Written answers

Mercher, 16 Tachwedd 2005

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Aviation Emissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is being taken to reduce emissions from aviation.

    • Climate Change

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to co-ordinate Government work on climate change.

      PFI Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that private finance initiative projects for which her Department is responsible...

      Warm Front Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average waiting time is for a Warm Front applicant for a central heating system from assessment to installation.

      Warm Front Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors are taken into account when determining an application for a replacement heating system through the Warm Front...

  • Transport

    • Air Passenger Insurance/Levy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the additional cost per passenger of (a) passenger insurance and (b) the £1 levy per flight proposed by the Civil...

    • Air Traffic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many aircraft flying into UK airspace the National Air Traffic Control Service computer processes in an average (a) day, (b) month and (c) year.

      Air Traffic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the time is of the (a) first and (b) last flights from Heathrow airport over-flying Molesey each day; (2) what the volume of air traffic...

      British Transport Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many members of the British Transport Police are due to retire or step down in the next (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

      Classic Aircraft (Insurance)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of recent regulatory change on insurance costs for classic aircraft.

      Commercial Aviation (Duty Hours)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Civil Aviation Authority has (a) issued warnings to and (b) made findings against (i) pilots and (ii) flight crew in respect...

      Commercial Aviation (Duty Hours)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual limit is for duty hours for commercial aviation (a) pilots and (b) flight crew under the EU Flight Time Limitations.

      Departmental Estate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the buildings owned by his Department; and what the purpose is of each one.

      Departmental Staff (Literacy and Numeracy)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of his Department.

      Departmental Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many targets have been set in each year since 1997 by the Department; and which have been (a) met, (b) nearly met, (c) not met, (d) changed and (e)...

      Fuel Efficiency Labels

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are taken to ensure that fuel efficiency labels produced in accordance with European Directive 1999/94/EC accurately reflect vehicle carbon...

      Gershon Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the Department is implementing the recommendations of the Gershon Review; and what savings have been made as a result.

      Humber Bridge

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the amount of debt on the Humber Bridge was in each year since its opening; and what rate of interest was paid on the debt in each year.

      Light Rail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of light rail.

      Light Rail

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of light rail systems in (a) Manchester and (b) Birmingham in terms of (i) economic and (ii)...

      Local Transport Plans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have set targets for the overall level of road traffic in their area as part of their full local transport plans in each year...

      M1

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent information he has received on pollution levels in residential areas near the M1 motorway in Twisley, Sheffield; what assessment he has...

      M1

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will introduce proposals to construct a filter slip lane on the exit from the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway at junction 21 to...

      Major Improvement Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of funds in the current spending review period are allocated to (a) railways, (b) major transport projects in London, including rail...

      Mobile Phone Theft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many mobile phones were stolen on the rail network in the past (a) 12 months, (b) two years and (c) five years.

      Motorway Repairs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance on good practice he has issued to (a) Highways Agency staff and (b) motorway police on closing lanes when members of the public have to...

      Motorway Repairs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities have occurred due to motorists having stopped on motorway hard shoulders (a) through breakdown and (b) for other reasons in each of...

      National Port Traffic

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many 20ft equivalent units (TEUs) were (a) imported and (b) exported through the UK's 10 busiest ports in 2004–05; what percentage of each...

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce his decision on the proposed train service changes along the Hastings to London Victoria line.

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a new strategic north-south rail link.

      Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the impact of increasing penalty fares on the railways to £20 earlier this year.

      Regional Transport Funding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding has been allocated for regional transport funding by each regional government office in each year since 1997–98; and how much is...

      Road Gritting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the average number of days on which road gritting took place on motorways and trunk roads in each year since 2000.

      Safest Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which (a) vehicle and (b) vehicle type has had the lowest (i) death and (ii) injury rates among drivers and passengers in the UK since 1985.

      School Crossing Patrols

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many school crossing patrols there were in West Sussex in (a) 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

      Speed Cameras

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the revenue from fines resulting from speed camera convictions in Wiltshire in the latest year for which figures are available; and what sums...

      Speed Cameras

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the revenue from fines resulting from speed camera convictions in Staffordshire was in the last year for which figures are available; and what...

      Taxicard Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many taxicard schemes operate in England; and how much central funding was allocated to such schemes for 2005–06.

      Taxis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) drivers and (b) passengers have been killed or injured in (i) purpose-built and (ii) converted van type taxis since 1985.

      Traffic Calming Measures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned on the impact on local residents' journey times of traffic calming measures to eliminate rat-runs, with particular...

      Train Operating Companies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether franchisees are supervised by the Office of Rail Regulation in relation to the number of carriages provided on peak time services.

      US Civil Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records are maintained of US civil registered aircraft landing at UK airports.

      US Civil Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what records are maintained of US civil registered planes landing at UK (a) public airports and (b) military airfields.

  • Treasury

    • Civil Service Jobs

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2005, Official Report, column 981W, on civil service jobs, if he will break down the reduced civil service posts by (a)...

    • Council Tax

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated change in an average annual council tax bill is for the next taxation year.

      Excess Winter Deaths

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths of people aged over 65 years there have been in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each year since 1997; and...

      International Companies

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's revenue receipts from international companies operating in the UK have been in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of...

      Local Government

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to increase local government finances.

      Public Service Pensions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to Table 5.1 of the HM Treasury report of December 2004 long-term public finance report: an analysis of fiscal sustainability; what the...

      Tax Credits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the tax credits MPs' hotline is able to make outgoing calls on request to contact constituents of hon. Members who are suffering problems with their...

      VAT (Care Services)

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make it his policy to exempt people with a disability from VAT charges on social care services they receive from private or not-for-profit...

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces Personnel (Kettering)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 103W, on Territorial Army (Kettering), what the locations are of the units listed.

    • Deepcut Review

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he published Joint Service Publication 751; if he will make this document available to Nicholas Blake QC for use in the Deepcut Review; and...

      Departmental Spending

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1260W, on departmental spending, if he will itemise the works of art bought in...

      Drug Misuse (Armed Forces)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department collects on the use of illegal recreational drugs by service personnel; and how many disciplinary cases arising from drug...

      Defence Transport and Movements Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Defence Transport and Movements Agency (DTMA) annual report and accounts 2004–05, if he will make a statement on the DTMA's (a)...

      Incremental Companies (Army)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incremental companies there are in the British Army; and to which units each Incremental Company is attached.

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether British Army commanders serving in Basra recently asked for extra troops; and if he will make a statement; (2) whether Lieutenant Colonel...

      Munitions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces (a) guns and (b) other weapons have been recorded as (i) lost, (ii) stolen and (iii) missing in each year since 1997.

      Nuclear Waste (Storage)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total volume of nuclear waste produced and requiring storage by (a) his Department and (b) military installations was in each year since 1990,...

  • International Development

    • Asian Earthquake

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of Government funding pledged for the Asia earthquake will be spent on education initiatives.

    • Asian Earthquake

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total amount of aid given to (a) the Pakistan Government and (b) aid agencies has been following the earthquake of 8 October;...

      Call Centres

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to...

      Commission for Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times the Commission for Africa has met this year.

      Commission for Africa

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many countries are members of the Commission for Africa.

      Departmental Budgetary Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries have been provided with direct budgetary support by his Department; and what the allocation for each country through...

      Guatemala

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian assistance provided to Guatemala after hurricane Stan.

      India (Floods)

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the Government have allocated to relief for the flooded Mumbai province in India.

      South Asian Tsunami

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding each of the G8 nations has (a) pledged, (b) committed and (c) spent on the relief effort in countries affected by the...

      South Asian Tsunami

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of post-tsunami British aid to the Sri Lankan Government has been spent; and if he will make a statement.

      Tibet

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects of the building of the Gormo-Lhasa railway on the culture of Tibet.

      Trade Justice

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to move the focus of international development from free trade to trade justice.

      Water and Sanitation (Funding)

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to increase the resources allocated to water and sanitation by the infrastructure plans of the Africa...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • 2012 Olympics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will meet the Scottish Executive to discuss putting a case to the International Olympic Committee for a separate Scottish team...

    • London Development Agency (Tenders)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the London Development Agency (LDA) about the tendering process for Olympic projects; and if she will...

      Lottery Funding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much national lottery funding has been directed towards asylum-seeker groups in each year since 1997.

      Olympic Park

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the likely number of visitors to the Olympic Park for the 2012 games.

      Olympic Park

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of visitors to the 2012 games Olympic Park are expected to use (a) private and (b) public transport.

      Olympic Park

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what land is planned to be used for car parking for the 2012 games Olympic Park.

      Olympic Park

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many car parking spaces will be made available for spectators going to the 2012 games in the Olympic Park.

      Sport England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding Sport England has allocated to areas of health inequalities in each of the last two financial years; and if she will...

      Staff Discipline

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees have been dismissed by her Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Carers Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will reform the policy whereby widows under retirement age, unable to work because of carer's responsibilities and in receipt of a...

    • Child Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what statutory obligations there are on non-resident parents who have been assessed for Child Support Agency maintenance to inform the Agency...

      Council Tax Rebate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what mechanism those not claiming pension credit will be able to claim the £200 council tax rebate.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the aims and purposes of the Child Support Agency.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on Government plans to reduce the complexity of Child Support Agency maintenance calculations.

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken in response to the recommendation in the Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No. 243 that all disabled...

      Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has received on the impact of the single room rent restriction on (a) homelessness and (b) poverty among...

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there were in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) Wantage constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2005.

      Incapacity Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time spent on incapacity benefit in (a) pathways to work areas and (b) the UK excluding pathways to work pilots was in each...

      Rachel Scully (Pension)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the Retirement Pension Forecast team will supply Rachel Scully, a constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead, with a forecast which takes...

  • Cabinet Office

    • Consultants/Special Advisers

      To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) consultants and (b) special advisers were employed by his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of each was in each year;...

  • Home Department

    • Alcohol Sales

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he had with (a) the Department of Trade and Industry and (b) major supermarket chains about a possible link between...

    • Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Afhram Hasen reference A1108602 will receive notification of his immigration status.

      Asylum/Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Joseph Grant reference G11116730 will receive notification of his immigration status following the letter of 15 September to the hon....

      British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British passports have been processed for each of the British overseas territories (a) in 2005 to date and (b) in each of the last...

      Carbon Management Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department will sign up to the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management programme.

      Central European Time

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of the United Kingdom moving to Central European Time; and if he will...

      Missing Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in establishing a nationwide child rescue alert scheme to promote early notification of missing children.

      Farj Hassan Faraj

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he was informed by the Italian authorities of the relevant deadlines relating to the extradition request of Farj Hassan Faraj; (2)...

      Feltham Young Offenders Institution

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total complement of permanent staff is in Feltham Young Offenders Institution; broken down by (a) juvenile and (b) young offender...

      Forensic Science Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of the work structuring project undertaken by the Forensic Science Service in response to the 7th...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the role of biometric identifiers is in the solutions being considered for remote authentication for the proposed identity card scheme;...

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what preparations have been made to recruit staff in anticipation of the introduction of identity cards.

      Identity Cards

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the results of the identity card authentication pilot study undertaken by the Criminal Records Bureau and...

      Licensing Act 1964

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted under (i) section 172, (ii) section 172A and (iii) section 173 of the Licensing Act...

      Nottinghamshire Police

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects (a) to receive and (b) to publish HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's report into Nottinghamshire police's response to serious...

      Religiously Offensive Material

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of recently introduced legislation in dealing with religiously offensive material; and if he...

      Sex Crimes

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list organisations which have received funding from his Department to help individuals who claim to have been falsely accused of...

      Sex Crimes

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding sentencing of sexual offenders.

      Sex Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many women he estimates to be working illegally in the sex industry in (a) Brent, (b) London and (c) England; and what proportion...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Anthrax Sales (Iraq)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council following the breach of the biological and toxic...

    • Azerbaijan

      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 elections in Azerbaijan.

      Burundi

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the recent government elections in Burundi were free and fair; and if he will make a...

      China

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met non-governmental organisations working on human rights in (a) China and (b) Tibet.

      Ethiopia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the recent elections in Ethiopia were free and fair.

      Ethiopia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Ethiopia regarding the recent political unrest there.

      EU Enlargement (Illegal Trafficking)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the prerequisites for countries to qualify for EU membership with respect to combating illegal...

      European Union (Opt-outs)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many opt-outs the Government have given up at EU level since May 1997; and if he will list them.

      Indonesia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of Christians in Indonesia, with particular reference to the case of three...

      Ivory Coast

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports that the Ivory Coast is recruiting child soldiers from Liberia; and what representations...

      Kurdistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the (a) nature and (b) policy underlying UK involvement in ECJ case C0229/05, on certain...

      Ministerial Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the additional cost of (a) his and (b) his officials' early return from Moscow to permit him to vote in the proceedings...

      Ministerial Travel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much it cost (a) him and (b) officials from his Department to fly to and from Russia for his recent visit; (2) what...

      Piracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports of British citizens being victims of criminal incidents on the high seas (a) off the coast of Africa and (b)...

      Piracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many incidents of piracy involving British citizens have been reported to his Department in each of the last five years.

      Piracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department has issued on the risk of (a) piracy and (b) other crime at sea.

      Romania/Bulgaria (EU Membership)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria need to meet to join the EU; what is his assessment of whether (i) Romania and (ii)...

      Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has held with the Russian Government regarding Russia's possible entry to the EU.

      Senegal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Senegal (a) bilaterally and (b) representing the EU under the UK...

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Somalia.

      Somalia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had about political developments in Somalia.

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of a split in the ranks of the Sudan Liberation Army on the potential for peace...

      Sudan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on recent attacks on World Food Programme convoys near Nyala, Darfur; (2) what assessment he...

      Tanzania

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Tanzania regarding the recent political unrest in Zanzibar.

      Tanzania

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Tanzania regarding its support for President Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe.

      Thailand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent political unrest in the Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces of Thailand.

      UK Expatriates (Spain)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Spain about the costs of providing healthcare to UK expatriates; and if he...

      United States (Prince of Wales's Visit)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 636W, on HRH Prince of Wales (US visit), what the (a) job...

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • House Building (Barnet)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on house-building and development in the London borough of Barnet.

    • House Building (Barnet)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the additional infrastructure that will be required to support extra house-building in Taunton Deane.

      House Building (Barnet)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the infrastructure improvements required to meet his house-building targets in the South East.

      House Building (Barnet)

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will link new house-building targets to improvements in infrastructure.

      Housing Corporation Funding

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which private developers can bid for Housing Corporation funding previously reserved for social landlords.

      Regional Spatial Strategies

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the level of consultation being undertaken in connection with regional spatial strategies.

      Damages

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the 10 largest amounts of damages paid out by his office in the last year for which figures are available, indicating in each case the nature of...

      Green Belt

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how much land changing to residential use was within (a) the designated green belt and (b) greenfield land, in each year since 1997, broken down by region;...

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the time scale is for the announcement of the local authority rate support grant settlement for 2006–07; and if he will make a statement.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place copies of (a) international comparative research by the London School of Economics and Cardiff University on local government finance, (b) public...

      London Development Agency

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total borrowing limit is for the London Development Agency.

      Markets

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations his Department has received about the proposed redevelopment of the old Smithfield Market.

      Public Service Agreements

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) benchmarks and (b) indicators the Government will use to assess their public service agreement target to improve (i) the effectiveness and efficiency of...

      Regional Transport

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the process by which regional transport funding is allocated by regional Government offices.

      Sex Offenders

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 340W on sex offenders, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on councillors' duties in...

  • Education and Skills

    • Adult Learning Inspectorate

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of the adult learning inspectorate in 2005–06 is.

    • Basic Skills Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools have been awarded a quality mark by the Basic Skills Agency.

      Cafcass

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many (a) private and (b) public law cases remained unallocated in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on 13...

      Children (Parental Access)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what research her Department has undertaken of (a) contact between absent parents and their children and (b) the impact on children of...

      Citizenship

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of initial teacher training of teachers of citizenship; and if she will make a statement.

      Connexions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual budget of Connexions has been in each year that it has been running; and what the budget of the pre-Connexions career...

      Deaf and Hard of Hearing Pupils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has commissioned on academic achievements of deaf and hard of hearing pupils in (a) mainstream schools and (b) special...

      Education (Tamworth)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) full-time equivalent teaching posts there were in schools in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997.

      Education (Tamworth)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places were available in each of the past 10 years in Tamworth constituency.

      Failing Schools

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the schools which (a) are failing and (b) have been judged to be failing for more than three years; on what date each was...

      Family Resolutions Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many parents have taken part in the Family Resolutions pilot project to date; and how many have accepted mediation services as...

      Graduation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students who gained university places through clearing went on to graduate between 2001 and 2005.

      Learners (Accidents)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many accidents have been recorded as occurring to Learning and Skills Council funded learners in each year since 2001 broken down by (a)...

      Departmental Staff (Literacy/Numeracy)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department has spent on literacy and numeracy teaching for departmental staff in each of the last five years for which figures...

      Medical Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the average debt of a medical student upon qualification in each year since 1997–98.

      Medical Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether graduate medical students will be permitted to pay their tuition fees following qualification.

      Missing Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have gone missing in each of the last five years.

      Public Service Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to ensure the public service agreement target to reduce the under-18 conception rate by 2010 is met.

      Public Service Agreements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will assess progress on the public service agreement target to reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment...

      School Work (Marking)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research has been conducted by her Department into possible links between the marking of school work and child self-esteem.

      Strategic Subjects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) for what reason she has decided not to allocate the funding of £22 million for protecting strategic subjects to centres of...

      Sure Start

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been allocated for the evaluation of Sure Start; and when she expects to publish the results.

      Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department has taken to persuade teachers who have left the profession to return.

      Under-achievement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of the 50 per cent. university admission target upon the educational...

      Union Learning Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes in funding to the Union Learning Fund are proposed as a result of Priorities for Success.

      University Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent (a) discussions and (b) correspondence she has had with universities on ensuring that the increased funding for teaching...

      Youth Work Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure accountability of voluntary and community sector (VCS) run youth work projects under the new youth...

  • Solicitor-General

    • Arms Embargoes

      To ask the Solicitor-General what considerations are taken into account by the Crown Prosecution Service when assessing whether sufficient evidence has been assembled in order to prosecute...

    • Body Identification

      To ask the Solicitor-General what recent discussions he has had with pathologists, forensic scientists and the National Missing Persons Helpline on liaison they undertake in connection with...

      Literacy and Numeracy

      To ask the Solicitor-General what proportion of new recruits to his Department do not have a Level 2 qualification in English and mathematics.

  • Scotland

    • Departmental Staff (Literacy and Numeracy)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of new recruits to his Department do not have a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics.

    • Departmental Staff (Literacy and Numeracy)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of his Department.

      Departmental Staff (Literacy and Numeracy)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on in-house training on (a) literacy and (b) numeracy (i) in total and (ii) per head, in each year since 2002.

      Scottish Consolidated Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what dates in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 payments have been made by the UK Government (i) into the Scottish consolidated fund and (ii)...

      Scottish Consolidated Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much and what percentage of the Scottish block of the Scottish Consolidated Fund has been transferred to the Scottish Executive in 2005–06;...

      Labour Statistics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland have been economically inactive in each year since 1997.

      Literacy and Numeracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many employees in his Department requested training to improve their (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills in each year since 2002.

      Literacy and Numeracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy amongst employees of his Department.

      Scottish Parliament (Election)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the rules for the election to the Scottish Parliament that will take place in 2007; and if he will...

      UK Ambassador to the Holy See

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Foreign Office about the advertisement and recruiting procedure in relation to Scotland for the post of UK...

  • Health

    • Health Outside Hospitals"

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the tender for the contract to run the consultation on the Health Outside Hospitals" White Paper was published in the Official Journal of the...

    • Accident and Emergency Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general hospitals offer 24 hour a day, seven days a week acute services in England; how many are planned to offer these services in...

      Acute Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospitals have provided consultant-led maternity facilities in each year since 1990.

      Alcohol-related Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many alcohol-related admissions there were to Hemel Hempstead hospital in each year since 1997; (2) what percentage of attendances at accident...

      BCG Vaccination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2005, Official Report, column 165W, on BCG vaccinations, what guidance she has issued to primary care trusts to make...

      Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to develop wards specifically for young cancer patients.

      Carbon Monoxide

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (b) Ofgem, (c) the Health and Safety Commission and (d) CORGI...

      Cochlear Implants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) children and (b) adults are awaiting cochlear implants in each region of England; what projections have been made for the number of...

      Equal Pay Claims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of equal pay claims in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS trust.

      Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria she used to assess the suitability of the candidates before she appointed (a) the chairman and (b) the non-executive directors of the West...

      Community Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to monitor the number of intermediate care bed places in the community hospitals sector.

      Contraception

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on free contraception for women in each year since 1997.

      Dacorum Primary Care Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what her latest estimate is of the outturn against planned expenditure in 2005–06 of Dacorum Primary Care Trust; (2) if she will make a...

      Fibromyalgia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each...

      Fluoride

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether there is a link between fluoride and bone cancer; and if she will make a statement.

      Food Standards Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she intends to accept the advice to Ministers agreed by the Board of the Food Standards Agency at their board meeting on 15 September in relation...

      Healthcare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to (a) upgrade Clacton Hospital and (b) improve local health care provision in Clacton and Holland-on-Sea.

      Healthcare

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the merits of contestability in the provision of healthcare in Hertfordshire.

      Herceptin

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will take steps to make additional funding available to primary care trusts to enable them to fund the prescription of Herceptin for early...

      Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire NHS Ambulance Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to re-structure the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire NHS Ambulance Trust.

      Hospital Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to improve the level of care in hospitals on (a) geriatric and (b) accident and emergency wards.

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are eligible for a free influenza vaccination.

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances persons under the age of 65 years are given influenza vaccinations; whether they are available to anyone under the age of 65...

      Influenza

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of influenza vaccine are available in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England.

      Meals on Wheels (Leeds)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meals on wheels were distributed in Leeds North West in each year since 1997; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Fair...

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged five to 16 years in Hemel Hempstead have a clinically diagnosed mental disorder.

      Mental Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to (a) preventive and (b) early intervention services for children's mental health disorders in Hemel Hempstead...

      Mixed Sex Wards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken by her Department to phase out mixed sex wards in hospitals; (2) when she expects the phasing out of mixed sex wards in...

      Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers are employed by Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust.

      Neurological Conditions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received regarding the treatment of neurological conditions; (2) what steps are being taken by her Department to...

      NHS Professionals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Guildford and Waverley primary care trust about the implementation of NHS Professionals.

      NHS Staff (Assaults)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many assaults have been committed against NHS workers while on duty in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each year since 1997.

      Nursing Homes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what encouragement is given to nursing homes to provide residents with activities to help stimulate the mind; and if she will make a statement.

      Opthalmic Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the progress made by the General Ophthalmic Services in England towards providing patients with choice as described in The...

      PCT Deficits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether repayments of deficits of primary care trusts brought forward from 2004–05 will affect the level of the 2005–06 settlement; and if she...

      Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision her Department has made for veterans suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

      Psychiatric Hospitals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the security of psychiatric hospitals in England; and what steps she is taking to improve the security of such hospitals.

      Renal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken by her Department to improve access to local renal services, with particular reference to dialysis.

      Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (Car Park)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to enable the Royal Shrewsbury hospital to stop charging patients for using the car park.

      Skin Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she will take to increase awareness of the risks of skin cancer.

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to help adults stop smoking.

      Smoking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the Government plans to publish the responses received during the consultation on the smokefree elements of the Health Bill; (2) whether the...

      Vacuum-assisted Closure Machines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received regarding the use of vacuum-assisted closure machines in the treatment of pressure ulcers; (2) what...

      Volunteers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the Department has given to (a) directly managed hospitals and (b) foundation trusts on the replacement of staff with volunteers; and what...

      Working Time Directive

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the application of the EU Working Time Directive to the medical work force has increased the minimum catchments for acute services; and if she...

  • Northern Ireland

    • Assaults

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been convicted of physical or sexual abuse of children in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

    • Assets Recovery Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the cases investigated by the Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland relate to persons believed to be (a) republican and (b)...

      Ballot Papers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many spoiled ballot papers there were in each district council electoral area in Northern Ireland in (a) the most recent 2005 local...

      Ballot Papers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many spoiled ballot papers there were in each constituency in Northern Ireland at the (a) 2005 and (b) 2001 general elections in Northern...

      C8

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the types of contract of employment applicable to those working in the policing unit designated C8; and what the nature is of...

      Crime and Disorder Act

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

      Child Support Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the criteria used in formulating the answers of 28 October 2005, Official Report, column 641W, on the Child Support Agency management...

      Departmental Refurbishment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the refurbishment projects in his Department that (a) are in progress and (b) will start in the next six months.

      Departmental Staff Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on staff training and development in each of the last three years.

      Departmental Stationery

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department has joined the Watermark project.

      Departmental Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reduction there has been in (a) road transport vehicle carbon dioxide emissions and (b) single occupancy car commuting in the Department...

      Departmental Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres.

      Domestic Violence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of domestic violence were reported in each of the 18 Northern Ireland constituencies in the last year for which figures are available.

      Election Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps can be taken against a candidate who has been elected in a local government election or general election but has handed in fraudulent...

      Electronic Human Resources Contract

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the status of Fujitsu Services Ltd. is in relation to the bidding process for the Northern Ireland civil service electronic human resources...

      Electronic Human Resources Contract

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when gateway reviews were carried out on the procurement process used for the civil service electronic human resources contract; by whom they...

      Electronic Human Resources Contract

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will commission an independent peer review of the procurement process in respect of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Electronic Human...

      Energy Efficiency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what targets he has for improving energy efficiency; and how he intends to achieve these targets.

      Equality Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Equality Commission has offered advice to local councils in Northern Ireland that (a) have undertaken and (b) are undertaking...

      Equality Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland uses in ascertaining whether employers have a work force whose religious make-up may...

      Equality Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for assistance with complaints of discrimination in employment and non-employment have been received by the Equality...

      Farm Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children aged under 16 years have (a) died and (b) suffered serious injury in farm accidents in Northern Ireland in each of the past 10...

      Farm Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals aged 65 years and over have (a) died and (b) suffered serious injury in farm accidents in Northern Ireland in each of the...

      Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance is being given by the Government to small and medium-sized enterprises (a) to ensure that they are aware of their obligations...

      Healthy Eating

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been allocated in the Province for education and advising parents on the benefits of a healthy diet for their children in...

      Home Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will assess the merits of developing guidance for the teaching of home accident prevention to school-aged children in Northern Ireland;...

      Live Cattle Exports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs were of checking the welfare during transport of live cattle being exported to the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland in...

      Londonderry Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the public inquiry led by Lord Saville into the events in Londonderry in January 1972 to announce its findings.

      Londonderry Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to date has been of the Saville Inquiry; and if he will list legal firms which have received payments from his Department in...

      Maze Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to appoint a panel to monitor the progress of the development of the former Maze Prison site.

      Neighbourhood Watch

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Neighbourhood Watch schemes are in operation in Northern Ireland.

      Neighbourhood Watch

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding is available for Neighbourhood Watch in Northern Ireland.

      Omagh Bomb (Compensation Claims)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many compensation claims have been settled following the Omagh bomb; and what is the total amount of compensation paid.

      Police Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what survey methods are used to establish the level of community confidence in the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland; and...

      Religious Profiles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the religious breakdown of staff employed in the Province within (a) the BBC, including Radio Ulster, (b) Citizens Advice Bureaux and...

      Road Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the percentage of road traffic accidents in Northern Ireland which were attributed to mechanical failure since the...

      Sentencing Framework

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the public consultation on minimum terms and life sentence cases.

      Sports Council

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was given to the Sports Council for Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the action on sustainable development (a) required and (b) undertaken by his Department's (i) executive agencies,...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy.

      Winter Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners (a) were eligible, (b) applied for and (c) have received winter fuel payments in each year since payments started, broken...

  • Constitutional Affairs

    • 1911 Census

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Freedom of Information Act 2000 applications to see sections of the 1911 decennial census for England and Wales have...

    • Coroners

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance her Department has issued to coroners on the means of establishing the identification of dead persons.

      Coroners

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance the Department has issued to coroners on making their reports available to doctors who request them; and if she...

      Courts Employee Pension Scheme

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what inquiries her Department has made into the collapse of the courts employee pension scheme; (2) what representations...

      Electoral Administration Bill

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether Labour party officials had sight of the draft or final copy of the Electoral Administration Bill before it was placed...

      Electoral Register

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of individual registration on registration levels in Northern Ireland.

      Her Majesty's Courts Service

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what the average remuneration is for a lawyer employed in a non-management post in Her Majesty's Courts Service; (2)...

      Jury Service

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people summoned for jury service sought (a) deferment and (b) exemption in each of the last five years.

      Litigation

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the development of a common EU mechanism for litigation.

      Ministerial Meetings

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Lord Chancellor last met the Archbishop of York to discuss constitutional issues of mutual interest to the Government...

      Post Mortems

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many post mortems have been undertaken in the last five years on unidentified dead persons where more than 12 months has...

      Privy Council

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the members of the Privy Council.

      Privy Council

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions the Privy Council met in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005.

      Privy Council Meetings

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions in the past two years meetings of the Privy Council involving attendance of Ministers have been held (a)...

      Probate Costs

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of why the costs of probate in Northern Ireland are higher than those elsewhere in the United...

      Saville Inquiry

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2005, on the Saville inquiry, what the previous highest amount of public expenditure...

      Telephone Preference Service (Exemptions)

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what representations she has received from the charity sector on exempting charities from the list of organisations that...

      Telephone Preference Service (Exemptions)

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what opportunities there are for people who register with the Telephone Preference Service to exclude charities from the list...

      Telephone Preference Service (Exemptions)

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the merits of exempting charities from the list of organisations that are barred...

  • Trade and Industry

    • Amateur Radio

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom about the Amateur Radio Licensing consultation; and if he will make a statement.

    • Bankruptcies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bankruptcies have been declared in each year since 2003.

      British Nuclear Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had on the potential sale of British Nuclear Group over the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

      Business Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small businesses have obtained contracts from Government bodies to conduct research on their behalf under the Small Business Research...

      Carbon Sequestration Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to improve the use of carbon sequestration technology in the UK.

      Clear Skies Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many schools have applied for grants under the community stream of his Department's Clear Skies grant programme.

      Clear Skies Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support from his Department will be available to school solar hot water and wind installations after the final funding round for Clear...

      Clear Skies Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the deadline was for community grant applications to the Clear Skies grant programme.

      Clear Skies Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grant support is available to community groups for (a) solar water heating, (b) wind, (c) hydro and (d) ground source heat pumps projects...

      Clear Skies Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the take-up to date has been by (a) home-owners and (b) community groups of funding for technologies supported under the Clear Skies...

      Coal Health Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many legal firms his Department appointed to process compensation claims under the coal health schemes; and if he will make a statement.

      Coal Health Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria his Department used in appointing legal firms to process compensation claims under the coal health schemes; and if he will make...

      Coal Health Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how his Department monitors the legal firms who have been appointed to process compensation claims under the coal health schemes; and if he...

      Competition Act

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether (a) the Office of Fair Trading and (b) other Government Departments consulted the Charity Commission on the impact of the Competition...

      Consumer Direct

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry approximately how many hits a week the website Consumer Direct gets; approximately how many consumer complaints are submitted to the website...

      Draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations on the provision of flexible...

      Draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under what circumstances an individual forced to retire over the age of 65 will be able to appeal on grounds of age discrimination under the...

      Economic Cycles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the relative responsiveness to the natural economic cycle of distribution and manufacturing.

      Electricity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment has been made of the costs associated with being able to provide for future maximum winter electricity demand as a...

      Emissions Targets

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the merits of a waiver of fines for breaching limits on carbon dioxide emissions in the event of a cold winter;...

      Employment Regulations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the draft Employment Equality (Age) Regulations on the pay of under 21-year-olds.

      Energy Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the impact of increased energy costs on British manufacturing companies.

      Energy Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) major UK oil and gas producers concerning the mitigation of the impact of...

      European Institute of Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether the UK Government will support European Commission proposals for the establishment of a European Institute of Technology; (2)...

      Export and Investment Guarantees Act

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991.

      Export Credits Guarantee Department

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the response made by the Export Credits Guarantee Agency to the Berne Union Survey on Agent's Commissions,...

      Fireworks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many injuries resulting from fireworks there have been in (a) Norfolk, (b) the East of England, (c) England and (d) the United Kingdom in...

      Gas Supplies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government continue to regard Iran as a potential supplier of gas to the United Kingdom.

      Gas Supplies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to identify (a) which businesses are likely to be most affected by a shortfall in gas supplies and (b) the...

      MG Rover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date his Department's inspectors' report on MG Rover will be published.

      MG Rover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much public funding has been allocated to tackle issues related to the collapse of MG Rover to date, broken down by main cost area; and...

      MG Rover

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total estimated costs are of the investigation commissioned by his Department into the collapse of MG Rover; and what the expected...

      Nuclear Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what studies he has commissioned into the impact of (a) contractualisation and (b) privatisation on the British nuclear industry; and if he...

      Office of Fair Trading

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff hours the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has devoted to its inquiry into fees at independent schools; how the schools being...

      Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the packaging industry requesting a (a) review of and (b) changes to the Supermarkets Code of...

      Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received calling for (a) taxes and (b) bans on specific packaging material and products; and if he will make a...

      Pakistan

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will use their EU presidency to press for Pakistan following the earthquake to be given at least the same trade concessions...

      Pension Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was first informed that he would be responsible for public sector pensions reform.

      Pension Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from which Departments officials who accompanied him to meetings with trade union representatives to discuss public sector pensions reform came.

      Pension Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) the dates of and (b) those present at meetings attended by him to discuss public sector pensions reform with trade union...

      Phoenix Development Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many initiatives in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield District and (c) Normanton constituency have been awarded funding from the Phoenix...

      Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions his Department and Postcomm have had with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and local authorities...

      Power Supply (Dacorum)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the quality of power supply to businesses and homes in Dacorum.

      Radioactive Waste

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the difference in the radioactive longevity of (a) radioactive waste arising from irradiated thermal oxide...

      REACH Proposals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received on the application of REACH proposals to the UK minerals industry, broken down by those (a)...

      Red Diesel

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the price is of red diesel for agricultural use; and what it was in (a) 1975, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) 2000.

      Regional Development Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make the spending plans of regional development agencies more accessible and transparent.

      Regional Development Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the regional development agencies have paid to businesses (a) in 2005 and (b) in the previous three years in respect of research and...

      Regional Development Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formal co-ordination takes place (a) between the overseas offices of the regional development agencies and (b) between the regional...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to ensure continuity of grant support to (a) school and (b) other community facilities for (i) wind, (ii)...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates he has made of the average Government funding per annum for (a) 2002 to 2006 and (b) 2006 to 2009 for (i) the micro-renewables...

      Research and Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the performance of companies which rely heavily on investment in research and development in the last four...

      Social Enterprises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much government funding social enterprises in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency (i) have received...

      Social Enterprises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new jobs have been created through social enterprise in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency...

      Social Enterprises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage the growth of social enterprises in the most deprived areas of Wakefield district, with particular...

      Solar Photovoltaics Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to implement the Government's White Paper commitments to a 2002 to 2012 UK solar photovoltaics programme.

      Solar Photovoltaics Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to implement the (a) 2001 Opportunities for All and (b) 2003 Energy White Paper commitments to a 10 year...

      Solar Photovoltaics Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the take-up to date has been by (a) home-owners and (b) community groups of the funding for photovoltaics under the Major Photovoltaics...

      Solar Photovoltaics Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a similar system to the German feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaics in the UK.

      Solar Photovoltaics Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on private sector investment in the UK solar photovoltaics industry of his Department's decision to...

      Sunday Trading

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the recently commissioned review of extension of Sunday trading; and if he will make a statement.

      Telephone Preference Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions enforcement action has been taken against companies for acting in breach of telephone preference service rules in each...

      Trade Missions (India)

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many trade missions to India involving businessmen have been sponsored by his Department in each of the last five years.

      Tyres

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tyres were (a) purchased, (b) reused and (c) disposed of to (i) landfill, (ii) incineration, (iii) illegal fly-tipping and (iv) other...

      Wind Farms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date building is expected to commence of the windfarm off Scarweather Sands.

  • House of Lords

    • EU: Free Trade Agreements

      asked Her Majesty's Government: [This Question was omitted from the Written Answers section on Monday, 14 November because of a technical error.] Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness...

    • A55

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How many drivers of heavy goods vehicles found to be exceeding the drivers' hours regulations on the A55 in north Wales in August, September and October of this...

      Armed Forces: Law of Armed Conflict

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether all British soldiers are receiving sufficient training in the law of armed conflict.

      Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What benefit options are available for individuals who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and who have had their...

      Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Department of Work and Pensions medical examiners continue to assess patients with a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis...

      Computer Misuse Act 1990

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to protect information technology infrastructure from denial of service attacks in light of the recent ruling on the scope of the Computer...

      Department of Health: Information Security

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Minister has responsibility for information security in the Department of Health.

      Education System

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have assessed the effectiveness of the comprehensive system of education in England; and, if so, whether this assessment has informed their decision...

      European Court of Human Rights: PM v United Kingdom

      asked Her Majesty's Government: In light of the potential effect on marriage and inheritance law of the judgment at the European Court of Human Rights in the case of PM v the United Kingdom...

      Financial Years

      asked Her Majesty's Government: How a company's financial year beginning on or after 1 January 2005 can have ended on 1 October 2005 as indicated in Regulation 14 of the Companies Act 1985...

      First Great Western Link: Cycle Carriage

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have raised with First Great Western Link its prohibition of the carriage of cycles in the dedicated space for cycles on its Atelante services in peak...

      Government Buildings: Disposal

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 9 November (WA 79), how many government buildings in England are currently for sale; and how many of...

      HM Treasury: Consultation Papers

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps HM Treasury is taking to review its procedures for publishing consultation papers on its website, and, in particular, as required by Cabinet Office...

      Ministerial Code

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will appoint an independent arbiter of the Ministerial Code.

      Personalised Learning

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What guidance will be available to local authorities on how to allocate funds between schools for personalised learning; what criteria will be set for schools to...

      Police: Universal Jurisdiction Offences

      asked Her Majesty's Government: What number of police officers is engaged in the investigation of offences of universal jurisdiction where it is thought possible or likely that the alleged...

      Railways: GoSkills

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they support the creation of a rail industry skills forum.

      Regional Assemblies

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Across all departments, which bodies and statutory responsibilities are currently operating regionally, either as part of, or in association with, regional assemblies.

      Terrorism Act 2000

      asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 28 February (WA 2), what offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 were the individuals convicted...

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.

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