Written answers

Tuesday, 10 March 2020

  • Department for Transport

    • Electric Vehicles: Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many plug-in car grants have been (a) issued and at (b) at what financial value in (i) the Scottish Borders, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK.

    • Biofuels: Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on sustainable jet fuels in decarbonising aviation; and what assessment he has made of the potential for sustainable jet fuels to...

      Aviation: Noise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what statutory protections Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty receive against aircraft noise.

      Bridges: Irish Sea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Government officials are working on the project related to the construction of a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

      Transport: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he is putting in place to help prepare (a) hauliers, (b) transport providers, (c) couriers and (d) other mobile members of the workforce...

      Railways: Public Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral evidence of 28 October 2019 to the Transport Committee, Qq42-44, if he will publish the evidence on passenger views of...

      Shipping: Crew

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the change in the number of rating recorded in table SFR0303 of the Seafarers in the UK Shipping...

      Flybe: Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he plans provide to Belfast City Airport to help ensure that vacant routes are filled by other airlines following the collapse of Flybe.

      Regional Airports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to publish the terms of reference for the urgent review into regional connectivity.

      Regional Airports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the (a) nations and (b) regions of the UK have access to air connections.

      Flybe: Bankruptcy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of Flybe entering administration on the provision of air freight at each airport in the UK.

      Light Rail Safety and Standards Board: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding he plans to allocate to the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board in each of the next five years.

      Railways: Suicide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Office of Rail and Road, (b) Network Rail and (c) Train Operating Companies on suicide prevention.

      Motor Vehicles: Hydrogen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2020 to Question 20599, what steps he is taking to promote the adoption of hydrogen in the haulage industry.

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Housing: Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many homes are off grid.

    • Courier Services: Environmental Impact Assessment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent environmental impact assessment his Department has made of the growth of the courier industry.

      Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the Government's estimate of the cost to the UK economy of achieving the Government's target of net...

      Agriculture: Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of using compressed natural gas as a fuel source for...

      Heating: Carbon Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of CO2 emissions from domestic heating of (a) coal and (b) oil.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Tanzania: World Food Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Tanzanian counterparts on the recent comments made by President Magufuli that We must...

    • British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens are imprisoned abroad.

      British Nationals Abroad: Capital Punishment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens have been sentenced to death abroad in the most recent period for which figures are available.

      British Nationals Abroad: Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens are imprisoned in countries or regions where there is an increased risk of contracting covid-19.

      Bahrain: Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Bahrain in 2019; and if he will make a statement.

      Syria: Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on further sanctions against Russia as a result of that...

      Africa: Arms Trade

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Arms Trade Treaty in controlling the movement of arms in Africa.

  • Northern Ireland Office

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Cancer: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that health professionals talk to all young people with cancer about their fertility before beginning...

    • General Practitioners: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will work with Cabinet colleagues to introduce a bursary scheme for people who train as GPs and commit to a five-year tenure in...

      Social Services: Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to introduce a system of tax credits for people who have young children and...

      Pharmacy: Injuries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the pharmacy sector on utilising the skills and knowledge of chemists to enable them to treat minor...

      Diabetes: Medical Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which organisations and individuals participate in the development of formularies for blood glucose testing devices in each locality.

      Coronavirus: Quarantine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the availability of additional medical services for people self-isolating due to Covid-19.

      Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the remit of Care Quality Commission inspections of (a) General Practitioners, (b) hospitals, (c) care homes and (d) dentists...

      Coronavirus: Mass Media and Social Media

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will take steps with (a) social media companies and (b) media outlets to ensure that the information they provide to...

      Cannabis: Medical Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment NICE has made of the potential medical benefits of cannabis-based medicinal products for treatment of chronic...

      Prescription Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what processes are in place to (a) monitor, (b) assess the need for new and (c) introduce new formularies for prescription items...

      Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships: Prescription Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many formularies for prescription items each sustainability and transformation partnership area has.

      Gross Negligence Manslaughter and Culpable Homicide Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) findings and (b) recommendations for the Chief Coroner of the...

      Nurses: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) retention and (b) recruitment incentives NHS employers provide to registered nurses.

      Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to minimise the risk of infection from covid-19 among (a) the over-60s, (b) people with (i) cardiovascular...

      Nurses: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing travel and housing subsidies in order to retain and attract more...

      Optum: County Durham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Optum has been recruited to identify rising risk groups in County Durham.

      Gender Recognition: Clinics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average waiting time times for a full treatment pathway at each NHS gender identity clinic in England in...

      Calea: Parenteral Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department used to approve Calea UK Ltd as the supplier of total parenteral nutrition to the NHS.

      Autism: Peterborough

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with autism in Peterborough constituency in each of the last five years.

      Prescription Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the interruption of supply of repeat medications to patients.

      Hospitals: Parking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether plans for the introduction of free parking at hospitals in England for certain patient groups will include all hospital visits...

      Podiatry: Migrant Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage podiatrists from overseas to work in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

      Podiatry: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of people training to become podiatrists; and if he will make a statement.

      Rare Diseases: Clinical Trials

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the future success of clinical trials for personalised...

      Cerebral Palsy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) healthcare professionals and (b) NHS England in improving data collection systems...

      Neuromuscular Disorders: Paediatrics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the development of regional multi-disciplinary centres of excellence for infants and young children...

      Public Health: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timescale is for publication of the public health grant to local authorities for 2020-21; and what assessment he has made of the...

      Joint Replacements: Waiting Lists

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has plans to maintain the 18-week waiting time for referral to treatment for joint replacement surgeries.

      Hospitals: Doctors and Nurses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses have been employed in hospitals in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available.

      Coronavirus: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to enable physician associates to prescribe medication in tackling the spread of covid-19.

      Ambulance Services: Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the financial viability of career progression for ambulance service staff of the changes to...

      Social Services: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to manage the potential effect of the spread of covid-19 on the social care workforce; and if he will make a...

      Mental Health Services: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the level of mental health workforce vacancies on the quality of mental health services.

      Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust: Finance

      What recent funding he has allocated to Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

  • Department for International Development

    • Hospital Ships

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, where the proposed hospital ship will operate from.

    • UK-Africa Investment Summit

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2020 to Question 4779 on UK Africa Investment Summit, if she will publish the amount of funding...

  • Department for Education

    • Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to change school exclusion guidance to strengthen the protection available to children with SEND; and if he will make a statement.

    • Apprentices: Degrees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices have (a) undergraduate and (b) master’s degrees, by apprenticeship level.

      Teachers: Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of teacher vacancies in the subject areas of (a) foreign languages, (b) computing, (c) science and (d)...

      Literacy: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of e-reading in different mediums on children’s literacy.

      Children: Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel's annual report 2018 to 2019, published on 4 March 2020, what steps he is taking to...

      Children in Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children that were being cared for in a friends and family foster placement on 31 March 2019 had also been in (a) an unrelated...

      Opportunity North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria was used to select schools included in the delivery plan for Opportunity North East.

      Schools: Discipline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the use of isolation booths in schools on the (a) mental health and (b) behaviour of pupils placed in...

      Care Leavers and Children in Care: Supported Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who the members of the working group on draft quality standards for unregulated supported accommodation for children in care and leaving care are.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • National Probation Service for England and Wales: Bermondsey and Old Southwark

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the relocation of the Probation Service Offices on Harper Road in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency.

    • Hare Coursing: Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for hare coursing were brought to trial in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

      Prisons: Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2020 to Question 1936, Prisons: Industrial Health and Safety, what the timeframe is for the completion of the...

      Prison Officers: Resignations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the resignation rate for (a) Band 3, (b) Band 4, and (c) Band 5 prison officers was at each prison in each of the last five years.

      Coroners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time taken to process a coroner's inquest was in weeks in (a) Gwent, (b) Wales and (c) England and Wales in each year from 2010-2019.

  • Department for International Trade

    • Imports: Sanctions

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make it his policy that the UK will not allow goods to be imported to the UK from countries who produce goods illegally in the...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Parking: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle private parking companies operating car parks with unclear signage.

    • Parking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to update Government guidance to local authorities on local parking strategies; and if he will make a...

      Housing: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of additional homes delivered as a result of the Home Building Fund, by local...

      Buildings: Insulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2020, to Question 3760, on Buildings: Insulation, what the timescale is for the...

      Towns Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2020 to Question 23600 on Towns Fund, what the capital expenditure was for each...

  • Ministry of Defence

    • Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will make a decision on the number of F-35 aircraft his Department will procure.

    • Defence Equipment: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has put in place plans to reduce the £6 billion affordability gap over the next five years of defence equipment spending; and if he will...

      Chinook Helicopters: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what UK workshare has been negotiated for the Chinook Sustainment Programme.

      Type 23 Frigates: Radar

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of refitting artisan radar for the Type 23 Frigate.

      Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2020 to Question 18620, what the £421 million allocated to infrastructure and maintenance of the F-35 was spent on.

      Nuclear Weapons: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 23 May 2019 to Question 256301, for what reasons F Med 12 and F Med 29 forms were not included in the medical records of...

      Sahel: Military Intervention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his French counterparts on the progress of Operation Barkhane.

      Nigeria: Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to expand the British Army training mission in Nigeria.

      Warrior Armoured Vehicle

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated from the public purse to the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme in each year from 2012 to 2019.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Pension Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Pension Credit toolkit in increasing uptake of Pension Credit.

    • Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will suspend the use of sanctions on benefit claimants in the event of a covid-19 outbreak.

      Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she will take to reduce requirements for people in receipt of benefits to physically attend appointments if they need to...

      Access to Work Programme: GovTech Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to publicise the availability of the Tech Fund for employees applying for Access to Work to (a) organisations and (b)...

      Social Security Benefits: Muscular Dystrophy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of Muscular Dystrophy UK's report entitled, Below standard:...

      Universal Credit: Coronavirus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will reduce the five-week waiting time to receive a first payment of universal credit in the event of an outbreak of covid-19.

      Universal Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2020 to Question 10759, how many claimants had deductions taken from their universal credit payments in...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants in receipt of personal independence payment (PIP) are being paid a rate of employment and support allowance or the limited...

      Industrial Diseases: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many awards of compensation under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 were paid to workers employed in (a) slate...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Public Footpaths

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities' maps are updated to identify unrecorded footpaths.

    • Coal: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what forms of smokeless coal will be permissible under changes proposed in the Air quality: using cleaner fuels for domestic...

      Coal: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of particulate emissions is generated by domestic coal burning.

      Animal Welfare: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing regulations on animal welfare...

      Animal Welfare: Tour Operators

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the animal welfare guidelines for tour operators published by ABTA...

      Dogs: Pet Travel Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to prevent the Pet Travel Scheme being used to illegally bring dogs into the UK.

      Coal: Heating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the average cost or saving of switching from coal to other sold fuels, by region.

      Game: Birds

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the release of non-native gamebirds on wildlife and native birds in Special...

  • Home Office

    • Religious Buildings: Islam

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many mosques have received funding from the Place of Worship Security Fund.

    • Undocumented Migrants: Greece

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to provide financial support to the Greek Government for the construction of closed centres for migrants on the...

      Drugs Independent Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she plans to implement the recommendations of Dame Carol Black's review of drugs; and whether she plans to establish a challenge group to...

      Harassment: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to create an appeals process for Police Information Notices.

      Explosives and Firearms: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what basis Sussex Police has instituted a mandatory requirement for anyone applying for the grant or renewal of a shotgun, firearm or...

      Migrant Workers: NHS Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a regional impact assessment on the potential effect of the proposed points-based immigration system on NHS trusts in the UK.

      Visas: Overseas Visitors

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visitor visa applications from (a) Iran, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Pakistan, (d) Bangladesh and (e) South Africa have been...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Ministerial Policy Advisers: Recruitment

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many companies were considered before Hanbury Strategy and Communications Limited were selected to recruit Government special advisors.

    • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Coronavirus

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what workforce planning the Government is undertaking to prepare for a potential outbreak of covid-19.

      Former Ministers: Finance

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding was allocated to support former senior government ministers for their continued public activities excluding security costs in the last...

      Government Departments: Procurement

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on increasing involvement of small and medium sizes businesses in government procurement.

      Foreign Investment in UK

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the level of foreign direct investment into the UK was in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

      Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Public Appointments

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when a new panel member will be appointed to the Grenfell Tower inquiry; and what discussions he has with people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire on...

  • Treasury

    • Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will establish a statutory definition of the self-employed to better support status determinations for tax purposes under IR35.

    • Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the enhanced Check Employment Status Tool in relation to IR35.

      Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to Vehicle Excise Duty and the £40,000 list price premium on the second-hand car market for (a)...

      Pensions: Lump Sum Payments

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the threshold at which people are able to take out small private pensions as a lump sum.

      Car Washes: Minimum Wage

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many incidences of failure to pay the national minimum wage have been discovered by HMRC at hand car washes.

      Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made the effect of proposed legislative changes to IR35 on the income of healthcare professionals who provide out-of-hours services.

      Self-employed: Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to pause the roll-out of the off-payroll tax until the House of Lords has completed its review.

      Renewable Energy: Climate Change Levy

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the environmental merits of removing the Climate Change Levy from commercially purchased renewable energy.

      London Capital and Finance: Insolvency

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support people that have lost savings as a result of the collapse of London Capital and Finance.

      Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group met in the last 12 months; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding from the public purse his Department plans to allocate to (a) preparations for a response to covid-19 and (b) research into a vaccine...

  • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

    • Casinos: Cash Dispensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the forthcoming ban on the use of credit card transactions for online gambling, what discussions he has had...

    • World War II: Anniversaries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of increasing the allocation of funding for (a) VE and (b) VJ...

      Commonwealth Games 2022: Gun Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Executive Board on including shooting sports in...

      Voluntary Organisations: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding from the public purse is available for volunteer groups to pay for (a) equipment and (b) heating and electricity...

      Broadband: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the roll out of broadband in Northern Ireland.

      Hotels: Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make representations with his international counterparts and tourist industries overseas to online hotel booking...

      Lotteries: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timeframe is for the Gambling Commission to alter the conditions attached to lottery operating licences to reflect...

      4G: Seas and Oceans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to extend the range of 4G signals out to sea to increase communications with fishing vessels.

      Telecommunications: Hearing Impairment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to encourage BT to provide functional access to (a) internet-based text, (b) captioned telephony, (c)...

      Tourism: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase tourism in (a) Blackpool and (b) Lancashire.

      Rugby: Listed Events

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of including the six nations rugby union tournament in the Ofcom...

      National Lottery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many National Lottery tickets were sold in each (a) region and (b) constituency area in each of the last 10 years; and...

      National Lottery: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of any bidder for operating the National Lottery having its headquarters...

  • House of Commons Commission

    • House of Commons: Staff

      To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, which nationalities are represented among House of Commons staff.

    • House of Commons: Staff

      To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the pay ranges are for House of Commons staff; and how many FTE equivalent staff are...

      House of Commons: Living Wage

      To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people working on the Parliamentary estate are earning less than the London living...

  • Department for Transport

    • Ribble Valley Railway Line

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore passenger services on the Hellifield railway line from Clitheroe.

    • Railways: Standards

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial penalties train operating companies are subject to if a train is cancelled due to (1) a train defect, or (2) a lack of train crew, broken down...

      Railways: Capital Investment

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the scheme to re-open railways lines closed by the Beeching report, whether they have a (1) target, or (2) estimate, for (a) the number of stations,...

      Northern Rail Franchise

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of any additional cost of operating the rail services in the north of England in the next three years which will be more than the...

      Cross Country Trains: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the additional £2.5 million investment made available to CrossCountry trains will result in more seats on services on the routes between the north...

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    • Construction: Billing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much firms in construction supply chains have lost in unpaid retentions since they announced the review of the retention...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    • Syria: Armed Conflict

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to appoint a specific individual or group to lead on international action to prevent any geopolitical and humanitarian crisis in Idlib.

    • Gibraltar: Politics and Government

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they propose to announce the appointment of a new Governor of Gibraltar.

      Gibraltar: Politics and Government

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why the last Governor of Gibraltar, General Davis, retired from his role before a new Governor had been appointed.

      Burkina Faso: Violence

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in Burkina Faso, following reports of an increased jihadist presence and worsening violence in that country.

      Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to hold a public consultation as part of the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review.

      China: Prisoners

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 March (HL Deb, col 390), whether they will place in the Library of the House all reports and correspondence...

  • Northern Ireland Office

    • Trade: Northern Ireland

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the regulations relating to trade access between Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be (1) published, and (2) enacted.

  • Department of Health and Social Care

    • Coronavirus: China

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) number, and (2) location, of microbiology laboratories in China that handle advanced viruses such as the Wuhan...

    • Genito-urinary Medicine

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Bethell on 24 February (HL Deb, cols 2–3), what the expected increase in the preventative health budget will be; how much...

      Dental Services: Fees and Charges

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how much revenue was raised from patient charges for NHS dental services in each year since 2015.

      Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the study in the British Medical Journal by Julian Guest Modelling the annual NHS costs and outcomes attributable to healthcare-associated infections...

      Roads: Lighting

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 29 January (HL525), what consideration they are giving to reducing the correlated...

      Life Expectancy: Females

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve life expectancy for women in the UK.

      Coronavirus: Disease Control

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of isolation as a method of containment for suspected cases of Wuhan coronavirus.

  • Department for International Development

    • East Africa: Locusts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assist the Food and Agricultural Organisation's support to the areas in East Africa affected by locust swarms and breeding, in...

    • Development Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by The World Bank Group Capture of Foreign Aid: Evidence from Offshore Bank Accounts, published in February, in...

      Iran: Coronavirus

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what practical assistance they have offered the government of Iran to help it to manage the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • Department for Education

    • Children in Care: Human Trafficking

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children identified as potential victims of human trafficking have gone missing from local authority care in each financial year from 2009–10 to...

    • History: Education

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what efforts they have made during their chairmanship of the Commonwealth Heads of Government to ensure that the history of the Commonwealth is taught in UK schools.

      Training

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they provide to those who wish to retrain but do not meet the stated criteria for the national retraining scheme.

  • Ministry of Justice

    • Cemeteries

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what regulations exist for the control of cemeteries mounding areas to create new burial spaces.

    • Judicial Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many judicial reviews were conducted in England and Wales in each year from 1990 to 2019.

      Female Genital Mutilation: Prosecutions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been (1) prosecuted for, and (2) found guilty of, female genital mutilation in the UK.

      Special Educational Needs: Appeals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to compensate parents who have appealed to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal but whose first hearing was cancelled...

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    • Floods

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) financial, and (2) other, support they have (a) provided, and (b) intend to provide to, local authorities in response to recent flood-related emergencies.

    • Rough Sleeping Review

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the terms of Dame Louise Casey’s review into rough sleeping; and when she will report.

      Self-catering Accommodation: Non-domestic Rates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish an analysis of the responses to their consultation which closed on 15 January 2019 on the business rates treatment of self-catering...

      Green Belt

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hectares of land that were previously green belt have been removed from the green belt in local plans adopted in England in each year from 2011 to the...

      Green Belt

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to fulfil their Manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the green belt.

      Green Belt: Oxford

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of any loss of green belt land as a result of the proposals in Cherwell District Council's Partial Review of Cherwell...

      Energy Performance Certificates

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the outcome of their consultation Energy Performance Certificates in buildings, which closed on 26 July 2018.

  • Ministry of Defence

    • MOD Stafford

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to close 4 Site, MOD Stafford; and if so, what is the envisaged timescale.

    • MOD Stafford

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, should they decide to close 4 Site, MOD Stafford, the original owner of the site will have preferred bidder status.

      Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total amount of carbon emissions for the Ministry of Defence each year.

      Royal Fleet Auxiliary

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the three new Fleet Solid Support Ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be ordered; and what are the estimated in-service dates for each of those new ships.

      Ministry of Defence: Sustainable Development

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the next Sustainable Ministry of Defence annual report will be published.

      Hospital Ships: Procurement

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any new hospital ship will be operational before the retirement of RFA Argus in 2024.

  • Department for Work and Pensions

    • Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the operation of the special rules for terminal illness used in accessing disability benefits; whether those rules are...

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    • Waste: Exports

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (HL226), what assessment they have made of how waste that is returned to its site of origin...

    • Floods

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of climate change on the prevalance and severity of recent flooding; and what plans they have taken to review the (1)...

      Pesticides

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the legal requirements for local authorities to report their use of glyphosate and other chemical pesticides and herbicides; and what central...

      Drinking Water: Colne Valley

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure good-quality drinking water sources in the Colne Valley by 2027.

      Floods

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 30 January (HL580), whether there is a map to show the areas at (1) current, and (2) future,...

  • Home Office

    • Migrant Workers: Interpreters

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how the new points-based immigration system will accommodate public service interpreters who work on a freelance basis.

    • British Nationality: Children

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to appeal the judgment made in Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens v Home Office, issued on 19 December 2019; and if...

      Human Trafficking: Victims

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish guidance about identifying and supporting victims of human trafficking as required under section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

      Guardianship

      To ask Her Majesty's Government since 30 January 2017 what percentage of children stopped receiving support from an independent guardian because they had turned 18 years old; and how many of...

      Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 have been made in each financial year since the passing of that Act; how...

      Migrant Workers: Social Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to involve councils in decisions about reform of the immigration system in relation to the adult social care workforce.

      Electronic Surveillance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the security services are granted access to encrypted messages in exceptional circumstances.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Amazon Web Services: Government Departments

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why the G-Cloud 8 call-off contract agreed with Amazon Web Services in 2016 specified that Amazon Web Services had no liability for "direct loss, destruction,...

    • Business: Billing

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it remains their policy that any supplier who bids for a government contract worth more than £5 million per annum must demonstrate that they pay 95...

      Quintessentially

      To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whether they will publish the details of the contract between the Department for International Trade and Quintessentially, including the amounts paid to that...

      Joint Ministerial Committee

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee will take place.

      British-Irish Council

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when the next meeting of the British–Irish Council will take place.

  • Treasury

    • Erasmus+ Programme and Horizon Europe

      To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their wish to avoid a role for the Court of Justice of the EU in resolving future disputes between the UK and the EU, what form of dispute resolution...

    • Flood Control: Finance

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional capital resources they plan to make available to the Governments of (1) Wales, (2) Scotland, and (3) Northern Ireland, to fund capital...

      Floods: Wales

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional money, over and above that provided by the Barnett formula, they intend to provide to the Welsh Government for the current financial year to meet...

      Tourism: VAT

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last reviewed the case for reducing VAT on accommodation and attractions to assist the tourism industry; what conclusions they reached; and whether they...

  • The Senior Deputy Speaker

    • House of Lords: Official Hospitality

      To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what percentage of total House of Lords hospitality venue bookings were for the Home Room in the last year for which figures are available.

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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