Written answers

Gwener, 28 Hydref 2005

  • Treasury

    • Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the Department's performance in replying to correspondence from members of the public.

    • Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the Department's performance in replying to hon. Members' correspondence.

      Environmental Taxes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental taxes to inform further policy development on the Government's sustainable development...

      London Underground

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to meet the Mayor of London to discuss the renegotiation of the public-private partnership deal for the London underground; and if he will...

      Railways (Employment)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed in the rail sector in each Government region; and if he will make a statement.

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of (a) new building work and (b) refurbishment of buildings of (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department has since May 1997...

      Tax Avoidance Schemes

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake investigations into tax avoidance schemes by British arms of accountancy houses which have admitted unlawful conduct in the creation or...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those receiving child care tax credit have had an overpayment in each month since its introduction; and what assessment he...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to dealing with tax credit overpayments since the Paymaster General's statement to the...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update table 1 on cost of collection (pence per pound collected) from appendix 1, page 150 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for...

  • Wales

    • Departmental Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual spending by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on electricity use has been in each year since 1997.

    • Departmental Spending

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on items of art in 2004–05.

      EU Directives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with (a) the Welsh First Minister and (b) other Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government concerning the implementation in...

      Herceptin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects Herceptin to be available to patients in Wales for the treatment of early stage breast cancer.

      Volunteering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many volunteering positions his Department has offered in each of the last five years.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Farm Business Advice Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have used the farm business advice service, broken down by region.

    • Hill Farming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average income for a hill farmer in (a) Cumbria and (b) England has been in each year since 1997.

      Non-native Species

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in meeting the eight key recommendations contained in the 2003 review of policy on non-native...

  • Constitutional Affairs

    • Asylum and Immigration Appeals

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the immigration appeal lodged by Mr. Schneider (Ref. 189248) on 11 March 2005 will be determined and if she will make a...

    • DNA Testing

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that laboratories licensed to perform court admissible DNA tests conform to the standards...

      Electoral Registration

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will break down the number of registered electors by region.

  • Prime Minister

    • Committees (Representation)

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will list departments represented on (a) each Cabinet standing committee and (b) special or occasional committees set up in each of the last five years.

    • Prince of Wales (American Visit)

      To ask the Prime Minister whether the Prince of Wales's next visit to the United States of America is an official visit.

      Public Sector Pensions

      To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning reform of public sector pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

      Secondments

      To ask the Prime Minister how many staff in his Office are seconded from accountancy houses; and how many of his officials have worked on secondment to outside accountancy houses.

      Trident Replacement

      To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 841, in which years he expects the decision on...

  • Health

    • Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement on the operation of sections 1 to 4 of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended by section 37 of the Human Fertilisation and...

    • Abortion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what records are kept of attempted abortions which fail and where the foetus survives; (2) how many attempted abortions in the United Kingdom...

      Adverse Drug Reactions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the number of children suffering adverse reactions to off-label medicines; (2) what assessment she has made of the...

      Smoking (Asthma)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat steps she is taking to increase awareness of the effects of second-hand smoke on people with asthma.

      Blood

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the average cost per primary care trust to implement EU Directive 2002/98/EC on the traceability of blood; and what...

      Bowel Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons screening for bowel cancer in England is limited to people over the age of 60 years; and if she will extend the age range to include...

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether there are links between abortion and the incidence of breast cancer; and if she will make a statement.

      Breast Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned into the UK's success rate at treating breast cancer compared with other EU member states.

      Breast Screening

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into the provision of routine breast checks for women under 50 years of age.

      Brucella Viruses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department has taken (a) to monitor and (b) to prevent food contamination by brucella viruses; and if she will make a statement.

      Budget Deficits (Oxfordshire)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat assessment she has made of the reasons for budget deficits in primary care trusts in Oxfordshire for2005–06.

      Cancer Treatment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients with breast cancer have been referred to private hospitals for their treatment in the last five years; and how many were treated in...

      Cancer Treatment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on cancer treatment (a) waiting times and (b) targets in East Sussex in the last 10 years.

      Cancer Treatment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average waiting timesfor cancer patients (a) from diagnosis to start of treatment and (b) from urgent general...

      Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2005 Official Report, column 538W, on carbon monoxide poisoning, how many general practitioner surgeries will receive...

      Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2005, Official Report, column 538W, on carbon monoxide poisoning, what the relevant support group is in (a) north and...

      Cataract Operations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have taken place in the last two years in the threshold level on sight tests before referrals for cataract operations are made.

      Chase Farm Hospital

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure Chase Farm Hospital retains its accident and emergency department; and if she will make a statement.

      Child Cancer Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with her medical advisers about possible links between child cancer drugs and deafness.

      Child Cancer Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has made an assessment of the impact of platinum based chemotherapy drugs on deafness in...

      Childhood Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in tackling childhood obesity.

      Contraception and Abortion Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to commission research into economic evaluation strategies for contraception and abortion services.

      Critical Care Hospital (Merton)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to ensure that she does not fetter her discretion in respect of the call in by the London borough of Merton concerning the siting...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will extend the time limit for signing the new NHS dental contracts beyond 1 January 2006 to allow time for evaluation of the new contract...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ring-fence the budget for dentistry to be administered by local primary care trusts.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will reassess the budget for the provision of NHS dentistry in Portsmouth against assessed demand for dental services.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make it her policy not to implement the new contract for dentists until agreement on it is reached with the British Dental Association;...

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those dentists in (a) Portsmouth and (b) south east Hampshire who are accepting NHS patients.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average retention rate of NHS dentists within the Lancaster and Wyre constituency was in each of the past 10 years.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the impact on the registration status of existing NHS patients of the April 2006 dentistry reforms will be; and if she will make a statement.

      Dentistry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2149W, on dentistry, how many additional NHS dental patient registrations she expects the...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of employee absence in her Department have been in each year since 1997.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees have been dismissed from her Department in each of the last five years.

      Fluoridation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much has been spent by her Department on promotion of fluoridation of the water supply in each of the last five years; (2) what steps her...

      Hearing Aid Provision (Edgware Hospital)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will review the provision of services for those with hearing aids at Edgware hospital; and if she will make a statement.

      Heart Disease (Gravesham)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals in Gravesham suffer from (a) coronary heart disease, (b) stroke and (c) diabetes; and what steps are being taken to reduce the...

      HER2 Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many centres in England carry out the test for the HER2 protein; what the capacity is of each; and how much each test costs.

      HER2 Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which primary care trusts applied the HER2 test to everyone diagnosed with early breast cancer, prior to her recent announcement on HER2 testing;...

      HIV/AIDS

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in England in each of the last five years for which records are available.

      Hospital Food

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate she has made of the average amount spent on hospital food per patient per day; and what assessment she has made of whether there is...

      Hospital Treatments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat the average cost was of NHS-funded (a) orthopaedic and (b) ophthalmic procedures carried out in (i) NHS and (ii) private healthcare establishments in...

      Human Fertilisation and Embryology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the organisations and individuals consulted before the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, A Public Consultation was...

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the planned stockpiling of anti-viral avian influenza drugs to be complete.

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will update the UK influenza pandemic contingency plan to reflect the possibility that a communicable avian influenza strain may emerge in Europe,...

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for SouthCambridgeshire of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2703W, on the influenza pandemic plan, when the...

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to mental health provision in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices offer in-house appointments with a counsellor for those with mental health problems.

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner practices organise in-house training on mental health.

      Ministerial Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many air miles were accrued through departmental ministerial travel in 2004–05, broken down by Minister; how many were (a) foregone and (b)...

      MRI Unit (Edgware Hospital)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhen she expects the proposed MRI unit to be available at Edgware hospital; and if she will make a statement.

      Music Therapy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to primary care trusts on the use of music therapy; and if she will make a statement.

      NHS Logistics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the categories of products used by NHS bodies which are not currently provided by NHS Logistics; and if she will estimate (a) the value...

      NICE (Drug Approvals)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the shortest time is that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has taken to approve a drug; (2) what the shortest time is...

      Patient Forums

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs have been incurred (a) by her Department and (b) by the NHS in setting up patients forums.

      Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) paid-for and (b) free prescriptions were issued in each primary care trust in (i) Essex, (ii)Hertfordshire, (iii) inner London and (iv)...

      Primary Care Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff directly employed by Barnet primary care trust are (a) managers and (b) involved in direct patient care; and if she will make a statement.

      Primary Care Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of Barnet primary care trust's management of Edgware hospital; and if she will make a statement.

      Primary Care Trusts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions her Department has had with primary care trusts in Oxfordshire about hospital bed availability in winter 2005–06; (2) what...

      Private Members' Bills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from her Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members'...

      School Fruit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1675W, on school fruit, if she will break down the percentage of fruits sourced from (a)...

      See Me Campaign (Scotland)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the see me" campaign in Scotland.

      Sexual Health Clinics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sexual health clinics have had to turn away patients during the 2004–05 financial year.

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of premature deaths caused by smoking in the past 12 months in the Southend, West constituency; and what action...

      St. George's Hospital, Tooting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)how much NHS funding will be made available to St.George's hospital in Tooting in (a) 2005–06 and (b) 2006–07;

      Stroke

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on provision for the treatment of stroke in Coventry, South.

      Surgeons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgeons have (a) left and (b) started working in the NHS in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) inner London and (iv) Greater London in each of the...

      Tryptophan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) why the proposed limit of 220 milligrames of tryptophan per supplement capsule has been set on the basis of dividing the average therapeutic dose by...

  • Home Department

    • Biometric Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Passport Service decided the dates for its biometrics road shows; when notice of these events was given to the media; what...

    • Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme have had their compensation (a) withheld and (b) reduced due to their...

      Criminal Prosecutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) public policy test and (b) evidential test is for criminal prosecutions.

      Drug Treatment Centres (Gravesham)

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment centres there are in the Gravesend area.

      Pyramid Posters Ltd.

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons undertake work for the company Pyramid Posters Ltd. what the value of such contracts with each prison is; what the (a) start...

      Secure Training Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have been appointed to each of the secure training centres in each year since they opened; and how many have left in each year.

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether staff working in young offenders' institutions receive training on the management and identification of cases of racism following the...

      Young Offenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders were given custodial sentences in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age, (b) offence, (c) police force area...

  • Transport

    • A19

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents there have been on the A19 between Teesside and Tyneside in the last five years.

    • Carbon Dioxide Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide released by private motor vehicles in (a) 1984, (b) 1994 and (c) 2004.

      Central Milton Keynes Station

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when a decision on the upgrading of the platform at Central Milton Keynes train station is expected.

      Crossrail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he expects the re-routing of the high pressure gas main from its planned route as part of the Crossrail works at Romford to increase the cost...

      Crossrail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have been employed on the Crossrail project in each year since the project began; and what estimate he has made of the costs of...

      Funding Allocations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards basing transport funding allocations on economic development outcomes.

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the North Circular Road between the Lea Valley and Wembley will be designated as part of the Olympic Route Network.

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the statistics for train punctuality are collected and compiled.

      Temporarily Disabled Drivers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made in preparing draft regulations to allow the issuing of temporary badges for drivers with a temporary mobility...

      Transport Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transport projects his Department is planning for (a) the Hartlepool constituency, (b) the Tees Valley sub-region and (c) the North East region.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Bank Accounts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what safeguards are in place for people on benefits to protect the confidential nature of their personal bank accounts.

    • Benefit Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance targets have been set in relation to benefit fraud investigations being undertaken in a prompt and efficient manner.

      Council Tax Rebate (Pensioners)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what basis it was decided that the £200 council tax rebate to pensioner households announced in the budget was not to be paid to female...

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1198W, on disability living allowance, what proportion of people awarded...

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of disability living allowance claimants were in work in February, broken down by receipt of the (a) higher rate mobility...

      Employment Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2484W, on employment targets, when he expects to set the baseline.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what policies have been introduced to simplify the process of claiming incapacity benefit.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed incapacity benefit in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham in each year since 1997.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money has been claimed as incapacity benefit in Scotland since 2001.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 2016W, on incapacity benefit, what proportion of the 29,000 people who left...

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Gravesham constituency are in receipt of incapacity benefit.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are waiting to receive incapacity benefits in (a) Gravesham and (b) Kent.

      Income Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the revenue yield would be of restricting payments of lone parent income support to those with children below the age of 12; and if he...

      Industrial Disease RbA12

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend industrial disease RbA12 to include frequent and repeated movements of hand and wrist as a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome.

      New Deal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions how many people in Gravesham have gained employment through the New Deal programme.

      Pathways to Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefit have failed to attend their first work focused interview in each of the pathways to work pilot areas; and...

      Pathways to Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefit have participated on the Pathways to Work pilots (a) in total and (b) each month; what the average...

      Pathways to Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have left incapacity benefit since October 2003 in (a) the UK and (b) pathways towork pilot areas to (i) enter paid work, (ii)...

      Pathways to Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with mental health problems on incapacity benefit have participated in the Pathways to Work pilots; and how many have entered...

      Pathways to Work

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) taken part in an incapacity benefit Pathways to Work pilot and (b) obtained a sustained (i) part-time and (ii)...

      Pensioners (Benefits/Assistance)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the Kettering constituency received (a) the Christmas bonus, (b) the over 80s age top up and (c) winter fuel payments in...

      Pensioners (Benefits/Assistance)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how many pensioners failed to apply for each of the benefits administered by his Department to which they are...

      Pensioners (Benefits/Assistance)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance the Government have given to pensioners since 1997.

      Savings Credit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the revenue yield foreach of the next 20 years from ending all new claimsforsavings credit beyond January 2006, while...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Civil Service

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish the Government's response to Sir Patrick Brown's recommendations on reforms to the business appointment rules for civil...

    • Gershon Review

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Cabinet...

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who in the Cabinet Office has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Digital Switchover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance she plans to provide for vulnerable groups in the move towards digital switchover.

    • London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of local businesses in the construction and development of the stadiums for the...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms will be put in place to avoid (a) overspend and (b) construction delays on stadia for the 2012 London Olympics; and if...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 715W, on the London Olympics, whether companies involved in supplying...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 715W, on the London Olympics, how the procurement strategy will deal...

      London Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact on Haringey of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

      Sport England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 1010W, on Sport England, if she will ask the British Weightlifting...

      Stolen Antiquities (Iraq)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture,Media and Sport what steps her Department istaking to help trace antiquities that were stolen from the Iraq National Museum; and if she will make a statement.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Business Premises (Revaluation)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects the appeals on the revaluation of business premises of 2000 to be completed; and when he expects appeals for the 2005 revaluation to start.

    • Pathfinder Renewal Project

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the administrative costs of each Pathfinder Renewal project were in each year of its operation; and how much is planned for 2005–06.

      Regeneration (Tooting)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Department on regeneration projects in the constituency of Tooting in each year since 1997.

      Tees Valley Coastal Arc

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what types of development the designation of Redcar as part of the Tees Valley Coastal Arc is intended to (a) encourage and (b) discourage.

  • Leader of the House

    • Members' Pensions

      To ask the Leader of the House what the level of employer contribution is to the pension scheme of Members of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

  • Defence

    • Afghanistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his (a) French and (b) German counterparts about US involvement in future operations in Afghanistan.

    • Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has undertaken of the prevalence of bullying in the Army; how many disciplinary actions for bullying there were in the (a) Army, (b)...

      Civilian Service Personnel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he expects the target reduction for civilian service personnel of April 2006 to be reached by (a) natural wastage and (b) redundancies.

      Eskopi Garrison, Cyprus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to reduce (a) illegal drug-taking and (b) excessive drinking amongst British soldiers posted abroad over the last 12 months, with...

      F15 Accident

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the full report of the board of inquiry into the USAF F15 accident in Scotland on 26 March 2001.

      F15 Accident

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the board of inquiry into the USAF F15 accident in Scotland on 26 March 2001 was commenced; when it was completed; and what the reason was for the...

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by...

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

      King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1052W, if he will list those consulted over the new name of the King's, Lancashire and...

      King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many letters of opposition were submitted in response to consultation on the new name of the King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment.

      Military Records

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will transfer to Scotland the index cards comprising First World War Scottish military records, with particular reference to those held at Hayes...

      Opinion Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) subject matter and (b) dates were of opinion survey research undertaken by the Department and its agencies in the last 12 months; if he will...

      Territorial Army

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army centres are in the constituency of Hemel Hempstead; what plans he has to open further such centres; and if he will make a statement.

  • Education and Skills

  • International Development

    • Darfur

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Darfur; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the activities of...

    • Developing Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to prevent British companies (a) engaging in and (b) assisting corrupt practices in developing...

      Developing Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department decides how much money to allocate to each developing country; and if he will make a statement.

      Economic Partnership Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many economic partnership agreements have been concluded; and with which countries.

      Governance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria the Department uses to assess the quality of governance in the countries in which it works.

      Governance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list all the countries in which the Department works, ranked in order of the quality of their governance.

      Governance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Department is taking to use development aid (a) to reward and (b) to create incentives for good government in the...

      Governance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Department is taking to use development aid (a) to penalise and (b) to create disincentives for bad Government in the...

      Low-income Countries

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department (a) is providing and (b) intends to provide for the implementation of anti-corruption measures in...

      Non-departmental Public Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required (a) to consult...

      Non-departmental Public Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; which (a) publish their advice...

      Non-departmental Public Bodies

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public...

      Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department decides how much money to allocate to different projects within each country; and if he will make a statement.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the overseas projects funded by his Department, ranked in order of their impact on poverty.

      Poorly Performing Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding was (a) reduced for relatively poor performing projects and (b) increased for more effective projects in each of the...

      Poverty Reduction

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department measures the relative performance of the projects it funds in terms of their effectiveness in reducing poverty.

      Reproductive Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what aid his Department has provided to reproductive health commodities in each year since 2000–01; (2) what aid his...

      TB Control

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total UK Government expenditure on TB control in developing countries was between 2001 and 2004; what the proposed expenditure...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Armenian Massacres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government recognise the Armenian massacres of 1916–23 as genocide.

    • Bangladesh

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have been held with the Government of Bangladesh on human rights; and if he will make a statement.

      China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when negotiations were commenced with China about the next state visit of the President of China.

      Darfur

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the UN and (b) the African Union bearing down on the activities of militia groups in...

      Darfur

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the International Criminal Court concerning its pursuance of individuals in (a) Darfur and (b)...

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department.

      EU Constitution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is towards the undertaking of preparatory work in anticipation of the ratification of the EU...

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives...

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

      Liberia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) transparency and (b) legitimacy of the recent election in Liberia.

      Prince of Wales (United States Visit)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Government officials and (b) diplomatic service staff will accompany the Prince of Wales (i) throughout and (ii) for a...

      Torture (Interrogation Methods)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to discourage the use of torture as an interrogation method in overseas countries.

      Western Sahara

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of the Government on MINURSO, in Western Sahara.

  • Northern Ireland

    • Adoption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support services are available for adopted children and their new families, with particular reference to children with psychological and...

    • Alternative Fuels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to increase the use of alternative fuels in Northern Ireland.

      Asbestos

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take action to stop the (a) disposal of and (b) handling of asbestos waste at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin.

      Assaults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been convicted of assaulting their partner in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

      Assets Recovery Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases were (a) investigated, (b) successfully concluded, (c) closed without action and (d) under investigation by the Assets Recovery...

      Benefit Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Housing Executive tenants are in receipt of (a) disability living allowance benefits, (b) incapacity benefit, (c)...

      Cardiology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in cardiac care there are in Northern Ireland hospitals.

      Cardiology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in cardiac care there are in (i) Antrim AreaHospital, (ii) Royal Victoria Hospital, (iii) the...

      Ccea

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Department for Education plans to publish the conclusions of the evaluation by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and...

      Child Support Agency Management Board

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been promoted to the Child Support Agency Management Board in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and what...

      Clinical Academics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in the number of clinical academics teaching medical students in the Province has been in the last 10 years.

      Crime Statistics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many young people of school age were found guilty of committing a crime in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland in each of...

      Departmental Estate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total floor space area is of buildings (a) owned and (b) leased by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each year since 2001–02.

      Departmental Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in each financial year since 2001.

      Departmental Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for NorthernIreland what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

      Departmental Stationery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what measures he has put in place to ensure that his Department meets the targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural...

      Departmental Stationery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports, stating in each...

      Diamorphine Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drug addicts were prescribed diamorphine in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by health board or trust.

      Diamorphine Prescriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have licences to prescribe diamorphine.

      Disability Living Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland (a) claimed and (b) received disability living allowance payments in each of the last five years.

      Dispersal Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dispersal orders have been made under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 in Northern Ireland.

      Doctors

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many doctors in Northern Ireland are unemployed; and how many vacancies there are for doctors in the NHS.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government plan to take to increase protection for victims of domestic violence.

      Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have (a) a full driving licence and (b) a provisional driving licence in Northern Ireland.

      Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) men and (b) women over the age of 70 years hold driving licences in Northern Ireland.

      Eal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will meet teachers of English as an Additional Language (EAL) to discuss the development of an EAL policy for Northern Ireland; and if he...

      Education and Library Boards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many education and library boards have yet to submit finalised accounts for the 2004–05 financial year.

      Education and Library Boards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance is given to education and library boards in respect of bills received after theend of the financial year that occurred during that...

      Education and Library Boards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long after the financial year has ended education boards are required to adjust accounts for payments incurred in that financial year.

      Electoral Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many successful prosecutions were made against heads of household for electoral fraud in each of the past 20 years.

      Fire Fatalities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fatalities in Northern Ireland have been attributed to fires in each of the past five years.

      Football Banning Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many football supporters in Northern Ireland are subject to football banning orderspreventing travel to football matches outside the UK.

      Global Point

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the first buildings to be erected at Global Point, Newtownabbey.

      Green Ministers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what (a) work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last three months and (b) meetings the Green Minister has attended in...

      Health Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the health expenditure per head of population in Northern Ireland has been in each year since 2000.

      Household Insurance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of households in each region were without household insurance in the most recent year for which figures are...

      Illegal Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of illegal cross-border waste disposal have been identified in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland claimed incapacity benefits in each of the last five years.

      Looked After Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were in public care in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by age and sex.

      Low Birth Weight Babies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many low birth weighte babies there were in each region in the most recent year in which figures are available expressed as (a) a percentage...

      Lupus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were diagnosed with lupus in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.

      M2

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to alleviate congestion on the M2 out of Sandyknowles.

      NHS Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate has been made of the cost to the NHS of the failure to return equipment loaned to patients in the last two years.

      Northern Bank Robbery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent assessment is of whether the Provisional IRA carried out the Northern Bank robbery.

      Orthodontics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what orthodontic treatment is available on the NHS to the people of Northern Ireland; and what the charges are for each type of treatment.

      Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the draft retail planning policy document; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the delay in its publication.

      Police Transport

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) cars, (b) vans, (c) motor cycles and (d) bicycles are operated in each police division in Northern Ireland.

      Prisoner Releases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners were released on temporary licence in the last year for which figures are available; on how many occasions; for what purpose;...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of prison sentences in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004 were for (i) six months or less and (ii) three months or less.

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions people have been caught smuggling narcotics into prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were caught with narcotics while serving prison sentences in each of the last 10 years.

      Private Members' Bills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from his Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to...

      Pupil-teacher Ratio

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the pupil/teacher ratio was in Northern Ireland's (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) grammar schools in each of the past four years.

      Rented Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much private sector rented accommodation is available in Northern Ireland, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

      Road Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advertising campaigns relating to (a) drink driving and (b) speed reduction have been planned for the Christmas and new year periods in...

      Road Tax Detection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been caught byroad tax detection devices in each of the last three years.

      School Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek to legislate to limit thenumber of pupils travelling on school buses to the number of seats fitted on each bus.

      School Buses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on seat belts in school buses.

      Secondary Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications there have been to open integrated (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland this year; and what the...

      Social Workers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many social workers have been recruited in each trust area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

      Special Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average funding per pupil was for children in special schools in each of the last five years, broken down by education board.

      Suicides

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suicides there were in each region in the most recent year for which figures are available by young people aged 15 to 24, broken down...

      Surplus School Places

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library details of the methodology used by the Department of Education Northern Ireland to determine the number of...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been identified as the most significant sustainable development impacts in relation to the operation of his Department's estate.

      Tor Bank Special School

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress with completion of capital works at Tor Bank Special school in Dundonald; how the amount of finance...

      Tor Bank Special School

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the replacement of Tor Bank special needs school is expected to commence; and if he will make a statement.

      Waste Management

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of (a) the performance of each council in Northern Ireland in waste management and (b) whether they are on course to...

      Workplace Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees in local government have been victims of offences of violence at work in each of the last five years.

Beth yw hwn?

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.

Hydref 2005
Llun Maw Mer Iau Gwe Sad Sul
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