Written answers

Mawrth, 2 Gorffennaf 2013

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental...

    • Electronic Commerce

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on mitigating the effects of e-commerce on UK high street retailers.

      Housing Act 2004

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the rate of prosecution for failure to comply with a notice issued under section 35 of the...

      Out of Town Shopping Centres: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many requests for planning permission for out-of-town retail developments within 10 miles of Portas pilot towns his...

      Retail Trade: Debts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of current levels of property indebtedness in the high street retail sector.

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how long the Future High Streets Forum is expected to run.

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how his Department intends to promote the work and recommendations of the Future High Streets Forum.

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the Future High Streets Forum's practical toolkit to be published.

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost of the Future High Streets Forum.

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria were used to decide the membership of the Future High Streets Forum.

      Urban Areas: Regeneration

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership of the task and finish groups of the Future High Streets Forum will be.

      Wind Power: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 113-5WS, on onshore wind (local...

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Common Fisheries Policy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the UK fishing industry has received from (a) the Government and (b) the Common Fisheries Policy in the last 10 years.

    • MITIE Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department.

      Sea Level: Poole

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the expected long-term sea level rise in Poole Bay; and if he will make a statement.

      Water Supply

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the UK's future water supplies are protected.

  • Health

    • Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to maximise the number of patients offered alcohol-related treatment or referral to a support service.

    • Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what...

      Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will work with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations to issue a UK-wide campaign on the signs and symptoms of cancer.

      Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department holds on plans to introduce a value-based pricing system for medicines currently funded by the Cancer Drugs Fund;...

      Childbirth

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born in each consultant-led and midwife-led maternity unit in England in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

      David Nicholson

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health of which pension scheme Sir David Nicholson is a member in respect of his employment by the NHS.

      Death: Social Class

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of social class on the likely incidence of death due to (a) cancer, (b) heart disease and (c) other causes.

      Epilepsy: Pregnant Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of pregnant women between the ages of 18 to 54 taking anti-epileptic drugs received information and counselling about contraception and...

      Epilepsy: Pregnant Women

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the advice on training given to prescribing physicians under the quality and outcomes framework on the effect of anti-epileptic...

      General Practitioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that documents and pamphlets which are available from GP surgeries and health centres are clear and easy to read.

      Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many companies are signed up to the calorie reduction pledge in the Responsibility Deal.

      Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget has been allocated for the delivery of the public health responsibility deal.

      Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on achieving the calorie reduction pledge in the responsibility deal; and if he will make a statement.

      Health

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are employed for the delivery of the public health responsibility deal.

      Hospitals: Mergers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals (a) are considering mergers and (b) have merged since the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

      Human Tissue Act 2004

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce extraterritorial jurisdiction to the Human Tissue Act 2004.

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

      Medical Detection Dogs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the role of medical detection dogs; and if he will make a statement.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department.

      NHS England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Barbara Hakin's appointment as interim chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of NHS England in March 2013 (a) required and (b)...

      NHS England

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the roles of interim chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of NHS England were subject to the required processes in respect of (a)...

      NHS: Managers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to the NHS on avoiding conflicts of interest in making managerial appointments.

      Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (b) the British Medical Association and (c) NHS trusts on the...

      Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has (a) carried out and (b) commissioned studies on a link between school sports participation and lowered obesity levels and...

      Patients

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps have been taken to deliver the NHS mandate objective of making rapid progress in the measuring of, and action upon, the patient experience.

      Tobacco: Packaging

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce the outcome of his consultation on plain packaging for tobacco products.

  • Attorney-General

    • MITIE Group

      To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officer’s Departments spend on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

    • Private Prosecutions

      To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many private prosecutions were brought in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available; (2) how many private...

      Serco

      To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officer’s Departments currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

  • House of Commons Commission

    • Security

      To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many security passes allowing entry to the parliamentary estate are in...

  • Treasury

    • Air Passenger Duty

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount was collected in (a) class A, (b) class B, (c) class C and (d) class D air passenger duty in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

    • Billing

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what...

      Charities: Investment

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the accounts of common investment funds are publicly available.

      Employee Ownership

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the speech by the Deputy Prime Minister on 27 March 2013, when a consultation will begin on incentives to support employee ownership.

      Financial Services

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on progress on the redress scheme for businesses that were mis-sold interest...

      Ministerial Duties

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to the responsibilities of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury since 4 September 2012.

      Overseas Aid

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the UK's official development assistance (ODA) budget in 2015-16 is new previously non-ODA attributable spending.

      Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the statement of 27 June 2013 on investing in Britain's future, what total Barnett consequentials will be awarded to Northern Ireland as a...

      Public Finance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects his policies will begin to reduce Government debt and see a resumption of average growth in the economy.

      Public Sector Debt

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of servicing public sector net debt was in each of the last 10 years.

      Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of items of unopened post at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); and what recent assessment he has made of the...

      Revenue and Customs: Rhyl

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the closure of Rhyl tax office.

      Shares

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to make bearer shares illegal.

      Tax Avoidance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government plan to bring about increased transparency in taxation, particularly in Crown Dependencies, during the UK's G8 presidency.

      Welfare State: Wales

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a cumulative impact assessment of the effect on welfare changes since 2010 in Wales.

  • Home Department

    • Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department has provided for the development of reduction, refinement and replacement alternatives to the use of animals in...

    • Bullying

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish draft guidance on bullying for the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill by 31 August 2013.

      Common Travel Area

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Government of the Irish Republic and (b) the Northern Ireland Executive on the common travel...

      Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) her Department and (b) the Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies...

      Conditions of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by her Department on zero-hour contracts.

      Counter-terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support her Department has given to universities to help implement the Prevent strategy; and what steps she has taken to monitor...

      Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Serious Organised Crime Agency has (a) compiled a report and (b) given a report to the Leveson inquiry concerning illegal...

      Cybercrime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the economy of cybercrime in 2011-12.

      Drugs: Crime

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug offences relating to class A substances have been reported in (a) Harlow and (b) Essex since 2001; and what proportion of...

      Entry Clearances

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she made of the effectiveness of the visa system in helping to increase tourism and business from (a) China, (b) India and...

      Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of applications for student visas were dismissed in each of the last five years.

      Eurojust

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on when the European Commission first published a draft regulation on reforming the structure of...

      Extradition: USA

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were extradited from the US to the UK in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 to date; and how many such people were US nationals; (2)...

      Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of fraud are reported to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau annually.

      Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many confirmed cases of fraud have been reported to Action Fraud in the last 12 months.

      Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scam emails have been reported to Action Fraud in the last 12 months.

      Fraud

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of fraud reported to Action Fraud have led to successful prosecutions to date.

      Greenwich University

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Greenwich university had a Prevent strategy agreed with her Department; and whether it had a dedicated police liaison officer to...

      Hezbollah

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has considered proscribing Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the number of victims of trafficking who have been compelled to take part in criminal activities in each year...

      Illegal Immigrants: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many businesses in Northern Ireland have received fines or other penalties for employing illegal labour in each of the last three years...

      Immigrants: English Language

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2013, Official Report, column 804W, on conditions of employment: English language, if she will make it her...

      Immigration

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of co-operation between authorities in the Irish Republic and the UK to counter illegal...

      Immigration Controls

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what border checks are conducted those who leave the UK.

      Immigration: Married People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government are taking to reduce the arrangement of marriages primarily for immigration purposes.

      Immigration: Married People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence the Government have collected on the number of marriages arranged primarily for immigration purposes.

      Immigration: Married People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refusals of (a) entry to and (b) residence in the UK were made in each of the last five years on the basis of a sham marriage.

      Immigration: Married People

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people with a spousal visa have not been given leave to remain at the end of their probationary period in each year since 2008.

      Immigration: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed by her Department in Northern Ireland to counter illegal immigration and enforce immigration law.

      Independent Police Complaints Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral statement and contributions of 24 June 2013, Official Report, columns 25-37, on undercover policing, by what date she...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Warley can expect to receive a reply from her Department to his letter of 18 February 2013 regarding the case of Mr...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Warley can expect to receive a reply from her Department to his letter of 13 March 2013 to the UK Border Agency...

      Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, columns 384-5W, on mis-use of drugs ministerial group, if she will publish the (a)...

      MITIE Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

      Mobile Phones

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to her Department.

      National Retail Crime Steering Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Retail Crime Strategy Group (a) has met since May 2010, (b) last met and (c) next plans to meet.

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had to ensure that the passport system is robustly enforced.

      Passports

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appointment slots are available each week at Hull passport office; and what the average waiting time for an appointment is (a) at...

      Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what bonuses are being proposed for senior officials in her Department.

      Personation

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of identity theft occurred in each of the last three years.

      Police and Crime Commissioners

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department takes to ensure that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) comply with their legal responsibilities to publish...

      Police: Intelligence Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many different police intelligence services are currently in operation in England and Wales; and how many such forces automatically share...

      Police: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data are collected on recruitment of police (a) from ethnic minorities and (b) based on (i) gender and (ii) ability to speak the Welsh...

      Press: Subscriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

      Prostitution: Greater London

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many brothels were identified by the Metropolitan Police in each London borough in each of the last three years.

      Security Guards: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether she plans to introduce legislation in this Session to reform regulation of the private security industry; (2) when she plans...

      Serious Organised Crime Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made to date on moving the Serious and Organised Crime Agency to the National Crime Agency.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days on average staff of her Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

      Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff...

      Stephen Lawrence

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 24 June 2013, Official Report, columns 25-37, on undercover policing, when she expects the Ellison review to report.

      Steroid Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of men taking steroids.

      Termination of Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i)...

      Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14.

  • International Development

    • Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average cost to her Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are...

    • Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to invest in better data collection for information on chronic malnutrition and stunting.

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to involve civil society in developing the Nutrition for Growth accountability framework.

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had about the accountability framework for Nutrition for Growth; and which institution will be responsible for...

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the accountability framework for Nutrition for Growth will cover the UN system and private sector institutions in addition to...

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to open new bilateral nutrition programmes as part of the UK funding commitment made at the recent...

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department plans to prioritise any (a) countries and (b) regions to receive the UK funding committed at the recent...

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that other G8 nations and donors make funding commitments to tackle malnutrition.

      Developing Countries: Nutrition

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to tackle malnutrition in (a) India, (b) Nigeria, (c) Pakistan and (d) Indonesia.

      India

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much overseas aid is allocated to India from the UK's international development budget.

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

      Palestinians

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent discussions she has had with her Norwegian counterpart on Palestinian Authority payments to Palestinian prisoners in...

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many days on average staff of her Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last...

      Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14.

  • Deputy Prime Minister

    • Local Growth Committee

      To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Ministers will be members of the Government's Local Growth Committee; and what terms of reference that committee will have.

  • Work and Pensions

    • Bereavement Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason people over the age of eligibility to receive a state pension are ineligible to receive a bereavement payment.

    • Carer’s Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has any plans to review the carer's allowance.

      Construction: Industrial Health and Safety

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward legislative proposals to reintroduce the provisions contained in the Construction (Head Protection) Regulations.

      Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 882, on work capability assessment, if he will publish a table of the main...

      Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to assist those affected by the social sector size criteria to move to smaller homes.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton's letter of 21 May 2013 from a constituent concerning the loss of disability living...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 26 June 2013, Official Report, columns 303-334, on the spending review,...

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 26 June 2013, Official Report, columns 303-334, on the spending review,...

      Unemployment and Early Retirement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of (a) jobseekers and (b) people taking early retirement in (i) Glasgow North West...

      Welfare State: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 26 June 2013, Official Report, columns 303-334, on the spending review,...

      Welfare State: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from the Chancellor of the Exchequer on under-performing programmes in his Department.

      Winter Fuel Payments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to paying the winter fuel allowance early to allow the early purchase of fuel stocks when prices are lower.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Adult Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department (a) collects and (b) holds on participation rates in adult education in each Government office region.

    • Animal Experiments

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has provided for the development of reduction, refinement and replacement alternatives to the use of...

      Business Bank Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 249W, how many (a) of his Department's officials and (b) Capital...

      Business Bank Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 249W, within which directorate the interim business bank team is...

      Business Bank Project

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an application for approval under EU state aid rules of the Government's business bank proposal.

      Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what steps he plans to take to ensure that implementation of the WEEE Recast Directive 2012/19/EU and changes to the waste...

      Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he will take to prevent producer compliance schemes allowing companies to obtain or abuse a dominant market position...

      Engineering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider establishing a new post of Government Chief Engineering Officer.

      Green Investment Bank

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what target he has set for the (a) number and (b) value of investments made under the Green Investment Bank in each of the next...

      Local Enterprise Partnerships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has (a) made and (b) commissioned of the effectiveness of local enterprise partnerships and their operation.

      Post Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress the Government has made in achieving its aim of making the Post Office a front office for local and national government.

      Post Offices: Rhyl

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on the closure of Rhyl Crown post office.

      Prisons: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many educational qualifications were awarded to prisoners in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 by (i) type of qualification and...

      Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the headcount of (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies and public bodies was in each month since May 2010,...

      Students: Fees

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the anticipated revenue from tuition fees charged in higher education institutions in England in each year since 2010 will...

  • Transport

    • Cycling: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cyclists have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured on the UK's roads for each of the last 3 years; and what steps the Government have...

    • Driving Licences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the application fee for a new driving licence was in each of the last 10 years.

      East Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what precautions are in place to avoid cartel collusion by potential bidders for the ECML franchise.

      High Speed 2 Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what comparative studies his Department has conducted of the qualifying distance for compensation paid to land and property owners under (a) High Speed...

      Railways: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much each train operator had to pay in rail access charges in each year between 2004 and 2012.

      Railways: Finance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to increase rail access charges.

      Railways: Industrial Disputes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been paid in each year since 1996 by his Department to reimburse or ameliorate net losses of a franchised operator arising from industrial...

      Railways: Overcrowding

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the frequency with which railway passengers are required to stand for more than 20 minutes as a result of train overcrowding.

      Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings have been held and with whom to review the road maintenance block grant since 1 January 2010; and what the outcome was of those meetings.

      Rolling Stock: Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will remove the requirement in the National Rail franchise terms for train operating companies to seek his agreement before altering the class...

      Speed Limits: Cameras

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's latest guidelines for the placement of speed cameras specifies that speed camera housings must be coloured yellow.

      Transport: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve transport links in rural areas (a) nationally and (b) in the North West.

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are...

    • British Overseas Territories

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which British Overseas Territories have ratified the Aarhus Convention to Access to Information, Public Participation in...

      Human Rights: Business

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there is a confirmed date for the launch of the National Action Plan on business and human rights.

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which countries the UK operates a joint investigation team to look into human trafficking.

      Russia

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with the Olympic Association on the implications for holding the Winter Olympics at Sochi of the...

  • Education

    • Children: Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to prevent the re-trafficking of child victims of trafficking placed in local authority care.

    • Children: Literacy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school children in each age cohort in England are judged to be illiterate; and if he will make a statement.

      GCSE: Disadvantaged Children

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of children who attained five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade at schools where (a) more than 50 per cent,...

      Languages: GCE A-level

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to encourage students to take a modern language subject through to A Level.

      Languages: Teachers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary school language teachers were recruited in each year since 2010; how many (a) primary teachers and (b) primary teaching assistants...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

      Literacy: Primary Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils aged 11 met the standard of literacy for that age (a) in May 2010 and (b) on the latest date for which information is available.

      Ministers' Private Offices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will reduce the number of staff employed in his private ministerial office.

      MITIE Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

      Politics: Education

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to make political education compulsory.

      Pupils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained schools have fewer than (a) 40, (b) 50, (c) 60, (d) 70, (e) 80, (f) 90 and (g) 100 pupils; and if he will make a statement.

      Disadvantaged Pupils

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department possesses on the proportion of students (a) on free school meals, (b) in families dependent on benefits, (c) considered...

      Pupils: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average annual standard spending assessment is for each (a) primary school and (b) secondary school pupil in England; and if he will make a...

      Pupils: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total (a) local and (b) national government expenditure on each pupil in state secondary schools was in 2012-13 ; and if he will make a statement.

      Pupils: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his estimate is of the average expenditure on (a) secondary school places per pupil in the state sector and (b) secondary school places per day...

      Schools: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to encourage team sports in lower-performing schools and deprived areas; and what research his Department has...

      Schools: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of ring-fenced funding for school sports on the quality and quantity of sport provision and...

      Schools: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what regulations are in place regarding compulsory sport and physical education in schools; and what initiatives his Department has in place to...

      Serco

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

      Standards and Testing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much the Chief Executive of the Standards and Testing Agency is paid.

      Standards and Testing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason three deputy directors are employed by the Standards and Testing Agency; and what their annual salaries are.

      Standards and Testing Agency

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff are employed at the Standards and Testing Agency; and what the annual staffing cost is of this body.

  • Cabinet Office

    • Childbirth

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department (a) collects and (b) holds on the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child in each Government office region.

    • Childbirth

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department (a) collects and (b) holds on the average birth weight of babies in each Government office region.

      Freedom of Information

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he plans to publish the draft open government partnership national action plan.

      Voluntary Work

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 on the rate of volunteering in (a) Glasgow North West...

  • Defence

    • Armed Forces

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers in HM Armed Forces have access to a staff car.

    • Armed Forces: Officers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force were at (i) one star, (ii) two star, (iii) three star and (iv) four star rank;...

      Armed Forces: Railways

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on how many service personnel in Liverpool are currently entitled to an HM Forces Railcard.

      Army: Recruitment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the closure of Rhyl Army Recruitment Centre.

      Nato

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, columns 31-49, on NATO, when the performance report on the supply of fuels to NATO forces in...

      Nuclear Submarines

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 719W on HMS Tireless, on how many occasions radioactive emissions were vented to the...

      Official Cars

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many lease cars his Department has in service; and what the annual cost is of each such car.

      Procurement

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many location of work codes on DEFFORM 57 indicate that contracts were located in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern...

      Science and Technology

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's budget will be spent on science and technology in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

      Warships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of building and equipping for sea a (a) minesweeper, (b) destroyer, (c) frigate, (d) nuclear submarine and (e) Trident-equipped...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the amount spent by the alcohol industry on the promotion of alcohol.

    • Apprentices

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 668W, on apprentices, how many apprentices her Department plans...

      Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to hire industry experts to complete the rollout of broadband; what estimate she has made of the cost of...

      Broadband Delivery UK

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the funding required by Broadband Delivery UK.

      Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which of the recommendations of the Leveson report have been fully implemented by the Government.

      Exercise: Young Offenders Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provides and for which programmes to facilitate sports and physical activities in young offenders...

      Press: Regulation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will reopen negotiations on the cross-party Royal Charter agreed on 18 March 2013.

      Press: Subscriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

      Tourism: Inverclyde

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will support the emerging tourist industry in Inverclyde.

      Tourism: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of tourism to the rural economy; and if she will make a statement.

  • Justice

    • Criminal Justice

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to modernise the criminal justice system.

    • Prison Privileges and Incentives

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on rolling out his proposed changes to the privileges and incentive scheme in prisons.

      Pleural Plaques: Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on compensation for people with pleural plaques.

      Cautions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on his review of the use of cautions; and when he plans to publish the results of that review.

      Human Trafficking

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance he has given to law enforcement and prosecuting authorities on not proceeding with a prosecution or imposing a penalty in cases where...

      Prisoners

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) for how long each person held in a segregation unit in each prison on 1 June 2013 had been held in segregation; (2) how many prisoners were held...

      Woodhill Prison

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place for expert witnesses to conduct interviews with prisoners in private at Close Supervision Centre, HM Prison Woodhill; and...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are...

    • Fuel Poverty

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2013, Official Report, columns 622-3W, on fuel poverty, what estimate his Department has made of the...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have been carried out (a) free of charge and (b) at a subsidised cost to date.

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of the 245 Green Deal plans currently active were taken out following free Green Deal assessments.

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have installed energy efficiency measures recommended by a Green Deal Assessment without taking out a Green Deal...

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have claimed Green Deal cashback benefits without signing up for a Green Deal finance package to date.

      Green Deal Scheme

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have installed energy efficiency measures recommended by a Green Deal assessment with assistance under the Energy...

      Legal Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available.

      MITIE Group

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

      Press: Subscriptions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last...

      Staff

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c)...

      Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14.

  • Church Commissioners

    • World War I: Anniversaries

      To ask the honourable Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Church of England has to commemorate the First World War and the role of military chaplains.

  • House of Lords

    • Airports: State Aids

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances and for what purposes state aids are permitted to airports.

    • Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 25 April (WA 439–441), what plans they have to improve the efficiency of the benefits system to...

      Benefits: Fraud

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the amount of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) paid to benefit claimants due to fraud in (1) 2010, (2) 2011, (3) 2012, and (4)...

      Children: Sexual Abuse

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to reduce the number of sexual offences against children committed by those under the age of 18. To ask Her Majesty’s Government...

      Children: Sexually Explicit Material

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support children who have been adversely affected by watching pornography.

      Civil Service: Bonuses

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of total bonuses paid to civil servants and the staff of Government-sponsored organisations in the last available year; and whether...

      Energy: Power Stations

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the comparative carbon footprints resulting from converting Drax power station from coal to biomass, including the estimated...

      Energy: Wind Farms

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have co-ordinated a cost-benefit analysis of their policies to introduce wind farms, on- and off-shore, as part of the United Kingdom's national...

      Families: Troubled Families

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Troubled Families scheme in the Department for Communities and Local Government is expected to achieve its target of helping 120,000 troubled...

      Health: Cancer Drugs Fund

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many medicines will no longer be available through the National Health Service if the current Cancer Drugs Fund arrangements come to an end.

      Health: Cancer Drugs Fund

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) about the potential impact on patients’ access to...

      Health: Human Papilloma Virus

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency ascertain whether or not there is evidence of long-term illness or pain as a result of the...

      Health: Human Papilloma Virus

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the reports received by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of suspected adverse reactions to (1) Cervarix, (2) Gardasil, and...

      Health: Human Papilloma Virus

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed with the government of Japan that government’s decision to rescind their recommendation for the administration of Gardasil...

      Health: Medical Negligence

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current law on medical negligence on scientific discovery in cancer.

      Health: Medical Negligence

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they offer to doctors about the risks of prosecution for medical negligence if they deviate from standard procedure.

      Met Office

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Met Office has set a date by which, in the event of no further increase in global temperatures, it would reassess the validity of its general...

      NHS: Nurses

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of provision of fracture liaison nurses in the National Health Service, and of the distribution of those...

      Pensions

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the NHS Superannuation Scheme have, in each of the last five years, had their prospective pensions or actual pension in payment reduced...

      Railways: Consultants

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Transport has spent with First Class Partnerships in each of the last five financial years, including the cost of secondment of...

      Railways: High Speed 2

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HS2 will be subject to the same regulatory oversight by the Office of Rail Regulation as Network Rail; and, if not, what differences are proposed.

      Railways: High Speed 2

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new HS2 train services will be franchised; and whether there will be separation of ownership of train services and HS2 infrastructure.

      Railways: High Speed 2

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to avoid loss of ancient woodland during the construction of HS2.

      Railways: High Speed 2

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much ancient woodland they estimate will be lost through the construction of HS2.

      Railways: High Speed Rail Programme Board

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (1) the terms of reference, and (2) the membership, of the High Speed Rail Programme Board.

      Railways: Infrastructure

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to maximise the financial contribution to the United Kingdom from the European Union Connecting Europe Facility for transport...

      Railways: Rolling Stock

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the reasons for the two-year delay between the announcement of Siemens as the preferred bidder to provide rolling stock for Thameslink and the...

      Railways: Station Platforms

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are proposals to provide seating and shelters for passengers on the newly refurbished platforms at Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western...

      Rainforests

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what discussions and meetings they have recently been engaged to consider action to control the destruction of the world's rainforests; with what results;...

      Taxation: Blood Relative Partnerships

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many blood relative partnerships they estimate exist; how much they estimate those partnerships save the taxpayer in care costs; and what estimate they...

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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