Written answers

Mercher, 3 Gorffennaf 2013

  • Wales

    • Foreign Investment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with UK Trade and Investment on opportunities for increasing foreign direct investment to Wales.

    • Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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 12 months.

      Staff

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

      Vacancies

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

  • Northern Ireland

    • MITIE Group

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

  • Home Department

    • Civil Disorder

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the 2011 summer riots on crime statistics in each of the last two years.

    • Counter-terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work she has undertaken to create better links between universities, colleges, local authorities and communities engaged in Prevent work.

      Counter-terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Prevent strategy regional champions are currently in post; and what assessment she has made of their work.

      Counter-terrorism

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces have agreed Prevent strategy programmes with universities.

      Counter-terrorism: Greenwich

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been provided to Greenwich Council under the Prevent programme in each of the last five years.

      Counter-terrorism: Scotland

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Scottish Government have requested any meetings with her to discuss the provision of counter terrorism intelligence sharing in...

      Fraud

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

      Police: Surveillance

      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the parents of children who died and whose identities were used by undercover police officers have been contacted by the police.

  • Transport

    • Aviation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the costs levied against consumers who are required to make minor administration changes to flight booking...

    • East Coast Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of delays to East Coast Main Line rail services were due to (a) overhead wire failures, (b) signalling failures, (c) other...

      Great Western Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he will take to improve flood monitoring systems on the Western route in cases of increased extreme weather disruption; (2) what...

      Great Western Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in increasing the capacity of the Western route.

      Great Western Railway Line

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what decisions have been made on funding for resilience works to improve the Western route, in line with the recommendations of the Network Rail...

      MITIE Group

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

      Pedestrian Crossings: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians were killed or injured while using pedestrian crossings in each of the last three years for which data are available; and how many...

      Roads: Accidents

      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an estimate of the total number of road traffic casualties in 2012, including those not reported to the police.

      Serco

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

  • International Development

    • Developing Countries: Family Planning

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government plans to take to encourage the promotion of family planning in developing countries.

    • Developing Countries: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to only deliver aid to organisations with a commitment to freedom of religion or belief.

      Developing Countries: Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will identify freedom of religion or belief as a priority for her Department's work.

      International Assistance

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what ways the Government plan to seek to ensure the recognition of often marginalised groups, such as nomadic communities or...

      MITIE Group

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

      Palestinian Authority

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures her Department has in place to ensure that UK aid to the Palestinian Authority general budget is not used to sponsor...

      Press Subscriptions

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

      St Helena

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what on-the-ground predator control measures were conducted in 2012 within the Airport Development Area of the St Helena Air Access...

      St Helena

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps were taken in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to conserve the population of the beetle Homoeodera scolytoides found in the...

      St Helena

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the St Helena Air Access project on the mole spider population on the area known...

      St Helena

      To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the St Helena Air Access project on the crab spider Bonapruncinia sanctae-helenae.

      Staff

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

  • Communities and Local Government

    • Housing Benefit

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effect of changes to the payment of housing benefit on the ability of registered...

    • Landlords: Licensing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities in England have used the selective licensing powers as defined under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004...

      Solar Power: Planning Permission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the statement of 16 June 2013, Official Report, column 113WS, on onshore wind (local planning), whether the new...

      Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made since the publication of the Portas review to assist retailers to report on their support...

      Urban Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made since the publication of the Portas review in encouraging large retailers to support and...

  • Justice

    • Cannabis

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Vietnamese nationals have been convicted of crimes connected to cannabis cultivation since 2010.

    • Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which courtrooms he has visited since his appointment.

      Courts

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs of the commercial courts in England and Wales were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how much income was generated by those...

      Crime: Fixed Penalties

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many penalty notices for (a) disorder and (b) shoplifting goods up to the value of £200 were issued in each of the last five years; and...

      Crime: Victims

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the estimated spending on support for victims of crime will be in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

      Criminal Injuries Compensation

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme have been (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) rejected since the new...

      Driving Offences: Sentencing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many drivers in (a) England and (b) Gloucester have been prosecuted for causing death while disqualified in each of the last five years; and...

      Juries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were called for jury service (a) nationally and (b) in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency in each of the last three years; and what...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bridgend of 29 May 2013, reference MM/LF/05013.

      Michael Turner

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what dates and at which times he has met Mr Michael Turner QC in his capacity as Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association since 1 January 2012.

      Offenders: Mental Health Services

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many mental health treatment requirements were issued as part of a community sentence in England and Wales in 2012; (2) what assessment he has...

      Prison Sentences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of criminal convictions and guilty pleas in (a) magistrates' courts and (b) Crown courts resulted in custodial sentences in each of the...

      Prison Service: North East

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) operational support grades, (b) prison officer grades, (c) administrative grades, (d) operational and senior operational manager grades and...

      Prisoners on Remand

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were on remand in May 2010.

      Prisoners' Transfers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison-to-prison transfer movements there were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

      Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners (a) are in prison and (b) were in prison in May 2010; and what steps are being taken to send them to secure detention...

      Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the cost per prisoner was in (a) publicly run prisons, (b) privately run prisons, (c) the whole prison estate and (d) each individual prison...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of new equipment and furniture purchased for HMP (a) Shepton Mallet, (b) Kingston, (c) Bullwood Hall, (d) Canterbury, (e) Gloucester,...

      Prisons

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on building renovations at HMP (a) Shepton Mallet, (b) Kingston, (c) Bullwood Hall, (d) Canterbury, (e) Gloucester, (f) Shrewsbury and...

      Prisons: Catering

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the retail cost of any items available for purchase in prisons through the canteen system is subsidised from the public purse.

      Prisons: Construction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what feasibility studies his Department has made on the construction of Titan prisons.

      Prisons: Corruption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are available for prison service employees to report incidence of corruption to his Department's Corruption Prevention Unit.

      Prisons: Corruption

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents were reported to the Corruption Prevention Unit in 2012; what the nature was of each such incident; and what the outcome was of each...

      Prisons: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are earning under the Prisoner Earning Act 1996; and what proportion of such prisoner earnings are levied under the 2011 changes to...

      Prisons: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any UK prisons use non-prison workers to (a) cook, (b) serve meals, (c) perform prison maintenance and (d) clean.

      Prisons: Employment

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, columns 714-5W, on prisons: employment, if he will provide a list of the essential support tasks...

      Prisons: Libraries

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the annual cost of the Prison Library Service to the public purse is; (2) how many prisoners borrowed books through the Prison Library...

      Publications

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other...

      Reoffenders

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the proportion of reoffenders in UK prisons over the last 20 years; (2) what steps his Department is taking to...

      Sexual Offences

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 18 April 2013, Official Report, columns 566-8W, on sexual offences: police cautions, if he will break down the figures...

      Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2013, Official Report, column 1130W, on sexual offences: victims, what specific provision his Department has made and...

      Veterans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people passing through the justice system have a background in the military.

      Young Offenders Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of providing (a) breakfast, (b) lunch, (c) dinner and (d) all meals to each inmate at a young offenders institution was on Christmas Day 2012.

      Young Offenders Institutions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juveniles of secondary school age there are currently in young offenders institutions.

      Young Offenders: Per Capita Costs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average young offender cost the Exchequer in the latest year for which figures are available; (2) what the average prisoner cost the...

  • Attorney-General

    • Legal Costs

      To ask the Attorney-General what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Law Officers' Departments was since 7 May 2010.

    • Treasury Counsel

      To ask the Attorney-General what hourly rates are paid to First Treasury Counsel.

      Treasury Solicitor's Department

      To ask the Attorney-General what hourly rates the Treasury Solicitor's Department charges client Government departments.

      Treasury Solicitor's Department

      To ask the Attorney-General what hourly rate the Treasury Solicitor's Department pays to non-panel leading counsel instructed on an ad hoc basis.

      Treasury Solicitor's Department

      To ask the Attorney-General which 10 barristers instructed by the Treasury Solicitor's Department received the largest amount in fees in the last year for which figures are available; and how...

      Treasury Solicitor's Department

      To ask the Attorney-General how much was paid to barristers by the Treasury Solicitor's Department in the last year in which figures are available.

  • Environment Food and Rural Affairs

    • Horticulture

      To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing the Australian system of cost-sharing between...

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

    • Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on each training programme it ran in Bahrain in each year since 2008.

    • Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which human rights groups the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State met during his March 2013 visit to Bahrain.

      Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK Trade and Investment officials were based in Bahrain in each year since 2008.

      Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last raised human rights issues directly with his Bahrain counterpart.

      Bahrain

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of UK exports to Bahrain was in each of the last five years.

      Human Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will revise the Human Rights and Democracy programme to enable support of longer-term projects than the one-year cycle...

      International Covenant On Civil and Political Rights

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to the UK becoming a state party to the first optional protocol of the international covenant on...

      Iraq

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he holds on British Government projects in the Kurdistan region of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

      Legal Costs

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

      Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal advice he has commissioned from outside his Department on the transfer of lethal military support to non-state actors.

      Military Aid

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal advice he has commissioned from within his Department on the transfer of lethal military support to non-state actors.

      MITIE Group

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

      Press: Subscriptions

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

      Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will establish a sub-group of the Human Rights Advisory Group to focus on freedom of religion and belief.

      Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to promote the Rabat Plan of Action within the United Nations.

      Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will convene an expert group to consider the issues involved in initiating a process to consider an international...

      Religious Freedom

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the UN to ensure that funding is provided to support a paid, full-time Special Rapporteur on...

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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...

      Staff

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

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP on the control of arms exports by EU...

      Syria

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with representatives of the Syrian National Coalition where the issue of lethal military support has...

      Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Turkish Government counterpart on the continued imprisonment without conviction of 46...

      Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether Turkey's EU accession process can progress without a peaceful settlement of the Kurdish...

      Turkey

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the accession of Turkey to the EU.

      Vacancies

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

      Yemen

      To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Yemeni Minister for Expatriate Affairs; and...

  • Treasury

    • EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of loans that have been signed off for projects in the UK by the European Investment Bank (a) in total since 2009, (b) in each year since...

    • Fuels: Tax Evasion

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to visit HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials in Northern Ireland to discuss improvements in HMRC's efforts to tackle fuel laundering...

      Ministerial Policy Advisers

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advisers who had previously worked at (a) British Gas, (b) EDF, (c) npower, (d) Scottish Power, (e) SSE and (f) E.ON have been engaged by his...

      MITIE Group

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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 Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department.

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston of 12 June 2013, Official Report, columns 335-6, what...

      Mortgages: Government Assistance

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make it his policy that there should be a role for the private mortgage insurance industry in the Government's Help to Buy scheme; (2)...

      Press: Subscriptions

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

      Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has met HM Revenue and Customs officials in Northern Ireland since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

      Serco

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

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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 12 months.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people would be excluded from paying income tax if the annual personal allowance threshold were to be increased to £12,000 in 2014.

      Staff

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each...

      Tax Burden: Retail Trade

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the tax burden on high street retailers in comparison to retailers which operate wholly or partially on the internet.

      UK Membership of EU

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the economic benefit of UK membership of the EU.

      Vacancies

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14.

      VAT: Community Interest Companies

      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of VAT liability on community interest companies delivering social care services on behalf of public...

  • Work and Pensions

    • Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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...

    • Employment and Support Allowance

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who are refused employment and support allowance make a second claim within (a) six months and (b) one year.

      Employment Schemes: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the time taken to publish Youth Contract performance data for 18 to 24 year olds; and when he expects the first such...

      Legal Costs

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

      Press: Subscriptions

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

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 26 June 2013, Official Report, column 314, on Spending Review, in which of his...

      Serco

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

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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 12 months.

      Social Security Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what restrictions apply to the use of translators in social security fraud investigations; and if he will make a statement.

      Social Security Benefits: Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the total level of financial support a cancer sufferer would receive over a 12 month period if they were (a)...

      Social Security Benefits: Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on whether those receiving treatment for cancer and who are unable to work should be placed directly into the employment and...

      Social Security Benefits: Northern Ireland

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much it will cost to introduce mandatory language lessons for benefits claimants in Northern Ireland.

      Unemployment Benefits

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who have come off the main unemployment benefits since May 2010.

      Vacancies

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

      Vacancies: Thirsk

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest number of job vacancies were in Thirsk and Malton constituency.

      Welfare State: Reform

      To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to correct the under-performance of his Department's programmes identified by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his...

  • Culture Media and Sport

    • Broadband

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on increasing broadband infrastructure in (a) Glasgow, (b) each other city in Scotland and (c) each...

    • Football

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the role of supporters' trusts in improving governance of football clubs.

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries intends to reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for...

      Members: Correspondence

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to reply to the letter to the Minister for Sport dated 16 May 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with...

      Public Expenditure

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the equality impact of her Department's spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has been...

      Public Lending Right

      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to bring forward legislative proposals to extend public lending right to remote lending of e-books, subject to...

  • Women and Equalities

    • Legal Costs

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities (1) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Government Equalities Office since 7 May 2010 was; (2) what the 20 highest...

    • Public Expenditure

      To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the equality impact of the Government Equalities Office spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has...

  • Defence

    • MITIE Group

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

  • Cabinet Office

    • Billing

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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...

    • MITIE Group

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008.

      Serco

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much No. 10 Downing Street currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008; (2) how much his...

      Staff

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in...

      Travel: Scotland

      To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many journeys from the UK to overseas destinations began in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

  • Education

    • Class Sizes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education in which local education authorities (a) primary and (b) secondary school class sizes have risen since May 2010, by size of increase; and if he will...

    • Pre-school Education: Closures

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained nurseries have closed in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

      Primary Education: Class Sizes

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children aged (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven were in infant classes of over 30 on (i) 1 May 2010 and (ii) the latest date for which...

      Schools: Buildings

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of temporary classrooms in each English local education authority.

      Secondary Education: Coastal Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the most recent Ofsted inspection grades were for each secondary school serving the principal seaside towns of England.

      Teachers: Pay

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers in England applied for performance-related pay in the latest period for which figures are available; how many of these received such...

      Teachers: Training

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of those entering teacher training schemes had no qualifications at (a) degree and (b) advanced level in each year since 2010.

      Truancy and Pupil Exclusions

      To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what the change has been in the number of (a) unauthorised absences and (b) exclusions in schools since 2010; (2) what estimate he has made of...

  • Energy and Climate Change

    • Devolution

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library any concordats which his Department or the public bodies for which he is responsible have with the...

    • Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, columns 461-2W, on renewable energy, if he will place in the Library a copy of...

      Renewable Energy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the Government's investment in non-wind forms of renewable energy; and if he will make a statement.

      Serco

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

      Wind Power

      To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average price paid to wind farm operators per megawatt hour for power generated was in the 12 months from May 2012.

  • Business, Innovation and Skills

    • Basic Skills

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to help improve adult literacy and numeracy rates.

    • Billing

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are...

      EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding was provided by the European Regional Development Fund for projects in the UK (a) in total since 2007, (b) per year...

      European Social Fund

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total funding provided by the European Social Fund was for projects in the UK (a) in total since 2007, (b) in each year...

      Higher Education: Scholarships

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness, performance and effects of the National Scholarship Programme.

      Legal Costs

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

      Local Enterprise Partnerships: West Midlands

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department collects on the allocation of resources by local enterprise partnerships in (a) the West...

      Manufacturing Industries: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support sports equipment manufacturers.

      Manufacturing Industries: Sports

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the growth of sports equipment manufacturing businesses over the last 10 years.

      MITIE Group

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

      Post Codes: Databases

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the likely yearly costs to the Government of accessing the Postcode Address File...

      Press: Subscriptions

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

      Research: EU Grants and Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much EU research and development funding has been awarded under the FP7 programme to projects involving British universities...

      Staff

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

      Students: Loans

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide an assurance that there will be no retrospective changes to the terms of student loans taken out before 2012.

      Vacancies

      To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14.

  • Health

    • Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will hold discussions with UK broadcasters on the scope for the inclusion of factual and relevant information relating to the signs and symptoms of...

    • Cancer

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, what progress he has made in meeting the target for saving additional lives each year by 2014-15.

      Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received medicine through the Cancer Drugs Fund in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Coventry and (c) Coventry South constituency since its...

      Cancer: Drugs

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people that will be affected by the move from the Cancer Drugs Fund to a value-based pricing system in (a) the West...

      Care Quality Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what salary grades the Care Quality Commission has used in its public affairs team in each year since its establishment; and how many people have been...

      Care Quality Commission

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Care Quality Commission has spent on public affairs in each year since its establishment.

      Care Quality Commission: Publicity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people the Care Quality Commission has employed in its public affairs team in each year since its establishment.

      Cerebral Palsy

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department issues on the commissioning of selective dorsal rhizotomy for the treatment of spasticity; (2) how many selective...

      Congenital Abnormalities

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many children with a diagnosis of fetal valproate syndrome also have a diagnosis of (a) spina bifida, (b) neural tube defects, (c) cardiac and...

      Dementia: Young People

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will work with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on a UK-wide approach to younger people with dementia; (2) what comparative...

      Footwear

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of treating people with conditions caused by poor quality or inappropriately fitted footwear in each of the...

      General Practitioners: Rural Areas

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Royal College of General Practitioners on the effect on the consulting time available to GPs in rural areas of...

      Medical Treatments: Lasers

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received skin laser treatments on the NHS in each of the last six years; what the reasons have been for this treatment; how old such...

      MITIE Group

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

      Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the population in England with (a) a spinal injury, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) Parkinson's disease and (d) spina bifida is affected...

      Obesity

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effectiveness of the indicators set out in the Quality and Outcomes Framework in providing incentives to GPs to tackle...

      Palliative Care

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on providing assistance to relatives and friends of deceased persons in the preparation of their submissions to the Liverpool...

      Press: Subscriptions

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

      Prosthetics

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health what use is being made of 3D printers to create prosthetics within the NHS.

      Sick Leave

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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 12 months.

      Staff

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

      Streptococcus

      To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent progress he has made in implementing the Government's strategy for dealing with Group B Streptococcus; (2) what the most recent...

      Vacancies

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

  • House of Lords

    • African Union

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to enhance the capacity of the African Union as a development partner.

    • Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that evidence regarding the extent of herbicide-tolerant weeds and resistant pests has been taken into account in its...

      Benefits

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the forecast saving from the extension to seven days of the period before people who lose their jobs can obtain benefits; and how many people are...

      Benefits: Motability Scheme

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 13 June (WA 255–6), how many people in each of the local authority districts in Scotland were, by...

      Blasphemy

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations, both bilaterally and in international fora, about reviewing blasphemy laws to bring them into line with agreed human...

      Caribbean

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote trade and cultural links with the Overseas Territories and Members of the Commonwealth in the Caribbean.

      Caribbean

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contracts have been awarded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Caribbean Council; for what services; and for what cost.

      Cattle: Vaccines

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any data suggesting that clostridial vaccination in cattle should be encouraged; and whether they have any plans to recommend such vaccines...

      Central African Republic

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom is represented in the Central African Republic; what assessment they have made of reports of killings and displacements of...

      Children: Eating Disorders

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children under the age of 18 were admitted to hospital as a result of eating disorders in 2012. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what...

      Children: Orphans

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support systems are in place for children with deceased parents; and whether there has been any assessment of the effectiveness of those systems.

      Croatia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a prerequisite for Croatia's accession to the European Union was that it should encourage and enable the return of refugees and exiles from Krajina...

      Drones

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of Turkish drones operating above the camps of the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 18 June (WA 33), why the minutes of the meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s...

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 8 March 2011 (WA 389-90), whether it remains the case that no changes to the research programme at centre 0017...

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 June (WA 48), what reasons the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has provided for not...

      Embryology

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 June (WA 48), whether the Person Responsible and the Nominal Licencee for research licence R0152 had...

      European Commission: Review of Legislative Proposals

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 17 June (HL Deb, col 8), on how many occasions the European Commission has reviewed its legislative proposals...

      Freedom of Information Act 2000

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of any additional costs that might arise as a result of local auditors being subject to the requirements of the Freedom of...

      Gambia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Commonwealth Secretary-General's proposed media mission to The Gambia on 24 and 25 June.

      Gambia

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they agreed to the European Union resuming their political dialogue under the Cotonou Agreement with The Gambia in July, but excluding matters under...

      Health: Obesity

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will assess what savings can be made in the public finances through increased diagnosis and treatment of obesity. To ask Her Majesty’s...

      Health: Resistance and Infection

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Newby on 10 April (WA 331), whether the Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated...

      Health: Strokes

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will assess what savings can be made in the public finances through measures to prevent atrial fibrillation-related stroke. To ask Her...

      Health: Vaccination and Immunisation

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect the minutes of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation meeting of 12 June to be published before the House rises for the...

      House of Lords: Statues

      To ask the Chairman of Committees , in the light of the upcoming anniversary of the Magna Carta, whether he will arrange for the statues of signatories of the Magna Carta in the House of Lords...

      Human Rights

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to pursue the findings of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of...

      Identity Documents: Religion

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations, both bilaterally and in international fora, about ending requirements to show religious affiliation on identity documents.

      Immigration Rules

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following decisions of the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in the cases IA/11284/2012 and I/19205/2012, they plan to amend Rule...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are existing agreements in place that prohibit them from imposing sanctions on Israel.

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with European partners about accountability within the Israeli military and its effect on the peace process in that country.

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comments by Israel’s Deputy Defence Minister Danny Danon that the governing coalition in that country is opposed...

      Israel

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the alleged use of gas bombs by the Israeli military in Kufr Qaddoum on 6 June.

      Lending: Start-up Loans

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have reviewed any possible conflicts of interest faced by delivery partners, including student bodies, involved in promoting and approving loans...

      Limited Liability Partnerships

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many limited liability partnerships registered at Companies House have not submitted returns to HM Revenue and Customs within the required time limit at...

      Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of same sex marriages that will be entered into as a result of the passing of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples)...

      Met Office

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there has been an independent audit of the accuracy of the Met Office's recent forecasts of (1) wetter winters, (2) dryer summers, and (3) higher...

      Northern Ireland Assembly

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 20 June (WA 73–4), for what reasons they did not temporarily extend the life of the Northern...

      Overseas Aid

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase overseas development aid to promote investments in extension services in Africa to improve agriculture and nutrition.

      Overseas Territories

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to promote to ensure that overseas territories are in full compliance with agreed positions on transparency.

      Pakistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan about the violent unrest in Baluchistan, in particular the issue of missing persons and...

      Personal Independence Payment

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Freud on 24 June (HL Deb, cols 597–8), how they will respond to the consultation on the 50 or 20 metre Personal...

      Planning: Land Value

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 17 June (WA 21), whether, in the light of the high cost of large infrastructure schemes to public funds,...

      Police: Racial Discrimination

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers in England and Wales have been subjected to disciplinary action about incidents of alleged racial discrimination in the past five...

      Police: Undercover Policing

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the current investigative reviews of undercover policing will examine incidents associated with deaths in custody in suspicious circumstances...

      Somalia and Somaliland

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has convened any meetings to discuss mechanisms for the transfer of funds to Somalia and Somaliland; and, if so,...

      Stephen Lawrence Inquiry

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the comments of the parents of Stephen Lawrence, following the allegations concerning the use of undercover officers to smear the...

      Tajikistan

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the industrial pollution at the Tajik Aluminium Company facility; whether they intend to consider making an aid...

      Trade Envoys

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many United Kingdom trade envoys there are; who they are; and to which country each is appointed.

      Turkey

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the ceasefire declared in April by the Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey.

      UK Border Agency: Staff

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are now keeping a record of the nationality of staff employed by the UK Border Agency and staff on border agency duties.

      Visas

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consult the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about the number of scholarships...

      Wilson Doctrine

      To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Wilson Doctrine on the interception of MPs' telephone calls still applies; whether it covers internet-based communications; and whether it...

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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