wilton Park: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the annual budget for Wilton Park Executive Agency for 2018-19 is.

      Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many hospitality and facilities expenses exceeded £5,000 in the last financial year; and who the recipients of that...

      Sanctions: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 5 September 2018, Official Report, column 169, what progress the PM...

      Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her oral contribution of 5 September 2018, Official Report, column 169, what progress she has made in working with...

      Papua: Chemical Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the accuracy of reports that the Indonesian Armed Forces used Chemical weapons...

      USA: INF Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the security of the UK of the US suspension of its...

      Russia: INF Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of violations by Russia of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty since 2014.

      USA: INF Treaty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the US Administration on their recent decision to suspend the Intermediate Range Nuclear...

      Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 208387 and the Answer of 1 February 2019 to Question 212418, if he will...

      Kashmir: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

      Philippines: Terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the Philippines following recent terrorist attacks in that country.

      Philippines: Minority Groups

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Philippines on the protection of religious groups in that country.

      Thailand: Ahmadiyya

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Thai government on the arbitrary arrests of Ahmadi Muslim refugees.

  • Attorney General

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Kidney Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support the call by Kidney Cancer UK to fund research on a national screening programme for kidney cancer.

    • Incinerators: Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) Public Health England (i) received and (ii) commissioned assessments of the effect on peoples' health...

      Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2019 to Question 206215 on Air Pollution, what the implications for his policies are of the...

      Food: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2019 to Question 212301 on Food Waste: Disposal, whether (a) his Department and (b) Public Health...

      Incinerators: Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Public Health England assesses evidence submitted by applicants for planning permission of the projected or estimated effect of...

      Autoimmune Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of treating and managing (a) rheumatoid arthritis, (b) inflammatory...

      Autoimmune Diseases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have made a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of treating immune-mediated...

      Kawasaki Disease

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he is taking to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of Kawasaki disease among NHS health professionals.

      Diabetes: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Abbott FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring devices and sensors local clinical commissioning groups prescribed in (a)...

      Diabetes: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average length of time taken is for the FreeStyle Libre sensors to be issued to people with diabetes through the NHS.

      Diabetes: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has made to the pharmaceutical company Abbott on the availability of FreeStyle Libre being issued to...

      Cancer: Diagnosis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to benchmark progress against the target for increasing the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one or two...

      Colorectal Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's announcement of 10 August 2018 that the age for bowel cancer screening in England will be lowered from...

      Colorectal Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department have made of the effect of delays to the introduction of the faecal immunochemical test to the Bowel...

      Mental Health Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children receiving initial mental health treatment in West Kent.

      Pancreatic Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that pancreatic cancer patients receive treatment within 20 days of diagnosis.

      Radiography: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to tackle reductions in the number of applicants to radiography courses since the end of the NHS bursaries...

      Ketamine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of the risks of ketamine amongst the adult population.

      Social Services: Barnsley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has allocated to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council for adult social care in each of the last five years.

      Self-harm: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to lower the risk of self-harm and suicide among unaccompanied and separated children in the UK.

      Mental Illness: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in effectively detecting effects...

      Cervical Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that cervical cancer patients receive treatment within 20 days of diagnosis.

      Hospitals: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to secure the supply of food to hospitals in the event that UK leaves the EU without a deal.

      NHS: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received representations on patient anxieties about access to medicines including for epilepsy and depression; and what...

      Trauma: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the estimated cost of (a) stockpiling emergency trauma packs (b) importing those packs in the...

      Radioisotopes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department taking to ensure a secure supply of radioisotopes used for cancer treatment in the event of the UK leaving the...

      Elton John AIDS Foundation: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that its £1.5 million contribution to the Elton John AIDS Foundation to support the...

      Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which of the 10 most prevalent forms of cancer for adults (a) women and (b) men have a national screening programme.

      Counselling: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the accessibility of counselling for young people (a) with mental health problems and (b) that are at risk...

      National Child Measurement Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2019 to Question 213342, for what reasons his Department has no plans to extend the National Child...

      Infant Foods

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2019 to Question 213341, for what reasons his Department has no plans to reinstate the UK-wide...

      Cervical Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 8 of the January 2019 NAO report on the management of health screening, what steps he is taking to increase the...

      Health: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 8 of the January 2019 NAO report on the management of health screening, whether his Department plans to transfer...

      Genito-urinary Medicine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming NHS workforce strategy will contain specific reference to sexual health clinicians.

      Suicide: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what asssessment he has made of the factors affecting adolescent suicide rates in each of the last 10 years.

      Cervical Cancer: Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to encourage more women to attend cervical screening.

  • Department for Exiting the European Union

    • Brexit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of 10 January 2019,...

    • Trade Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many trade-related agreements, that are not full Free Trade Agreements, would require rolling-over to ensure that the UK...

      Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the current total headcount is of his Department's workforce.

      Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many (a) current and (b) former civil servants have been seconded to work at his Department since its creation.

      Performing Arts: EU Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has in place for UK (a) musicians, (b) dancers, (c) comedians and (d) other creative workers to (i) tour and (ii)...

      Arts: Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure the continued mobility of (a) musicians, (b) comedians and (c) other UK creative workers to (i)...

  • Department for Education

    • Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond with a date for the request from the hon. Member for Shipley for a meeting with Lord Agnew of Oulton, Parliamentary Under...

    • Free Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of free school projects that were cancelled after receiving government funding and (b) the...

      Children: Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department will take steps to support local leaders in identifying children in (a) unsafe households and (b) deprived households.

      Special Educational Needs: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities who have overspent on SEND budgets.

      Special Educational Needs: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the total overspend of SEND budgets by local authorities in the financial year 2017-18.

      Social Services: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the NAO report entitled Pressures on children’s social care, published on 23 January 2019, what level of local variation his...

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for School Standards of 28 January 2019, Official Report, column 622, how many temporarily...

      Sure Start Programme: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, under what circumstances his Department will request the return of funding allocated to local authorities that dispose of or change the use of...

      Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to second a portion of its workforce to the Department for Exiting the European Union over the next six weeks.

      Frontline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportions of students (a) withdrew from study in the Frontline programme and (b) were asked to leave the Frontline programme in...

      Secondary Education: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase teacher recruitment in secondary schools.

      Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that every young person with vision impairment has access to the same learning materials as their sighted peers,...

      Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is he taking to ensure that young people with a visual impairment receive appropriately adapted national tests and exam papers, including...

      Mental Health: Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the pilots of new mental health assessments for looked-after children, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that those new...

      Human Trafficking: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure that social workers are adequately trained to respond to cases of trafficked children that...

      Department of Education: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost of extending his Department's lease on Sanctuary Buildings was.

      Old Admiralty Building: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to date has been of refurbishing the Old Admiralty buildings, and from what Departmental budget that expenditure has been incurred.

      English Baccalaureate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards the target of 75% of pupils studying the EBacc combination of GCSEs by 2022.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2019 to Question 213460 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment, when the number of...

      Universities: Insolvency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of universities at risk of insolvency.

      Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to ensure that schools remain responsible for pupils who leave their school roll until they have found a new permanent place.

      Teachers: Academies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2019 to Question 213380 on Teachers: Academies, what estimate he has made of the number of academy trusts that...

      Vocational Guidance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what liaison there is for promoting best practice guidelines between the National Careers Service and its counterpart organisations in Scotland, Wales...

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Magistrates' Courts: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of magistrates’ court closures on access to justice.

    • Legal Profession

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of leaving the EU on the UK’s legal sectors.

      Small Claims: Industrial Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the percentage of non-road traffic accident cases for workplace claims that will move from the fast track to small claims...

      Prisons: Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to secure the supply of food to prisons in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Department for International Trade: Redundancy

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many redundancies there have been from his Department's trade promotion offices since April 2018.

    • Import Duties: Developing Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard the preferential access afforded to developing countries in sensitive sectors in the event...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Right to Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is meeting the Government's commitment to replace homes sold through the council right to buy scheme.

    • Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department made of the needs of urban areas when allocating £1 billion of additional funding...

      Valuation Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that Valuation officers (a) compile and (b) maintain rating Lists for each billing...

      Sleeping Rough: Brighton

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's Rough sleeping statistics autumn 2018, England, published on 31 January 2019,...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure proposed new permitted development rights do not adversely affect the...

      Landlords: South Yorkshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department’s announcement on 14 January 2019, of the £2.4 million to be given to...

      Affordable Housing: North West

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press statement entitled, Brokenshire unveils £500 million affordable homes funding boost,...

      Local Government Finance: Merseyside

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press announcement entitled, Councils in England to receive over £50 million to support...

      Non-domestic Rates: Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) independent schools and (b) free schools are eligible for business rate relief, and whether his Department...

      Sleeping Rough: Death

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that deaths of rough sleepers are recorded.

      Homelessness: Newcastle-under-Lyme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of homeless people in Newcastle-under-Lyme between 2015 and 2019.

      Parking: Wellingborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department will respond to the petition presented on 12 September 2018 on Jackson Lane Car Park.

      Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has set a target in this Parliamentary Term for the reduction in number of long term empty properties as a...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Ministry of Defence: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money spent by his Department has been counted as UK aid spending; and what programmes that money has been allocated to within his Department.

    • Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the report produced by the Pentagon's Operational Test and Evaluation Office on F-35s, what assessment he has made of the service life...

      Air Force: Cadets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many hours were flown by the Air Cadets gliding fleet in 2018.

      Air Force: Cadets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of hours of Tutor Air Experience Flights undertaken by Air Cadets in 2018.

      Air Force: Cadets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made by the RAF in bringing Volunteer Gliding Squadrons back to fully operational condition.

      Army: Germany

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British soldiers have been stationed in Germany in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse has been of maintaining...

      Future Large Aircraft: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many A400M aircraft have been ordered for the Royal Air Force in total; how many of those aircraft have (a) been delivered and (b) yet to be...

      Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) establishment strength and (b) actual strength was of each regular infantry battalion in the British Army on the most recent date for which...

      Military Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the latest Royal Air Force serviceability statistics are for the (a) C-130J Hercules, (b) C-17 Globemaster, (c) A400M Atlas and (d) CH-47 Chinook.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the High Court decision in R (Johnson, Woods, Barrett and Stewart) v SSWP CO/1552/2018, what recent estimate she has made of...

    • Personal Independence Payment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on trends in the level of her Department's expenditure of the transfer of claimants from disability...

      Severe Disability Premium

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to identify claimants who are eligible for a severe disability premium transitional payment and an...

      Universal Credit: Disability

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,if she ill set a date by which severely disabled claimants who have moved onto universal credit and lost their severe disability premium will...

      Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effects on health and safety standards of leaving the EU (a) under the...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's support for people on legacy benefits with high support needs who will...

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the total number and proportion of universal credit claimants that are now in employment as a...

      Cold Weather Payments: Kirkcaldy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using an alternative weather station to the one based in Leuchars for...

      Health and Safety Executive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the annual budget has been for the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last three years; and how many staff that body has employed...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to implement safeguards in situations where her Department makes backdated payments of benefits to vulnerable people...

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of disability living allowance claimants with (i) psychiatric conditions and...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a ban on tethering animals in unsafe...

    • Food: National Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, if the Government will make an assessment of the importance of food security to wider national security.

      Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many holdings were tested for bovine tuberculosis using interferon gamma testing; how many animals were tested in each...

      Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what are the main sources of particulate matters in (a) urban and (b) rural areas.

      Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to require the British Horseracing Authority to publish the names and details of all horses...

      Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of what factors are behind an increase in the use of the whip in British horseracing.

      Dogs: Animal Breeding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licensed dog breeders there are in the (a) UK and (b) Clacton constituency.

      Sheep Meat: New Zealand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will discuss with his New Zealand counterpart how that country labels exports of sheepmeat to include information on...

      Waste: Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the export of waste to countries that do not meet UK human health and...

      Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative.

      Coal Fired Power Stations and Incinerators: Health Hazards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) his Department or (b) Public Health England has (i) undertaken or (ii) made an assessment of any studies that...

      Circuses: Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to protect the welfare of wild animals touring with travelling circuses in England...

      Agriculture: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the paper entitled The UK future skills-based immigration system, published by the Home Office on 19...

      Tree Planting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has for the planting of trees and other natural carbon capturing plants.

      Biodiversity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to slow biodiversity loss in the UK.

      Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to introduce compulsory recycling for commercial trade waste producers.

      River Thames: Cocaine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to address the high level of cocaine found in eels in the River Thames.

      Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants from his Department have been seconded to the Department for Exiting the European Union since 1...

      National Parks: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of visitors to national parks from deprived areas.

      Food: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to announce the successful bids for the redistribution organisation fund.

      Animal Welfare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is considering issuing specific guidance on the practice of animal tethering.

      Natural England: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 189648 on Natural England: Finance, what is meant by broadening the scope...

  • Home Office

    • Immigration: Interviews

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many re-documentation interviews were scheduled to take place on 4 December 2018 for each nationality of interviewee.

    • Police: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will ensure that the UK Government fully funds police pension cost increases in (a) 2020 and (b) after.

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that police budgets are adequate in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review.

      Police: Cardiff

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will ensure that Cardiff is allocated a level of funding which is adequate for the policing of a capital city and a seat of government.

      Police: Wales

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is taking steps to enable police forces in Wales to access funding from the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.

      Immigrants: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions will be available to dual EU-UK nationals to ensure that they are able to sponsor eligible family members through the EU...

      Police: Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has plans for police forces to impose leave embargoes as a result of the Government's decision to implement fully...

      Crimes of Violence: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £17 million allocated to establish the three-year Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation fund has been...

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing an independent guardian or advocate to all unaccompanied children as a...

      Home Office: Trade Associations

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which regulatory functions imposed by legislation for which his Department has responsibility are currently undertaken by trade...

      101 Calls: Derbyshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the 101 service response times were for Derbyshire in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

      Police: Equipment and Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is given to police forces on the provision of improved equipment and technology to assist frontline officers with capability,...

      West Midlands Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) current and (b) future (i) efficiency, (ii) capability and (iii) capacity of West...

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with local authorities on the funding available for supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Portsmouth.

      Politicians: Visas

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 4 January 2019 to Questions 205232, 205233 and 205235, if he will take steps to ensure timely visa application...

      Immigration: EU Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much it will cost to apply for European Temporary Leave to Remain in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

      UK Border Force: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to publish UK Border Force performance data by port of entry.

      Asylum: Slavery

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2019 to Question 211929, what steps his Department is taking to contact people affected who will have...

      Undocumented Migrants: Kent

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of suspected migrant crossings by boat to Kent in (a) October, (b) November, (c) December and (d)...

      Asylum: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that all trafficked and unaccompanied children have an independent legal guardian.

      Crimes of Violence: Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to open the consultation on a public health duty to tackle serious violence.

      Animals: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to increase police resources to deal with crimes against animals and wildlife, including investigating reports...

      Police: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) budget and (b) force-level allocations of the Police Transformation Fund are for each year since its inception including...

      Immigration Controls: National Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2018, Official Report, column 169, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the...

      Windrush Generation: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme there have been by people in (a) London and (b) Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

      Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority: Immigration Enforcement Directorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many joint operations between the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and Immigration Enforcement there were in each year since 2014.

      Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual budget has been for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority for each of the last three years; and how many staff that...

      Knives: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of knife crimes in which victims were killed or wounded were associated with the supply of illegal narcotic drugs in each...

      Asylum: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to prevent attacks on refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

  • Department for International Development

    • Hospital Ships: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2019 to Question 210727, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits...

  • Scotland Office

    • Scotland Office: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Corrected Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 206251 on Government Departments: Staff, how many civil servants in his department were...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Absent Voting

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the ease with which people travelling abroad can register to vote by proxy.

    • Crimes of Violence: Wolverhampton

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) violent crimes and (b) sexual offences were committed in Wolverhampton in each year since 2010.

      Old Admiralty Building

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what use is planned for the Old Admiralty buildings subsequent to their refurbishment.

      Department for Exiting the European Union: Facebook

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2019 to Question 206350, on Department for Exiting the European Union, what the (a) age profile (b) gender and (c)...

  • Treasury

    • Universal Credit

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential costs to the public purse of implementing changes to...

    • Customs: Distributed Ledger Technology

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2018 to Question 128296 on Brexit, if he will provide an update on (a) the potential use of distributed ledger...

      Loans: Mozambique

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28th January to Question 210062 on Loans: Mozambique, what information UK-based lenders to foreign governments have to disclose...

      Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure all unpaid debts to Equitable Life pensioners are settled as quickly as possible.

      Income Tax: Dover

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have been taken out of paying income tax altogether in Dover constituency since 2010.

      Capital Investment: Dover

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the capital account spending has been in Dover constituency in each year between 2009 and 2018.

      Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to conduct a second review of the value of the Equitable Life contingency fund.

      Treasury: Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether non-payroll staff are included in (a) his Department's and (b) HMRC's diversity statistics published in its 2017-18 annual report and accounts.

      Treasury: Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether non-payroll staff working in (a) his Department and (b) HMRC are included in the Public Sector Equality Duty Objectives 2016-20.

      Gift Aid: Scotland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much gift aid have charities based in Scotland received in each of the last three years.

      Infrastructure: Capital Investment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has any plans to establish a UK Infrastructure Bank.

      Social Enterprises: Tax Allowances

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 75 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, what the timetable is for the review of Social Investment...

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Gaming Machines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the representatives from the betting industry on the implementation of a...

    • Commonwealth Games 2022

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2019 to Question 211336 on Commonwealth Games 2022, what discussions he held with the...

      Culture: Barnsley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding his Department has allocated to arts and culture projects in Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council in each of the...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 15 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, whether his Department has...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 15 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, what plans his Department has...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 77 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, what steps his Department has...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 78 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, what steps his Department has...

      Third Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 84 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018, what steps his Department has...

      Telecommunications: National Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214092 on Telecommunications: National Security, whether the...

      Subversion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the effect on democracy of the prevalence of deepfake...

      Public Service Broadcasting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the role of public service broadcasters on the provision of educational content for children.

      Public Service Broadcasting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the continuing efficacy of prominence rules in ensuring that viewers can access easily...

  • Prime Minister

    • 10 Downing Street: Flags

      To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 215221 on 10 Downing Street: Flags, whether there are any plans to raise the flag of the European Union above...

  • Women and Equalities

  • Department for Transport

    • West Midlands Trains: Trains

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many class 172 diesel trains operating on the Gospel Oak to Barking line have already been transferred to West Midlands Trains.

    • West Midlands Trains: Trains

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the contract to transfer eight class 172 diesel trains from the Gospel Oak to Barking line to West Midlands Trains will be completed.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line: Cycleways

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated capital cost of adding a cycleway to the route of HS2 Phase 1.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Sea Level

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the predicted global rise in sea levels as a result of the increase in Antarctic ice loss in the past four decades; and what...

    • Nuclear Power

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with a consortium comprising of Rolls-Royce, Arup and Laing O'Rourke regarding support for the development of small modular nuclear...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for meeting the UK's future energy needs following the recent cancellations of plans to build new nuclear power stations in Cumbria and Wales.

      Viagogo

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take against Viagogo as a result of that company’s failure to overhaul its business practices in relation to secondary ticket...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Anguilla: Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what development funding they intend to provide to Anguilla after 2020 to substitute for the support currently provided by the European Development Fund.

    • North Korea: British Council

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the British Council on restarting its English language teaching programme in North Korea; and whether they intend to provide...

      Amoon and Qaisar Ayub

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed the case of Qaisar and Amoon Ayub with (1) the government of Thailand, and (2) the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for...

      Pervaiz Masih

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case of Pervais Masih, accused of blasphemy in Pakistan, the treatment of his family and the death of his daughter; and...

      Philippines: Bombings

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the bombing of the Jolo Catholic Cathedral in the Philippines; who they believe was responsible; and what assistance...

      Tunisia: Travel Information

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, for assisting economic recovery in Tunisia; what is their current travel advice for visitors to that country; and whether they...

      Saudi Arabia: Females

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will call for a independent investigation into allegations that Loujain al-Hathloul, together with other women, was subjected to torture during recent...

      Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why their review into the persecution of Christians does not include within its scope the effect of DfID and Home Office policies on aid and asylum.

      Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the full terms of reference for their review into the persecution of Christians will be published.

      Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when it is expected that their review into the persecution of Christians will publish its findings and recommendations.

      China: British Nationals Abroad

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they provide to (1) business travellers, and (2) those engaged in academic and political research, visiting China, following the recent...

      Jamal Khashoggi

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of Turkey and Saudi Arabia about the progress of investigations into the death of Jamal Khashoggi on 2 October...

      Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they calculated the number of civilians killed between 1 January and 18 May 2009 in the war between the Sri Lankan armed forced forces and the Liberation...

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • NHS: Crimes of Violence

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many assaults by mental health patients on NHS staff were reported in each of the last five years for which records are available.

    • Drugs: Shortages

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are providing to (1) UK residents, and (2) medical organisations about how to access medicines from the EU in the UK.

      Obesity

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering taking steps to reduce differences in levels of obesity between more and less deprived areas; and if so, what steps.

      HIV Infection: Preventive Medicine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend access to the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis pill.

      Health Services and Social Services: Migrant Workers

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the health and social care sector...

      Postnatal Care

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether contraception advice is provided in postnatal care; and if so, what consideration they give as to when to provide such advice.

  • Department for Education

    • Foster Care: Asylum

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in assessing offers to act as foster parents for incoming unaccompanied children; and what steps are being taken to link Community...

    • Pre-school Education

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the sustainability of maintained nursery schools; and what assessment they have made of any additional costs faced...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

    • Parliamentary Estate: Proof of Identity

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what consideration has been given to requiring all visitors to the Parliamentary estate to present photo identification before entry.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Armed Forces: Casualties

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths of serving on-duty military personnel have occurred in Scotland since 1990; and what investigations the Ministry of Defence...

    • Cyprus: EOKA

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average compensation paid to the families of British servicemen killed by EOKA; whether the government of Greece has paid any compensation to those...

      Cyprus: EOKA

      To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they have paid £1 million in compensation to 33 former members of EOKA; on whose authority such a payment was made; and what assessment they...

      Middle East: Military Intervention

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are reducing the RAF air fleet in Iraq and North-East Syria.

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Air Pollution: Urban Areas

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice and assistance they provide to local authorities on tackling air pollution in urban areas in order to tackle increases in the levels of asthma and...

    • Common Land

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 31 January (HL13131), which village greens were approved (1) in full, and (2) in part; and...

  • Department for International Trade

    • UK Trade with EU

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with businesses based in other European countries to minimise disruption to supply chains in the event of a disorderly Brexit.

  • Women and Equalities

    • Civil Partnerships

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 January (HL Deb, col 453), when the details of their consultation exercise on civil partnerships will...

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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