Written answers

Mercher, 18 Mawrth 2009

  • Scotland

    • Defence Procurement: Fife

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the awarding of defence procurement contracts to companies operating in...

    • Banking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with representatives of banks on the future of banking in Scotland.

      Banking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues and the Scottish Executive on the state of the banking sector in Scotland.

      Road Bridge: River Forth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on Government funding for the second road bridge over the River Forth.

      Energy Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on support for the generation of energy in Scotland.

      Businesses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the prospects for businesses in Scotland.

      Business Support

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the support from central Government required by businesses in Scotland during the recession.

      Economic Conditions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his most recent assessment is of the state of the Scottish economy.

      Economic Growth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the level of economic growth in Scotland.

      Broadcasting: Conferences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland where his Department's broadcasting summit scheduled to take place on 19 March 2009 will be held; which (a) organisations and (b) individuals have...

      Departmental Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on (a) 2 February 2009 and (b) 3 February 2009; what estimate he has...

      Departmental Lost Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

      Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Floods: Property Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers the Environment Agency has to waive restrictions on building in flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement.

    • Landfill Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will increase the amount that is given to voluntary organisations from landfill tax receipts.

      National Parks

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department plans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.

      Noise and Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what datasets on (a) noise and (b) air pollution which contain data by (i) constituency, (ii) local authority area, (iii)...

      Rodents: Lancashire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reports of rodent infestation there have been in Lancashire in each of the last three years.

  • Wales

    • Performing Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years.

  • Prime Minister

    • Ministers: Pay

      To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to reclaim redundancy payments made to Ministers leaving the Government if they are subsequently appointed to a ministerial position in the...

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces: Charter Flights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times private charter companies have been used to transport armed forces personnel to and from operations in each of the last three years; and...

    • Armed Forces: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the latest DASA working patterns survey in the Library.

      Armed Forces: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RB44 heavy utility trucks are in service; and what their expected out of service date is.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions (a) IT security policies have...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how many...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 1.43 of the Final Report on Data Handling Procedures in Government, June 2008, whether his Department has initiated a specific...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 1.43 of the Final Report on Data Handling Procedures in Government, June 2008, whether his Department has introduced training and...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 2.11 of the Final Report on Data Handling Procedures in Government, June 2008, whether his Department has implemented the...

      Future Large Aircraft

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009, Official Report, column 1723W, on future large aircraft, who is liable under the contract to pay for any costs...

      HMS Victory

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what archaeological and heritage advice the Disposal Services Agency sought before authorisation was given to Odyssey Marine Exploration to return to the...

      Met Office

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with Treasury Ministers on the future of the Met Office as part of the Government's Trading...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Departmental Surveys

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1892-3W, on departmental surveys, if he will place in the Library a...

    • Swimming

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what research was undertaken in respect of establishing county swimming co-ordinators as referred to in his Department's...

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will estimate the potential size of the UK product placement market.

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received as part of the consultation on the implementation in the UK of the EU Audiovisual Media Services...

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive and (b) the joint industry...

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the effects of Ofcom's broadcasting code in respect of product placement on television programmes...

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on the regulation of product placement in respect of television programmes made in the UK.

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on the independent production sector of the decision to restrict product placement.

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures (a) are in place and (b) he intends to introduce to reduce product placement in programmes and films shown on television...

      Television: Advertising

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what evidence he has evaluated on (a) effects on viewer confidence in UK-originated programming and (b) effects on viewers of product...

      Young People: Antisocial Behaviour

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of (a) the effects of community sport and cultural activities funded by his Department on young...

  • Transport

    • Airports: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential health implications of the use of advanced backscatter x-rays and millimetre wave technology in body...

    • Airports: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to allow travellers at airports who do not wish to be subject to a body scanner using advanced backscatter x-rays and...

      Bus Services: Concessions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated deficit in funding of local councils is in respect of the concessionary fare for bus travel scheme in the East Midlands.

      Departmental Civil Service Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how frequently his Department's executive agencies are required to discuss their accounting procedures with the Department's accounting officer.

      Departmental Civil Service Agencies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place for oversight of the (a) accounts and (b) expenditure of his Department's executive agencies.

      Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons publication of the annual report entitled The Allocation of Road Track Costs was discontinued after 1996-97.

      Fuels: Storage

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent consideration his Department has given to the safe storage and transportation of fuels around the Scottish Highlands and Islands, under the...

      Great Western Railway: Rolling Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3W, when he expects the Intercity Express Programme trains he announced...

      Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what datasets on (a) noise and (b) air pollution his Department has drawn upon to support its work on the Adding Capacity at Heathrow consultation.

      Heathrow Airport: Public Consultation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent (a) on external consultants and (b) in total on the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation.

      High Speed Two: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has allocated to High Speed Two Ltd in each of the next five years.

      Intercity Express Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his statement on 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-33 on new trains (investment), whether his assessment that the successful...

      Intercity Express Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria relating to weight specifications were applied in the assessment of bids under the procurement process for the Intercity Express...

      Lorries: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received requesting annual testing for heavy goods vehicles to be made available outside normal business hours.

      Lorries: Testing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons annual testing for heavy goods vehicles is not available outside normal business hours.

      Ports: Milford Haven

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received on the trust port status of the Port of Milford Haven; (2) what assessment he has made of the benefit to...

      Railways: Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultants his Department has engaged to work on the Intercity Express Programme; and how much each has been paid to date.

      Railways: Franchises

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency preparations his Department has made in the event of a rail franchisee defaulting on a franchise.

      Railways: Manpower

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the jobs he estimates will be safeguarded or created as a result of his announcement on the Intercity Express Programme and Stansted...

      Road Traffic Offences: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether revenue generated from (a) fines imposed for speeding detected by speed cameras and (b) other motoring offences is hypothecated.

      Rolling Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2009, Official Report, column 1612W, on rolling stock, when the remaining 227 carriages will be ordered; and to...

      Rolling Stock

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2009, Official Report, column 1612W, on rolling stock, how many of the 202 GoCo vehicles will be ordered by (a)...

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department assessed Bombardier's bid under the Intercity Express Programme contract to be substantially compliant with the specifications...

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received representations on reconciling the 362 tonne train weight specification with the other performance requirements specified by...

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Agility Trains/Hitachi bid proposal is for the weight of each train in the Intercity Express Programme.

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the inclusion of dual function diesel and electric trains has had on the estimated cost of the Intercity Express Programme.

      Speed Limits: Cameras

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued by his Department to safety camera partnerships on the location and evaluation of...

      Speed Limits: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the effect of lowering the speed limit on rural roads to 50 miles per hour on the number of (a) accidents and...

      XL Leisure Group: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) individuals and (b) companies have (i) claimed against the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing scheme for their costs and (ii) received...

  • Home Department

    • Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to combat anti-Semitism since January 2009; and if she will make a statement.

    • Anti-Semitism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to allow the separate identification of offences committed against the Jewish community under (a) the Racial...

      Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many individual support orders were issued in 2007; and what proportion of all anti-social behaviour orders issued to 10 to 17 year...

      Appropriate Adults

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009, Official Report, column 2210W, on police custody: young people, what mechanisms her...

      Asylum: Zimbabwe

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will expedite assessment of the asylum claims of all Zimbabwean asylum seekers in the light of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal's...

      British Crime Survey

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, column 575W, on the British Crime Survey, when volume 2 of the 2007-08...

      Cannabis: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether additional funding has been made available to support the policing of illegal cannabis production and use since the drug was...

      Community Policing: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to promote closer working and engagement between safer neighbourhood and community police teams with...

      Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which business improvement districts have crime prevention as part of their funded strategy.

      Crime Prevention: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield have attended the community crime fighters one...

      Crime: Statistics

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many offences classified in the Home Office Counting Rules as 8/32 (breach of an anti-social behaviour order) have been recorded by...

      Crime: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of criminal activity attributable to persons under the age of 16 years as (a) victim and...

      Departmental Research

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many articles in independently peer-reviewed journals have been published by research staff in her Department acting in their official...

      Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 150W, on drugs: crime, what categories of incidents would be recorded as...

      Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent assessment she has made of the links between dependency on illegal drugs and retail crime; (2) what recent estimate she...

      Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the cost to retailers of drug-related retail crime.

      Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the level of illegal drug dependency in the UK in each year since 1997.

      Drugs: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many closure orders have been made in respect of premises (a) where Class A drugs are used unlawfully and (b) associated with...

      Forensic Science

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the minimum required level of (a) professional and clinical qualification and (b) practical training is for (i) nurses, (ii)...

      Former Ministers: Security

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former Ministers receive police protection.

      Fraud: Banks

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to increase levels of detection of fraud in relation to retail banks.

      Master Locksmiths' Association

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons she did not invite representatives of the Master Locksmiths' Association to her recent burglary summit.

      Offences Against Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure there are sufficient numbers of SCD5 child abuse investigation-trained police officers; and if she will...

      Police: Electronic Equipment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hand-held devices have been issued to police officers and community support officers in each police force in England and Wales.

      Shoplifting

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimated value of goods was stolen from retail premises in each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08.

      Stop and Search

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) stop and account forms and (b) stop and search forms were issued in each police force area in 2007-08.

      Stop and Search: Hemel Hempstead

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were found to be carrying illegal (a) weapons and (b) drugs during stop and search procedures by the police in Hemel...

      Terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are believed by the Security Service to pose a direct threat to national security and public safety because of their...

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2008, Official Report, column 584W, on community relations, which departments have spent...

    • Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals the Channel Project has identified as being vulnerable to becoming involved in violent extremism.

      Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are used by the Channel Project to determine whether an individual is vulnerable to becoming involved in violent...

      Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at what point an individual is notified that they are the subject of a risk assessment as part of the Channel Project on...

      Community Relations

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place for an individual to appeal if he or she is determined as part of the Channel Project as vulnerable...

      Community Relations: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to Annex E of The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England, 3 June 2008, whether any local partners have...

      Council Housing: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to ensure that the funding made available to local authorities to implement guideline rent...

      Council Housing: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the decision was taken to halve the guideline rent increase for local authority tenants; what estimate she has made of the...

      Council Housing: Rents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the cost to local authorities of halving their proposed rent rise.

      Council Tax: Empty Property

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 117W, on...

      Councillors: Vetting

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the provision of Criminal Record Bureau checks on councillors.

      Departmental Catering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge of 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 107W, on...

      Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether regional improvement efficiency partnerships have issued guidance to local authorities on (a) the frequency of bin...

      Economic Situation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars her Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject of...

      Eland House

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date Eland House first became an operational building for her Department's predecessor.

      Energy Performance Certificates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to (a) measure and (b) maintain the quality of energy performance certificates for (i)...

      Energy Performance Certificates

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the role of data collectors is in the production of energy performance certificates for (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic...

      Homebuy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many developers were invited to participate in the Homebuy Direct scheme; (2) how many developers have agreed to...

      Homebuy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been sold under each type of Homebuy scheme in each region of England in each year.

      Housing: Low Incomes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps she has taken to increase the supply of affordable accommodation.

      Housing: Valuation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what authorisation Valuation Office Agency staff require to enter a domestic property for the purposes of revaluation.

      Land: Public Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the review by Partnerships UK and Baroness Margaret Ford into identifying and releasing surplus public sector...

      Local Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what investigatory powers local authorities have to intercept and retain post.

      Local Government Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment her Department has made of the likely effect of the recession on the finances of local authorities in the...

      Local Government Finance: Chorley

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how payments to be made under the (a) Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Grant and (b) Area-Based Grant to Chorley...

      Local Government Services: Weather

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will commission an independent review of the emergency planning and contingency arrangements used by local authorities...

      Local Government: Meetings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues to (a) local authorities and (b) local strategic partnerships on the publication of (i)...

      Local Government: Pensions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether there are plans to use funds in the Local Government Pension Scheme to support Partnership for Schools; and if she will...

      Local Government: Standards

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons it was decided to replace comprehensive performance assessment with comprehensive area assessment in respect of...

      Local Government: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an estimate of local authority expenditure on training courses run by Common Purpose in each of the last five years.

      Non-Domestic Rates: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the net revenue likely to be raised from business rates in (a) England and (b) Wales in 2009-10.

      Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 1278W, on...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral answer of 19 January 2009, Official Report, column 600, on the port of Liverpool (business rates), what...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 19 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1082-3W, on...

      Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology the Valuation Office Agency uses to value a parking space.

      Partnerships UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 5 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1436-7W, on...

      Property Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons Helen Zammett has not received a response to her request for information regarding the reasons for the decision...

      Property Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration she has given to the merits of a moratorium on the construction of (a) new housing and schools close to...

      Repossession Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Jarrow of 16 June 2008, Official Report, column 710W, on repossession...

      Right to Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals to allow individual councils to retain the capital receipts from right-to-buy sales.

      Right to Buy Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby of 30 October 2008, Official Report, column 1257W, on council...

      Sustainable Development

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representation her Department had at the Ecobuild Conference at Earl's Court between 3 and 5 March 2009; and if she will...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • British Overseas Territories: Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the monetary value of financial deposits in each UK overseas territory.

    • Colombia: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the comments of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the Colombian...

      Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of allegations of the activities of Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda rebels in...

      Departmental Audit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the National Audit Office on the date of publication of its report on the financial...

      Departmental Official Hospitality

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to his Department was of entertaining at each residence used by Ministers in his Department in each year since 1997.

      Departmental Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his...

      Departmental Wines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance he has received from the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine on the wines to be...

      Foreign Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which areas of the world the UK is making territorial claims.

      Group of Twenty: London Summit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of hosting the G20 Summit in London in April 2009.

      Group of Twenty: London Summit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of foreign officials likely to attend the G20 summit in London in April 2009.

      Guinea-Bissau: Assassination

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the alleged assassination of the President of Guinea-Bissau; and if he will make a statement.

      Piracy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to seek international agreement on mechanisms for (a) international co-operation to reduce levels of...

      Sudan: Overseas Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the effect on those in receipt of aid or assistance from non-governmental organisations of the withdrawal or...

      Sudan: War Crimes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan of the recent indictment of...

      UN World Conference against Racism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters he plans to propose for inclusion on the agenda for the Durban II conference in Geneva in April 2009.

      Western Sahara: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests the United Nations has made to the power which has responsibility for the administration of the Western Sahara...

      Written Questions: Government Responses

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to answer question 251285, tabled on 22 January 2009, on departmental ICT; and if he will make a statement.

      Zimbabwe: Asylum

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009, Official Report, column 1417W, on Zimbabwe: asylum, what the three most recent...

  • Treasury

    • Bradford and Bingley

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government is placed above Bradford and Bingley subordinated bondholders in the rankings for settlement.

    • EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 largest compensation payments made by the European Commission in respect of the UK in 2008 were.

      European Defence Agency: Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been paid from the public purse in respect of UK contributions to the European Defence Agency in each year since the Agency was established.

      European Investment Bank

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what bonuses were paid to staff of the European Investment Bank in the last 12 months; (2) what discussions he has had with the Chairman of the...

      Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effects on revenue from amusement machine licence duty of closures of (a) adult gaming centres and (b) family...

      Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he is considering the introduction of fiscal measures to assist gaming machine manufacturers; and if he will make a statement; (2) if he will...

      LGT Group

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many actions for recovery have been initiated by his Department on the basis of the disclosure of information from LGT Bank in the last five years.

      Mapeley

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) Valuation Office Agency properties were (i) occupied under contract with and (ii) provided with facilities...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter dated 1 February 2009 from the right hon. Member for Banff and Buchan on his constituent Mr. Murray of Banff.

      Performing Arts

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years.

      Revenue and Customs: Chorley

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of allocating outstanding work on tax credits to the HM Revenue and Customs office in Chorley.

      Revenue and Customs: Chorley

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which office work currently undertaken at HM Revenue and Customs office in Chorley will be undertaken when the Chorley office closes.

      Revenue and Customs: North West

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of closing (a) Chorley, (b) Burnley and (c) Accrington HM Revenue and Customs office.

      Sustainable Development: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of funding for economic recovery stimulus packages being allocated in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire is for...

  • Innovation, Universities and Skills

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the proportion of the training costs of adult apprentices paid by...

    • Departmental Absenteeism

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on (a) 2 February 2009 and (b) 3 February...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions...

      Departmental Internet

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent on the recent redesign of his Department's website.

      English Language: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009, Official Report, columns 55-6W, on English language: education, how many colleges...

      Further Education: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what progress has been made on implementing supported borrowing for post-16 specialist colleges.

      Medicine: Higher Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what response his Department has made to recent representations it has received from the Medical Schools Council and...

      Postgraduate Education: Enfield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people from Enfield North constituency entered postgraduate education in each of the last 11 years.

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many students domiciled in the EU but not in the UK have loans with the Student Loans Company; (2) how much owed...

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many graduates are continuing to repay mortgage-style student loans taken out before 1998.

      Vocational Training: Car Industry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training schemes are available to car component company staff who have lost their jobs owing to reductions in car...

      Vocational Training: Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what arrangements have been made for the provision of vocational training courses within prisons.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents who are self-employed were subject to court action by the Child Support Agency in the last 12 months for which figures...

    • Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many calls have been received by the Child Maintenance Options helpline in each month since it became operational; (2) how many...

      Children: Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission has made to the courts for the confiscation of (a) passports and (b)...

      Community Care Grants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the operation of the savings rule of housing renewal exclusions in community care grants.

      Council Tax

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times deductions have been made from benefits for non-payment of council tax in each local authority area since August 2007; and how...

      Departmental Consultants

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many expert advisers, excluding special advisers, have been commissioned by his Department since June 2007; and on which topics they have...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has allocated for staff bonuses in 2008-09.

      Departmental Public Appointments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has...

      Funeral Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund funeral payments were awarded where the claim for other funeral expenses was under £700 in the latest year for which...

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wales (a) applied for and (b) received assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in January and February...

      Official Engagements

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what official engagements each of the Ministers in his Department undertook from 1 to 31 January 2009; and how much time was spent on each...

      Poverty: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent research his Department has conducted into the living standards of children below the poverty line.

      Poverty: Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to include targets on reductions in child poverty for local authorities in local area agreements.

      Poverty: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency qualified for cold weather payments between October 2008 and January2009.

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of Jobcentre Plus's Social Fund Work Status Report statistics.

      Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much lent under the (a) budgeting loans and ( b) crisis loan scheme in each of the last three financial years has been written off.

      Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to remove people under the age of 25 years from the purview of the single room rent regulations; and if he will...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what formula his Department uses to calculate (a) council tax benefit and (b) housing benefit entitlement.

      Social Security Benefits: Ex-servicemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many ex-servicemen are claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, or employment and...

      UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the timeframe for UK ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

      Vocational Training: Lone Parents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has undertaken into the reasons that lone parents do not take up voluntary progression to work support offered by...

  • Justice

    • Alternatives to Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to develop alternatives to custody.

    • Appeals: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of sentences imposed in magistrates courts in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency were appealed against to the Crown Court in...

      Banking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the monetary value of financial deposits in each Crown dependency.

      Community Orders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of people on community sentence placements who (a) will and (b) will not be required to wear high visibility...

      Consultants: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what systems are in place in his Department to (a) monitor and (b) scrutinise its expenditure on consultancy fees.

      Criminal Proceedings: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of providing the Crown Court Service in Cumbria was in each year since 1997.

      Domestic Violence: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those convicted for offences in relation to incidents of domestic violence in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency in each year since...

      Driving Offences: Fines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average fine imposed for (a) driving without insurance, (b) failure to stop or report a road accident, (c) failure to produce insurance...

      Drugs: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to provide services for those convicted of offences who are dependent on drugs.

      Electoral Register: Commonwealth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria apply for a Commonwealth citizen to be lawfully resident under the Representation of the People Act 1983; and what documents an electoral...

      European Court of Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what cases the Government have lost in the European Court of Human Rights in the last 30 years; and what financial penalties have been paid as a...

      Human Trafficking: Convictions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been imprisoned following conviction for human trafficking offences in each of the last three years.

      Judiciary: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of supporting the lay magistracy in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency was in each year since 1997.

      Magistrates Courts: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the provision of the magistrates court service in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency cost in each year since 1997.

      Magistrates Courts: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many trials in magistrates courts in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency did not take place on the agreed date of the hearing in each year...

      Offenders: Uniforms

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many beneficiaries of unpaid work have requested that offenders do not wear identifiable clothing.

      Performing Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years.

      Police Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were held in police or court cells for (a) two successive nights, (b) three successive nights and (c) more than three successive...

      Police Custody: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for how much his Department was invoiced by each police force in respect of costs incurred under Operation Safeguard (a) in total and (b) in each month...

      Prison Accommodation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's budget for creating additional prison capacity in each of the next three years is.

      Prisons: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2008, Official Report, columns 2113-4W, on prisons: education, when the report of the randomised control trial of...

      Prisons: Females

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women prisoners were held more than 50 miles from their home address at any time in each of the last five years.

      Probation Service: Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days probation service personnel took in sick leave in the last 12 months.

      Re-offenders: Disclosure of Information

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when data regarding multiple offender entries in 2007 will be available.

      Reoffenders: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders were charged with each category of violent offence whilst being supervised by the probation service in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b)...

      Young Offender Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of inmates in each young offender institution (YOI) have a registered place of residence in the same local authority area in which the...

      Young Offenders: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what responsibilities local authorities have to support the training and education of young offenders in custody.

      Youth Custody

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile prisoners aged (a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) 17 years old are being held more than 50 miles from their home address.

  • Health

    • Antidepressants: Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of prescribing anti-depressant drugs in (a) each primary care trust, (b) strategic health authority and (c) England was in each of the...

    • Arthritis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had to encourage more widespread and innovative clinician-driven leadership in the commissioning process in...

      Domestic Violence: Cumbria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating victims of domestic violence in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency in each...

      Domestic Violence: Hertfordshire

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating victims of domestic violence in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in each year...

      Exercise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place for organisations to respond to his Department's physical activity strategy for England, "Be active, be healthy: a plan for...

      Exercise

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members are of the Interim Steering Group for the physical activity alliance as referred to in his Department's publication, "Be active, be...

      Hospitals: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to hospital were due to intentionally self-inflicted injuries in each of the last five years.

      Injuries: Offensive Weapons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients aged (a) under 10, (b) between 10 and 15, (c) between 16 and 18, (d) between 19 and 25 and (e) over 25 years old were admitted to...

      MMR Vaccine

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the implications of the decision in the US case of Bailey Banks v. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human...

      NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) potential and (b) actual financial liability his Department accepts for the capital projects associated with independent sector treatment centres.

      NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision his Department has made for funding for (a) capital value projects and (b) revenue budgets associated with the first phase of independent...

      NHS: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of prescription items dispensed by community pharmacists were dispensed to (a) people over 65 years old, (b) people under 18 years old,...

      NHS: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2009, Official Report, column 1512W, on NHS: drugs, which NHS bodies his Department has assessed as having failed...

      Orphan Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will request the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to develop separate appraisal criteria for ultra orphan drugs; and if he will...

      Smoking: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating smoking-related diseases in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland in each of the last...

      Smoking: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland have received assistance from the NHS to stop smoking in each of the last five years.

      Social Services: Elderly

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that his Department's funding allocation for social care in the next comprehensive spending review period is...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have (a) implemented local needs assessments for stroke services and (b) developed workforce action plans as referred to in...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of stroke patients who spend the majority of their in-patient stay in designated stroke units.

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national audits of stroke services have been carried out since December 2007.

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress towards the implementation of the national stroke strategy published in December 2007; and what plans he...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards the development of the assessment measures for vascular risk factors as referred to in the National Stroke Strategy.

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of progress on the provision of advice and assistance to stroke patients and their carers as referred to in the...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress towards ensuring that lower risk suspected trans ischaemic attack patients are seen by a medical...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of patients with suspected stroke who were transferred to hospitals providing 24-hour...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of hospitals able to provide 24-hour thrombolysis for suspected stroke patients.

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the level of provision for stroke patients to receive (a) carotid intervention and (b) echocardiography within...

      Strokes: Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of patients diagnosed with a stroke or trans ischaemic attack who receive clinical follow-up within one...

      West Nile Virus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what stockpile of vaccine there is to protect people against West Nile virus; what further funding his Department will provide for this purpose; and if he...

  • Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

    • Furs: Retail Trade

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will introduce a ban on the use of animal fur in retail products.

    • Manufacturing Industries: Motor Vehicles

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much in loans has been guaranteed by his Department to each automotive company for investment in lower...

      Oil: Reserves

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what level of compulsory oil stocks EU member states are required to hold; and how many tonnes of oil this...

      Woolworths

      To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what information his Department holds on the number of former Woolworths shop premises which have been...

  • Children, Schools and Families

    • Building Schools for the Future Programme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the economic downturn on the delivery of private finance initiative contracts...

    • Building Schools for the Future: Essex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to bring forward capital spending under the Building Schools for the Future programme in (a) Essex...

      Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many cases have been transferred between Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service offices in each of the...

      Children: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1823-4W, on children: databases, what the cost was of each...

      Children: Day Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare places there were in West Lancashire constituency in (a) 1997 and (b) 2008.

      Children: Disabled

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent by each local authority in England on handling complaints relating to care packages allocated to severely...

      Children: Social Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the present performance assessment indicator C23 is for each local authority children's services department; what assessment...

      Departmental Bank Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09.

      Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many (a) expert advisers, (b) special advisers and (c) consultants were employed by his Department in each year since...

      Departmental Postal Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services...

      Faith Schools: Islam

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission research into allegations of physical violence against pupils attending madrasas in the UK.

      Family Intervention Projects

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what sanctions or penalties a family may be subject to if it refuses to engage in a Family Intervention Project.

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools did not have more than 30 per cent. of pupils achieving five or more A* to B grades at GCSE, including English...

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools had less than 30 per cent. of pupils achieve (a) five A* to C grades at GCSE excluding equivalents and (b) five...

      Gcse

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which maintained secondary schools did not achieve 30 per cent. or more GCSEs including English and mathematics in 2008 when...

      Health Education: Sex

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the review group on sex and relationships education (SRE) consulted parents about what should be taught as part of SRE and...

      Performing Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the...

      Public Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on (a) opinion polling, (b) focus groups and (c) other forms of market research in each year...

      Schools: Admissions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children of (a) primary and (b) secondary school entry age in (i) England, (ii) Enfield local education...

      Social Services: Haringey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what inspections the Commission for Social Care Inspection has undertaken in relation to Haringey Council's children's services...

      Special Educational Needs: Disadvantaged

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many special schools there were in the most deprived decile of lower layer super output areas as determined by the income...

      Special Educational Needs: GCSE

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) in which special schools more than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE in 2008; (2) in how many...

      Special Educational Needs: Pilot Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009, Official Report, columns 201-2W, on special educational needs: pilot schemes, (1) what...

      Teenage Pregnancy: Rotherham

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of trends in the rate of teenage pregnancy in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham; and if he...

      Young Offenders: Crime Prevention

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the results of the 18 pathfinder projects to increase the support for the parents of children and...

      Youth Clubs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of activities at youth centres at times of the day when young...

  • International Development

    • Building Our Common Future Conference

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people who (a) attended and (b) spoke at his Department's building our common future conference on 9 to 10 March 2009 had...

    • Building Our Common Future Conference

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of (a) organising and (b) hosting its building our common future conference on 9 to10 March 2009.

      Building Our Common Future Conference

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) fees and (b) expenses his Department paid to the external speakers who chaired sessions at its building our common future...

      China: Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government assistance in reducing poverty in China.

      Departmental Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009, Official Report, column 1004W, on departmental publications, what the total monthly...

      Departmental Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months.

      Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian situation in the north of Sri Lanka.

      Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) the scale of the cholera epidemic, (b) food security and (c) prospects for...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Departmental Bank Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09.

    • Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department uses WPA2 encryption protocol on all its wireless networks.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what auditing his Department undertakes to ensure that IT security policies are being followed; and on how many occasions (a) IT...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's IT security hierarchy.

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what scanning for vulnerabilities his Department conducts of each of its IT devices; what method is used for IT device scans; and how...

      Departmental Data Protection

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what IT security policy his Department has; what procedures are in place to ensure the policy is being followed; what his Department's...

      Departmental Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff transferred to his Department receive annual remuneration including benefits of £100,000 or more.

      Departmental Recycling

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much (a) paper, (b) plastic and (c) other waste has been produced by his Department since its inception; and how much of that...

      Electricity Generation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much electricity was generated from each type of renewable source in each of the last 10 years.

      Electricity: Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that the National Policy Statement on electricity transmission networks will prevent the construction...

      Energy: Consumption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of annual average household electricity consumption comprised by the operation of...

      Legal Opinion

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of external legal services engaged by his Department since its establishment.

      Lord Truscott

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting held between representatives of his Department and Lord Truscott...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Minister of State expects to reply to the letters of 19 November and 30 December 2008 from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean,...

      Natural Gas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to improve the security of gas supply from non-EU sources.

      Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how long the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has been without a permanent chief executive; when he plans to appoint a permanent...

      Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the final annual salary of the outgoing chief executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was; and what his (a) final...

      Oil

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has a timetable for planning purposes under which the UK will reduce its dependence on oil.

      Performing Arts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last...

      Radioactivity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the criteria used in decisions on whether an inquiry under Regulation 17 of the...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 74 of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy consultation, on what basis the estimates of increases in gas bills...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 7.5.35 of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy consultation, what steps he plans to take to counter the...

      Renewable Energy: EU Action

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with EU partners on developing an EU supergrid to enhance the development of renewable energy...

      Renewable Energy: Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department and its predecessors spent on (a) wind, (b) tidal, (c) solar and (d) geothermal power development in the...

      Renewable Energy: Job Creation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many UK manufacturing jobs were created in the renewable energy industry in each year for which figures are available; and what...

      Sellafield

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken in response to the warning issued by the European Commission to the British Nuclear Group Sellafield under...

  • House of Lords

    • Afghanistan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government for which other countries' armed forces the United Kingdom provides air bridge transport to Afghanistan.

    • Armed Forces: Aircraft

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what equipment and materials are used by the Royal Air Force for de-icing transport aircraft.

      Armed Forces: Detention

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Statement by Lord Tunnicliffe on 26 February on Armed Forces: Detention (Official Report, House of Lords, cols. 352—55), whether they will...

      Children: Street Children

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Crawley on 7 October 2008 (WA 11), how much funding was provided in each of the past seven years to the street and...

      Conflict Prevention and Human Security

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the establishment of an international panel on conflict prevention and human security; and, if so, what proposals they have for its terms...

      Countryside and Rights of Way Act

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the procedures and timetable for the review of the access maps in England under Section 10 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

      Disabled People: UN Convention

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what further progress has been made towards ratification of the United Nations Convention on Disability Rights.

      Energy: Wind Turbines

      To ask Her Majesty's Government under what circumstances the national grid is unable to accept excess electricity from small wind turbines; and what then happens to the output.

      Energy: Wind Turbines

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to encourage companies to manufacture or assemble components for both on-shore and off-shore wind turbines in the localities in which...

      Extraordinary Rendition

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking with European Union governments, the government of the United States, Commonwealth governments and other concerned governments (a) to...

      Fluoridation

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the chief dental officer's letter of guidance in February 2008 on Fluoridation of Drinking Water (Gateway 9361) should have contained the claim in...

      Gambling

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Carter of Barnes on 9 March (WA 208), how many of the 8,481 new licences issued between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008...

      Guantanamo Bay

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking with European Union governments, the Government of the United States, Commonwealth governments and other appropriate governments to...

      Health: Chiropody

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to improve chiropody in the National Health Service.

      Health: Hospitals

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new hospitals have been completed for National Health Service purposes since 1998.

      Health: International Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in relation to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Zimbabwe; and what help they are giving in those areas.

      Health: International Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what the Department for International Development's priorities are in the next 12 months on the monitoring and control of global tuberculosis.

      Health: International Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what support the Department for International Development plans to provide to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which is facing a deficit of...

      Health: International Aid

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what action the Department for International Development is taking to ensure that international development and tuberculosis are discussed at this year's G8...

      Health: Pharmaceutical Services

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to improve Community Pharmacy Services.

      House of Lords: Publications

      To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will ensure that all House of Lords publications are accessible to those who are dyslexic.

      Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which cases or groups of cases against the United Kingdom heard in the European Court of Human Rights in the past five years have they (a) won, and (b) lost; what...

      Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Bach on 28 January (WA 56—57) and 24 February (WA 50), what are their reasons for not seeking to ratify the Fourth...

      Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider not attending the Review Conference of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Geneva this year, to be co-chaired by...

      Immigration

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal immigrants there are in the United Kingdom; and how many are returned each year.

      Justice: Foreign and International Courts

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times, and in which cases, they have submitted an amicus curiae brief to a foreign or international court in each of the past three years.

      Macedonia

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the Republic of Macedonia in its desire to attend the NATO summit at Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, in April.

      Mongolia

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the opening of a British Council office in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

      NHS Redress Act

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the application of the NHS Redress Act 2006.

      Northern Ireland Assembly: Policing and Justice

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide further details on the indication given the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, that the Democratic Unionist Party...

      Northern Ireland Office: Cost-saving

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 9 February (WA 165—66) concerning the details of efficiency gains...

      Northern Ireland Office: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many substitute staff on which £1.4 million was spent, as stated in the Northern Ireland Office's 2007 annual report, were recruited in 2007; why such...

      Northern Ireland Office: Taxis

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 29 January (WA 76) regarding expenditure on taxis by the Northern Ireland...

      Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

      To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 26 January (WA 104), what consideration has been given to the effects on public confidence when...

      Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee

      To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee was disbanded in October 2008; and whether they intend to replace it with another source of independent advice.

      Pakistan: Blasphemy Laws

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Pakistan about Mr Hector Aleem, who was arrested in January and accused of blasphemy on evidence...

      Petitions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many petitions the Department for Culture, Media and Sport received in (a) 2007, and (b) 2008; what steps the department has taken to publicise them; and...

      Public Bodies

      To ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the House of Lords are appointees to the non-departmental public bodies listed under "Foreign and Commonwealth Office" in annex A to the report of...

      RAF Brize Norton

      To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent ground support at RAF Brize Norton is provided by (a) contractors, and (b) Royal Air Force personnel.

      RAF Brize Norton

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how the availability of de-icing equipment, materials and crews at RAF Brize Norton compares with civilian best practice.

      Schools: Admissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children in London have this year been told that they have no place at a secondary school.

      Schools: Admissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what official help is available to parents wishing to make an appeal against a school's decision to refuse entry to their child.

      Schools: Admissions

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any proposals regarding the system of entry to secondary schools in London, and the need to avoid leaving children with no place at a state...

      Schools: Class Sizes

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of class sizes on the academic achievement of pupils in (a) primary schools, and (b) secondary schools.

      Sri Lanka

      To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the Government of Sri Lanka about the safety of civilians during current military operations; what was the response; whether...

      Sudan

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what diplomatic representations they have made on behalf of British aid agencies threatened with expulsion from parts of north Sudan; and what response they have...

      Sudan: Darfur

      To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend that humanitarian supplies and relief work will be maintained in Darfur and eastern Sudan, following the expulsion or removal of international...

      UN: Durban Review Conference

      To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) whether they will be represented at the United Nations Durban Review Conference; (b) if so, whether this representation will be at ministerial level; (c) what...

      Water Supply

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact on churches of Ofwat's policy that all users should be charged from 2010 for the disposal of water through...

      West Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many people live in Israeli settlements in the West Bank; and how many units of housing there are in those settlements.

      West Bank

      To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether further Israeli settlements are planned in the West Bank; and what steps they will take to ensure that they are not...

      Women: Peace and Security

      To ask Her Majesty's Government whether progress has been made in implementing United Nations Security Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; and, if so, under what main headings.

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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